Tell me about salon manicures please - shellacs and gels

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

DD (14.6) had acrylics last summer (for 6 weeks) and is now growing her nails (I did warn her about the after effects ) .
She wants a French Manicure done (her nails are a good length for this, just above the fingertip and she has quite long nail beds)

What does she need to look for? Shellac or Gel?
Are they both long lasting?
Are they both set by LED/UVA?

She wants a thin white tip and the pale pink (but not opaque) nail bed.

TIA

[AtleastitsnotMonday]

I always have shellac French. Set by uv. Usually lasts 2 weeks, (well it's still ok after 2 weeks I just don't like the regrowth). Usually costs £30

[LauraAndBaby]

Hello, I'm a beauty therapist - gels and shellacs are basically the same thing, there both long lasting nail polishes. We do lots of gels at my work and they usually last 14-20 days. But everyone's nails are different and some gels don't last long (we've never had a problem with opi polish though) the only thing I would say is when it comes to having them removed get them removed properly as they can ruin your nails (split them, weaken them, snap them) hope this helps :) X X

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Thank You.

I reckon the choice will be down to the colour she wants and what's available there.

I am clueless , DD is browsing pictures online to see what she likes then she can show a picture rather than just "Pink , but not too pink"

2 weeks sounds fair enough.
Can I do the removal myself with the warmed acetone/cotton pads/foil wraps and a wooden stick? (I'm more patient than her)

[Fluffycloudland77]

If you have shellac you can buy offly fast removal kits. It'll come with a little bottle of solar oil to condition her nails for the two weeks. Check they stock it.

Plain acetone is very drying.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Solar oil - I'll remenber that - that's to use round the nail when the laquer is on then?

She's onlt having a one-off (for the half term and however long it looks nice after, ) not something I want to keep up with . My DD spends way too much a fair chunk of time/money on her make-up and hair as it is.
This is a special treat for her.

And I did offer to do her nails for her but apparently I'm too cack-handed

[Fluffycloudland77]

Around the sulcus and over the nail when it's painted.

[LauraAndBaby]

Yes you can remove them yourself at home, I'd recommend applying oil to her cuticles every night (check which oils you can use with brand of polish) to help her nails stay nice and healthy and strong :-)

[LauraAndBaby]

also if she likes the gels, I'd recommend getting her toes done in summer! They literally last forever!

Think I've had my gels on my toes for about 4 weeks now and still looking fresh

[googietheegg]

What's the best remover set please? I do my uv gels at home but end up picking it off...

And if you go for gels at a salon do you pay extra to get the old gels removed or is it part of the price?

[Fluffycloudland77]

Removals not as cheap as you imagine, some salons charge, some take the pain.

[xyzandabc]

As recommended on here, I bought some gel remover wraps from Amazon. They're brilliant. Very easy and effective.
I'd tried soaking before and cotton wool soaked in acetone then wrapped in tin foil, both took ages and didn't work very well. I ended up scraping so hard I damaged the nail surface.
With the remover wraps I hardly had to scrape at all, the gel just fell off with the wraps and nails not damaged at all.

[AtleastitsnotMonday]

Can anyone recommend a brand of remover wraps and a reputable site?

[LauraAndBaby]

We charge £28 for gels and then £10 for removal, but I guess every salon will be different!

You can remove them at home yourself you just have to be careful not to damage ur nails. xx

[bendyruler]

Would love some tips on how to remove and also the nail wrap thingies I tried cotton wool on cotton wool and wrapped around my nails but even after an hour I still couldn't get the gel off I ended up ruining my nails and so haven't used my kit since and I can't afford to go to the nail shop 😦

[bendyruler]

Acetone on cotton wool I meant !!!

[LauraAndBaby]

Put acetone on cotton pads wraps them round your nails then wrap tin foil round (& if you have some plastic gloves put them on) you need to keep the heat in. Leave them for about 20 mins and keep checking to see if there peeling off. Then gently buff and scrap the polish off with a buffer and a cuticle pusher. Once all the polish is off apply oil to your nails