Alternative to Full Coverage Rainbow Glitter Mosaic

Let me start off by saying thanks to everyone for being so supportive - in general but also for my crazy glitter mosaic I did on Saturday.  I didn't get a single "Ain't nobody got time for that" gif!  I understand that not everyone has time for quite that intense a glitter mani so I thought I'd put something together that uses the same glitter, but takes significantly less time to do.  I managed to get the whole thing, from base coat to top coat - ON BOTH HANDS (OMG) - done in under an hour.  Let's take a look, shall we?

I've done a mani like this before but I wanted to use the same mix of matte and metallic glitters I used in my last post.  To start, I did the usual base coat and two coats of colour, using Essie Protein Base Coat and Rimmel Black Satin respectively.  Then, using my usual technique, I just painted a stripe of my cheapest top coat and, starting on the left, laid down a row of rainbow glitter.  If you look carefully, you'll see that your hexagons will rarely be perfect but will be elongated, ever so slightly.  If you line up the longer sides together, they'll sit nicer.  Finish off with a coat or two of a top coat like Seche Vite and you're good to go.

 

The Verdict: I got this finished in under an hour which is marginally more reasonable than taking most of a weekend day.  And now you get rainbow laser nails!  The trick, of course, is finding the right glitter but you can do this style with just about any colour or size glitter, as long as it's lined up properly.  This glitter I bought from Impulse Co on Etsy but I'm sure that any pre-mixed little pots of glitter you find on Etsy will do. Yay glitter!

The Other Hand: THE SAME, BAM, DONE.

Under an Hour: 3D Glitter Cubes

I'm still brainstorming ways to show you glitter mosaic manicures that don't take a million years to do and one of my favourites are the 3D glitter cubes.  I had the light bulb moment about a year ago that you could fit diamond-shaped glitter to look like baby's blocks and I've been a bit obsessed ever since.  It's super easy to do and is super sparkly, especially if you're using larger, holographic pieces.  Let's take a closer look, shall we?

The hardest part about this particular mani was choosing the base colour.  Nothing really goes with blue, pink and green so I resorted to one of my favourites, Urban Outfitters Blue Velvet.  Using my usual technique, I cracked out my cheap top coat and went to town.  It's about at this point I remember why I usually try to let my base colour dry before adding glitter.  See how there's gunk all over the glitter?  That's because in trying to get the glitter in deep enough not to stick up, the not-quite-dry blue squelched up along with the clear top coat.  I hate this so much I nearly didn't post this.  You deserve only the most crisp, clean glitter!  Anyway, use slightly smaller glitter and it won't stick up, you'll get the same effect and you won't be sad about the messiness.

The Verdict:  As much as the execution could use work, I still love this as an under-an-hour glitter sparkly.  If you have even less time, just do the one cube at the end of each nail and marvel at how well it catches the light and is generally interesting.  It's so fast I even did my other hand!  Again! This is how adults must feel :D

Urban Outfitters Cherry Tomato with Blue Glitter Dots!

It may sound a bit excessive but I don't feel totally set for a day if my nails aren't a bit crazy.  It's mostly because I like the attention.  If I don't have a ton of time, and I don't have a specific polish in mind to try, I'm going to do glitter dots because it's surprisingly fast to do.  What I'm about to show you I got done from base coat to top coat in about 45 minutes.  

This looks complicated but let's break it down a bit.  Start off with a coat of base coat - I'm currently using OPI Nail Envy because I heard good things about it and so far, so good, my nails are holding on with no breaks, which is nice.  Next, three coats of Urban Outfitters Cherry Tomato, my current favourite red.  Look how cool it is.  Such a good red creme.  Now, the glitter.  I got this blue holographic glitter off ebay a while ago and it's still my favourite.  If you search for "holographic glitter" or "glitter hex slice" on ebay, set it to lowest price including shipping and "Buy It Now", you'll find some good stuff for cheap.  I applied a full coat of a slow drying top coat, tipped some glitter into the lid of the container, and went to work with my orange stick.  I found that I could get a full nail done before the topcoat was too dry to be adhesive.  Start with a row down the middle of your nail - make sure these are the ones that are spaced evenly - then build out either side.  Do for all your nails and you're done!  After a top coat.  

The Confession:  I suppose you're wondering what my other hand looks like.  I kinda cheat a bit here, mostly because I'm left handed and my lightbox is set up only for my right hand.  My nails are short on the left hand, and I don't usually do a full glitter thing on them.  In this case, I used the same three coats of Cherry Tomato, then just sprinkled the blue glitter on.  You can't tell from a distance, I swear.  If anyone exclaims over your nails, just show them the good one!  DONE.

The Verdict: I've done this colour and glitter combination before and I did it now because it look really good.  From a distance it could almost be purple but close up it's contrasty and sparkly.  Works for me!