Shellac with glitter. How to apply correctly, manicure options

A modern fashionable look or image can be described in one word – not boring. Bright sparkles, which have always been an inseparable part of manicure, first migrated to the eyes, and now to the lips. And if earlier they used gloss or lipstick with shining elements, today fashionistas simply sprinkle themselves with glitter from head to toe . But manicure is not inferior to the palm and dictates the rules of brilliance in both design and jewelry.

Specifics of applying glitter to gel polish

Different types and sizes of glitter require different application techniques. Gel polish with glitter differs from ordinary varnishes in that the glitter is separate in it, and the varnish is separate . And if earlier fashionistas rejoiced when they grabbed a new bottle with shimmering mother-of-pearl, today everything is sold, as they say, for spare parts.

Sequins are often called the beautiful word glitter (translated from English as sparkle). Glitter has found application not only in manicure, it is respected and used by makeup artists and decorators , but in nail design it is generally a classic of the genre. Today the new products are already well known - sparkles with a 3D effect and a “chameleon”.

What it is

Sparkling stones, loose glitter, powder, fine shimmer - these are excellent ingredients for creating a beautiful shiny manicure. If you want to make your nails sparkle in a special way, then these are the best options! With the help of small accents you can diversify the coverage, create a gradient or a slight stretch.

All decorations can be purchased at any cosmetic store or nail art store.

A shiny manicure does not always look bright and provocative. Small elements can complement a calm nail design, giving it a little shine. The glitter coating combines luxuriously with any evening wear, long dresses or formal suits. But in everyday life, small glitter accents with jeans and blouses will look just as good.

Features and Benefits

Glitter nail designs have their pros and cons. The advantages include the following:

• manicure with glitter looks good on both short and long nails;
• wide color palette;
• sparkles are liquid, free-flowing and vary in size and shape;
• with the help of sparkling decorations you can create any complex patterns on your nails;
• glitter is often used to create an original aquarium manicure;
• a manicure with shiny varnish lasts on the nails for about 2-3 weeks if properly fixed;
• sparkling accents always attract attention.

Among the disadvantages it should be noted:

• if you overdo it with the amount of glitter, the coating can look defiant and sloppy;
• glitter must be dried in a lamp 2 times more than regular gel polish;
• polishes with shimmer from low-quality manufacturers do not fit well on nails and curl;
• If the glitter is poorly secured, it can scratch your clothes and body.

Neutral shades of gel polish go best with gold and silver glitter.

Special varnishes

These special varnishes contain sparkling elements inside the product. These can be varnishes with a small glitter content and with a transparent, colored liquid, or varnishes with fine, dense shimmer that practically does not form gaps.

For you, we have collected the most popular brands that offer excellent products with a brilliant effect:

Gel paints

Thick gel paints with glitter can make manicure creation easier for many nail artists and home users. A large number of small sparkles in the paint, when applied to the nail plate, create a dense iridescent texture. After drying, the coating looks smooth and glossy. Most often, they cover the entire nail, create elements in a geometric design with various patterns, or in an aquarium manicure.

Benefits of manicure with glitter and gel polish

1. It's comfortable. You can create any color with any glitter. You can mix glitter of different shades, sizes and textures and get a beautiful and unique coating.
2. It's high quality. If you are used to working with a certain brand, then glitter will not affect the quality of work.
3. This will last a long time. Still, gel polish not only provides long-term coverage, but also a certain layer of material in which larger sparkles are recessed reliably and do not protrude above the surface of the varnish.

Light gradient with glitter

A gradient manicure in light colors is all about tenderness and charm, especially if white is present in the smooth transitions. In this case, glitter looks very beautiful on one of the nails, highlighting it with a shiny accent. However, as an option, you can apply original iridescent patterns to your fingers or highlight the holes, for example. The gradient made with glitter of different colors on a white base looks no less chic. This design option can be safely combined in a manicure with classic stretching varnishes. The gradient transition option, made by several types of rubbing, is particularly delicate.

What is needed for the technique of applying glitter to gel polish

The glitter itself is applied in different ways. First you need to decide on the design, purchase the necessary sparkles and additional gadgets :

• Fine glitter (dust) – to apply the smallest particles you need a special spatula and a flat fan-shaped broom brush.
  Read also:  Spectacular gradient on nails with gel polish: subtleties of manicure
• Medium glitter – you need a container or surface for mixing and a brush for applying decor to the nail.

