Tis the season for festive glitter manicures, which are so much fun to wear but a nightmare to do. If you wear glitter a lot, the removal process is like trying to scrape sand off your nails.
“The ingredients in glitter polishes vary by brand, but the formulas are usually thicker and more glue-like to ensure that the glitter mixes well with the polish and doesn’t come off.Lilly Rojas saidco-founder of the company Lilli and Cataa beauty salon in Brooklyn, New York.
To help you pull off glitter nails or sparkly nails this holiday season, we’ve turned to the experts for their best tips. Here’s what they had to say:
Method 1: Polish and soak
Similar to gel remover, the first step in removing thick glitter from your nails is to gently buff the surface with a nail file to remove the top layer of glitter and break the nail seal. “You don’t have to polish too much, just a little bit to remove the top layer,” Rojas said. If you polish too much, you can damage your natural nails.
Once the top layer is removed, take some cotton pads soaked in acetone or nail polish remover and leave them on the nails for 3-5 minutes. Acetone is more effective and will do the job faster, but it can dry out your nails and the skin around them. Rojas recommends using aluminum foil or small rubber bands to hold cotton pads in place. Sure, you can also use your hands, but that limits you to removing the glitter polish one nail at a time.
When it’s time to remove the cotton pads, push down while pulling the pads toward your fingertips. A swipe down should minimize the amount of glitter that ends up on your hands. “Most of the glitter should come off,” Rojas said. Repeat the soaking process if necessary.
Method 2: Paint over another coat of top coat
It might seem counterintuitive, but adding a fresh coat of top coat can make removing glitter polish easier. “The topcoat adheres to the base glaze and helps lift it,” said Rachel Apfel Glass, the company’s founder. Gloss Laba subscription-based nail studio with locations in New York and elsewhere.
She recommends painting over a top coat, waiting 30 to 60 seconds for it to set, then using a cotton ball dipped in acetone or nail polish remover.
Method 3: Use a peel-off base coat underneath
This final method requires some advance planning and won’t work if you already have glitter polish on your nails.
A peel-off base coat is a handy tool for easily removing glitter polishes. As the name suggests, you can simply remove the nail polish. Unlike a long-lasting base coat, which helps the nail polish stick longer and prevents smudging, a peel-off base coat only keeps the polish for a few days. There are peel-off base coats for both regular and gel nails, Rojas noted. (Try UNT Ready for Takeoff Peel-Off Foundation or Orly GelFX Easy-Off Foundation.)
Paint a coat of peel-off base coat and let it dry completely before applying the glitter polish. For tips on how to make your nail polish last longer while wearing a peel-off base coat, see this video.
Be careful with your hands if you’re wearing a peel-off base coat and preparing food, as nail polish can come off without warning and you could end up with nail polish in your quiche.
When it’s time to remove your nail polish, “The best way to remove nail polish with a peel-off base coat is to soak your nails in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes,” Rojas said. She added that adding a few drops of cuticle oil to the bowl can speed up the process.
“Use an orange stick to help if needed and push from the cuticle area to the free edge,” she continued. “You shouldn’t put too much pressure.” Remove the nail polish one nail at a time and be gentle; applying too much downward pressure can damage the nail plate.
After removal, hydration is key
Regardless of the removal method chosen, and especially if it is acetone, it is important to moisturize the nails, cuticles and hands after removing the nail polish.
Bottle is a big fan of coconut oil. “It’s not only a great hand moisturizer, but it’s perfect for preventing nails from splitting and becoming brittle,” she said. There are a variety of moisturizing cuticle oils and hand lotions on the market to help keep your nails in great shape.
I am an experienced author and journalist with a passion for lifestyle journalism. I currently work for Buna Times, one of the leading news websites in the world. I specialize in writing stories about health, wellness, fashion, beauty, interior design, and more. My articles have been featured on major publications such as The Guardian and The Huffington Post.