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A modern day shellac

Shellac is an awesome word, isn't it?

It can mean precisely what you wish to it mean at any given point.

If your team loses badly in a competition, you've been shellacked. Or drubbed. Or wiped out.

If you're finishing wood, you may choose shellac as a curative agent.

Or, if you're me, and you want to try this cool new way of polishing your nails that lasts longer than regular polish (I kill polish. I love manicures, but I cook way too much and apparently abuse my hands beyond all rational bounds so I simply destroy a nice polish job in just a few days. It's annoying at best), you can get Shellac-ed. There are a few nail salons that offer this in our area, so I had to try it out once I learned more at the recent event I attended.

The process (one my friend KG first brought to my attention a couple of months ago) involves using a polish that's been infused with a gel-like substance that's better for your nails than artificial nails because they don't have to file down the nail bed to get the stuff to adhere. Also, the people that make this invented OPI, so it doesn't have any of the nasty chemicals either, which is a plus.

They give you a mani, then apply a base coat. Which you then dry under a UV light. (special weird little machine reminiscent of early Star Trek gadgetry)

Then they apply a bonding coat, which you then dry under the UV light.

Then two coats of pigment/polish. I chose candy apple red this time, but they have a pretty deep brown and a pretty frosty mauve and some other options, too,  that I may have to try in the future provided this stuff lives up to its rep.

Then a top coat. The a little more UV to cure it. Then it's dry. Really dry, right away, which is way cool since I've been known to get a mani, then promptly scratch a nail trying to get into my car or some stupid thing like that. It's embarrassing to go back into the salon five minutes after you've left, holding up a digit and asking for a repair already....

And that's it. It's supposed to last two weeks at the least. You can help it by applying solar oil every day and rubbing it into your cuticles and nails. And I've actually started wearing gloves again while cleaning or doing dishes.

Hubby, this morning, as he espies my gloves as I'm standing in the kitchen preparing to clean up after breakfast. "Good morning, Iron Man."

Right. I'm saving money, bub, so cool your jets with the snarky comments. Beauty ain't easy, but I'm determined, here.

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