Recently, shellac or gel polish has completely replaced conventional nail polishes. There is almost no doubt about their convenience. Nail service masters are introducing more and more new technologies and design methods in order to interest customers even more. In particular, an ordinary transparent shellac, which is usually used to fix a manicure, can become the basis for a nail design.
Benefits of shellac
- Shellac can be worn for a long time, two to three weeks on average.
- Coating with a special base and shellac protects nails from scratches and damage, so that the nail plate grows faster.
- Transparent shellac can be used both as a finish and as a standalone product.
- Shellac lays down more evenly on the nail plate, creates the effect of a mirror shine.
- Various stones, rhinestones, bouillons, modeling is betterstick to the shellac as it grabs the foundation of the exterior design tightly.
- It can also be used on top (usually the design involves covering with a transparent shellac finish.
Disadvantages of shellac
It has practically no shortcomings. Most of the clients complain about:
- High cost. But in fact, most girls note that the increased price compared to the usual coating is fully justified: the manicure lasts a long time and also strengthens the nails.
- Long manicure process. Transparent shellac helps to fix the coating, but in order for it to really strengthen the nails and lay down in an even beautiful layer, you must first degrease the nail plate and cover it with a base. Need I remind you that almost every layer is dried in a UV lamp?
- Weakened nails after shellac. In fact, if you properly remove the gel polish and properly prepare the nail plate for the next coating, the nails will remain strong and he althy. We'll talk about this later.
What kind of manicure is better to do before applying shellac
Many masters have long moved away from the classic edged manicure. It takes a lot of time, and is also quite traumatic. In addition, in order for the gel polish to be worn as long as possible, the cuticle must be completely removed so that the coating can be applied very tightly to the nail fold.
Quality preparation of the nail plate can be done with:
- Combined manicure. It combines workcutters and scissors, hence the name. The master cuts the cuticle with a cutter, then cuts it off with scissors.
- Hardware manicure. In hardware manicure, several cutters are used, and all manipulations are performed only with their help. One cutter pries the cuticle, the other cleans it completely.
In both cases, baths with water familiar to many for steaming cuticles are no longer needed. Both of these types of manicure have a cumulative effect, over time, the cuticle begins to grow less and less.
After processing the cuticles and nails, the master degreases the plates, applies the base, varnish and fixing transparent shellac. The nails can also only have a top coat.
Transparent shellac nails
Now clients have a huge choice of nail designs, ranging from very complex drawings, almost mini-paintings, to laconic monophonic, and sometimes even only a transparent coating. All of them have a certain charm, if the design is tasteful. Transparent shellac is an indispensable material in any case. Thanks to him, the nail plate gets that delightful glossy shine.
Many masters use shades of shellac for a jacket or just a design with a transparency effect, reminiscent of the shade of a nail plate - soft pink, light beige and the like. They give the nail a he althy glow, however, as the plate grows back, this slight difference between its natural color and the color of the varnish can be very noticeable. Then transparent shellac comes to the rescue. Design with itpleases with its diversity.
Gel polish drawings
You can use a colorless gel polish as a solid color coating, or you can add it with drawings, inlays, glitter, mica, fimo design.
Shellac transparent with a pattern looks original. Usually they leave part of the nail without a pattern, then the design creates a kind of sophisticated magic effect.
Decoration with voluminous materials
Rhinestones, stones, broths are actively used in nail art. They can create a minimalist effect when one pebble is glued on each nail or only a few, or they can gather into a huge shining pattern. Masters of nail service even came up with a name for a fully inlaid nail - "king-nail". If this type of design is used, it is better not to decorate the rest of the nails or decorate them to a minimum.
Acrylic modeling also fits perfectly on transparent shellac. The photos posted in the article demonstrate options for drawings, inlays, and modeling over transparent varnish. Another interesting option is the design of the nail with glitter. Glitter is a shiny powder that is sprinkled on the nail plate.
Custom decor
The use of decor such as rhinestones, broths, glitter, "dragon scales" (in general, everything that can fall off) involves covering another layer of transparent shellac on top. This is not always necessary, since, for example, rhinestones are fixed securely (butadditional fastening will not hurt them), and the "dragon scales" easily fall off literally the next day after the manicure, if you do not fix it with another layer of varnish on top. No need to worry that this material will lose its properties: under a layer of transparent gel polish, all the facets of the "dragon scales", radiance and light reflectivity will be preserved.
In the mid-2000s, the so-called fimo-design came into fashion - decorating the nail with special blanks in the form of flowers and fruits. Then they were used in the decoration of extended nails, since gel polish was not as popular then as it is now. Transparent gel or acrylic was poured into a form for extension, fimo-figures were placed there and, if desired, mica, glitter was poured, then the material was transferred to the nail, and when it hardened, the form was removed by special "antennae". This design is called "aquarium" and is only suitable for extended nails.
However, many craftsmen manage to glue fimo figurines over gel polish. It looks peculiar, and in fact this design is "not for everybody", but there were lovers. Clear polish is great because the figurines themselves are bright and colorful, and using colored polishes as a base can add too much weight to an already bright nail. The disadvantage of this design is that even if it is covered with several layers of finish, it still remains impractical. The edges of fimo figurines will cling to everything and it's good if they don't fall off before the allotted time. Can be combinedclear varnish with color.
Conclusion
As you can see, transparent shellac can be not only a reliable assistant in creating a durable manicure, but also a completely independent design basis or even just an independent coating. The nails, which are covered with a layer of transparent shellac without any patterns, look he althy and well-groomed, have a radiant glossy surface, and are quite well strengthened. Complementing them with some kind of decor is never the same, since there are many options, ranging from various kinds of drawings to applications and inlays.
