Long-Wearing Polish Without The Harsh Removal Hassle? Oh Yeah, It’s For Real

Has anyone else noticed how nail polish brands are really stepping up their game lately? Gel manicures, textured lacquers, stick-on polish strips, nail art kits — we're in a veritable manicure Renaissance. Well, things are about to get even better because today marks the official debut of CND's latest innovation, Vinylux.

CND, as you'll recall, are the masterminds behind Shellac, the long-wear salon treatment that promised two weeks of no-chip wear. Vinylux is yet another long-wear innovation — one that boasts a full week of polish perfection, but without the UV curing or harsh soak-off removal of Shellac.

The two-part system features a polish and topcoat that can be applied in a salon, or you can purchase bottles to use at home. Vinylux features "self-adhering" technology in the polish, meaning no basecoat is required. You apply two coats of your preferred color, waiting a minute between each coat, then apply the specially formulated topcoat. The topcoat is "cured" in natural light, meaning no UV exposure is required. Where regular polishes take about 15-20 minutes to fully dry, CND says that Vinylux will only require a grand total of eight-and-a-half minutes to set. Removal requires nothing more than swiping regular polish remover on the nails — no soaking or acetone wraps here.

"The technology behind Vinylux allows you to experience flawless fashion one full week at a time", says Jan Arnold, co-founder of CND. "You can change your color because you want to, not because you have to."

There are 62 colors total in the Vinylux line-up, 40 of which match the most popular Shellac shades. In-salon manicures will range from $20 to $35, while each polish and the topcoat will retail for $9.90 apiece. Vinylux started rolling out to CND partner salons last month, so, according to the brand, it should be available in most of their salons as of this month.

We're cautiously optimistic about Vinylux — as much as we love our Shellac, sometimes we just don't want a color on our nails for two whole weeks. (What can we say? We get bored easily.) And skipping that whole acetone-wrap thing is a blessing for our soft, peel-prone, "challenged" nails. We're road-testing it right now and will report back in seven days with the full scoop on how it performed, so check back to get the down and dirty details.