Recently I have come to the conclusion that "mom beauty" isn't about doing one's hair daily or wearing a full set of makeup to the park, but rather is a series of long-term maintenance rituals that add up to a pulled together mom look even when the rest is somewhat schlumpy.

In other words, a weekly blowout can keep one's long hair looking shiny perfect (along with the right dry shampoo) for a week. That's a lot of no muss park time!

Nails are another big one. But what mom is able to keep her nails perfect given the amount of sunscreen, bug spray, and Band-Aids she applies in a week. Between the hand washing and the swim time at the park, it seems mom is doomed to short, filed, unpolished nails. And then I discovered Shellac. To the left is my first Shellac manicure.

Shellac is a new manicure technique that came out in 2010. It's a cross between regular nail paint and gel paints and is cured with a UV lamp.

It's dry the moment you walk out of the salon. I walked home from getting my nails done, came into my house, and changed my son's poopy diaper. No nicks, no chips. I showered, too. My nails were still perfect.

During the week after I got my first Shellac, I was on vacation. I swam 8 miles, kayaked 15, ran 36, changed countless diapers, washed my hands 1,000 times, took two showers a day. And not once did I get a nick or a chip.

After 12 days, they looked like this:

The only change was at the bottom where I could see my nail growth. That's it! After a very active week.

At my local salon, Shellac costs about twice the price of a regular manicure, but for $30, my nails are perfect for two weeks. That is an unbelievably good deal. And while many people told me my nails would look awful after, I disagree. Here they are:

My second application went on just as well and seems to be lasting just as long:

I may be a bit late to the party, but now that I have tried Shellac, I know I will be spending two hours per month getting it. The result will be perfect nails all month.

Finally!

Have you tried Shellac?