Angela Roewe
Contributing Writer

It's the time of year when women slip on their favorite sandals and flip flops to celebrate summer, but never before selecting their favorite polish and opting for a matching mani- and pedicure.

All women who take the time to care for their nails strive to achieve a perfect paint job with high hopes of savoring it for at least a few days. But it never fails - chipping, cracking, peeling, smudging and luster loss just happen. It's enough to make any woman mad, and it usually does.

Well, now it's time to get even.

Beauty product business Creative Nail Design has introduced the first hybrid nail color after nearly five years of development in its laboratory. The company's Shellac Hybrid Nail Color is a game-changing product that applies like polish, wears flawlessly for 14 days of high gloss shine (even longer on toenails), and is removed in minutes, says Angie Wingle, CND Education Ambassador.

"Shellac paints on like polish - base coat, color, top coat - and is cured in a UV light for around two minutes for each application, so there is zero dry time," she said. "The colors are hypo-allergenic, and contain no formaldehyde, toluene or DBP chemicals."

Shellac is a patent-pending UV3 technology that combines the ease of polish with the permanence of gels to create the hybrid nail color. It is a hybrid because it consists of solvents that provide polish-like application, monomers that provide gel-like wear, and polymers that allow for easy removal.

The Blonde Salon and Spa in O'Fallon is one of a handful of Metro East salons that have Shellac-trained nail technicians such as Sandy Alms.

"Women are busier than ever and don't have the time to cater to their nails every few days, so Shellac is a dream come true," Alms said.

"The formula is thin and flexible like polish, so it not only looks natural, but it provides strong natural nail protection with a resilient mirror finish that resists dullness and chipping even during the most rigorous activities."

"I have a client who swims daily and after two weeks her nails look exactly as they did as the day I painted them. And the reason they say two weeks is because nails begin to show new grow-out around that time which always signals for a paint change for even coloring."

Since a UV light is used to cure the paint, Shellac application is only available at participating salons. Natural nails and gel and acrylic fills can all be topped with Shellac paint, and the colors to complete a French manicure or pedicure are offered.

Shellac removal is as easy as its application; there is no soaking, drilling or filing involved. Nails are gently swathed in individual Shellac wraps that limit finger and skin exposure to acetone to safeguard acrylics. Plain acetone is used for all-natural nails.

For more information, call Alms or another nail technician at The Blonde Salon and Spa, 1115 Frontage Road, at 618-628-7788.

The Louvre Salon and Spa at 5721 Old Collinsville Road in Fairview Heights and Zen at 105 E Market St. in Troy are additional Shellac service providers. Darla Knight, The Louvre's Shellac nail technician, can be reached by calling 618-628-2188.