As cosmetic fashion accessories, artificial nails, false nails, or fake nails transform the look and style of your fingernails in a few minutes. The nail salons near you allow you to choose from several types of artificial nails. Each type of artificial nail transforms your natural nails in a specific way.
Both gel nails and shellac nails are popular artificial nail types. When you opt for a gel nail manicure, the manicurist will create the artificial nails using gel polish and cure the gel polish using either UV or LED light. When you opt for shellac nails, the manicurist will create the fake nails using a patented polish that is prepared by combining gel polish and nail polish.
Also, she will cure the shellac nails by placing your fingernails under LED or UV light. Hence, shellac nails and gel nails are applied and cured in an identical way. Also, both gel nails and shellac nails remain chip-free for several weeks. But you must remember that the artificial nail types differ from each other in several aspects.
Gel polish is often described as liquid acrylic which is created by acrylic monomers and oligomers. The ingredients make fingernails appear sturdier by bonding together while being exposed to LED light or UV light. Shellac is prepared by blending gel polish and nail polish. That is why; manicurists form gel nails and shellac nails through a similar process.
Most nail salons allow you to choose from many colour options while getting gel manicures or shellac manicures. While getting a gel manicure, you have the option to choose from about 388 natural and vibrant shades. But you can choose from 116 shades while getting a shellac manicure. Hence, gel nails score over shellac nails in the category of shades or colour options.
Both gel polish and shellac polish are cured using LED or UV light. Hence, both artificial nails remain fresh and chip-free for several weeks. The gel nails last for 2 to 3 weeks, while shellac nails last for about 14 to 21 days. Hence, shellac nails and gel nails do not differ from each other in the category of durability.
Both gel polish and shellac are cured using LED or UV light. Hence, you will damage your natural nails by removing the artificial nails using acetone. It is always advisable to get both gel nails and shellac nails removed by a professional manicurist. The experienced manicurist will focus extensively on keeping your nails safe while removing the gel nails or shellac nails.
The cost of shellac nail manicure and gel manicure vary across nail salons. You have to spend more to get the artificial nails at fancy or up-market nail salons. But most salons charge more shellac manicure than a gel manicure. Hence, you have to incur additional expenses to get shellac nails instead of gel nails.
While curing gel polish and shellac, manicurists use either LED light or UV light. Often UV light affects the health and appearance of your skin, along with increasing the risk of cancer. You must protect your skin and nails by applying sunscreen before getting a gel manicure or shellac manicure. It is also advisable to ask the manicurist to use LED light instead of UV light.
Both shellac nails and gel nails are applied and cured in a similar way. But you must remember that gel polish is different from shellac. Also, the popular artificial nail types differ from each other in several aspects. That is why; you can compare shellac nails vs. gel nails accurately only by considering both similarities and differences.
About Hallie Brown: Hallie is a Fashion Blogger and writes regular blogs on PamperTree.