Frequent Asked Questions

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A beautiful, well-groomed nail is an important part of your overall look. Attractive nails and hands enhance your appearance, whether you spend your days in a kitchen or in a boardroom. Unprofessional manicured or pedicured will result in damaging your natural nails and affect to its natural growth shape. That may cause break nails, weak nails and nail disorders.

 Gel nails are made with liquid gel and are available from a huge number of different manufacturers in addition to Gelish. If we want to get technical, they work by mixing oligomers and acrylic monomers which harden under a UV light. It is also called as “Hard Gel” to distinguish from Gel Polish (called as “Soft Gel”)

Shellac is a patented brand coming from one manufacturer: Creative Nail Design (known as CND). They’ve taken the basic gel, which is great for durability, and have mixed it with traditional nail polish. The result is that with Shellac you get the traditional shine we all love. 

Firstly, both shellac and gel polishes are a great choice. While Shellac is associated with CND brand image, Gel Polish, on the other hand, is associated with other brands such as Gelish, O.P.I, Essie and many more. 

Both Shellac and Gel Polish will look fabulous. Both last longer than traditional polish, at around 10-14 days, although gel may last as long as 3 weeks. It then comes down to weighing up the pros and cons of both and deciding which you’d prefer for your manicure and polish. We usually recommend Gel polish if you are heavy-handed person. 

Shellac benefits from its gel content, but don’t forget that there is regular polish in there too. 

As such, whilst it is harder to chip than regular polish, it can still chip more easily than gel. But, the plus side of this is that it is far easier to remove. Your manicurist can remove Shellac nails in just minutes, without any harsh scraping, using an acetone remover not too different from standard nail polish remover.

On the other hand, removal of gel nails isn’t always straight-forward. It involves soaking and filing,and technically will take longer time to remove completely. 

 Acrylic nails are a mix of powder and liquid monomer that's combined into a blob of dough, shaped onto your nails with a brush, and then air-dried. "Acrylics do not require a lamp to cure, and they're great for changing the shape, colours or extending your nails. Gel polish or Shellac can be applied on top to give you a long-lasting colour. 

We usually recommend Acrylic to clients who have bitten or damaged nails. This technique will help you grow out your natural nails until a certain length, then after you can switch to another treatments (i.e SNS or Shellac) to maintain your natural nails. 

 There are several advantages as below:

-Protect natural nails from the damaging effects of enamels and other agents.

-Aesthetically they are more beautiful than natural ones and they can be given any shape and length, not to mention the possibilities of decoration.

-They are very resistant and avoid the cracking of the nails, so they are perfect for women with weaker nails or tending to break.

-Its maintenance is every 15-20 days (depends on the growth of your nail) and they are very durable.

-You can rebuild bitten and broken nails and always look perfect.

Whilst you wear the nail extension, your own nails underneath will be able to grow and strengthen. If you have a habit of constantly biting your nails, this is a way to avoid and break the habit entirely.

 Acrylics require a lot of upkeep. most clients with acrylics generally come in every two to three weeks to get them filled. However, as long as any lifting of the acrylic is filled in, a set can be worn for six to eight weeks (after 2 or 3 times of infill) before they need to be removed and replaced with a new full set. 

Acrylics aren't anymore damaging than other forms of fake nails—as long as they're properly taken care of. That includes getting them properly removed, regularly filled, and keeping them clean and dry. All of which prevents bacteria from getting into the them and causing infections.

On average your nails should regain their natural state within 3-4months. Photographed by Dan McCoy. A gel manicure can help keep nails hard and prevent them from breaking as they grow. You can treat this area with cuticle oil, Vitamin E or aloe vera. Keeping your hands and nails hydratedwith lotion and drink lots of water. 

It is a common feeling that most clients have after getting their Acrylic nails removed. The reason is that you get used to with the thickness and support from Acrylic for a period of time. When having Acrylic layer removed, subconsciously, you will feel your nails are so thin in a sudden. That makes you associate your nails with being weaker. In fact, you just get back to the thickness of natural nails. Your nails are not weak if you have them removed professionally! Otherwise, picking or peeling off Acrylic nails will result in damaging your nails. 

SNS stands for Signature Nail Systems. It’s a branded powder-dipping system, accompanied by a brush-on, gel-based polish. The nail technician applies the polish to your nail, dips it in the powder and repeats the process.

SNS comes in an array of colours and shades and consists of benzoyl peroxide, titanium dioxide and acrylic ester polymer. These ingredients help strengthen your nails rather than wear them down.