Ep 34 – CND Co-Founder Jan Arnold On Cracking Shellac & Our Review of Shellac Luxe

August 29, 2018

Jill and Carlene with CND Co-Founder Jan Arnold


It’s not often that a true beauty invention comes along, setting a new standard and spawning legions of knock-offs. But that’s exactly what happened when the awesome Jan Arnold, co-founder of CND, shook the beauty industry with the first-ever hybrid gel polish, Shellac, back in 2010. Suddenly, women could walk out of nail salons in seconds, grabbing their keys without a worry in the world about damaging their perfect, gel-look manicure—that could last up to an astonishing four weeks.

Jan Arnold’s nail art by Montreal artist @tamaradilullo

Fast-forward to summer 2018 and CND—short for Creative Nail Design—has introduced Shellac Luxe, a new alternative promising faster removal (the O.G. takes ten minutes of in-salon acetone removal). Stay tuned until the end of the episode to hear Jill and Carlene’s candid review on how this edition does—or straight doesn’t—measure up… Plus, get an earful about the Insta-bait outfit, designed by The Blonds, that Jan Arnold wore to introduce Luxe to nail pros!

A corset by New York designers The Blonds, made of hundreds of faux Shellac nails

Family Business: CND Co-Founder Jan Arnold’s Father and Mother

But the mind-blowing doesn’t stop there. Find out how innovation has been baked into CND’s DNA from its very first invention, born out of her father’s dentist’s office forty years ago. More beauty trivia: CND pretty much invented the concept of nail trends backstage at Fashion Week. Don’t miss the ballsy moment responsible for changing the way designers like Oscar de la Renta, Alexander Wang—and let’s face it, the world—would come to embrace high-fashion nails, ultimately leading to what we now know as nail art today.

Products mentioned in this episode: CND Shellac Gel Polish; CND Shellac Luxe Gel PolishCND Vinylux Long Wear Polish; CND Solar Oil Nail & Cuticle Conditioner

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