What You Should Consider When Buying Nail Glitter

Want to add a little more sparkle to your life? There’s no better way than giving yourself a glitter manicure. If the only sparkly polish you’ve got in your collection is that red that’s left over from Christmas, don’t worry. You can try loose nail glitter instead. Here’s what to consider before you part with your cash.

Check that it’s Cosmetic Grade

While you can use cosmetic-grade nail glitter for crafts, don’t use craft glitter on your nails. Craft glitters can’t be used on acrylics or gel nails. Then there’s the fact that cheap non-cosmetic glitters may contain ingredients that cause skin reactions. If you don’t know what’s in the glitter, how can you know how it will react with any other products you’re using?

To qualify as a cosmetic grade, the glitter has to meet certain standards. Cosmetic grade glitter is also;

• Non-toxic;
• Coloured with pigment rather than dye. This means the colour won’t bleed and you won’t accidentally file off any of the colour coatings;
• Much finer than craft glitter so it adheres easily and lies flat;
• Much less likely to cause skin irritation.

Check Your Nail Glitter is Solvent Stable

You might think that you can just dump some glitter into a polish and create your very own custom nail glitter. However, if you’ve bought non-cosmetic glitter, it won’t work. What you’ll find is the solvents in your nail polish will dissolve or strip its colour. Not a good look. This won’t happen with high-quality cosmetic-grade nail glitter from a reputable company.

How to stop nail glitter 'bleed'

If you want an Insta-worthy manicure or a ‘look at me’ art design, ditch the cheap craft glitter. As we mentioned earlier, cheap glitters are coloured with dye. This means that the colours can bleed out and get messy when you mix them with nail polish. How can you check for this? If you’ve already found your dream nail glitter and you want to test it, here’s how;

Get a scrap piece of paper and put some of your glitter on it. Add a dollop of clear nail polish to it and see what happens. If the glitter stays put and looks fab, it’s a yay. If the colour starts to run, it’s a definite no!

How to Apply Loose Nail Glitter to Natural Nails

Step 1

Find your perfect colour to match your look. We recommend Glitter Nails - Fine Silver Glitter which is a beautiful holographic silver if you want something that works with everything.

Step 2

Put something down on your work area, like a sheet of paper. This will capture any excess glitter and make it easier to put it back into the pot.

Step 3

Decide on your look.

Want all-over glitter on your nails?

Apply a clear base coat to your nails.

Dip your nail in the glitter. Lay it flat and roll your nail from side to side to get good coverage.

Tap your finger to remove excess glitter.

Top tip: If you’ve ended up with excess on your cuticles, dip a cotton bud in nail varnish remover and go over any fallout.

How to get a subtle shimmer with nail glitter?

Apply a base coat and a nail colour of your choice. While the polish is still tacky, sprinkle a little over each nail.

Tap to remove any excess then use a cotton bud to remove any stubborn particles.

Whichever technique you use, apply a few coats of top coats to seal the glitter on your nails. Go gently so you don’t take any glitter off.

Can you recommend the best nail glitter?

Of course, we love Glitter Nails, their glitter looks fantastic, applies easily and is reasonably priced! It also comes in eco-friendly packaging compared to other brands. The glass bottle can be recycled after use and the cork stopper looks amazing!

Rainbow Stars Nail Glitter - The large stars look fantastic in colourful gel nails!

Red Hearts Nail Glitter - A beautiful addition to any valentines day or anniversary nails.

Fine Gold Nail Glitter - This incredible gold makes any manicure a luxury.

Fine Silver Nail Glitter - A Silver simmer that will last for ages!

We hope we’ve inspired you to venture into the world of shiny manicures. For more articles on all things nails, check out the rest of our blog.