June 15, 2020

How To Apply Glitter Nail Polish (Yep, We’ve All Been Doing It Wrong)

There’s a video by Kelli Marissa that is taking social media by storm. If you haven’t seen it yet, drop everything that you are doing and check this out.

WOW, right? It turns out that using a sponge rather than a standard nail polish brush is a complete game-changer. Indeed using a makeup sponge is the secret to professional-looking glitter nails designs.

Of course, anyone experienced with DIY manicures knows that it’s never quite as simple as it looks like in the YouTube nail tutorials. So, let’s break down the basics of how to apply glitter nail polish and make it last!

DIY Manicure Essentials: Start with the Prep Work

Ever heard the saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? That is very true in the world of nail care. If you just remove the old nail polish and put on a fresh coat, you’re going to have issues.

It’s critical to start with a clean slate and have your nails completely ready to go. That means a good quality base coat along with any essential treatments.

If your nails are fragile or damaged, start with a nail rebuilder. Creating this strong foundation is key, especially if you want to avoid chipped polish and broken nail. If your nails are uneven, start with a ridge filler to create a smooth base.

How Do You Do Glitter Nails at Home Without a Mess?

So, you’ve got your nails looking lovely but a bit plain. How do you do glitter nails at home without coating your entire finger in glitter? Believe it or not, you probably already have just what you need at home.

Nail art influencers like Kelli Marissa and other Instagram nail artists often recommend using special gels around your nails. While those can be great, they’re not really necessary.

Did you know that you can use good old fashion white PVA glue around your nails? It’s the trick for how to do faded glitter nails and really any DIY nail art requiring a sponge.

By the way, if you're just really messy when you’re doing a DIY manicure, you can always just apply a quick coat of glue around your nails. It saves a lot of clean up time later.

How To Apply Glitter Nail Polish

Ready for your show-stopping DIY manicure? Grab your makeup sponge. If you don’t want to mess up a pricey beauty blender, grab a cheap bag of disposable makeup sponges. Quality doesn't really matter too much here. You just need that sponge texture to absorb the polish and leave you with the glitter.

To get a full coverage glitter manicure, it’s key to use a good quality nail polish. If you use a cheap nail polish that is more goo than glitter, it’s going to take ages to the right effect.

Opt for affordable classic glitter nail polishes, or upgrade your look with holo glitter polish. A dramatic silver holo glitter nail polish or super chic golden holo glitter nail polish makes this manicure Instagram-worth.

Once you’ve picked your glitter nail polish, add it to the edge of the sponge and dab it on your nails. You’ll probably just need one coat.

How to Do Glitter Nails Designs

Now that you know how to apply glitter nail polish, you are ready to get experimental. The great thing about DIY nail art is that once you master the basic skills and get the right tools, you can recreate any nail art inspiration.

Matte Glitter Accent Nails

One of the simplest ways to create striking nail style is pair matte with glitter. Upgrade a cool matte manicure with accent glitter nails to match. Want to really mix things up? Use a matte top coat over your glitter nail polish.

Nail Pro Tip: It’s especially important to use a premium velvet matte top coat and take your time with it. If you miss any spots or don’t have a full coverage polish, it’ll quickly look like a messy mix of gloss and matte.

How to Do Faded Glitter Nails

There are a couple of options for how to do faded glitter nails. While you can use the sponge to create a faded polish effect, you can also go with a good old fashioned brush.

Check out the ultra-simple tricks for how to do faded glitter nails in this video.