The Unchippable Manicure

For some inexplicable reason, I cannot keep a manicure for more than a day: I must be operating heavy tools or doing some serious manual labor in my sleep, because inevitably my nails become chipped and sad looking within hours of a manicure.  Recently my fashionista friend Alisa introduced me to the UV gel manicure at the Pyara Aveda Salon in Harvard Square, and I swear it's changed my life.

Shellac manicure, day 3

The gel or shellac manicure is like a regular manicure in almost every respect, except they use a special polish by CND and "cure" the polish in between coats under a UV light.  The polish dries and hardens, and you can walk out of the salon and go about your day immediately without waiting for additional drying time or worrying about chipping.  (I know!  It's totally mindblowing.)

Day 8

In fact, the manicure is supposed to last for two weeks.  Since I was traveling, I actually had mine on for thirty days(!), and with the exception of minor peeling on three fingers, the polish was still on.  Of course, your nails grow, and at some point it starts looking a little weird that you have polish only on the top 2/3 of your nails.

Day 30

When it's time to remove the polish, you're supposed to return to the salon to have the polish removed.  They  soak your nails in acetone for about ten minutes and buff them slightly to remove the polish.  (I watched the removal process, and it didn't seem so complicated as to warrant my paying someone to do it, so I might try do it myself next time.  We'll see.)  CND says that the polish removal process doesn't damage your nails (the way removing acrylics, for ex., will), but I'm still planning on taking a break between manicures.

New manicure, day 1

The main drawback to the shellac manicure is its cost.  It's $45 for the application, and $15 for the removal.  For this reason, I probably won't be getting another manicure until I have some sort of special event.  Then again, it lasts so much longer than a regular manicure that perhaps the cost difference becomes negligible.  Another negative is that CND has a fairly limited array of colors right now, though I've heard they will be expanding their product line shortly.

Now for the positives: The polish really does dry immediately under the UV lamp, and you can put on your gloves, rummage through your purse, etc., etc. as soon as the manicure's done.  And the polish lasts for so long that it's completely cured my bad habit of biting my nails.  Finally, as someone who equates manicures with fanciness, I no longer feel like a goblin when I go out in public.

Have you tried the shellac manicure?  (I heard OPI has one too.)

P.S. I think I need to moisturize my hands more. My knuckles look like pug faces.