My Views on Shellac

Shellac nails are not for everybody.
This should be made perfectly clear at the beginning, because, though they served my purpose for a week, I don't know that everybody would think them worth the $35 price tag, or that I will get them again.

My Nails After a Week and a Half (With a layer of polish)

Quick Questions Answered:

How long do they last? Mine lasted a week and 2 days before they really started peeling away. Granted, my nails were really short when I got them, so the application was a little trickier than it otherwise would have been. I've had friends who have had the nails last for 3 weeks, but it would ave been a serious problem if I had attempted to leave them on that long.
How much do they cost? I paid $35, about twice as much as a regular manicure. Prices vary, but I checked out a few salons and this seemed to e about the average price.
What color did you get? I got mine in the color Tutti Frutti. The color selection is pretty limited, so I figured that I would get a color that I would never use on myself. I had a gray color in hand and then switched to the neon fucsia shade. BIG mistake. I forgot that nails grow. If you plan to leave the shellac on for a week or more, I recommend a neutral or lighter color so the bare nail at the bottom is less obvios as your nails grow out.
Did they damage your nails? Nope, they didn't. Soaking my nails in acetone for 10 minutes wasn't the best thing, but once I washed off the white residue, they seemed okay.

Now onto the actual review:
The shellac nails did what I wanted them to do and nothing more.
I got the shellac to stop me from biting my nails, giving them a chance to grow out. My logic was thins, if my nails are essentially encased in plastic gel, I can't bite them. If I can't bit them, they'll grow and look pretty. If they look pretty, I won't want to bite them. Bam! habit broken.
Honestly, it seems to have worked. I have had the color off for 2 very stressful days and have yet to bite my nails back down to nubs.
Though the shellac did not last nearly as long as I had hoped, a week and a half-ish is way longer than I could have gotten out of a regular menicure, so for me they seem be be worth the heightened price tag.

After some peeling and picking. You can see the original pink color underneath.

You may not be so excited if you need to leave them on for more than a week, or already have nice natural nails. Unlike gels, which I have never had, you cannot get shellac nails filed in between appointments, so if you want the added protection of shallac for more than a few weeks at a time, you will have to continually have to pay for a full manicure. This averages out to about $70 a month.

If you want to keep your nails looking manicured for a longer period, like a vacation, or if you want to protect your nails while growing them out, then I think that shellac is the way to go. Mine looked freshly manicured for about 5 days, and I was really happy with the strong, smooth finish.
If you have healthy, long nails and are happy with a regular manicure, I suggest you save your money (and nails from the difficult removal) and stick with the basics.