Shellac

The new breed of nail gels promise long-lasting, high-shine manicures with fast curing times that'll have you in and out the salon in under 30 minutes. But with so many on the market — CND, OPI and Orly have all launched either new formulation gel or gel-hybrid services — how can you be sure that you're getting the one that's right for you? We've road-tested CND Shellac, OPI GelColor and Orly GelFX and compiled a quick and easy-to-follow guide with all the stuff you need to know such as price, colour range, process and whether they use UV light. Check it out.

CND Shellac revolutionised the nail world with its two-week, chip-free, high-shine wear. Sure, they'd been gel manicures before, but Shellac had minimal dry time and the ability to look just like regular polish (not thick and cluggy) up its sleeve. Now there are six new shades coming to Australia next month including four colours — Rubble (taupe), Dark Lava (burgundy), Cityscape (dove grey) and Silver Chrome (silver) — and two glitters — Silver VIP Status and Gold VIP Status — which are great over the top of an opaque colour. So now you've got 36 shades to choose from, which means your manicures are sorted for the next year and three months.

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The bane of anyone's life, including celebrities, is a manicure that only lasts a couple of days — or worse, one that gets smudged whilst trying to get your keys out of your bag after it's supposedly dry. That's why stars like Katy Perry and Rihanna are turning to gel manicures for a long-lasting look with both singers confessing their love of new-formula gels this week. Katy told Allure magazine: "I will never get a regular manicure again if I don't have to because the gels are just an amazing invention. A regular one lasts two or three days; with the gels you can bang your hands against anything." And Rihanna's been a fan of Shellac since it launched, wearing Wildfire Shellac in the music video for Eminem's "I Love The Way You Lie" and picking Shellac in Black Pool last week whilst in Milan. The nail gel trend is set to further dominate the market in 2012 with OPI getting in on the action with its new GelColor. Have you tried it yet?

• There's a parody nail polish line for The Hunger Games featuring shades like Reminder Purple: "Reminder, this is a death tournament, not a fashion show" — Elle
• Aussie haircare brand Evo is launching in the US — Racked
• 30,000 French women may have to get their breast implants removed because of a rupture risk — Yahoo
• Codie Young rocks an array of high-fashion headpieces in Vogue Italia — Fashion Copious
• Lady Gaga is busting out the bow hairstyle again — Daily Mail
• Botched "cosmetic tourism" ops are on the rise — Sydney Morning Herald
• The most controversial beauty ads of 2011 — BellaSugar US
• Rihanna is a huge fan of CND's Shellac, most recently choosing Black Pool — Us Weekly