Random Thoughts - Spa Topics On My Mind by Julie Register on DiscoverSpas.com

Shellac Nails

I rarely use nail polish on my hands. It's usually dinged up the same day as the manicure. Sometimes it will last two, but never three days. So I really didn't pay attention when CND (Creative Nail Design) launched their Shellac™ Hybrid Nail Color earlier this year. That is until Linda started singing its praises. She told me it lasts for 2 weeks even though she gardens. I had an event to go to, so I thought I would give it a try.

The nail tech shaped my nails and worked on my cuticles then applied a base coat of Shellac™ which went on just like polish (but was relatively odorless) and had me put my hand under a UV light for two minutes while she applied base coat to the other hand. Then this hand went under the UV light for two minutes. This was repeated for two coats of color and a coat of top coat. After the last coat was cured under the UV light, the nails were done - no drying, no worries about bumping them. The results were a shiny, hard nail that supposedly resists dulling and chipping for 14 days.

CND says the Shellac™ is hypo-allergenic and “3-Free” – no formaldehyde, toluene or DBP. I have to say I really do like the results. I have very soft nails that split and crack easily. They are definitely stronger with Shellac™. They have grown longer in the weeks I have been using Shellac™. However, I do have some reservations:

Shellac™ has to be removed with acetone in a much stronger concentration that you find in nail polish remover (What potentially harmful price on my health am I paying for vanity?). My technician encouraged me to buy it and remove the Shellac™ myself at home. I had her remove it the first time to see how it was done. All she had me do was dip my fingers in acetone for 10 minutes then pushed the Shellac™ off with an orange stick. She did a poor job, though. I had stripes of the old Shellac™ color on the sides of my nails which showed through the almost clear color I used afterwards. I decided I would remove the Shellac™ myself next time. I was disappointed that, even though I saved the technician a half hour by removing the Shellac™ at home, I was charged the same price for the manicure. Finally, when I went to the CND site, I saw that they had wraps to limit the acetone to just the nails and keep it off the rest of your fingers. Their cost would be $2.50 for the wraps, so I'm sure they left them out to save money. UGH.
Shellac™ has to be removed after 14 days or it will bond more securely to the nails and be more difficult to remove.
Shellac™ comes in 12 shades - none of which I like.
One of my nails chipped on day 6 of the first application. That's still at least twice as long as any previous manicure. I think it was an application issue. I've read the instructions on the CND site and the technician didn't have me wash my hands before applying the Shellac™ nor did she "encase the extension edge." I've been back 2 more times. The last time, two of my nails cracked below the quick like they usually do. I think it was because the nails are now too long (never been a problem before).
Shellac™ costs about twice as much as a regular manicure for the spa. According to the CND site, the cost for a spa to provide a Shellac™ manicure is $4.56. They suggest the spa charge 50% more than their regular manicures. The place I have been going to charges $38 (plus tip). Let's see...their cost is $2.06 since they don't use the wraps. $38-$2.06 equals $35.94. They get that if they remove the Shellac™ (45 minutes) or not (20 minutes). I know labor and overhead come out of this, but it seems too high to me.

I like Shellac™ but not sure about where I've been getting it. However, if I want to continue to get Shellac™ manicures, I am a hostage of this salon for the time being. The only other place in the area that offers it is the salon/spa that inspired one of my most popular articles - "10 Lessons on How NOT to Run a Spa and A Bad Hair Day."

Fixed Recline Seats

As a person who travels a fair amount, I have become somewhat of an expert on the seats on jets - especially in the economy section where I ride. The seats are almost always too close for me, and I am a short person. I can't open my computer far enough to read the screen. When the person in front of me reclines, I can't even read a book. With their head practically in my lap, I have been tempted to reach out and give them a scalp massage. I rarely recline my seat because I don't want to impose on the person in back of me. Once in a blue moon, there is no one behind me, and only then do I recline. I have always felt there should be something like the "fasten your seatbelt" and "no smoking signs" for "recline." We all do it or no one does.

A few months ago, I read about "fixed recline" seats. Spirit Airlines announced in April that it will install this seat design across its Airbus narrow body fleet. Perhaps that is a solution to the seat-in-your-lap syndrome. Spirit says the advantages include:

less weight - 178 seats on Spirit’s A320 weigh less than 145 seats on its A319 (keeps fuel costs down and increases capacity)
no moving parts - no repairs since there is no recline mechanism to break.

That should translate into savings that I hope would be passed onto the consumers. But, oh-oh, they also are going to close up the seat pitch by an inch and get another row of seats in the aircraft. How can that not be even more claustrophobic?

Air France also recently introduced new fixed recline seats for short-haul flying on A320 aircraft. AirAsia X's experiment with fixed recline on long-haul flights was not successful, and the carrier recently began replacing those seats.

I guess I won't know if I like it until I try it. I'll let you know when I do.

Intention and Attention

Two people who are near and dear to me have been the recent victims of separate and unrelated frivolous and malicious lawsuits. Our legal system should not be a place to cash in on a get-rich-quick scheme or a place to act out a personal vendetta. I am disheartened. I want to tell the accusers that their intentions are bad - filled with negative energy. What goes around, comes around. What they do to others - good or bad - will ultimately be done to them. There is still time to undo the harm they are doing to the accused and themselves.

These accusations have essentially disabled of both of my friends. They feel captured and held hostage. They feel helpless and hopeless. The accusations consume them. They are wounded. They think about their individual situations every waking moment and have lost lots of sleep. It's not fair. I tell them not to dwell on it. Let their lawyers handle it. Be optimistic. Have faith that justice will prevail in the end. You know... do all that Law of Attraction stuff. Easier said than done. In the meantime, I'll pray for them, send them all the positive thoughts I can and hope their lawyers are up to the tasks at hand.