Gel polish and powder dip nails are the hottest thing going in nails right now. Shellac Luxe is a gel polish system that promises 2 week wear with 1 minute removal time. I was at the supply store and noticed a bottle of Shellac Luxe in Masquerade and it was soooo gorgeous I had to have it!!
I chose 2 clients to be my guinea pigs but, unfortunately, neither one had any luck with it. The first client is a self-proclaimed picker so her results aren’t reliable but the other client actually experienced chipping before she even made it home from the salon! I decided to try it out on myself before I used it on anyone else.
I’m hesitant to wear gel because, even though I’m not typically a picker, I find it terribly fun to see if I can peel gel polish off in one sheet. One sheet that has a layer of my natural nail still attached. One layer that, when peeled off, leaves my nails weaker, flimsy and, in a word, trashed. I know this but I just can’t resist.
Day 1: The directions state to prep the nail with Scrubfresh and perform a manicure. Check. I applied the product according to the directions, except for one thing: After applying 2 coats of color I applied 2 coats of topcoat. I thought the extra topcoat might give better results than my guinea pigs experienced.
I decided to act like a client and actually take care of my nails for 2 weeks.
Things I did that I should do:
- Used a knife to lift the tab on my pop can. (Oh, for those of you who don’t live in Ohio, I mean soda can. For those of you who live in Boston, Coke can.)
- Used a razor blade to scrape stuck on gunk off the stove.
- Wore gloves when I took off a client’s polish.
Day 7: My nails still look really good! No chips or peeling but the shine is starting to dull a little. I think it’s the gloves I’m wearing when I remove my clients’ polish.
Things I did that I shouldn’t do:
1. Scratched my instant lottery ticket with my thumb.
2. Opened a new bottle of salad dressing with the edge of my thumbnail.
Day 10: This is what happens when I don’t follow my own rules. I’m a bad client.
Things I had to do because I had no choice:
1. Hauled hay to feed the horses.
2. Made 2 batches of soap.
Got my grandkids in and out of car seats, those buckles are a BEAR!!
3. Crocheted…………a lot.
Day 14: All in all I have to say that I am very impressed with this product. It held up well, even with me doing nails. After two weeks I had 1 self-inflicted chip on my thumb, one nail peeled on the last day because of crochet abuse and 1 nail broke because it got too long.
Best of all, this polish seem to go on so smoothly and stick so well that I found nothing that tempted me to pick. Or peel. Or destroy my nails. As a matter of fact, my nail feel strong and look healthy even after I’ve taken off the polish.
Did it come off in one minute? Not even close. But keep in mind, I used 2 coats of topcoat. Even though I buffed off the shine prior to wrapping, it still took about 5 minutes to soak off. I don’t find that unacceptable, though. That’s about the same amount of time it takes to take off the original Shellac. Powder dip nails take half an hour to soak off, I’m not as comfortable with that. Overall I’m very happy and plan to get more Shellac Luxe colors!
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