“I’m going to leave my husband for this, I’m so in love with it,” said Belle Visage co-owner Stacy Winick.

Her salon started using gel polish a few months ago and customers have loved the results.

For years, women have searched for a longer-lasting nail polish. Many turned to acrylic or artificial nails, which are created by mixing a chemical powder with another chemical liquid. The result is a long-lasting, fashionable nail. But the process can be damaging to the natural nail underneath and once it is started, there is a commitment to upkeep the look by getting a “fill” every couple of weeks. Some health care professionals also question how safe the product is to patients’ overall health.

Removing acrylic nails to return to natural nails can be compared to de-clawing a cat. I’ve had it done. It is painful and leaves the original nail damaged. It can take months for the nail to return to normal.

That’s why Winick and her customers are so excited about the gel product. It takes a little longer to apply because each coat needs to cure under ultraviolet light for two minutes between coats. But the best part is there is no drying involved. Freshly painted nails can slip right into gloves to head out into the cold.

To remove the gel polish, Winick suggests customers return to the salon. But simply wrapping the nails in cotton soaked in acetone for 10 minutes takes it off. And the nail beneath is the same as it was before the polish was applied.

“More people now are doing the gels than regular polish,” Winick said while recently applying gel polish to a customer.

A gel-polish manicure costs a little more – $30, the price of two regular manicures – but will last twice as long as a regular manicure.

“Women are very hard on their nails, and they don’t have time, even time to sit and let them dry,” said Winick. “This is what people are talking about. It’s hip and new. I haven’t been this excited about a product for a long time.”

I had a French manicure with the Shellac product at Belle Visage almost two weeks ago, and my nails still look great. I did have one small chip after the first week but Winick fixed it for no charge.

“We offer free fixes for all our customers,” she said. “We are very customer-friendly.”

I would have to agree. And I also agree that Shellac gel is terrific.