• Large sparkles (sequins) – here you can’t do without more serious devices. You need a special dots design tool or a magnetic pencil.

Why is it so in demand?

Today there are a huge number of different manicure ideas. Some people believe that the brighter the nails, the more beautiful they are, and if you add rhinestones, they will even become a work of art. Others prefer laconicism and simplicity, so they choose something discreet but beautiful, for example, a transparent manicure with glitter. This is a tribute to fashion; many girls adore glossy magazines, follow trends, which means they cannot miss fashion trends in manicure.

Step-by-step instructions for applying different types of glitter

First you need to prepare your nails for colored gel polish. Carry out the entire procedure for preparing the nail plate, degreasing, applying a gel base and drying it in a lamp. Cover your nails with colored gel polish twice, dry them in a lamp, and only after that you can proceed to the stage of applying glitter decor.

Apply very fine glitter (dust) using the sprinkling method

• Apply a layer of clear gel to your nail.
• Place your finger over a small container.
• Scoop up the fine glitter with a small spatula and sprinkle generously and evenly onto your nail. Fallen glitter can be reused.
• When you realize that you have achieved the desired effect, brush off any remaining glitter with a dry fan-shaped brush.
• Dry in the lamp for the prescribed time and cover with finishing gel .

This method is quite wasteful and is not often used by craftsmen. But it is still more rational than the method in which it is recommended to simply dip the nail with a wet coating into a jar of glitter. In this case, you are not guaranteed high-quality and uniform coverage.

How to apply dry glitter to gel polish can be seen in the photo

Apply very fine glitter (dust) using the rubbing method

• dried in the lamp with a napkin, so as not to deprive the nail surface of the sticky coating.
• dry brush, pick up dry glitter and apply it to the nail with soft patting movements. Carefully cover the entire surface.
• When the entire nail is tightly covered with glitter, rub the decor into the gel using rubbing movements and at the same time remove the remaining glitter. Use a dry brush to brush away all unnecessary dust particles.
• Place in the lamp for a few seconds, cover with finish and dry thoroughly .

You can apply decor using this method if you want to cover the entire nail with glitter or create a gradient. Basically, the finest glitter dust comes in two variations - with a silver and gold shine.

The figure shows step-by-step instructions on how to apply glitter to gel polish using the dry brush method .

Apply medium glitter to the nail

• Drop a small amount of transparent modeling gel .
• Pour enough glitter into the middle of the gel for the intended design. Stir vigorously until a homogeneous consistency is obtained . If the shine doesn’t seem to be enough, you can always add more glitter. You need to make such a mix taking into account the design for all nails, otherwise it will be difficult to guess the consistency later.
• Place the resulting mixture on a decorative brush and decorate your nails. Draw patterns, French manicure, cover the entire nail or highlight some decorative details.
• Dry in a lamp, cover with finish and dry again.

This application is convenient for hand-drawn designs. With shiny gel you can create any patterns and decor, beautifully emphasize or duplicate the smile line, or paint over the nail hole. To cover the entire nail, it is better to choose a small flat brush . In any case, some amount of the resulting solution will have to be thrown away, but this method is still more economical.

The brush used to apply the decor must be thoroughly wiped if you use different types of glitter. At the end of working with glitter, thoroughly clean the brush again so that any remaining glitter does not spoil the next design.

Apply large glitter to the nail

It is better to think through the design with large sparkles in advance. The chaotic arrangement does not look very elegant , and large decorative details are quite difficult to correct without damaging the manicure.

• Apply a transparent layer of modeling gel to the colored coating.
• Using a dot (special tool), transfer glitter or sequins one at a time from the jar onto the nail . It is better to first pour a little glitter onto a flat surface - this makes it easier to select.
• Convex glitter is more convenient to transfer using a magnetic pencil . It looks like a regular pencil with a white lead, but is able to attract and hold small sparkles.
• For large shiny elements, the finishing coat should be applied in a sufficient layer to cover the volume of the decor. Otherwise, the corners of the glitter will begin to bend and ultimately ruin all the beauty.
• Dry the gel finish in a lamp.

How to correctly apply large glitter to gel polish using a magnetic pencil , look at the photo.

What to combine with

Combining a natural accessory like your own nails with shellac in a specific color is extremely simple. By experimenting with colors, you will understand which color suits which look in your wardrobe, and in the future you will be able to easily implement all the ideas you have in mind. Choose a manicure to suit your event or everyday wear, but remember that shellac coating damages the nail plate and you should change your manicure no sooner than every two weeks.

