Shellac manicures are expensive, but for me the biggest downside to them is removal. They do last well and that means they are hard to remove. I have tried a couple of different removal methods and both are time consuming and difficult for me to do myself at home. The salon is happy to do it for you but the two that I go to regularly charge you for removal unless you are getting another shellac manicure.
So this left me trying to find a way to do my nails at home and have them last for more than 48 hours. I of course turned to Pinterest! I knew there would be no shortage of DIY shellac ideas that had been pinned. I found one that looked promising and easy so I pinned it and went and got the supplies that day on my lunch hour.
I used a nail color I already had at home, but bought everything else exactly as it was in the pin. I only had to make two stops, Target and Sally Beauty Supply. The total for my DIY shellac manicure was just under $20 but with these supplies I can get several manicures for my money. The products I bought were Gelous Advance Nail Gel Coat ($6, Sally Beauty Supply), Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat ($8, Sally Beauty Supply) and Sally Hansen Hard as Wraps ($5, Target).
The steps are easily laid out in the pin. I waited 3 minutes in between coats and of course spent that time checking out Pinterest! The total time for the manicure was right around 30 minutes. I loved the way it looked and felt, very similar to the shellac manicure at the salon. The real test would be how long it would last. I wasn’t expecting it to last two weeks but hoped for at least 7 days.
My DIY shellac manicure did make it 7 days and still looked nice. There was some wear at the top of the nails but I had that even with my salon shellac manicure. By day 8, there was a little more wear and I felt like I needed to redo some of my nails. The best part of this manicure though is that it came off easily with regular nail polish remover! No aluminum foil pieces and acetone, and also no need to ask my husband for help to wrap those last few nails I couldn’t quite get wrapped by myself only to discover that he should never get a job at a nail salon.
I’m so glad I tried this pin! From time to time I’m sure I will splurge and go to the salon for a shellac manicure but this is an easy, affordable at home version that works.
Carrie’s Tips:
- Make sure your nails are clean and filed before you start. The pin recommends wiping your nails with acetone before you start and I did. I have found that suggestion in other manicure pins too.
- Do yourself a favor and even if you don’t try this manicure, go out and buy the Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. I’m in love! It works so well. I wish I would have found this product years ago!
- When trying to find a pin for something like this when the number of ideas can be overwhelming, I always read the comments left by readers and people that have already tried it. If there are too many negative comments or people that had problems I move on to another pin.
Find this pin on my Well, that was Pinteresting board at:Â pinterest.com
