glitters from Aliexpress
Color-Shifting Chameleon Glitter Nails
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I’ve been on a massive glitter kick since late last year. And it’s everything from glitter liner to glitter lids and lips, sequined faces and full-on festival makeup (I get a high when I see people coat their faces in chunky glitter - don’t ask me why).
Now it’s down to the nails.
For the look above I used a navy-emerald glitter (3rd from left swatch) on the tips, and copper-bronze glitter (right-most) on the rest of the nail.
And the BEST type of glitters are the high-grade PET chameleon-like iridescent ones that shift between 2-3 different colors depending on the angle of the light. I get my fix from bulk suppliers and resellers on Aliexpress like this one, but if you’d rather buy from an established brand check out Violet Voss’s Taylor to closely dupe that copper-bronze-emerald shift. Bulkglitters.com also has a shade which looks similar which is really affordable in small quantities within the US, but that I haven’t tried personally.
Glitter shades like these are usually more pricey and reserved for cosmetic use, so you’re not likely to be able to dupe this at the craft store.
Tip for regular polish wearers!!!
- Lay down a dark polish color that has zero shimmer. These bring out duochrome and opalescent glitters the best. I used straight black.
- For that ultra-shiny effect, don’t just dunk your finger in glitter. Apply a layer of repositionable craft glue (look for those that are non-toxic and water-soluble), let it dry clear and become tacky, then use a flat shadow brush to pat and buff a layer of glitter in. This gets all the flakes to lie flat on the nail, which gives a smoother surface and maximum shine.
- Use a thicker topcoat, like Sally Hansen Gel Effect, and don’t be afraid to do 2-3 coats, letting dry in between. This creates a gel-like sheen.
- For easier removal use a peel off base coat OR apply a layer of repositionable glue (or even water-based school glue) on your nails before your base coat. This turns it into a peel off manicure.
- Larger glitter sizes (0.4mm and higher) will tend to have more vibrant color and shine. If you’re using it for the nails, I won’t suggest going smaller than 0.2mm. In Lit Cosmetics terminology, size 3 is as small as I would go. Even on the eyes, size 2 glitters can look more muted or muddy compared to the same shades in size 3.