Shellac Manicure – At Home

Are you fed up of chipped nail polish as soon as you have painted your nails? Or do you never seem to be able to obtain the high shine achieved in a nail salon? I Well say goodbye to chipped and smudged nail polish and say hello to professional high shine nails which you can achieve right in your very own home!

I recently discover Shellac Gel Polish and taught myself how to give myself a Shellac Manicure at home.  After mastering this technique, which is extremely easy, I cannot see myself going back to using normal nail polish ever again.  Why would I when my Shellac Manicure doesn’t chip, lose shine or smudge straight after it’s been done?  Perfect for ladies on the go who just don’t have time to deal with chipped nail polish.  I can say those days are well and truly gone!

So firstly, you need to purchase your kit.  At first it may seem a little pricey, but I can assure you it’s worth the investment.  If you are anything like me, you will become totally addicted and want to purchase every colour!

So for your kit you will need:

• UV lamp 
• CND Base & Top Coat
• Isopopanol Alcohol 
• CND Scrub Fresh – Pre-Prep for Nails
• Cotton Pads
• Nail File
• Cuticle clippers
• Cuticle Oil
• Pure Acetone
• Ready-made Gel remover wraps
• Shellac Colours

These are the products I have purchased for my kit but you can shop around for alternatives that are similar to the items listed above.

Here is a step by step guide of how I achieve gorgeous manicured nails which last up to two weeks!

1. File your nails into the shape you want so they are neat and tidy. Push back/clean up your cuticles with your clippers so the nail bed is prepared for polish.  Rinse hands under warm water to remove any nail dust.
2. Soak a cotton pad in CND Scrub Fresh, press onto each nail and rub for a few seconds.  This will remove any excess oil which we don’t want, otherwise the base coat will not adhere to the nail properly.  This step really helps the longevity of your manicure.
3. Complete step 3 – 7 on one hand before moving onto the next.    Apply one coat of base coat onto each nail  and cure under the UV light for 15 seconds.
4. Now you are ready for your first coat of colour.   Applying CND Gel polish is exactly the same as painting your nails with nail polish.  Try not to get too close to your cuticles as this will cause lifting of the gel after a few days.  Keep the coat thin, as I have noticed when the first coat gets to thick, it can cause wrinkling whilst curing.  Now cure your nails for 90 seconds.
5. Repeat step 4 one more time.  Sometime, if I want a more opaque look, I add a third layer, this is totally up to you and as you get used applying Shellac nail colours, you will figure out what you like.
6. Once you are happy with your colour coat, add a good amount of top coat on each nail and cure for 15 seconds.
7. Soak a cotton pad in Isopropanol Alcohol and rub each nail to remove the sticky film and you will be left with super shiny nails, that won’t smudge at all.  Now you are read to move onto your other hand.
8. Add a little cuticle oil to each nail and rub in.  You can do this every day to help keep your nails happy and healthy.

When you are ready to remove your manicure you can do so by either purchasing ready-made foil wraps which you soak in pure acetone, wrap around your nails and within minutes the gel will easily come off.  Or like me, you can make your own with cotton pads and foil at home.  Just cut up a cotton pad into quarters, place on a cut out rectangle of foil which will easily wrap around your finger, and wrap away.  Easy!

That is it.  You are now set for the next two weeks, and trust me you will get many many compliments.  I often get asked if I have had my nails done professionally.  I do my manicure every two weeks and I can tell you, it saves me a ton of money : ) Plus I really enjoy doing it.  There are ways of mixing colours and if you are interested on how I do this, do let me know.  I’ll see you soon. X.O.