Collection: Glitter Nail Art

What is glitter nail art for dip?

Glitter as a powder, laid into a dip set the same way a color powder is: base on the part of the nail you want covered, glitter over the base, tap, seal. Because it goes on through the powder step rather than being painted on top, the glitter sits inside the set, level with the color, and it doesn't feel like sandpaper under the top coat. We mill it medium to fine for exactly that reason; a coarse glitter never files flat.

Two lines, 12 colors each, both $15.50 a jar. French Glitter is cut for the tip of a French, laid through the French mould so the smile line is clean. Ombre Glitter is meant for a fade, laid densest at the free edge and thinning toward the middle of the nail. Each line also comes as a 12-color master set.

The two lines

Each master set is the 12 jars added up. It's the way to put a whole line on the wall in one order, not a discount. Every jar is made in the USA.

How do you do a glitter French with dip?

1. Prep and foundation. Cuticles back, buff, wipe. Gelous Base or Gel Base, then a thin layer of Natural Set for strength, dusted off.
2. The bed. Base over the whole nail, dip into your pink or nude, tap, brush clean. This is the color the glitter tip sits against.
3. The tip. Base on the tip only, capped over the free edge. Dip the tip into the French Dip Mould loaded with French Glitter. The mould lays the glitter exactly where the smile line goes; no freehand.
4. Encapsulate. Base over the whole nail and a layer of Natural Set Sheer or Crystal Sheer, so the glitter is buried in clear powder and the surface can be filed level without cutting into it.
5. Seal. Sealer Dry, file and buff level, a second coat of Sealer Dry, then two thin coats of Gel Top. No lamp.

For an ombre glitter, the tip step changes: instead of the mould, brush base onto the outer third of the nail and sprinkle or press the Ombre Glitter with a soft brush, heaviest at the edge, then feather it back. Two light passes fade better than one heavy one. Our ombre tutorial covers the fade with color powder and Air Ombre; the glitter version follows the same passes.

Why the sheer layer matters

The step people skip is the clear powder over the glitter. Without it, filing the set level cuts the tops off the glitter particles and dulls them, and the surface stays rough under the top coat. A layer of Natural Set Sheer or Crystal Sheer (both under Pink & White) buries the glitter, gives you a surface to file, and is the difference between a glitter tip that reads as glass and one that reads as sandpaper.

Which line, which color?

• Bridal and everyday French: a pale French Glitter through the mould over a sheer pink bed. The quietest version.
• Holiday and party sets: a red, rose gold or blue Ombre Glitter faded into a matching color. The Air Ombre spray in the same family under it deepens the fade.
• One accent nail: four nails in a solid color, the ring finger in a full glitter dip. Uses either line; the ombre jars cover a full nail as well as a tip.
• Salon stocking: a master set of whichever line your clientele asks for more, then singles. A shop that does mostly French buys the French set; a shop that sells seasonal art buys the ombre set.

Wear and care

• Wear: glitter buried under the sheer layer lasts the life of the set; it can't rub off because it isn't on the surface. If the surface dulls at week two, a fresh coat of Gel Top brings it back.
• Rough patch: a spot where the sheer layer was thin. Buff lightly, one more coat of base and sheer over that nail, Sealer Dry, top.
• Removal: the same acetone soak as any dip set. File the top thin first; glitter sets are a little thicker than plain color and take a minute or two longer to lift.
• The jar: tap excess glitter back into the jar over a clean sheet, not over the powder you're dipping into, or the bed color picks up sparkle. Keep the jar capped; glitter picks up moisture and clumps.
• The mould: wipe it out between colors so a red French Glitter doesn't leave flecks in the next client's pale one.

Glitter, Air Ombre or chrome?

Glitter is a texture inside the set. Air Ombre is a sprayed gradient of color, no texture. Chrome is a mirror pigment rubbed over a cured gel top. They stack: a sprayed fade with glitter through the tip is the ombre glitter set most salons sell, and rhinestones sit on top of any of them.

Related collections

• All Nail Art Air Ombre, glitter and chrome in one place.
• Air Ombre Sprayed color fades, 148 bottles.
• Pink & White The bed colors and the sheer powders that bury the glitter.
• Dip Essentials Base, Sealer Dry and Gel Top.
• Nail Tools & Accessories The French Dip Mould and files.
• Dip-Only Powder The color under the glitter.

Related reads

• How to do a French manicure at home
• How to do ombre nails with a dip powder manicure
• The hottest nail art for your next music festival
• Must-have holiday nails