Gelish and Shellac Nails: What Is The Difference and Which One Is Better?

When it comes to basic manicures, you have so many options that it can make you confused to know which one you want. Nowadays, Gel and Shellac Nails are becoming popular and they are favoured by most women. Both types of manicure are used as a stylish accessory to make women more beautiful and confident. That's why many of them do not know which one suits them. You’ll find a few tips to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of the different artificial nails to help you pick the best option.

Some information about two brands that you may need to know

The birth of Shellac actually took place at a dentist’s office, and the brand has been around since 1984.

Gelish was created in 2009 and was the first gel polish to be available in a bottle. It has sold in 80 countries in the world. It can be said that the product has pretty much revolutionized the nail polish game since then.

What are a Gel manicure and a Shellac manicure?

- Gel Nails are artificial nails, which are put over your natural fingernails. Gelish nails are used as a stylish accessory for your fingernails or you can use them to extend your nails. Therefore, if you would like to have longer and stronger nails, Gel manicure is the best choice for you. (however, Gelish nails can deteriorate your real fingernails in the long run).

- Shellac Nails is a combination of nail polish and gel. Therefore, Shellac Nails cannot extend your natural fingernails. However, Shellac nails are able to enhance your nails’ durability and strength. So, it can be said that Shellac nails tend to be less harmful to your natural fingernails than the Gelish nails.

How long do Gel Nails and Shellac Nails last?

While Gel Nails are regarded as "permanent" manicure options because it is slightly thicker than the Shellac, and in general it can last for a total of three weeks, Shellac Nails is able to withstand for about two weeks.

Are Gel Nails and Shellac Nails good for you?

There have been so many arguments about is it true that you may suffer from cancer if you use Gelish and Shellac nails very often? This comes from both artificial nails apply UV light to harden the polish and require some serious acetone to remove them.

When it comes to UV light, precaution is always important. Therefore, it is essential that you apply an SPF30+ for about 20 minutes in advance

Which one is easier to remove?

The answer is Shellac Nails because it has a much thinner coating, which makes it quicker to remove. Shellac is just covered in the acetone caps and takes only 15 minutes for removal.

The Gel nails removal is somewhat more difficult than that of Shellac because of the structure of its formula. Because it’s thicker, it takes longer to get rid of. With Gel Nails, it can take up to a total of 50 minutes for removal.

There are no natural Shellac Nails

It is true.

Although Shellac Nails is the combination of gel and polish, you cannot get a 100% Shellac manicure.

Gel Nails and Shellac Nails: What is the best choice for you?

The colour selection also varies quite a bit. For Shellac nails, there are only 132 shades available, but for Gel nails, there are a total of 388 shades that are available.

If you find your nail surface being buffed unpleasant, Shellac nails are for you

Gelish can work better on weak nails and it is often recommended for those who suffer from weaker nails.

If you would like to remove your artificial nails at home, Shellac Nails is the best choice for you because it is much easier to remove and you do not have to worry about your natural nails will be damaged

However, if you love a certain colour and you cannot find it in the Shellac Collection, then you should pick Gel Nails and remember to call a professional to take the removal for you later.

Can I have Shellac Nails at home?

The idea of getting your Shellac Nails done at home is very reasonable because this will save your money in the long run. Unfortunately, according to the CND Shellac service, all the process of applying Shellac nails must be done at the salon. However, if you are searching for a Do-it-yourself alternative, we can recommend you some manicure products that you may need when doing gel manicure by yourself.

The Gel Manicure Kit from Le Mini Macaron will contain everything you need to make your gel manicure by yourself easily. This kit consists of a LED lamp with USB cord and Power charger, a bottle of gel polish in a matching colour, cuticle stick, mini nail file, 10 remover pads and detailed instructions.

Le Mini Macaron's Gel Manicure Kit, £35

If you would like to take the Shellac removal at home, use this Nail remover product below. This product can remove the toughest polish and darkest colour rapidly. Besides, it helps to dissolve polish and replace needed moisture for your nails.

Nail Polish Remover Extra-Strength , £4

Those Gel remover clips are a unique, quick and easy way for you to successfully remove your own gel polish.

Stylefyle's Gel Polish Remover Clips, £5

After finishing Shellac removal, strengthen your nails and soften your cuticles with this vitamin-rich CND Solar Oil Nail

CND's Solar Oil, £9.65

Creating stunning chrome gel nails with this SensatioNail powder

SensatioNail's Chrome Gel Manicure Powder, £6.99

With all these things, we hope that you can know more about the advantages and disadvantages of Shellac and Gelish nails polish and tell the differences between these two. Besides, remember that while one manicure may work for some, it may not work for others. Differences in nail health and nail types can have different reactions to Shellac and Gelish nails. Therefore, the only thing we can suggest is that you should try both and see which you like best. That's why we offer both Gelish and Shellac manicures so you could start by trying them to make a fair comparison.