<p>Please know that there is a difference between gel nails (add ons to your own nails) and gel polish, which is the long-lasting polish that is cured with UV light. I’m pretty sure that gel polish and shellac polish are basically the same process, possibly different manufacturers.</p>
<p>My gel polished nails are fairly short, not even past the ends of my fingers - still a very ‘polished’ look.</p>
<p>Yes, the gel polish and shellac are different manufacturer’s versions of the same technique. I think it looks great and the removal isn’t that bad. I don’t do it because I now have acrylic pink and whites again, but I have done the gel polish. My daughter does it, too, and loves it. My problem with it is that I would start to pick at it at the end of the 2 1/2 -3 weeks, which you are NOT supposed to do. I don’t think the chemical used to remove it is dangerous- no more so than most else we are exposed to!</p>
<p>I have been using the Shellac brand gel polish for several months now after having had regular manicures on my natural nails for many years. The gel polish has not affected the appearance, strength or health of my underlying nails.</p>
<p>One caveat, and that is you need to have a skillful technician applying the polish; it needs to be put on very thinly or you risk it starting to peel off before it should.</p>
<p>A dry run is a must.</p>
<p>I have no input on manicures, but my dogs have never chewed my nails during training when going after treats. I’m sure you’re an experienced trainer, so don’t take that the wrong way. I either hold the treats by the very tip so the dog can snag it without scraping my nails, or in the palm of my hand. The bigger the dog, the easier the former is since the treats can be slightly bigger. Another alternative if you want to hold it firmly in your fingertips is to release it into their mouths (sort of like a seal) - not tossing, but releasing it as soon as their mouth makes contact. Sometimes it does fall onto the ground, though (not necessarily a bad thing, unless it happens too often).</p>
<p>gel/no chip manicures seemed to be a great solution for me…but after removing the polish after two manicures, i felt my nails were almost as damaged as when i removed acrylic/gel nails.</p>
<p>i have friends that have no problems with the no-chips, and i also have friends who had the same experience that I did.</p>
<p>i would probably still do another gel/no chip if i had to attend a very, very special formal event…and then remove them quickly!</p>
<p>I would use cuticle cream every day,( I use Burt’s bees) and get a manicure just using a buffing cream.
No polish to peel off& it is very pretty.</p>
<p>I generally wear my nails relatively short these days, just past my fingers, with a regular manicure and pale polish for every day. I have cut back to doing gel for events and the shellac for a trip where I’m away for more than a week. I find it’s good for the strength of the nail to take a break from the gel and shellac and let your nails grow every once in awhile. Some women are more prone to that happening because of the shape of the nail or how hard they are on their hands (guilty). </p>
<p>The pros and cons. The advantage of gel nails is that you can do any color (over a base of cured gel). I find they last nearly as long as Shellac/gel polish, almost two weeks. If I am going on vacation or will be away for over a week, then I get the Shellac - limited color selection, but lasts the full two weeks. The other advantage of shellac is that it needs no drying at the end. When you are done, you can immediately reach into your bag or put on a pair of gloves without worrying about a smudge. With either gel nails or shellac, you can reinforce your own nail for a more natural look, extend the length, or repair cracked nails. I follow my own nails now, which also helps to avoid peeling. </p>
<p>The UV exposure is tiny - your hands get as much or more exposure in the car driving or walking there. I put sunscreen on anyway.</p>
<p>The French manicure, using white tips, has been out of style for some time now- in favor of more natural looks. I think all the French manicures on the Real Housewives and the Jersey Shore probably led to them being considered more tacky than traditional. Tipping with something less jarring than white can work well though.</p>
<p>CollectivSynergy: yes, my dogs should not be chewing my nails. Mostly they don’t; the problem is that during agility trials, that dog gets very excited; it really keeps her focus if I let her work on treats held within my fingers–which results in her chewing on two of my nails. (And I have a major agility event two weeks before the wedding, so I don’t expect to have any nails left after that, which is why I will need some sort of manicure.) And thank you for the advice; you’re dead on.</p>
<p>Cartera: I’m not planning on a French manicure. I’m going to go with pretty short, pale pink, as I always do. The difference is that I want my nails to NOT look like I trimmed them right to the quick, which is pretty much their normal state.</p>
<p>I agree, no French manicure - dated at this point. You might consider an American manicure - its a very very soft white instead of the harsh white, and looks a lot more natural. I myself just wear clear or a very pale pink or cream over the gel nails.</p>
<p>I think I’m going to give the gel/shellac polish manicure a try this week. (Not gel nails.) I’ll report back. 
