Glitter is like a cockroach -- will continue to exist in the world until the Day of Judgment. Glitter is fun to apply to your nails, but when you want to remove it, it gets stuck all over the place and on the cotton ball. Luckily, wikiHow is here to help you conquer that glitter. Scroll down your mouse to Step 1 to start removing that shiny kryptonite layer.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Using Tinfoil or Rubber Bands
Step 1. Gather your gear
Take out the nail polish remover, cotton ball, and foil. If you don't have tinfoil, a rubber band or hair band will work just as well for this trick. What you really need is something that can hold the cotton balls in your nails in place.
Step 2. Dip a cotton ball in a small amount of nail polish remover
You do have to soak it because, as you know, glitter nail polish is very, very strong and will stick to your nails for a long time.
If you don't have nail polish remover, you can also use acetone
Step 3. Make your nail harness
In this case, your nail harness is foil/tinfoil. You will need to tear a piece of tinfoil into strips three times the size of your cotton ball.
If you use rubber bands or hair ties, make sure you have enough rubber, one for each finger with a glitter-painted fingernail. If you don't have a lot of rubber, you'll only need to work one finger at a time (which isn't really a big deal)
Step 4. Place the damp cotton ball on top of your nails
Press the cotton ball, damp side down, over your nail. If you soak the cotton ball so that it is completely wet, just apply it to your nails as you wish.
Step 5. Wrap your finger with foil
Wrap the foil around your finger and a cotton ball, wrapping it tightly so the bandage doesn't come off. Wrapping it in foil will help hold the cotton ball in place.
If using a rubber band or hair tie, tie a piece of rubber around a cotton ball and your finger. If the rubber is large, tie it tightly around your finger to prevent the cotton ball from falling
Step 6. Let the nail polish remover soak into the glitter
The nail polish will slowly release its grip on your nails, helping you to remove all the polish in one swipe. Leave the cotton ball on your nails for a few minutes.
If the glitter is very "gritty" (large flakes of glitter and very hard on your nails) then let the cotton ball sit for another minute or two. An extra three or four minutes would be better
Step 7. Remove the foil and run a cotton ball over your nails
In one quick motion you must slide the cotton ball along your nail, so that the glitter comes off your nail along with the cotton ball. Enjoy your glitter free nails!
If there is still glitter on your nails, use a cotton swab that has been dropped with a small amount of nail polish remover to remove the remaining glitter
Method 2 of 2: Using Cotton Pads
Step 1. Drop a cotton pad with nail polish remover
You'll need to wet your cotton pads -- the glitter won't come off with just a little nail polish remover. You should also use exfoliating cotton makeup pads. These cotton pads have a rough edge that's great for fighting off the glitter that won't go away.
Step 2. Press the cotton pad against your nail
You will need to hold the cotton pad against your nail for 10 seconds to a minute, depending on how many coats of glitter polish you have on your nails. For example, if you have 7 coats of OPI The Living Daylights glitter nail polish, you will need to hold the cotton for a minute or so.
Step 3. Move the cotton pad up and down your nails
After the pads are left on your nails for 10 seconds or a minute, press firmly and rub your nails with the cotton pad. Use the other side of the cotton swab (the side that is not pressed against your nail) to continue rubbing the glitter nail polish.
Step 4. Repeat
Continue to scrub away any remnants of glitter that won't go away. Once your first nail is done, proceed to the rest of your nail and remove the glitter.
Tips
- If there is still some nail polish near your cuticles, use a cuticle pusher to push it back into your nail, then try removing the polish again.
- After that, make sure you moisturize your nails well.
- Use nail polish remover that contains acetone, nail polish remover that does not contain acetone is less effective and will dry out your nails.
- This method works for hard-to-remove nail polish so it can also be used to remove regular nail polish.
