Review: Shellac Nails and DIY Removal

Hola lovely people!!

For my week in the sun in the Costa del Sol in Spain I decided to try Shellac Nails. Usually nail polish doesn't last too long on me before wearing on the tips and generally looking a bit dull, so I decided the gel formula of Shellac would be ideal. It boasts a long-wearing formula which is painted on the nails like a regular nail polish but then cured under a UV lamp, leaving a glossy finish. I went for the shade Tropix, which, in he bottle looked like a punchy bright orangey-coral. In reality on my nails it was a slightly lighter pinky-coral which I actually preferred to the bottle colour! It lasted well over the week, with only a couple of peeling issues at the tips, which I accredited to my already peeling nails! I also noticed some slight tip wear, but compared to conventional nail polish this was minimal. You'll see from the picture how much my nails grew in just 1 week!

Ugh! Please excuse the lighting in this picture! Looks like I have some serious oompa-loompa hands!

So, now that i've swapped the 30degree heat for the rather chillier Scottish climate and the pool for my desk I thought it was time to remove the Shellac *sad face*. My previous experience with gel nails has involved me peeling the gel from my nails...very bad for the nails but oh-so-satisfying! A quick Google search on removing Shellac taught me the following method, and I thought I would share it with you!

What You'll Need:
Aluminium Foil - cut into strips/squares enough to wrap around each nail fully
Cotton wool balls/pads - cut or torn roughly the same size as the nail
Acetone or nail polish remover containing acetone
OPI Nail Envy - to condition and strenghten the nails afterwards
Hand Cream


Begin by cutting/tearing the foil and cotton wool/pads to size. You may also want to protect your work surface from damage or acetone spillages! Next you want to saturate the cotton wool in your acetone remover and place over the nail.


Then, wrap a piece of foil round the nail, covering the whole tip of the nail. Repeat x 9 :)


After about 10 minutes, apply pressure to the cotton and drag away from the nail. The remover should have removed most, if not all of the Shellac. While the gel is softened, gently remove any remnants with an orange stick.


Once the Shellac is completely removed, wash hands and apply OPI Nail Envy (or similar) to the nails to re-hydrate and condition them and finish off with some hand cream.


Hope you found this helpful! Have you tried Shellac? What did you think?

I must add that I could not have done this without the help and patience of my wonderful boyfrind! He is available for Shellac soak-off's in the local area now! Haha