CND Shellac is a premium brand, and so deserves a premium price tag. Just because others offer it for cheaper in your area doesn't mean you have to
I often find those who offer it for cheaper are cutting corners and are not giving the true CND Shellac Treatment as it is meant to be given.
I do think Shellac is grossly underpriced for what we do, but I think that because people don't appreciate the value of a true Shellac Manicure, We need to educate our clients on why we are worth the extra money, I'm on a mission to raise my prices and prove to everyone here in Cork why it's worth it to pay more for a proper shellac manicure.
I looked into a lot of salons in my area who charge €30 for shellac (and thats the highest i can find) but all they do is file , buff the nail (!) , and paint. 20 mins and the client is out the door. I too charge €30, but do a detailed cuticle work, with neat precision painting and gentle removal using all CND products, it takes me 45mins-1hour. Repeat clients often have a ring of damage growing up the nail at return appointments and can't believe that shellac doesn't have to ruin your nails!
Something has to give, lets start a shellac revolution !!
To the OP i started out with Gelish, and kept it for 2 years. It's a good product but i too found removal time difficult, i also had issues with fading. If your working from home its not the end of the world but if in a salon environment where time is money the removal can become an issue. I kept Gelish and introduced Shellac and found it to be actually confusing for clients, they would ask which is the better one - how can you decided that for a client? Its so personal but when shellac had no buffing, it was always the one i would recommend. In the end my enthusiasm for Shellac won out and they could see i was passionate about shellac and not so passionate about Gelish, so i gave my Gelish to another tech and solely invested in Shellac. I did loose a few clients but do you know what , the clients who i lost were the clients who came every 5-6 weeks and expected flawless nails, with no aftercare. I realsed that Shellac catered to a different type of client, a client who was interested in maintaining the integrity of their natural nails, they buy all of their retail from me because they are thrilled to see and improvement in their nails, and they come regularly every 2-3 weeks so as not to damage their nails.
If i can a client with challenging nails, I now recommend a L&P or Gel overlay, I don't believe that another more abrasive brand of gel polish is the answer. I know L&P and Gel has taken a bashing in the last few years but I have definitely noticed a come back with it, some clients are apprehensive but when you show them what a good set looks like, they don't even have to admit their fake