Shellac Manicure: Hot Pop Pink

Day 1

A few weeks ago I had a Shellac manicure.  Shellac is kind of like a semi-permanent nail polish that doesn’t chip for a minimum of seven days.  My nails get a regular battering from being on crutches and playing the guitar, so I was really interested to see how this treatment would hold up!

Day 3

I went for Hot Pop Pink as I’m still all about the bright pinks, especially now it’s less doom and gloom (or at least it was when I got my manicure) weather wise.

The application process was pretty similar to a standard manicure; you have a base coat, then two coats of colour, then a top coat.  The only difference is that in between each coat you have the nails cured, which involves putting your fingertips underneath a curing lamp for about a minute each time.  You don’t actually feel anything going on whilst under the lamp, so there’s no heat, just light.

Day 6

Once the last curing has been achieved, nails are ready to go.  This means that there’s no waiting around for the nails to dry and no treading carefully for the following few hours for fear of smudging or denting the varnish.  This would be especially handy if you have it done on your toes as you don’t have to bring sandals with you and try and walk around without letting your toes touch!

Day 8

I was seriously impressed with the sturdiness of this treatment.  I have been playing guitar every day for at least a couple of hours and even now, about 3 weeks later, there are still no chips on the tips of my fingers.  Obviously my nails have started growing so you can see more cuticle, but the fact that there are no chips whatsoever is unbelievable!  Therefore this is definitely a treatment I’d recommend if you use your hands a lot but still want neat, pretty nails.

Day 10

There’s a huge array of shades available and I had my Shellac (T) done with Mette at Utopia Health and Beauty in East Finchley which costs £28 and the pedicure is £33.  More info on Utopia can be found here.