Nov 11, 2015

Simple Glitter Line Nails




Some of you know that I am not so much into nail art or glitter nail polishes. I lack skills and time in general. I love me some good glitters, but I always dread the pain of removing them. (I tried a special base coat for glitters recently, but it didn't work out so well.)
However, I think I might have solved those two conundrums here. That is, of course, if you can call this line-drawing a sort of nail art. 






This is what I used. As you see, I am not equipped with any special brush or tools. 
Because of the low color contrast between the glitter polish and the nail beds, some minor mistakes are easily forgiven. A relatively steady hand is required, though.


  1. Apply a base coat on clean nails. Deborah Lippmann All About The Base is still the best one I've ever used, and highly recommended despite the rather steep price.
  2. Apply one coat of a sheer polish. I chose Essie Sugar Daddy which is really awesome for glossy natural nails.
  3. Carefully draw vertical lines in the middle of the nail beds using a neutral shade. Glitter nail polishes are more difficult to handle and most of them are sheer, so this would provide some color base and make the next step easier. I guess anything would do, but I used Zoya Jules here. It is packed with pretty glass specs and quite shimmery by itself. You can actually stop here and finish with a top coat for more of a subtle look.
  4. Add another layers on top of the lines with a glitter polish. Butter London Lucy In The Sky is my choice here. (I will show it to you in a full mani next time when I feel brave. It's really pretty.)
  5. Apply a fast drying top coat. I used Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat, but go with something else if you're concerned about the bad chemicals.


That's it! Simple and easy, right?
Removal is virtually pain-free because of the small amount of glitters used. From a far, the nails look softly gleaming as if they are strobed. I've collected some compliments on this look.


A few more pictures for your viewing pleasure.







Thanks for looking!
If you know other ways to wear glitter nail polishes (you know, easily), do share with me.







Join the conversation!

  1. Simplicity is elegance and this nail look is gorgeous Lena! I haven't worn glitter polish in ages mostly because it's such a pain to remove but this idea is lovely! Thanks for the inspo!

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    1. Thank you, Rowena. :)
      I had high hopes about the glitter base coat imagining the pleasure when I would peel them off cleanly. LOL. I should give it another try (maybe thicker coats this time). ;p

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  2. oh, that's pretty!! love the idea of the simple stripe!

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    1. Thank you! I love that it is easy to do as well. :)

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  3. beautiful nails!! I am not really a fan of nail art in general, I used to love playing around with nail arts but now no longer do. Due to lack of skill and time and motivation, LOL.
    But this one looks really nice and relatively simple to do ^^
    Butter London and Deborah Lippmann do nice glitter nail polishes as far as I know.. I love glitters on the nails, but too lazy to remove them most of the time xD

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    1. I usually just go for dark jewel toned creme shades in fall/winter, keeping my nails relatively short. For some reason, though, I got a little tired of that this year, which is why I wanted to try this. I'm glad it worked out quite well!
      I like Deborah Lippmann's glitters better in general (her glitters are so unique!), but this encrusted shade from BL is pretty awesome. :)

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  4. I really love this tutorial. Will definitely try it out! And maybe even try the reverse with the negative space in the middle. Thanks for the idea!

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    1. Thank you, Joan!
      I saw something like this with tiny rings, and it was so pretty. Would love to see your rendition soon! :)

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  5. I hate glitter nail polish because the removal process is such a pain in the arse so this is such a lovely way to wear glitter! It's simple but very sophisticated and I think I can do this, will have to try over the weekend and if it works then I'll take a picture and tag you, Lena!