There are a huge number of color combination palettes on the Internet; you can choose your unique look in accordance with the color palette and complete your look with a spectacular, shiny manicure.

Video on how to apply glitter to gel polish to get a shiny effect

In the video, the manicurist shows how to get an interesting decor using different techniques . A “sugar nail” design (with a coarse-grained rough coating structure) is made on three nails with identical glitter and “rubbed” with glitter onto different substrates (mirror coating). The work is carried out with transparent sparkles with a “chameleon” effect.

How do you apply glitter to your manicure? Write your feedback on the effect obtained, we will be grateful to you.

Additional items

A brilliant manicure can be achieved not only with the help of a special varnish or gel. In the nail art industry, there are a huge number of other elements that cover the nail plate with a sparkling surface. Let's take a closer look at them.

Rhinestones and small crumbs

Translucent rhinestones of any size and small Pixie chips from Swarowski are perfect for creating a shiny layer. Rhinestones are usually placed near the cuticle, along the entire length of the nail, or as an addition to some composition. But with small crumbs you can decorate any elements of the nail plate or cover it completely.

Pigment

Finely ground dust or pigment creates a luxurious mirror effect on the surface of the nail. Rub it in using a nail applicator or a clean finger. A multi-colored palette of pigments allows you to create an unusual and sparkling rub.

Foil for casting

A brilliant manicure, which will go very well with any formal outfit, can be done using casting foil. The thin foil that needs to be printed onto a sticky base comes in a variety of iridescent colors. It gives your nails a special glow that changes its shades depending on the lighting.

Acrylic

Acrylic powder with fine glitter will help you create a sparkling manicure! The dense texture of the material allows you to fill any element with shining accents. And the wide color palette of the product will help you create an original manicure with shiny powder to suit your mood.

Dry glitter

Along with shiny polishes with shimmer, glitter and fine crumbs, you can buy dry glitter for nails. They are sold in small jars. Among all the variety, there are often sparkles of different shapes: stripes, circles, stars, hearts, triangles, polygons, etc. The price for them starts from 50 rubles.

There are two types of dry glitter: glitter and davit . Glitter sparkles are quite large in size, reaching up to 2 mm. But dat is a finely ground colored powder.

There are transparent sparkles on sale with a chameleon effect that shimmer at different light angles.

Interesting ideas for the holiday

If you are thinking about what kind of manicure to do for the New Year, then here are some original ideas with a transparent coating and glitter:

• An original idea now is to decorate one or more nails with sparkles; on the remaining nails you can draw snowflakes.
• French manicure in the form of a shiny iridescent line on a transparent base.
• Highlighting the iridescent decor with shiny varnish.
• Drawing different designs, lines and patterns with glitter.
• Ombre. This is a gradual reduction in the application of glitter dust.

How to make an interesting manicure yourself?

There are a few simple shortcuts worth mentioning. Here's how to add variety to your marigolds:

1. The easiest way is a transparent manicure with glitter on the tips. Just apply the polish to the nail, and then use a brush to spread dry glitter on the edges of the nail. Secure everything with a second coat of varnish.
2. Another application option. Dip a brush already moistened with varnish into glitter and transfer this entire mass to the nail.
3. The third method is a little different. Paint your nails with clear polish and apply large and medium-sized glitter with a toothpick or thin stick.
4. Apply clear polish to the desired part of the nail, and then dip your finger in a jar of glitter, they will stick to the part of the nail you need.

Now it’s worth talking about the detailed creation of a manicure with glitter on transparent gel polish. The simplest option is to apply not a dry material, but a liquid colorless base with glitter or dust. Such varnishes are often sold, it is not difficult to buy them. Here's how you can use them:

1. Get a manicure and give your nails the shape you want. First apply primer to your nails, then cover them with a transparent base, then dry them in a lamp for a certain time.
2. Choose the color of the nail polish base with glitter, apply it in one or several layers, it all depends on the quality of the material. Do not forget to dry each layer under the lamp for the prescribed time.
3. The last stage is applying the top so that the surface of the nail is glossy or matte (it all depends on your personal preferences or mood). The top also needs to be dried under a lamp.

This is the simplest manicure that anyone can do, even if they have no experience with gel polishes.

