[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Talon

Yeah, unfortunately the acrylic wrecks your nail bed, but I love the length and strength w/ acrylics. Maybe the next time I remove them, I'll try the gel manicure. Do you know if it the same w/the shellac mani,(having to remove your acrylic first?)
Thank you for your response, Gemme.

Originally Posted by vixenagogo

a gel manicure is the same a shellac manicure. shellac is just a brand name of a gel manicure product. i have had shellac and gelish products used. personally i like the gelish because it's a little thicker in consistency and seems to wear longer ( i get about 3 weeks wear). gelish also has more colors to choose from (including sparkles for those so inclined).

so yes, you would have to remove your acrylic first if you are interested in a gel manicure cause you wouldn't need both, right?

in regards to your nail bed... if you pick or peel off the gel polish, it will cause damage to your nail beds, too. always have any artificial nail product (gel or acrylic) removed the proper way by soaking in acetone. the nice thing about the gel manicure is that there is no aggressive filing on the natural nail like acrylic nails because the product is removed every time you have it done (instead of layering).

Originally Posted by justkim

There should NEVER be any aggressive filing on the natural nail bed no matter what you are having done. You only need to remove the shine from the natural nail bed. I have used buffing block to remove the shine. I had no problems with my product adhering to the nail. It is all in the prep work. Acrylic doesn't need to be removed for every application, if you are being told this then you are being ripped off.

I do this for a living, I also teach. It is my job not only to educate my students but also my clients. I share this information with you all because I love what I do, not because I want to be perceived as a know it all... If you have any questions please feel free to pm me.

Vixen and kim pretty much answered you, Talon, so I won't get into a long or drawn out dialogue but I will say that I'm up to 2 weeks now with my shellac mani and, though I can see the growth and where it could be filled in, I got a French so it still looks good.

I will say that next time, I'm going to have them go really deep on the white part. That way, when it grows out, I won't be able to see the shadow of the growth as soon. It may last me 3-4 weeks if I do it that way.

*edited to say*

I spent the first 3 days of my new shellac mani in water. If I wasn't in the pool, I was in the jacuzzi so my nails took a beating. I looked more pruney than humany. I have a regular pedi on my toes and the polish began to chip on the edges a little bit but my fingernails still looked fabulous. I'm really liking this.