I’ve seen something like a French manicure that uses pale pinks and is softer-looking. Is that out these days, too? I always wanted to try a French manicure, but now that they are associated with characters on Jersey Shore (something I’ve never seen, but one can’t help hearing about them!) I guess I’ll have to wait until the nail fashion cycle rotates around again. :D</p>
<p>I’m not sure what the difference between “French” and “pink and white” is, but the pink and white is the most popular manicure around here. It is acrylic/solar with no polish- just the pink acrylic and the white tips (fairly thin tips- not halfway down the nail) which last 3-4 weeks without a fill.</p>
<p>Okay, MOWC, I don’t understand your last post. Isn’t acrylic a polish? And how can you have tips without polish? I warned you–I’m a newbie to this. Please help me out and clarify what you’re talking about. Thanks.</p>
<p>No problem. When I first started I had NO idea what any of it meant. I just thought everyone but me had really nice nails!</p>
<p>Pink and white uses the acrylic which is like a gel/plastic and gets it’s entire color from the gel itself so there is no “polish” on top. That means nothing to chip at all. The pink takes up most of the nail and then the white goes on top of a tip that has been put on (if you have great nails you don’t need the tip). So it looks like “real” nails. I keep mine short- just above the top of the fingers and they are indestructible, which is what I need.</p>
<p>With regular acrylic nails they put the acrylic on (again, sort of a gel that builds a fake nail) and then polish with regular polish on top. The polish stays better than on natural nails, but there is still some chipping risk.</p>
<p>It costs about $50-55 initially for the pink and whites and then about $30 once a month (or 3 weeks) for the fills. You walk right out of the salon with no drying time since there is no polish.</p>
<p>I am also a non-manicure person but wanted nice nails for my daughters graduation. I got a french manicure with the gel polish on my fingers and colored regular polish for my toes. I got everything done last Thursday and everything still looks perfect! I am very pleased with the gel polish. I don’t like to think about my nails at all. I cut them off when they bother me and am not coordinated enough to polish them myself. I don’t think I’ll make this a regular event, but this was a great no-fuss solution. I have a friend who has her own gel manicure set-up and I’ll probably get her to remove the polish after it starts looking funky. Well worth the extra cost for not having to deal with flakes or chipping.</p>
<p>Went for my gel manicure today and my nails look very natural with a translucent soft pink on them. The manicurist tried to talk me into a similar color with sparkles in it, but it was too wild for me ;)</p>
<p>We will see how it looks in another week. I still have five weeks, lots of gardening, training for my dog agility competition, and more to go… I’m hoping I won’t have to schedule one more thing for the last minute.</p>
<p>It will be two weeks tomorrow since my manicure and except for an eighth of an inch of new growth at the bottom, they look exactly like they did when I got them done. I put in my garden last weekend too and must have washed my hands two dozen times that one day. I am quite impressed.</p>
<p>Dmd77 - I really encourage you to include TIPS to keep your nails healthy. When I use it, my cuticles look great and my nails get so strong. Even with your gel nails, the TIPS solution on your cuticles will help.</p>
<p>worknprogress2: no idea what you mean by TIPS in this context. (I did tip the manicurist.)</p>
<p>KathieP: well, now I’m really impressed… I spent 3 hours cleaning the cooktop and the grease hood, including using oven cleaner–manicure still looks perfect.</p>