The summer is slowly upon us: are you gellin'?

To gel or not to gel? That is the question.

Despite the grim forecast (the weather is supposed to be cold and wet all week here in NYC), summer really is upon us.  It may not feel like the middle of May but, come June, we'll all be complaining about the heat and humidity.  True story!  Regardless of which coast you reside on or vacation, this upcoming season will, without a doubt, be filled with an abundance of sun, sand, and sea (water)...three of mother nature's ingredients that, especially when combined, can wreak havoc on a mani/pedi.

That was before Shellac / Axxium, the beauty industry's answer to a polish that can last the test of time. 

I was hesitant at first.  Hell, I almost laughed in the face of at least three aestheticians who each quoted me "$70 for a 'Shellac pedicure.'"  After all, this would be quite a big investment for a gal who has always done her own.  But as I began to recall how much of a beating my nails always took when they came in to contact with sunscreen and salt water, I decided that, just maybe, I wasn't above a Shellac-ing.

So what I did next was nothing short of wallet-savvy genius: I headed out of Manhattan and in to Brooklyn - right over the Williamsburg Bridge, in fact - and got my Shellac pedicure done at a fraction of what it would have cost in "the city."  Primp & Polish is the name, $40 is the game: that's right, folks, $25 for the pedicure and $15 for the Shellac-ing.  And the part of this story that's almost as sweet as saving $30 by getting my pedicure done in Brooklyn?  The fact that, with gel manicures/pedicures, there is virtually no polish "drying-time."  I walked out of the salon with socks and sneakers just minutes after my toes were painted.  What could possibly be more fitting for a hurried, impatient New Yorker?  Um, nothing.

Drumroll please.

The test: as you know, I spent a week in Belize, 1-day post Shellac pedicure.  With all of the sand, salt water, and SPF that I came in to contact with, not once did my polish chip or dull.  In fact, it was not until this past week - almost 1-month after the fact - that the gel began to slowly pop off.  So, would I recommend investing in gel Shellac / Axxium mani/pedis this summer?  Absolutely!  Heck, if you play your cards right, you'd only have to visit a salon three times over the the course of the season (considering that each pedicure lasts for virtually 3-4 weeks).  Win win.

The inspiration behind sunburned foot-fetishes everywhere.

…

Until we eat again,

Lindsay, The Lunch Belle