Nails... Like on your fingers!

Nails, if you are like me you love to have your nails done.  I feel complete with them done.  I feel pretty...  I hate getting manicures because well, they just don't last.  You get them done and you have to walk around forever without touching anything, pinching your keys to get the car started, and thinking to yourself how the hell you are going to buckle with out ruining a nail...  Then you are so careful and you get home and you look down and there is a chip!  A CHIP!  In you new manicure.  OMG...  At that point I usually want to cry because I am not sure why I spent $XX on it to have it ruined in a matter of an hour...

Ok rant over!  I am here to tell you 2 secrets that will keep your nails looking beautiful and LAST!  1 is something you have done at a salon and the other is at home...  2 different ways you can have your nails done that you will love!  Interested?  I thought so...

1st way:  Ask your salon if they have Shellac.  What's Shellac you ask?  Well its only the most AWESOME thing that has ever happened to the nail industry!!!

Just like it says it is a 14 day wear NAIL POLISH...  Zero Drying time!  It is nothing less than a miracle!  It is worth every penny and really it is not much more than your regular manicure price.  Now I bet you are asking me or saying, its gel right...  NO...  It is nail polish.  Goes on like nail polish.  The secret is in between every layer you stick your hand in a UV light machine.  Something like this:

I go to TRU salon.  If you go there ask for Mandy!  She is the best! 

Here are my pictures of my shellacing!  This was my first time having it done.  I've done it many, many times since then...

This is immediately after getting out of the salon in my car!  It was hard to break the habit of pinching my keys being careful, all that jazz.  I will say immediately after taking this picture I went to the store and got cases of pop.  Something you would NEVER do with a regular manicure!!  Not the best picture, I'm sorry but look at that shine...  Love it! 

1 Whole Week Later:

A little growth, but still shiny and beautiful!  Love it!  Don't they look good?  LOL!!

2 Whole Weeks Later:

More growth but still shiny and hard.  I don't feel like my nails are going to break!  Now this is when the company says to have the nail polish removed and get a new manicure...  I wanted to push the limit see how far I could go!

3 Whole Weeks Later:

Major grow out but still shiny.  Not as shiny as they were at the beginning but I'd venture to say as shiny as a normal manicure...  LOL... 

Removal...  Now, I would suggest having the salon remove the shellac the first time you have it done.  It is an easy process but the 1st time watch someone do it.  I've removed mine every other time.  It is really cool to see it come off!!!

I wish I could find a good picture of it...  It just crumbles off after it is soaked with nail polish remover!  It is so cool!!!

There you have it!  It is a MUST TRY!  Trust me on this!  If you see Mandy you will be super happy too! 

Until tomorrow!

Oh wait I promised 2 ways didn't I...  Ha!  Ok here is my other way!!!

Sally Hansen Insta Dri.  Never heard of it?  Well you should... 



They have a whole line of colors.  I was skeptical when I first heard of this...  Ya right.  Now I will say, it is nothing like Shellac instant dry, but for a home manicure it is nothing less that perfect!!  There isn't as many colors as the regular nail polish line...  but there are some pretty cool ones!  This is the one I have:

The color, wined up!  Why do I only have 1 you ask...  Well, at the time I wasn't sure it would work and I didn't want to spend the money on more than 1 color and since then I really haven't had time to get any other colors.  I have used this one multiple times though!!! 
Do your nails exactly like you would any other time you are doing them.  Once you have applied your coat you can be finished.  I usually do 2 coats of color and 1 coat of top coat.  Wait you say, just because the color is instant what about the top coat?  Well of course they thought of that too!!

If you get nothing else from this blog get this top coat!  You will thank me.  I have 2 bottles!!  It makes your nails shine and it makes the nail polish stay on almost as good as the shellac. 

I will give you an example.  Be it a not so pretty example though.  I was trying out something new:

This was my attempt at santa hats for Christmas.  (Notice the wined up was on there!) The only thing on there that was from the inta line was the wine color and a top coat.  Now I just took this off.  It was horribly chipped and awful looking.  What was left on my nails though that didn't chip?  The hat.  All the white was gone.  The color around the hat was gone.  Really my nails looked like poop.  Sorry I didn't take a picture.  I should have!

Last night I redid my nails.  I feel like a whole person again!  Here is my creation this time.  I'm not sure why the picture isn't that great...  Sorry!

I'll update with a picture when these start to get crappy!  (If I remember...)  Update can be found here!
So there you have it! 

Until tomorrow!!!  (I'll have some yummy pictures of an amazing resturant we are going to tonight!)