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How do you remove glitter nail polishes?

How do you remove glitter nail polishes? What’s your technique?

If it is really hard to remove, I will use pure acetone and felt. I will press the acetone-soaked felt against the nail for 5-10 seconds, then repeat the rest of my fingers. I then go back and start to actually remove. I usually just use Zoya’s Remove+ but the same technique.

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Janet Avatar

It is death to my hands, but I put some nail polish remove in the cap (not pure acetone – just regular remover) and soak each nail for a minute or two, depending on the polish. I the use a cotton ball soaked in more remover to wipe the polish off.

Joyce Avatar

Oh my goodness it’s so funny that this is today’s question! I recently had 1 coat of China Glaze’s Midnight Kiss and Cheers to You (one color on each hand) with 2 – 3 coats of Party Hearty on top. I used a Revlon base coat with Seche Vite top coat.

I was in church today and started like…easily peeling them off. I know that’s so bad, and I do NOT recommend that, but they literally just effortlessly peeled off–almost in entire chunks! No glitter was left behind.

So to go about a more orthodox way…I have no idea, LOL!

Brittni R Avatar

Sometimes when they peel off it’s not bad for your nails. You know the polish grips if you kind of see tiny layers of nail missing. But if it doesn’t seem to grip, I wouldn’t worry about it. Glitter polish doesn’t stay on me.

Lilly Avatar

Ok, I used seche vite fast dry top coat and the result is great, shining and fast dry, first I thought no wonder so many youtube gurus like that’s why I got it. then after only a day of wear this, my nails just start to peel off. then I always wonder why people like seche vite so much. I got a tip for seche vite users, just don’t brush the edge of ur nails when you use seche vite, that way the nail polish doesn’t peel off as fast. I wonder if anyone have the same problem with seche vite.

chips Avatar

I found using a tick base coat before applying glitter nail polish helps alot, and take a cotton ball that is full with nail polish remover, and put on top of my nails, then everything will be remove.

sasha Avatar

i usually will just use a really strong nail polish remover, but if the glitter is really finely ground you might have some glitter left on your nails fingers and near the cuticle. if that’s the case i’ll just take a shower or just soak my hands in water and buff afterwards.

Megan Avatar

Last week I had Sinful Colors White Polish, with Party Hearty on it. I put on 2base coats and then 3 coats of glitter. It chipped right off under warm water! Took me 3mins matbe and didn’t damage my nails at all. I got lucky. Sinful Colors was a perfect base.

yadira Avatar

soak the cotton ball in nail polish remover, place on top on nails and wrap it in foil, wit like 5 min more or less and the polish wipes right off

Paula Avatar

Saturate little cotton balls with nail polish remover, put it on each nail, and wrap your fingers (or toes) in foil. Leave it on for awhile, and then come back to easily wipe it off.

Sarah Avatar

Foil method. I take cotton squares cut into little pieces soak them in pure acetone then place them on my nails, wrap my fingers in tin foil for 15 mins and they wipe right off with ease.

Chess Avatar

… Will you guys judge me if I say I bite it off? I only do this for glitters! Glitter polish sticks together so well that I can usually peel the whole nail’s worth off in one go if I use my teeth. And then I just use remover to get the stubborn sparklies off. This method takes WAY less time than removing entirely with polish remover, and I find it immensely satisfying; as an ex-nail biter, I get an odd pleasure out of edging it off around the cuticle with my teeth and then being able to peel the whole lot off!

liz Avatar

I soak cotton wool pads with my usual varnish remover (nothing fancy) and cover each nail with half a pad. I wrap each finger with aluminium foil and leave it for 5 – 10 mins. This stops the remover evaporating too quickly. After 5 – 10 minutes I remove the foil and cotton at the same time in one swipe. This removes the majority of the glitter without damaging my natural nails!

Katie Avatar

What a coincidence! I was trying to get off the Orly Party Hearty earlier today and it was a nightmare, even with pure acetone. I’ll definitely try the felt trick next time.

skromni Avatar

I use foil method with Zoya Remove+
I place damp cotton disk to a nail, then wrap it up with foil, wait for a minute and then glitter polish will be easily removed from the nail, in fact it will be alreadly removed mostly.

see link above for how it looks

Nicola Avatar

I have tried so many ways to remove glitter nail varnish and the best way that I have found is soak a small section of the cotton ball in remover, place over the nail, and using a small square of tin foil secure the cotton ball in place. Do this to all nails and leave on for 5-10 mins. When you take off the tin foil/cotton ball it all comes off without even having to rub.

Works like a dream!

Wendy Avatar

I use one of those fake nail remover things. I soak my fingers in it for about a minute then start rubbing the nail agianst the “fingers” inside the fake nail remover and when I pull my hand out ALL the glitter is gone – no fuss no muss.

kacias Avatar

Got a question. Pure acetone is bad for the nail? My nail seems fine for using it. I think I heard pure acetone is bad?…?? Also, I saw non-acetone remover….what’s the difference? Non-acetone seems not working for my nail, though..~~!!!

Alicia Avatar

I cant remember whose blog I saw this technique on, but I take felt pads soaked in nail polish remover (I use acetone free because I have gel nails) and wrap them around your fingers. Then wrap aluminum foil around the pads and let the whole thing sit for 5 or so minutes. When you go to take the foil and pads off, make a twisting motion and all of the polish usually comes off glitter and all.

Carrie Avatar

thank you for asking this, I’ve been wearing glitter polish lately and the removal process is so annoying! I basically do what you do, Christine–soaking, then rubbing the polish off after the remover has sat on my nail for a minute or two–except instead of felt I have these Opi by Sephora remover pads that are like thick tissue. They’re not so great but they have a slightly rough texture that helps.

Courtney Avatar

I have a great trick my sister showed me!

Wet a piece of cotton with your polish remover and press it to your nail. Wrap the fingertip in aluminum foil and leave on for 5 minutes. Most of it will come off by then or rub off easily. Plus you get silly aluminum fingers to wiggle around!

Amy M Avatar

For really stubborn glitters, I’ll take an old bottle of top coat and really glob on a thick layer and let it sit for a few minutes. It kind of soaks in to the old glitter and re-wets it. Then I can just take it off like a fresh polish.

AnGeLwInGz Avatar

I find the easiest way is to just pick at it. Sometimes it takes a couple of days but whenever I try to use nail polish remover all it does is remove the color from the glitter (?) but the actual glitter itself stays on my nails.

Linda Avatar

Same as I do regular polish only it takes longer and i have to scrub harder. I tend to do it before i have a shower so any little bits that have been rubbed onto my skin can come off in the shower.

Helen Avatar

I use 100% pure acetone with a cotton pad or cotton ball; soak it and hold it agains the nail for about 15 seconds. So that my nails don’t completely disintegrate over time,I then wash my hands to get the chemical off my nails and massage them with olive oil.

Ariel Avatar

use pure acetone, cotton balls and foil.
First moisten not soak a cotton ball in the pure acetone, put it on your fingernail bed, and with a piece of foil twice as big as the cotton ball wrap and crunch it around your finger. leave it for about five minutes, or while you watch tv. then remove. typically removes all the nailpolish in one simple sweep. I would give the foil-cotton wrap a twist or down when you slide it off.
hope it helps 🙂

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