Shellac Manicure

I'm sure that a lot of you have heard of this new craze called the shellac manicure. It's supposed to be an amazing natural nail manicure that lasts for 14 days. I say natural nail because this is not an acrylic manicure, the nail is not roughed up in any way to adhere a nail tip to it. 
I love a good manicure but it's always frustrating when the polish chips a day or two later.  Since I'm in cosmetology school I'm using my hands all day long, often using acetone to remove other peoples polish. On top of my school days, 20 hours a week I work an office job where my nails are clicking on a keyboard all day. A manicure doesn't stand a chance on my nails.
I decided to put these claims to the test! I went out and had a shellac manicure yesterday.  The process was actually quite simple.  She soaked my nails, did the cuticle work and filing first. Then she applied a special base coat and my hands went under a UV light for a few minutes.  Then she painted the color, back under the light. Then a top coat, then back under the light. After the top coat was set she gave me a hand massage and I was on my way.  That was it! In and out in 30 minutes and I could dig in my purse for my wallet and keys without so much as a knick.  It's been about 24 hours and they still look as perfect as they did yesterday.  So far I am extreamely impressed. They haven't gone through a 10 hour school day yet though.
I took a picture of my nails a few hours after they were done so I'll post that a little later.  I will also update at the 7 day and 14 day mark to see how it's holding up.
I should say that this really didn't cost much more than a normal manicure. The base price was $25 for the CND shellac and $35 for the OPI shellac. I opted for the CND and went with french tips which was a $5 up charge. So 30 bucks for a manicure that should last around 14 days. Not to shabby if you ask me!