DIY Shellac

The nail polish collection is pretty much out of control. The amount of nail polishes I have acquired over time requires an entire drawer in my bathroom!

dozens and dozens of layered polishes!

I just love a fresh pair of polished hands! Looks so clean and with so many ways to design them, the possibilities are endless. I always tell Geoff that painting my nails is like him painting his cars or bikes. He is always trying to think of new ways to re-paint things. We are both pretty pro at each of these. But my nail polishes never last! Despite how many top coats or clear coats, layers, etc., I can pretty much chip a nail by the end of the day. Which is why I am so excited to share this DIY Shellac hack! I have seen these around on Pinterest and the name of this gel-like nail polish stuck in my head; unfortunately, I do not remember where I originally found it to give proper credit, but it took me a few trial and errors to find the method that worked for it. Even though I love Shellac, and I love the Sally Hansen sticker nail polish strips, I love that this is so much cheaper! It took me a few trial and errors to experiment the right combination but you guuuuyssss, it lasted 5 days with very minimal chips!!! By Day 6, they chipped a bit more and by Day 7, it was time to reapply. But really, I could have easily spot-treated them!

Day 2

Day 1

Day 3- I match my office walls ;)

So now that you are as excited as I am, get your booty up and go to a Sally's Beauty Supply (or you can find it on Amazon here) and buy this:

Gelous- Advanced Nail Gel Coat

& a good quality top coat. I have used this one from Sally's and so far it has worked so I am going to continue using it!

Diamond Dry Top Coat Brilliance from Sally's

Pink Buffer from Sally's

Materials Needed:

-Gelous
-Nail Polish of choice
-file/buffer
-top coat of choice

Steps:

-1 thin coat of gelous
-1 thin coat of polish
-1 thin coat of gelous
-1 thin coat of polish
-1 thin coat of clear coat

Tips:
-gently file/buff the tops of your nails to smooth them out, prior to applying anything...then wash and rinse them well, and thoroughly dry them!
- thin coats are key, in my opinion! When you dip your brush in the little bottle, remove excess from both sides and then wait a second or two to let the polish resettle into the brush bristles!
-at the end of each nail, sweep the gelous to create a seal at the edge of each fingernail.
-& probably the most important, let your nails FULLY DRY between each coat. If you successfully apply a thin coat, they will be dry in a minute or two! Those thick applications are the ones that take an eternity to dry- and we ALL know how much that sucks! (or you are ready to go, think they're dry and you have to pull something out of your purse...and that's when you realize your nails are NOT dry)! Oops!

Day 4

Day 4: small chip but looks like an easy fix!


Let me know if you try it out! I am so excited for this because now I can do my nails Sunday and have a pretty good manicure for the work week, with small touch-up's for the weekend! Woot!

Edit: I found an awesome tutorial by lovely Corrine at Mint Arrow! She uses an additional base coat that I will be trying out soon! Exciting!

What are your favorite nail finds or tips/tricks to a longer DIY mani?