CND Shellac – Masquerade

Posted by on Mar 7, 2011 in CND, Colour Range, Features, Polishes, Shellac | 39 comments

I am officially on hiatus but I was too excited not to share my new Shellac nail polish – Masquerade.  I apologise for the dryness of my cuticles but I just snapped these on the point and shoot.  This is about the colour, yo.

Masquerade is a new colour from CND and it’s just gorgeous.  A shimmery pinkish red which looks lit from within.  Heart.

I’ve used these types of hybrids before so it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar, but these photos below are my first attempt at Shellac.  I was pretty happy with how it worked out but it was a learning curve.  I figured I would share some of those learnings whilst they are fresh in my mind.

  • You don’t need a CND lamp for these but I think I might get one anyway.  On my first application, I guessed what the curing times would be with my generic UV lamp (1 minute for base coat, 4 minutes for each coat of colour, and 4 minutes for the top coat) and that works fine, but the CND lamp is alot faster.
  • You have to be a tidy painter.  If you’re the type to get lacquer on your cuticles this is either not for you OR you need to get tidy!  Reason being, this is hard to clean up.  Super hard.  Even when it’s wet, it’s near impossible to wipe away.  And once it’s dry, forget it.  It’s not budging until you remove it.  I’m a reasonably good painter but my ring finger copped a little leakage into the cuticle.  And it distracted me no end because I couldn’t get rid of it!
  • If you do get it on your cuticles and still cure it, you’re guaranteed that the manicure won’t last particularly long.  The Shellac will start to lift at the cuticles and, unlike regular polish, where you can just peel away the cuticle excess, all of the Shellac on that nail will come off as one piece.

All up though, I’m in love.  I have a few more colours on the way so I will do a big post and a tutorial upon my return in a few weeks.

What do you guys think?  Heart or hate?

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_F4Q2FFP2EPLURL4RSN3QDLPG7Q Rachel Robinson

    I can’t wait to see more! I’ve been curious about this stuff!

  • Chantal

    Gorgeous! I’ve been wanting to get a Shellac manicure, but the cost seems prohibitive – good on your for DIY-ing.

  • Anonymous

    DIY-ing is a great option. Sure, there is an initial outlay with the lamp but it will save me cash in time, I’m sure. Besides, I find no manicurist is tidy enough for me (that’s me being fussy) so it’s probably better that I do it myself LOL.

  • Anonymous

    I have Fedora and Romantique on its way to me. Plus I might try a few of the fire engine reds and browns.

  • Kimberly

    I can fall into that depth effect. And, yes, it is about the color. This one rocks solid. :)

  • Chantal

    I must be fussy too, as lack of tidiness from manicurists is what drove me to start doing my own nails. Fussy chicks unite!!

  • Anonymous

    Hahaha totally. I don’t even let them shape my nails anymore. They never do it the way I like it.

  • Anonymous

    It’s gorgeous. I cannot wait to try the others.

  • Danica

    I desperately want to figure out how to do this on my own nails! Please do a tutorial with where you got everything and all that is needed! This is the first time that I’ve seen someone post about doing this on their own, so please show us all how you did it!

  • Sarah

    Hi, I stumbled upon your blog last week, love it.
    This colour is hot!
    Also I have just purchased a cuticle nipper, do you have any tips on using it?
    -Sarah

  • Anonymous

    First tip – be careful!

    Secondly, use it when you’re hands are freshly washed and the cuticles are soft. It makes it easier to cut them without hurting the surrounding skin.

    Third, make sure you’re working on a steady surface. I actually rest my elbow on a hard surface so that my hands are are still when I cut.

    And finally, be careful. Cut too much and you leave yourself open to infections.

    Do you think a YouTube tutorial would help, Sarah. I might do one during my hiatus.

  • Anonymous

    No worries lovely, I was planning to do a full tutorial during my break.

    Set up costs are around $200 but the majority of that cost is the lamp. For me, to setup I had to buy:

    Lamp (I paid $70 for mine, but it’s not a CND one. They are $150 approx)
    Base Coat – $36 here in Oz, but cheaper overseas
    Colour – $36 here in Oz, but cheaper overseas
    Top Coat – $36 here, but cheaper – are you seeing a pattern here LOL!
    Acetone to remove – $10. CND have wraps and I will be trying them because straight acetone is messy
    90% Alcohol – after you cure the top coat, you need 90% alcohol to remove the sticky residue on top of the nail, revealing the high shine underneath.

