☆★ Glitter for nail art ★☆

"Diamonds are a girls best friend"

I don't think so!

Glitter is my best friend!

It sparkles, it's shiny, it comes in many many colors and it is pretty.

For years and years I am wearing glitter on my nails.

Only on rare occasions I have a white free edge.

Glitter comes in many shapes and sizes.

It can be square, round, rhombus, hexagon, big or small.

Glitter can be used for crafts, makeup, nails and so on.

Only a cosmetic grade glitter may be used for your makeup.

Glitter that is not meant for makeup can cause serious damage to the eyes, so do not ever use craft glitter or nail glitter as makeup unless it is stated that it can be used for makeup.

opaque glitter

I like to use my glitter for nail art.

I mix it in with clear powder and it is ready to go.

You can also use glitter in gel, nail polish and paint. 

Some one asked me how my glitter on my nails always looks so vibrant.

Some glitters come in a jar and it looks amazing, but when you use it on your nails, it is not as bright anymore, or even not as covering (opacity)
Light colors tend to be even lighter or more transparent than dark colors do.
Dark colors are more likely to keep its vibrancy and color.

opaque glitter

Glitter is packed with millions and millions and when all together they make a very vibrant color because there are so many on top of each other.

When you are using glitter on your nails, you spread them out.

opaque but turns out lighter

So when I look for a glitter in a store(or at home), I can tell by the glitter in the jar if it is going to be an opaque color, a semi-transparent color 

or a transparent color.

If you look at the lid and you clearly see speckles and they are a solid color, then it is going to be opaque and more likely to keep the vibrancy.

If it kinda looks semi transparent, the color will be lighter on your nail.

If it is almost see through, then the glitter is not going to show and it will only be as an effect that you can mix in with other glitters.

semi transparent

In the jar it might look like it will be a covering color, but a transparent speckle still has that hint of color, and when they are in the jar with millions of others, the color will intensify and it looks as if it has color.

transparent

When doing gel nails, I like to use glitter in it's pure form (straight from the jar, no mixing)

That will give me the most intense and covering effect.

If you mix gel with glitter it will loose a bit of its color and it will be not as covering because the glitter is not packed so close together anymore.

hexagons mixed with opaque glitter

If you make your own glitter gel, mix gel with glitter and stir it up.

 If it self levels in a couple of seconds and your coverage is nice, then you have a nice mix.

If the gel is hard to work with and it is bumpy and it won't self level good enough, then you need to add more gel.

If you don't have enough coverage, add more glitter. 

etc etc...

Same goes with acrylic.

(I always pre mix glitter with clear powder)

As far as my acrylic glitter mixes go, I kind of eyeball it.

I put some glitter in a jar, put some clear powder with it, stir it up and pick up a ball with my brush and monomer.

If the ball is not very covering (only a speckle here and there) then add more glitter.
If the ball is too wet and it runs all over the place but your coverage is nice, then you have too much glitter.
If the ball has a nice coverage and it is firm, not too wet and not too dry, you have a nice mix.

Do keep in mind you have to have enough acrylic powder to keep the nail strong.
If you have too much glitter in your acrylic, you won't have a strong nail and it is more likely to break or crack.
Personally I never had that problem.

Have fun experimenting with glitter!