I know. I KNOW! I shouldn’t have done it but I did. I big fat did. I peeled my Shellac off despite having all of the tools and products at home. It happened around the start of the lock down situation here in Ireland I half the time I didn’t even realise I was doing it. Now my nails are paying the price. For anyone partaking in some at home nail care, read on!
What I should’ve done is gently filed across each nail, breaking the top coat and allowing the acetone to penetrate through the polish and break up the Shellac. Then I should’ve gotten some little pieces of cotton wool and tin foil, soaked the cotton wool in acetone, placed that on my each nail and wrapped up the tops of my fingers for 15 minutes or so. At that point, I should’ve used an orange stick or scraping tool to remove the polish. Did I do any of this? NO. Have I learned my lesson? Probably. For the next few months anyway…
But it’s like CND know me. They know what I’m like and what I’m capable of, and it’s why they sent me these two saviours. And with the results I’ve been seeing for the last couple of weeks with regular use… Well let’s just say CND are making it real hard for me to promise I’ll never peel off my Shellac again #justsayin
CND Rescue Rxx – a must have for at home nail care
I keep a bottle of CND Rescue Rxx on my desk and apply it throughout the day, massaging it into my nails and cuticles. I’ve gone through phases of my nails being weak and peeling (nothing to do with picking off my polish) and this always works wonders. This isn’t my first rodeo when it comes to Rescue Rxx and it’s usually from week 2 where I start to see improvements.
What I’ve been doing since The Peeling Incident of 2020 is applying a layer of Rescue Rxx when I sit down at my desk and massage it into my nails. It’s not a polish and doesn’t dry hard or anything. It has more of an oily consistency, so when I wash my hands, I apply another light layer of this, or else I go in with the next product. The keratin protein and jojoba oil is what works the magic, helping to repair your damaged nails.
CND Solar Oil Nail Care Pen
Something else I’ve been using is the CND Solar Oil Nail Care Pen and this contains jojoba, rice bran and sweet almond oils to help nourish the nails. It’s got a twist mechanism and a brush applicator that’s easy to use and it’s ideal for carrying around in your handbag (when we have places to go and people to see). It has a strong scent of marzipan, thanks to the almond oils, so I can’t have my hands close to my face as I am not a fan or marzipan, a marzi-fan if you will. But this stuff works wonders and applying a layer of this has become my pre-Zoom call ritual.
CND Vinylux English Country Garden Spring Collection
Now as most of us aren’t able to get the nails done again anytime soon, but don’t want to go bare nailed, definitely check out the CND Vinylux polishes from the English Garden Spring Collection. If my nails are prepared properly, I can get a good 7-10 days out of the Vinylux polishes, however as my nails aren’t back to their former glory, I most likely won’t get that long.
Any of these with the Vinylux topcoat gives a long-lasting finish and is removed easily with your regular nail polish remover. No peeling needed. The shades from left to right, starting with that beaut of a mint green – Magical Topiary, Kiss from a Rose, Flowered Folly (my favourite of the bunch), Soft Peony, Lady Lilly and Carnation Bliss. It’s the perfectly curated palette of polishes for spring, fit for us sitting in our gardens.
I wanted to show you Flowered Folly up close because it’s the perfect dusky pink shade and I’m tempted to repaint my nails with this, or maybe try one of the other shades. Which one should I go for?
Are you guilty of peeling off your Shellac? Let me know and I won’t judge!