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    1. Right, right??! I can always use some pure acetone and aluminum foils, but that is too drying! For the same reason, I don't like gel mani, either.
      I would love to see your version. This is not plain at all thanks to the glitters, but still neutral that it goes with everything! :)

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  6. I'm also not really into nail art but this is gorgeous! Strobed nails - you started it. ;)

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    1. I believe nail polishes and nail arts should contribute to flattering our "hands". Maybe that's why I'm not so into complicated designs (not denying the fact I lack skills here).
      This is pretty and practical. :D

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  7. This is really fun, Lena! And YAS to having minimal glitter removal time. Even when I was huge into doing a party nail (1 glittery nail), I would still second guess it sometimes because removing it was awful, boring and stressful, all at once, LOL! This is really pretty! Mucho love taters to you! <3

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    1. Thanks, Kristen!
      Of course, it is "relatively" pain-free, not completely. ;p But, it is so much easier that I see myself buying a few more glitter polishes in good taste in the near future!
      I'm gonna give the base coat a second chance and update as well. Really hoping it'd work!

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  8. Ooh so pretty and chic! I used to put glitter just on the tips like a French, but still hard to take off. Sephora had this glitter remover, not sure if it's good but you may want to try it.

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    1. Glitter french!! Sounds so pretty. I should try this as well. For some reason, using tapes don't work very well for me, so I'd have to rely on my shaky hands again.
      Thanks for letting me know about the glitter remover from Sephora! I shall definitely check it out. :)

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  9. Hey Lena, that's pretty!!! I suck at doing anything to my nails. I can even mess up just painting my nails, so I don't even bother with anything else. I bet you, I can mess up drawing a clean straight line like what you did here. Yup, I'll find a way to mess it up somehow. LOL!

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    1. Thanks, Lily!
      Haha, I think I'm pretty good at painting in general, but you know what? I'm only good at painting my own nails. (Another byproduct of my self-love! LOL)
      If you have time and feel like it, give it a whirl with a neutral shade. It's very forgiving and the end result is great. I really don't think straight lines are a must here! :)

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  10. Ooooh, thi s is super pretty! I want to give it a try, although I'm not sure I have the right kinds of shades.

    Btw, I bought that Lippmann base coat thanks to you, and I love it! I think it also brings out the "secret shimmer" in Dior polishes a lot better, too!

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    1. Thank you, Larie! :D
      It was the same for me. Jules was the most glittery(?) one I had so I actually bought the BL polish soon after. I think medium-toned rosy glitters would work lovely as well.

      And I'm so glad to hear you like the base coat for yourself!! And your comment makes me want a few Dior polishes. Like, "ooooh, what is this secret shimmer?!". LOL LOL

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  11. Love it in all its simplicity, very pretty!

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  12. Ooh what a sweet and beautiful manicure :)
    Simple but oh so stylish :)
    I use a base coat by Yves Rocher but they have stopped making it (I think).. I freaked out a bit when I noticed that they are not selling it anymore. Need to contact Yves Rocher and see what´s up ;)
    Seche Vite is my all time favorite top coat... I should be worried about the chemicals but I am addicted to SV.. it is amazing :)
    Wonderful manicure :)
    xx

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    1. Thank you! I'm so happy that this simple mani seems to be loved by mani. I will definitely try this again or maybe some other variations, too!
      It used to be relatively easy to access to Yves Rocher products here in the U.S., but it doesn't seem so anymore. But isn't Seche Vite great? The initial shine cannot be beaten. Period. I do want to switch to Porsche once I run out of my salon sized bottle, though. ;-/

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  13. This looks beautiful. I love Lucy in the Sky, it is one of the very special nail polish shades. I never came up with the idea of using it sparingly only in the middle, it looks much more wearable, loving the idea.

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    1. Thank you!
      I chose Lucy In The Sky thinking the light rosy taupe base is so pretty and more unique looking than a just champagne gold. I should try wearing this alone, though! :)

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  14. Soooo gorgeous! I love Sugar Daddy! That jelly like finish totally is up my alley! I never spend more time on my nails doing anything extra, not even a bit! I can't stand even the slightest chip so I always just stick to one color, no nail art so I can keep on touching it up as it wears on.

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    1. Thank you! :D
      I guess the reason why you're not so much into nail designs is that you cook very often, too? I'm just plain lazy. ;p
      I love Sugar Daddy, too! This is one of the few shades of which I have backups!

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