Monday, May 4, 2009

Glittery Accent Nails




So I've decided to officially jump on the one-glitter-nail bandwagon. Problem with this for me in the past is that if I wanted an "accent" glittered nail, I wanted it to be mega, super, ridiculously glittery. If you've ever searched for a nail polish to do that with, you feel my frustration. To get that solid, super ridic glitter effect from a glitter nail polish, you might need a few coats. Resulting in what normally turns out for me to be a super thick, messy, lumpy, (still not glittery enough) nail. So I have found a perfect way to get a super pretty, solid-glitter, perfect accent nail...using.....actual glitter. You can get super fine or chunky glitter at the craft store which can be an affordable option that works perfectly, or you can do what I did and use those MAC glitters that you bought because they were super pretty but they've ended up in the back of your drawer because you never use them. Sounds messy, but I swear it's not. And it's easier and faster than using tons of coats of glitter nail polish. And did I mention the results are insane??
Here's what to do:
1. Paint all of your nails a normal non-glittery color.
2. Pick an "accent" nail for the glitter (Or go crazy and do all of them...your call.)
3. Use a thick top coat like Seche Vite and paint that over the nail to be glittered.
4. Working over a paper plate or bowl, gently dip the nail into the glitter or sprinkle the glitter directly over the nail (like I did in this case because the container was too small for dipping action).
5. Let the glitter "set" for a minute or two, giving the Seche Vite or whatever you've chosen time to dry.
6. Rinse the nail under cold water to get any excess glitter off the nail. Don't worry, if it's cold water, it won't mess anything up.
7. Paint another coat of the Seche Vite or topcoat of your choice over the glitter.


The process seriously takes as little as a couple minutes. It's my new favorite trick! Here's another tip though... If you're planning on doing this a lot, invest in another bottle of Seche Vite or whatever type of topcoat you like that will be designated just for glitter. Occasionally, a fleck of glitter can find it's way into the bottle of topcoat and will most likely end up back on your nails when you don't necessarily want that random glitter flecked look. It'll be worth it, trust me. :)
Hope you guys try this out! It's so fun!