NOTD and Review: Shellac Nails in Tropix

Recently one of my oldest friends got married and the day before me and another friend had Shellac nails done for the wedding. I picked this beautiful coral pink colour (thanks to Google I now know it's called "Tropix"), as I thought it would go really well with the electric blue dress I bought to wear. 

Shellac is described as "a true innovation in chip free, extended wear nail colour". Shellac is 3-free, which means it contains no formaldehyde, DBP (dibutyl phthalate) and toluene. It is applied just like a traditional polish, but in between each layer my nails were put under a UV lamp to cure each layer. I didn't count how long my nails were under the lamp, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. A base and top coat were also applied and cured under the UV lamp. The result is super shiny, glossy nails, which are dry instantly. It's really odd because you feel like you need to be careful with how you move around, but you can run your fingers over the nail or knock it against something and there is no way it is going to smudge! Here are my nails the same day:

One of the big selling points of Shellac is that it is meant to last for at least 14 days. If you follow me on Twitter you may have noticed that I regularly moan about my nail varnish peeling off, sometimes within 24 hours of me applying it. I have tried so many different things with no avail and have just come to the conclusion that I have really oily nail beds!! Unfortunately for me, the Shellac actually started peeling off within a week. You can clearly see this on my middle finger on the pictures below. 

As it started peeling off I decided to remove it properly, as otherwise I knew I'd just end up picking it off! You can go back to the salon to have it removed or if you want to do it at home, all you need is some pure acetone, cotton wool and foil. I put a little bit of the acetone on a cotton wool ball, popped it over the nail and held it in place with foil. If you leave it on for 5-10 mins the Shellac will start to flake off and any left on the nail should easily scrape off either using your nail or a cuticle stick. Obviously pure acetone really isn't good for your nails, so now some hand and cuticle cream is much needed!

Unfortunately I don't think I will have Shellac done again anytime soon, purely because it cost me £20.00 and it only lasted a week. However it was lovely to have it done for a special occasion and I would recommend giving it a try if you haven't already. It would be perfect to have done before going on holiday!

Have you had Shellac done before? What was your experience?

Beauty Bird xx