Removing Glitter Nail Polish

The holidays are over, and I think it's time to move on from my ultra glitter nail polish! Have you tried Sally Hansen's Gem Crush polish? Talk about bling! It's great because the glitter doesn't just float around and clump up like most glitter polishes - it's full coverage with micro glitter and larger glitter chunks. (Costs around $7-$8 at the drug store, but I found it on sale with a $2.5o off coupon at my local grocery store before Christmas.)

I did mine in the red Cha-Ching for Christmas and then did the Lady Luck for New Years. But, it was starting to chip and flake, so it had to go.

Now, if you've ever used glitter nail polish (and if you haven't, do you want me to do your nails?) you know that getting it off can be a massive pain. Usually you have to scrub and scrub until you are sore! But, here's the easy way to manage it...

First, you need some basic things which you probably already have: Foil, acetone polish remover, and cotton balls. You'll also need some scissors to cut up the foil. (Bonus: cutting heavy duty foil sharpens your scissors. You could also use a square craft punch.) Cut the foil into 10 pieces each about 3"x3".

Step 1 - polish remover. Wet the cotton ball, but don't soak it. I usually just block the top with the cotton ball and flip it over quickly once to get the right amount of remover.

Step 2: wrap. Put your finger upside down onto the wet cotton ball (or hold it onto your finger) and wrap it with the foil. Give it a little squeeze to get the remover flowing around your nail (but don't squeeze so hard that it starts dripping out of your foil wrap).

Step 4: repeat. Get all your nails cozy. Now, you can also do your other hand so you can have all 10 soaking at the same time. I'm not that coordinated, though, so I do each hand separately.

Set a timer or watch the clock for 5 minutes. Chase your kids or dog with your robot hands, do a little finger tap dance on the counter, or play on Pinterest. Ahh, Pinterest. Just don't get sucked into something and forget to take off the foil because if it dries it makes a big, sticky cotton mess. Not that I've done that or anything. Okay.

Step 5: ooooo! Give your finger a final squeeze and then twist the foil and cotton ball around to get the last dregs of polish off of your finger. Sometimes you'll have some glitter left over that you just need to brush away (the glitter doesn't actually dissolve or anything, so I usually have some stuck under my nail and I just use a tooth pick to flick it out).

Here are my nails right after taking the foil wraps off:

And, finally, here are my nails after doing my simple sugar scrub, filing, buffing, and with my staple O.P.I.'s Natural Nail Base Coat:

I can either leave them like this or add my next color when I'm ready. Hope this helps you - and encourages you to try some fun glitter polishes! (Really, I will totally paint your nails if you come over.) ♥