I've been hearing about Gellish/Shellac nails for months now and when holiday time came it seemed the perfect opportunity to give it a go myself. I booked an appointment at my local salon where they have just started offering the treatment and are running a deal too good to miss. Mani/Pedi £20!! For that price I couldn't say no, unfortunately there were a few reasons that the deal was so good, 1. The Nail Tech is newly qualified and 2. The colours available were extremely limited. I think she had 5 all of which were a bit dated, frosty mauves and such, the red was really my only option. From the start I wasn't super impressed with the paint job.. no neater than I could have done myself but the whole process (hands) took about 40mins and I was impressed with the glossy finish and the promise of 3 weeks wear. I knew that I wouldn't get that long from it as my fingernails grow quickly and the re-growth would drive me mad but chip free for the duration of my trip was all I wanted.
The pictures above and below are both 1 week in and I am distinctly underwhelmed. After only one day I could see wear and 3 days in my thumb and forefinger had both chipped. Bare in mind that I was on holiday.. no housework, washing up etc.. I was expecting more.
In this instance it could well be a case of you get what you pay for but I wouldn't pay more after this experience. My regrowth was bad after a week and even the best nail tech couldn't avoid that so I won't be shelling out the big bucks for this kind of thing but my toes are lasting well and I would consider having this done again for a week away so as not to worry about repainting while on holiday. Having heard such wondrous things about gellish I thought I'd add my not so wondrous thoughts to the mix, I'm not saying don't try it I'm just saying manage your expectations.. it's not magic!
Miss BB
Loving your blog and YouTube channel! I had a gel mani a year or so ago and although it didn't chip I'd never ever get it done again as my nails were in terrible condition afterwards! Just make sure you get it removed properly, my beautician had special remover stuff as the ordinary stuff in the shops just didn't shift it and she charged me a fiver for the privilege!
ReplyDeleteI was dissapointed when I had my gel nails done as well! Like you I thought the painting was a bit messy and they didn't stand up at all to using my wheelchair! I wouldn't get them done again I think.
ReplyDeleteMaddy x
http://thoughtsofagirloncrutches.blogspot.com
I used to get gelish once a month, I was lucky it didn't chip. I think that its best to get a french manicure, if you do get them to paint the white bit bigger then the actual nail means the regrowth isn't that noticeable. I used to just peel off the colour slowly but surely, my nails were fine but then I oil/cream them most days. My friend was not so lucky. I think the technician has a lot to do with it as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear that. Try another salon. The salon I go to is a 20 minute drive from my house and I pass by 20 other nail places, but I only have to go there once a month, it's worth it. I get pink and white tips, but they do the gel thing you have on pedicures too (I can't wait to try) and I seen the color selection they must of had 24+ colors. Hope you can find a great place! =( thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletei got a shellac manicure the other week as my friend needed to practice. it stayed on quite well and it more peeled at the tops than chipped! the regrowth wasnt great either. i think for a holiday it would be good but i like to change my polish colour every few days!
ReplyDeleteI had a Shellac manicure over the last Christmas holiday but unfortunately I had the same experience as you and it chipped in less than a week. I think I kept it on for about two weeks in the end to try and get my money's worth, but the regrowth was pretty bad by then. It is also a bugger to remove! I don't think I'll be getting it done again unfortunately :-(
ReplyDelete