Grown Up Glitter: How To Nail Your Festive Mani For Christmas

Sorted your party dress? Sussed out your make-up look and hair? Now it's time to turn your attention to the perfect party manicure.

Whether you're in the maximalist or minimalist party dressing camp, glitter nails are perfect for adding polish to your party look.

Not sure where to start? We sat down with nail expert and OPI ambassador Trish Lomaz to get an easy glitter nails tutorial to try at home. If you want a really subtle look keep the glitter to just your ring fingers, or up the ante by applying to every digit.

Here's Trish's tutorial for DIY glitter nails in 3 steps...

2. Apply two coats of OPI Nail Lacquer in Press * for Silver (£12.50), allow the first coat to dry before applying the second in order to avoid the colour dragging.

3. Apply OPI Nail Lacquer in Ce-less-tial is More (£12.50) by wiping excess polish from the brush then dabbing onto nails for the perfect glittery effect. Apply to just one digit for subtle sparkle or apply to every nail for all-out glitz.

Da-da!

Trish's top tip...

'Never apply a top coat over a glitter as this will cause the glitter to have less sparkle and shine'.

Want to make sure your mani glitters rather than gloops?

We spoke to OPI nail care expert Briony McMillan for her top tips how to get the perfect finish every time.

Grazia: What are the biggest mistakes people make with applying glitter polish?

Bryony McMillan: Not rolling the bottle to mix up the glitter with the lacquer is a mistake lots of people make. The glitter is heavy so it will sink to the bottom of the bottle, this is when people feel the need to apply so many coats to get a good coverage. You can even apply a blob of glitter onto a foil and using a dotting tool, nail art brush or orange stick you can pick up the pieces of glitter and apply them exactly where you want them, for a neater finish.

G: What’s the best way to get an even coat and prevent your polish from glooping?

BM: Always clean the neck of the bottle with remover to prevent excess product from drying up there, otherwise you won’t be able to tighten the bottle properly, allowing air to the lacquer causing it to thicken.

G: And what’s the easiest way to remove glitter nail polish?

BM: Use an acetone based remover (not pure acetone!). Hold a wipe or cotton pad soaked with remover onto the nail for a good few seconds and begin to rub the lacquer off. You can even soak them off as if they were gels, using foils and cotton pads/wipes wrap them up for five minutes and then remove. Gently buff off any excess glitter if necessary.

The easiest way to remove glitter polish is with OPI Glitter off base coat (£8.95), which is specially designed for easy removal of glitter - you can simply peel it off.

Perfected the glitter top coat? Try upgrading to ombre nails. Graduated glitter looks are trending for party season, dominating the #GlitterNails tag on Instagram and Twitter.

Main image: @matteabout_nails and @@overglowedit

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