CND Shellac Nails

Shellac® is the brand name for a patented nail product developed by Creative Nail Design (CND®). Although Shellac® cannot be used to extend your nails, Shellac® nails are durable, chip resistant, and have a natural looking gloss.

Contrary to popular belief, Shellac® does not come from the female lac beetle - The resin secreted by the lac beetle is also called ‘Shellac’ and is used in some nail polishes, but it has nothing to do with CND Shellac®.

In actual fact, Shellac® is a mixture of monomers and photoinitiators, and can be described as a blend of gel and nail polish - It is applied to your natural nails like a polish, but hardened through UV lighting like a gel

Other popular ‘gel-polish’ brands include Gelish, Elite 99, Aimeli, and Gel Len. We only use Shellac® however because we find it gives superior results.

Starting as a fad in the early 1950s, Acrylic nails are ‘artificial nails’ that are very durable, resistant to chips and breaks, and easy to remove at home. They can be made to match the shape of your nail or to extend it.

Acrylic nails are created from a mixture of a liquid monomer and a powdered polymer. The mixture is applied to the surface of your nails where it hardens and forms a strong protective layer. This layer is transparent, so a nail polish is applied for colour.

Gel nails are ‘artificial nails’ that are durable, flexible, chip resistant, and more natural looking than Acrylics. They can be made to match the shape of your nail or to extend it.

Gel nails are similar to Acrylic nails in that a liquid substance (composed of various Oligomers) is spread across the nail. However, just like with Shellac®, this liquid substance requires the use of a UV light to harden.

Gels are brushed onto your nails in three stages: A base coat, a polish colour, and a top coat. Each coat has to be hardened by a UV light for about three minutes.

Acrylics and Gels are a type of ‘artificial nail’. Although they tend to be more robust and last longer than Shellac® (a gel-polish), they have many disadvantages:

• Acrylics and Gels can leave your natural nails thin, brittle, and dried out: To get an artificial nail to stick, the surface of your natural nail must be filed until it feels rough. This filing process thins your natural nails and makes them weaker. To add to this, the chemicals used in artificial nails can irritate the skin around your nails (and elsewhere). Finally, if you want to wear artificial nails for a few weeks, you’ll need touch-ups every 2 to 3 weeks to fill in the gaps that appear as your nails grow. Frequent touch-ups can seriously damage your natural nails.
• Acrylic and Gel nails increase the risk of infection: If an artificial nail is damaged, or as your natural nails grow, a gap can develop between the artificial nail and your natural nail. This gap provides a moist, warm environment in which a nail infection can flourish. A nail infection might also occur if Acrylic or Gel nails are too long or too rigid.
• The application of Acrylic nails involves toxic chemicals and fumes: Liquid Acrylic emits a strong toxic odour – This is why Acrylic nails are not recommended for pregnant women.
• Gel nails often need to be filed off: Although there are some gels that can be soaked off, many still require filing. As above, filing can result in thin and brittle nails.

Located just outside of the town centre on Kingmoor Road, we are very easy to get to and have lots of free parking space – We’re on the left past Austin Friars School heading towards Rockliffe, or if you’re coming of the bypass on Kingmoor Road (East) roundabout follow the sign for Etterby under the low bridge and we’re ¼ of a mile on the right.