DIY .. Glitter Polish Removal

I adore glitter nail polishes. Bright, shiny bling on my nails ... yes, please! I absolutely loathe trying to get the stuff off my nails though ... I had one removal process take 40 minutes! I will never get that time back on my life. Because of such hassle, I opt to stay away from the glitters. {Insert sad face.}

Then, along came the glitter-polish-removal-fairy, aka Whitney @ I Wore Yoga Pants to Work, with a magic tutorial that has changed lives.

 

Glue.

Yep, the stuff you used as a kid ... now in the form of a base coat!

 Take an empty polish bottle. Of course, no one has a clean, empty bottle. Here's my tidbit of info to obtain this ... empty the contents of a bottle you aren't into anymore (I used an old base coat I no longer used). When liquid no longer pours out, fill the bottle about 1/3 way with nail polish remover. Twist the brush on tightly and shake. The remover will clean up the remaining polish. I did this step twice and then rinsed the brush and bottle with warm water to clear out any acetone residue.

 Next up, add a tiny bit of water to the bottle. Like 5-8 drops - just enough to give Elmer's a little bit of mobility. Then fill the rest of the bottle with glue. Twist on the brush and shake until well blended.

That's it. That is the secret potion that will rid you of tears and unnecessary cussing when removing your glitter mani.

Paint this base coat on your nails and wait until they fully dry before applying your polish. You will know the glue has dried when it turns clear and your nails look like their natural state. Do not use any other base coat on top of this one.

Finish your mani as usual and add your top coat. You may be tempted to try to remove the glitter right away, to see if this little trick actually works. You can, but I recommend enjoying your rocked out nails for a couple days.

 I used China Glaze Pizzazz from their new holiday collection. The fabulous peeps over at China Glaze sent me over bottles of polish love from a couple of their newest collections. I will be sharing my reviews soon! I got so many compliments on this mani ... it is so gorgeous in person! I left the pic a little blurry so y'all can see the colors that make up this polish.

 

So how did the glue base work out?

Quite well!!

Check it out ... the polish PEELS right off when you are ready to remove it! That's right ... no nail polish remover required!! Grab a cuticle stick and lift up on the side of your nail ... the polish comes right up. The glitter only remained on the areas that received the thinnest amount of the glue base. I learned to make sure the glue was evenly distributed, or even paint a second coat after the first layer dried.

Has anyone ever tried this genius trick? Do you have any other tips on how you remove your glitter polishes?

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday ... Happy Monday!! ♥