CND Shellac
Wildfire
Bliss Soho
568 Broadway, 2nd Fl. (between E Houston St. and Prince St.)
New York, NY
Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-9pm (12pm-9pm every first Wed)/Sat 9:30am-6:30pm/Sun 10am-6pm
Appointments: 1-877-862-5477/http://bliss.vipguestservice.com/
I finally got my Shellac on at Bliss Spa’s Soho location last month. I was booking another service and was excited to see that they added it to their menu and after a few clicks I was on my way to Shellac heaven. Shellac is similar to a gel manicure in its longevity and is similar to a nail polish in its application. The result is an incredibly long-wearing manicure with a shiny finish. It looks a lot more natural than a gel manicure since each coat of Shellac is applied in thin layers. The manicure is supposed to last 2 weeks (which is how long my manicure lasted) and the uv curing method allows you to dig your hands right into your messiest handbag and extract them without a nick.
Back to Bliss…I had never had my nails done at the spa and was a bit nervous after hearing mixed reviews, the main complaint being that nail technicians rush through your service. Luckily there was only one person getting a pedicure when I arrived so I only had to wait a little while for my manicurist to appear and she did not disappoint. She took her time and was very meticulous, taking the time to inspect my nails at different angles to make sure that she didn’t leave any visible gaps without polish on the sides of my nails.
Out of the limited range of colors available I chose Wildfire, a fire engine red, since it had been Valentine’s Day that week. The manicurist began by giving me a quickie manicure consisting of filing my nails into my desired shape and cleaning up my atrocious cuticles. Seriously, my cuticles are a disaster and because they are a disaster I am constantly picking at them only to make them worse. To prevent further picking and subsequent ruining of the manicure, I purchased CND’s SolarOil at my local Ricky’s before scheduling the service to keep my cuticles moisturized and my nails looking fresh. After tidying up my nails, the nail technician applied 1 coat of the base coat, followed by 2 coats of the nail color and finished off with 1 coat of the top coat. She place my nails under the UV lamp and set the timer for 2 minutes in between each layer and added an extra 2 minutes for the top coat. Once the Shellac set, she removed the tacky residue with rubbing alcohol and completed the manicure with a round of SolarOil on each nail. Like many others who have tried Shellac, I could hardly believe that I could just carry on with my day like I didn’t have a fresh coat of paint on my nails. It was a very liberating experience.
Dear Shellac,
Where have you been all of my life? How many countless $15 manicures have I ruined to find this genius?
Love,
DRB
For removal, CND recommends that you use their Shellac wraps, which focuses the acetone on your nails instead of soaking your fingertips in a bowl. You don’t need to use a nail file and risk damaging your nail beds, just gently remove any residue with an orange wood stick. Bliss offers a Re-Shellac service where you can remove and re-apply your Shellac safely.
Check out a picture of my nails 14 days later (day 1 is pictured above) and where you can get Shellac-ed after the jump. 
Day 14
To find a nail salon that offers Shellac near you click here.
Musings of a City Girl 
I got my gel manicure at Bliss 57th Street last week. My technician, Olga, was meticulous and took her time. I had a regular pedicure and the gel manicure. I also chose Wildfire. I always wear bright red on my nails and toes. So far, so good. The manicure still looks great. Now, I am getting concerned about taking the polish off when it is time. I can’t do a $50 manicure every 2-3 weeks and Bliss is not convenient for me. I don’t know what my $10 manicure spot is going to have to say about taking the gel polish off. I will do it again for long trips or when I have an extremely busy schedule.
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It is super easy to remove! Just soak a piece of a cotton ball in polish remover, place it on your nail, wrap a piece of foil around it and let it sit for a few minutes. It should remove most of the shellac. You can remove whatever is left with an orange woodstick. That is what I did with my nails since I did not have time to go to the spa.
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I went to my local Sally’s Beauty Supply and bought a bottle of pure acetone, soaked my nails for a few minutes, and the gel just disappeared. No work at all!
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