BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY - SHELLAC-

Hey Toasty bunnies!

I decided to review the shellac nail polish since its now everywhere and I am one of those who fell in love with it since it came out.

Since the first time I tried it I was just like "this is too good to be true! How can it not smudge or chip and last up to 2 weeks!" and yes it is a bit more pricy than a regular manicure, but it was so worth it. But then of course the conspiracy theories started pouring in!! As you all may know in order to dry the gel type polish your hand needs to be placed inside a small UV light box, so basically skin cancer was imminent....

So I decided to do some digging of my own before breaking up with shellac for good. And yes indeed like everything else in life, I found that in excess it is very bad four your skin just like tanning beds... so after reading quite a few articles I found 3 solutions:

1. - This one is probably the simplest and most obvious of all.... Space out your shellac mani/pedis as much as you can and let your skin breathe!

2. -Now this option can be a bit more work, but if you love shellac but really cant take the UV light at all, this will work. You'll need 2 latex gloves (just like your dentist's) and carefully cut out the shape of your finger nails where they would fit, then were them to your next appointment.... ignore the funny looks better safe than sorry!! Especially if your skin is very sensitive.

3. -This for me is pretty much the best solution and it is also extremely easy, so first find a good facial sun block that you like (face ones are not so greasy and for more sensitive skin) preferably over 50 spf. Take it with you to your next appointment and ask your technician to apply it before you start, just like lotion, but make sure all sun block is wiped completely from the actual nail, or else the polish will not set.

My pick is the Neutrogena face shield anti-oxidant sun block lotion 110 spf, goes for around $12.99 but is also great for when you go to the beach. or also from Neutrogena Ultra sheer dry-touch sun block available from 30-100spf and $10.99

Another thing to remember is to give your finger nails a break after a few rounds of shellac, they can start to weaken or get damaged, so just let them rest for a bit before going again!