Nails: Shellac, Gel, Acryllic... Help!

[Kerrierf]

Hi everyone!

 

Just wondering if you have any advice or feedback for what would be best for manicures before leaving for the wedding.  I had a regular manicure done 2 days before my engagement photos and had a giant chip on my left hand by the time we did the shoot!

 

Thanks for your feedback!

[calgarybride2015]

Acrylic is somewhat archaic now a days so most places do gel or shellac mostly. If you have short nails and are hoping for long nails you'd probably go the gel route as they can use tips. If you already have long nails gel or shellac would work!! Even with shellac they can make you have the French manicure tipped look

Whenever I travel to sand I get shellac on my toes too as the sand doesn't chip it off.

All will kill your original nails but that's par for the course.

 

 

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[rachelia160]

I've been debating this as well.  I ALWAYS have gel/shellac on my nails and swear by it, and most of the time it lasts great for at least 2 weeks and sometimes even longer (and when you get it on your toes like @@calgarybride2015 it lasts FOREVER, practically until it grows completely out!), but I'm worried about breaking a nail before my wedding, so I've been debating acrylics even though I've never had them before...but I also don't want to ruin my nails....anyway, I hope some other people can answer your question!

[smileitseb]

@@Kerrierf nails are very very important to me!! I get gel/shellac every 2 weeks and am obsessed by it so definitely getting it for our wedding! it doesnt chip at all and doesnt ruin your nails like acryllic. I've chosen OPI Mod about You Pastel. Perfect perfect bridal color!

[hellosassypants]

I love doing shellac! I did regular manicure the day before the wedding and the color already chipped by the next day. I swear by shellac though!

[calgarybride2015]

I've been debating this as well. I ALWAYS have gel/shellac on my nails and swear by it, and most of the time it lasts great for at least 2 weeks and sometimes even longer (and when you get it on your toes like @@calgarybride2015 it lasts FOREVER, practically until it grows completely out!), but I'm worried about breaking a nail before my wedding, so I've been debating acrylics even though I've never had them before...but I also don't want to ruin my nails....anyway, I hope some other people can answer your question!

From my experience acrylic doesn't last any better than gel! Personally for me I had more issues with acrylic. Do you usually break nails with gel on? The only time I ever broke a nail was when I let them grow out to long but that's talking like 6 weeks not 2-3 before a regular fill.

 

 

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[rachelia160]

@@calgarybride2015 They only really break when I get greedy and keep my nails too long   I guess that's why I've considered the acrylics, since I want length too and can't really go there with my natural nails...but I also hate when you can tell from a million miles away that someone is wearing acrylics, so it might be better to sacrifice a little length but still maintaining the natural nail look. AH I'm so indecisive!

 

If I DO get acrylics, I'll definitely be getting gel polish on them, I think pretty much everywhere that still does acrylics will do that.

[calgarybride2015]

@@calgarybride2015 They only really break when I get greedy and keep my nails too long I guess that's why I've considered the acrylics, since I want length too and can't really go there with my natural nails...but I also hate when you can tell from a million miles away that someone is wearing acrylics, so it might be better to sacrifice a little length but still maintaining the natural nail look. AH I'm so indecisive!

 

If I DO get acrylics, I'll definitely be getting gel polish on them, I think pretty much everywhere that still does acrylics will do that.

Do you mean you can tell they are acrylics because of the white tip?? My salon will use the tip with gel too if your nails aren't long enough for the look you want. You could also get a clear tip and have white gel put on to create the French manicured look. Guess it depends if you want the white tip or a solid color. To me acrylic and gel produce the same result it's just a different product and my salon ladies just highly recommend gel as it's better for the nails and won't discolor as much. What do I know though hehe

 

 

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[rachelia160]

@@calgarybride2015 I more mean that SUPER square nail look, and being able to tell that it's kind or raised up highter than where your natural nail is.

 

 

 

To me the thumbnail just looks kind of goofy.

 

 

Can you get a "tip" without having your entire nail covered by the acrylic? I AM SO CLUELESS!

[calgarybride2015]

A good nail tech should be able to file any type of nail shape you want -- square, rounded, etc. doesn't matter what is on your nail -- acrylic, gel, shellac, normal polish. To be honest the picture you posted, from my experience, could be one of many different products.

Acrylic and gel is just the hardening product that sits on top - whether it be your real nail or lengthened by a tip they add on. Acrylic used to only come in white and clear, but over the years gel has come out with so many colors which is probably one of the large reasons why it has taken off in popularity! There are so many choices that can be done!


No your entire nail would have to be covered with either gel or acrylic whether you get a tip or not. To me, gel and acrylic produce the fairly same result, whereas shellac is just a step down. It's essentially nail polish that's cured differently.

I could be wrong, but this is just my experience from getting my nails down for the last 10 or so years. Things could also be different the US and Canada.
Here is a picture of shellac on my nails. I used black and she just formed it to look like that.



This is gel on my nails. I may have used one tip on my thumb. But otherwise it's just gel formed to look like a tip. I don't find either picture to be that different minus the length of my nails.


Had to go back to the archives lol my son is now 9 years old. Here is acrylic using tips



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Edited April 22, 2015 by calgarybride2015