More Shellac Nails: French Manicure

After my last experience with Shellac (read here) I just couldn't wait to get my nails done again! Having perfectly manicured nails for two weeks is proving addictive already :)
This time I went for classic, elegant and timeless; a french manicure!

PS....can you guess what I am holding here???

I love the classic look of a french manicure and having this chip free for 2 weeks is just brilliant!

They used CND polishes in the shades 'beau' and 'studio white' for this manicure.

TADA......Yes I am indeed holding a little blue box from Tiffany & Co! LUCKY ME :)

Why? Well it's my birthday tomorrow and it is a bit of a yearly tradition to get some T&C goodness for my birthday. See previous presents here and here. This present is from my parents and I can't wait to open it tomorrow morning. I already know what it is but you will just have to wait until I show you later this week :) This item has been on my Tiffany's wish list for a while...what's on your list?

I hope you all have an amazing weekend!
I will be celebrating turning another year older with friends over lots of prosecco and cake ♥

The ultimate long lasting manicure: Shellac Nails!

For ages now I have been meaning to try out the hype that is 'Shellac nails' and last night I finally went for my first CND Shellac manicure and I have to say I love it. Shellac offers a more nail-friendly solution by taking gels to the next level and it is the ultimate long lasting manicure! The special formulated polishes brush on just like regular nail polish. Nails are prepped in the same manner as a basic manicure but your polish will stay on, chip-free, for at least 14 days!

I got my nails done at Nails in London in EC4 London and the whole process only took about 30 minutes. The application process is simple. A clear base coat is applied, which is then ‘cured’ for 20 seconds in an ultraviolet light box. Two coats of coloured polish follow (I chose the CND shade Tropix), each of which needs two minutes under the UV lamp, then a high-gloss top-coat followed by a final 20-second blast of the UV light and, voila, your nails are all done!

And the amazing thing is they are dry – like ROCK HARD dry, no risk of smudging or scratching. It’s the weirdest feeling walking out and not having to be careful touching things; I kept thinking I was going to damage my manicure! But it didn’t :) I am super happy with the finished result and will be curious to see how long I can remain chip-free for!

Do you like the shade Tropix I got? I love Coral and thought it would be perfect for my holiday :)

My shellac manicure cost £35 which I think is pretty good value for money when you think how long lasting it is compared to a standard manicure! When the time comes to take the Shellac polish off your nail, you can easily get this done at the salon when you go for your next treatment and the best part is that it doesn’t actually damage the nail itself. Even though salons don’t recommend it I have seen a few tutorials on how you can remove shellac nails at home; read a good tutorial here (link).

Btw like my new iPhone cover? I picked it up yesterday for only £3.99 at H&M. It was one of those items that's in the baskets by the counter and I just couldn't resist taking it home!

So the verdict on Shellac Nails? I am hooked and will definitely get it done again. I think next time I will try a shellac french manicure. Have you ever had Shellac nails or are now intrigued to give this new revolution in manicures a go? Let me know your thoughts. xoxo