    I got all of this from eBay except for the Lamp and the Acetone, which I bought from a nail supplier.

  • Sarah

    I have been looking and the Essie base coat and top coat. What Brand do you recommend?

  • Anonymous
  • Joan

    Ooh, this IS quite pretty! But you should be on your vacation Jacie! Get away from the blog! :-P And because I forgot to say it in my email, enjoy your hiatus.

  • Anonymous

    Hahaha Joan, I’m trying but I’m finding it a little hard to stay away.
    Maybe just the occasional post when the mood dictates ok?

  • http://twitter.com/Lacquercocktail Gwen Wijman

    Awesome colour! I love it!

  • Kvacka

    LOVE IT! And please, show more colors and the tutorial! Thank you! :D

  • S.

    Love Love Love Love !
    It really is a lovely shade, so feminine !
    Xx. S

  • Anonymous

    This is very pretty and I like the idea of putting on somethin that fits everything before going on vacation or something :) .

  • Anonymous

    That’s the beauty of this product. Put it on and literally forget about it.

  • Anonymous

    It’s gorgeous. And it wears so beautifully.

  • Anonymous

    I will love. I have some more colours in the post coming so I will do a Shellac feature.

  • http://jaztee.blogspot.com/ Jaztee

    I heart it. Ps. Love the new blog design!

  • http://jaztee.blogspot.com/ Jaztee

    I heart it. Ps. Love the new blog design!

  • Anonymous

    Thanks sweets! :-)

  • Anonymous

    Thanks sweets! :-)

  • Sandi

    I wonder if they’ll release it in a regular nail polish? I love the color but as someone who never wears a color more than 2 days, the shellac process is not for me.

  • Anonymous

    They normally have colours in both the regular and Shellac, so fingers crossed.

  • http://emmabovarybeauty.blogspot.com emmabovary

    Oh how I wish I had the nail painting abilities you posess! Sigh.

    Just a quick note that I posted a collection of images on my blog including a swatch you did of Butter London’s British Racing Green. Have included the link and credit, do hope this is okay with you. Hope you are enjoying your semi-hiatus=)

    Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_QLFCWLOJQIL7NRCX55G4W5EWGE Hayley Joy

    Ohhhhhh Cute! Im a bit ADD with my nails, so I can’t see me going for this unless it was for a trip away or something, but the colour is a total heart :D

  • MsCritique.com

    Hey Gorgeous lady,
    Loving the blog as always. Just wondering if you would every consider doing a tute vid on CND – prep, application and removal?

    I just loved your last vid so much and you’re my go-to for all nail news!
    xx

  • Trishadotj

    Gorgeous!! I absolutely love! I was looking at Shellac yesterday debating on whether or not I should order them. Looks great though!

  • Carla

    Romantique is gorgeous! I have been wearing Shellac since January, and it is Amazing! (note the capital A!!)
    So far I have tried Tropix, Cream Puff (as a full nail) and Rock Royalty. I got sick of Rock Royalty after a week, but found that I could do a coat of regular nail enamel over the top, then seal it with the clear shellac top coat, and presto-better colour choices!

  • Anonymous

    Shellac is a great product. I’m a big fan. I don’t get to wear it nearly enough.

  • AtlantaKAC

    Question – I love my Shellac manicure but the 2cm of unpainted cuticle is distracting me. I’m in day 9 and most of the nail is beautiful and shiny – no chips, but upon closer inspection of my nails, it looks like I have a reverse french manicure. Is there a way to fix this part? I see that Sandy put a coal of regular enamel and then shellac top coat. Could I do that to provide the entire nail with color and also get the long lasting wear of the shellac????
    Thanks

  • Anonymous

    You sure can. Shellac colours match the permanent CND line. So if you’re wearing Fedora in Shellac, you can use the regular Fedora nail polish and paint over the top. There will be a small line along the nail where it has grown out, but only you will notice it.

  • Sara

    A def heart! Love it

  • Anonymous

    Thank you – glad you like it. I have the regular Masquerade coming up this week.