I have had some really bad experiences getting Shellac manicures in the past. I love the fact that it stays chip-free for 2 weeks, but it does something strange to my nails and they proceed to break consistently for about 3 months afterwards. The last normal manicure I got chipped in the first 48 hours. I was not impressed.

Fresh out of the salon and looking pretty damn perfect ...

The CND Vinylux Weekly Topcoat sounded too good to be true when I saw at at my local nail salon. I was pretty sceptical, but since it costs the same as a normal manicure I thought I would give it a go. I opted for a medium grey shade called Rubble (you can view the other colour options here although not all colours are available in the UK yet) which is uncannily similar to my Prada handbag. It took about the same length of time to be touch dry as a regular polish. I did do a few minor dents later that afternoon when the polish was still soft, but nothing major.

The polish seems to get harder as the days progressed. I gave my hands a proper workout during the week with a photo shoot, bathing my two children, going to the gym and more. I made it through to day 6 with only a very minor chip on my thumb and was so impressed it had my grey removed and a red put on. The other aspect I love is that it is removed with normal nail polish remover, so there is no hidden costs of having to go back to the nail salon to get it taken off professionally.

I had a colour change on day 6 but the grey could have easily stayed on another day or so.

This may be a dream-come-true product for people like me who can't tolerate the damage shellac inflicts on your nails! I had my nails done at Tip To Toe nail salon on Northcote Road which you can find here. I paid £17 for the original manicure, and £9 when I went back for a shape and polish change.