Recommendations from professionals

If you have done a transparent manicure with a matte top, then do not forget to wash dishes only with gloves. In addition, with such nails you should be extremely careful: you should not get face or body cream on your nails, because the matte varnish will quickly deteriorate and will not be expressive.

Don’t forget that now not only matte nail art is in fashion, but also glossy. It can be presented in different ways in the form of minimalistic patterns or in a complex way in the form of a “broken glass” manicure, rubbing powder, and so on.

Preparing the nail plate

The technology of applying glitter to shellac itself includes several steps: you need to apply the base on your nails step by step, then shellac, then glitter, and the final step will be a fixative. But, as before any manicure, you should first prepare your nails.

1. Using a regular nail file, you should eliminate the unevenness of your nails and set them to a uniform length.
2. Steam the cuticle over a water infusion of chamomile, use a manicure spatula to push back and remove excess edges of the burrs.
3. We grind the nail plates, achieving a slight roughness for better fixation of the gel.
4. At the end of the procedure, you need to rinse your nails from dust and apply an antibacterial solution.

The nails are ready for the application of a basic bonder gel, the task of which is to degrease the nail plate. As soon as the base of the nail becomes matte again, you can move on to the next stage.

Glitter on shellac

Necessary equipment and materials for creating a manicure

Before you learn how to do a glitter manicure with gel polish, you need to know that you will need special equipment and tools to perform it. Without them, it will not be possible to securely attach the glitter.

Necessary equipment includes:

1. Primer. It is needed so that the gel polish adheres better to the nail plate.
2. Base for applying gel polish.
3. Shellac.
4. Top colorless coating.
5. Special UV lamp or LED design.
6. A flat brush, as well as fan-shaped brushes for applying glitter and thin brushes for applying patterns. It is better if they are made of synthetic material. These are durable and reliable.
7. The type of glitter you like.
8. Special liquid for removing dispersive sticky layer.

Before the procedure, you will need to prepare your nails and remove the cuticle, so you will need special ones:

• files;
• scissors;
• tweezers.

It is better to purchase high-quality materials that will not crack in a week. If you use a UV lamp, then each layer will have to dry for 2 minutes, and an LED device will dry for 30 seconds.

Interesting decorating ideas

Making a transparent manicure with glitter is not difficult, but you can diversify the design a little with interesting solutions. This is a fairly common design option for nails, because such a design is in no way tied to a specific event, image, or even time of year. Now there are a variety of transparent manicure ideas with glitter that are worth talking about:

1. Decoration with glitter. These are shimmering sparkles of different sizes that look spectacular on short nails.
2. Rhinestones. You can not only apply a little sparkle, but also complement the design with rhinestones in a scattered or ordered form, it all depends on your imagination. This is the perfect manicure for the New Year.
3. Confetti. Sequins can emphasize individuality and add brightness to ordinary workdays. A beautiful option and very popular among young students.
4. Pixie. This is an option for brave girls. These manicure glitters look a little like confetti. However, they are more pliable and have a unique geometric shape.

As you can see, there are a lot of creation options, and these are not all the ideas for transparent manicure with glitter, the main thing is to choose something that suits your style.

Choosing a clear varnish

Choosing quality material is not so easy if you don’t know anything about its features. Before doing a transparent manicure with glitter, you should learn a little more about this type of varnish and what nuances to pay attention to when choosing it:

1. Transparent varnish differs from colored varnish in terms of drying time and consistency. This is immediately obvious, so take this fact into account.
2. The product must contain an ingredient called a film former. This component eliminates the possibility of chipping after the varnish has hardened.
3. The photoinitiator is also an important component of the product. It is responsible for protecting the gel from ultraviolet radiation.

Advantages

The main advantages that you should pay attention to when choosing a manicure with clear varnish and glitter:

1. The transparent base is an excellent opportunity for flight of fancy. You can choose any decoration, not just sparkles. True, sparkles on transparent nails look neat, cute and not provocative.
2. The effect of well-groomed and clean nails is created.
3. A transparent manicure with glitter is suitable for short nails, as well as for long ones. Its versatility is its main advantage.
4. This manicure can be done quickly and easily; this is especially true for business girls who find it difficult to fit trips to salons into their busy schedule.
5. The coating can be kept on the nails for a long time and will not be noticeable if they grow back.
6. It's natural, which means it's fashionable.
7. Any craftsman has a clear varnish in his arsenal.