Glitter Gel Polish, from Soft Shimmer to Full Sparkle

Glitter gel polish is the quickest way to make a set look finished: one accent nail, a fade at the tips, or full coverage. The range here covers the whole scale, from a soft pearly shimmer to dense metallic sparkle, so the question is not whether to use glitter but how much.

From subtle to full

• Sparkle Gel Polish 15ml - ten shades of soft shimmer and pearl in nudes, pinks and mauves. Buildable from a light veil to fuller colour, and wearable every day.
• Diamond Gel 15ml - four shades with fine reflective particles for a crystal-like shimmer.
• Glitter Polish 7.5ml - glitter-rich gel in six shades, for party sets, bridal work and accent nails.
• Platinum Glitter Gel Polish 15ml - twelve ultra-reflective metallic glitter shades, packed with fine platinum particles.
• High Density Platinum Gel 5gm - a heavily pigmented glitter gel in a pot, where one stroke covers the nail instead of several layers.

Glitter inside the extension

For a set that is built rather than painted, the glitter builder gel puts the sparkle inside the structure, so it sits within the nail instead of on top of it, where it can wear away. If you are weighing builder gel against polygel for your own work, read which one to learn first.

Getting a smooth finish

Glitter leaves texture. Seal it with a top coat so the surface cures flat and glossy; a no-wipe top coat does it without a cleanser step. Apply glitter in thin coats and cure between them, rather than one thick layer that cures unevenly. For how the glitter, cat eye, platinum and blooming gels differ in use, see nail art gels compared.

Looking for movement instead of sparkle? See cat eye gel polish or chrome powder and mirror top coats. Plain colour lives in gel polish, and the whole nail art category brings the effects together.