Thank You CND

So anyone who is paying any attention at all in this business is now aware of the increasing popularity of soak-off gel "polishes." 

They've actually been around for a very long time, but for a variety of reasons, they weren't the big news they are now. I don't know if the companies that had them just aren't very high-profile, or if their formulas weren't very user-friendly — like, yeah, they will soak off — eventually. Or maybe the world just wasn't ready to embrace the concept yet. But — through whatever cosmic set of circumstances — the soak-off gel manicure is hot now. And suddenly everyone and their grandmother is bringing their own soak-off gel polish product to a salon near you.

The manufacturer I really had my fingers crossed on still hasn't filled my shelves with a gel polish bearing her name, so I jumped on the Gelish bandwagon fast (and I don't jump on many bandwagons) and I haven't regretted that jump yet.

Since investing in all 48 colors of Gelish that are currently available (and when did I buy my first 24? February?), well, plenty of new brands have hit the market. Along with lots of debate over whether we prefer pots or polish bottles, which ones soak off fastest, which ones wear the longest, whether it's acceptable to just file it off, and so on.

And then CND released the almighty Shellac. Sort of.

For those who subscribe to the Nailtech mailing list at Beautytech.com, you may have heard that rant already. Suddenly Shellac was released and everyone acted like it was the first gel polish in a polish bottle. Except my Gelish had already been bought, paid for, and on my clients for a few months. But — as the girls say these days — whateva.

CND is great at marketing. Honestly. Don't misread my tone; this company has mastered the art of "spin." They are marketing geniuses! And they are awesome at sending out press releases and pumping up their new products and service concepts in the media — which is great support for the technicians who use their products and a practice I really wish more industry companies would embrace.

Unfortunately — through another set of cosmic circumstances — CND has managed to create a higher demand for Shellac than they have been able to supply. Heck, maybe not "unfortunately" — maybe that's a great thing? Or maybe it would be if there weren't other viable alternative products on the market.

Either way, the ultimate result has been that I have recently picked up a ton of new clients who were introduced to the concept of gel polish through previous nail techs who have gotten caught in the Shellac back-order problems. Their clients still want the service, but the techs haven't been able to get the products. So, little by little, clients are discovering that Shellac isn't the only player in the game — and that's been great for techs who have opted for other brands.

I just wanted to say thank you.