CND Shellac Gel Polish Dark Lava 12.5ml

CND Shellac Gel Polish Dark Lava 12.5ml is a deep, plum-toned wine red that sits right on the line between CND's reds and its purples. CND itself files the shade in its reds range, while CND's 2017 and 2018 printed shade charts placed Dark Lava at the darkest end of the plum row, and that tension is exactly the appeal: it is a dark wine that keeps a plum cast rather than a flat oxblood. It is one of the ten shades in the CND Shellac Color Callback Collection, returned by demand exactly as it was, unchanged and unfiltered. It is a long-standing autumn and winter request.

Benefits

• A dark wine that holds a plum cast rather than reading as a flat oxblood, which is why it has stayed a standing autumn and winter request.
• Gives 14+ days of high-performance wear as the colour step in the complete CND Shellac Gel Polish system of base coat, colour and top coat.
• Cures in one minute per layer on preset button 2S under a CND Lamp, so the manicure leaves the chair instantly dry with no smudging and no dent risk.
• Butterfly Removal lifts the coating away in minutes, with no filing or buffing of the natural nail and no nail damage when used and removed as directed. That matters on a shade this dark.
• Yields roughly 34 manicure services per professional bottle, which is where the maths works for a core seasonal dark.

How to Use

1. Prep the natural nail: shape the free edge with a fine 240 grit file, gently push back and lift away non-living cuticle tissue, then cleanse and temporarily dehydrate the nail plate with CND ScrubFresh on a plastic-backed, lint-free pad. No filing or buffing of the nail surface is required.
2. Roll the CND Shellac Base Coat bottle upside down between your palms to prevent air bubbles from forming. Apply one thin layer to the extension edge and nail surface, then cure for 10 seconds on preset button 1 in a CND LED Lamp. Do not wipe the top film.
3. Shake Dark Lava vigorously to blend. Apply one thin layer to the extension edge and nail surface and cure for one minute on preset button 2S. Applied correctly, this first layer looks slightly semi-sheer.
4. Apply a second thin layer of Dark Lava and cure again for one minute on preset button 2S. Keep the layers thin, as colour applied too thickly can wrinkle as it cures.
5. Roll the CND Shellac Top Coat bottle upside down between your palms to prevent air bubbles from forming. Apply one thin layer to the extension edge and nail surface and cure for one minute on preset button 3.
6. Remove the top film with a plastic-backed, lint-free pad saturated in 99% isopropyl alcohol to reveal the gloss. This step is not needed with CND Shellac No-Wipe+ Top Coat. Finish with a drop of CND SolarOil to condition the nail.
7. To remove, saturate the pad of a CND Foil Remover Wrap with CND Offly Fast Moisturizing Remover, wrap each finger and set a timer to match the top coat used. Press and massage the nail, twist the wrap away, then wipe any residue with Offly Fast. No filing of the natural nail is needed.

The full ingredient list appears in the Ingredients section. CND publishes one Color Coat formula across the shade range and closes the list by noting that it may contain pigments, so the exact colourants for Dark Lava are shown on the pack.