What is a nail shimmer and how to choose it?
A stylish and beautiful manicure complements the female image in an original way, so the nail service masters offer the fair sex various options for decorating the nails. This season, a manicure with a mirror surface and sparkles is in great demand among ladies, for the design of which gel polish with a shimmer is used. It is easy to use and allows you to create chic nail art.
What it is?
The nail shimmer is a unique tool designed for manicure, which includes small shimmering particles. It can be produced both in jars (crumbly appearance) and in bottles with gel polish, having different special effects depending on the level of lighting. In daylight, the shimmer creates a glow and gentle overflows on the nails, changing its shade from different angles of view.
With artificial lighting, such a varnish gives the nail surface perfect smoothness and a slight gloss. The shimmer has a homogeneous structure, which allows you to create different types of manicure.It can also be used by those who have defects such as cracks, bumps and chips on the surface of the nail plate - due to the special structure of the varnish, they are quickly masked and become invisible.
This tool also has other properties, such as fast drying, uniform structure, thick consistency, high density and the presence of many small shiny particles.
The main advantages of such varnishes include a number of factors.
- The ability to create various options for nail design. The effect of radiance is present in almost any lighting. With the help of a shimmer, you can easily turn an ordinary everyday manicure into a festive one.
- Economy in use. Funds last for a long time.
- Availability. Manufacturers produce different types of shimmer, which differ not only in color, but also in price. In stores you can find both expensive and cheap varnishes.
As for the shortcomings, there are none. The only exception is that it is recommended to apply glitter varnish on a well-prepared nail surface. It needs to be degreased and additionally covered with a base.
In addition, when applying one layer of varnish, sparkles can cling.
What is it needed for?
Recently, fashionistas often choose shellac and shimmer to create a beautiful manicure. The popularity of these tools is due to the wide range of their application. Shimmer can be used in the following cases:
- to obtain a perfectly flat surface with shimmer on the nail;
- to hide the unevenness of the nail plate and minor flaws;
- when creating a bright design with different color compositions;
- for decorating a jacket and drawing shimmering patterns.
In addition, the shimmer is used when it is necessary to create a separate decorative element. It can also be combined with gel pastes when stretching the pattern. In this case, the manicure acquires not only radiance, but also volume.
Types and colors
The modern market is represented by a chic selection of tools with which you can easily and quickly create stylish nail art at home. At the same time, top and gel polish with a shimmer are in great demand among ladies. Varnishes are divided into types depending on the size of the sparkles.
- Frost. They contain larger glitters in their composition, which, when applied, create a perfectly smooth surface. Such a shimmer is transparent, gray, white and milky.
- neon. They have a reflective effect, they are produced with small sparkles. The color can be different, and most often it is blue, burgundy, pink, red and green.
A top with a shimmer is one of the varieties of varnish that is used as a base (base) for a manicure. The main purpose of the product is to protect the nail from the negative effects of varnish, to strengthen the plate. Tops with medicinal properties are also on sale. The base with a shimmer has several types.
- classical. This is a transparent top that is applied to the surface with a sticky layer. It has received many positive reviews due to its strength and viscous consistency.
- No sticky layer. Such a base must be dried in an LED or UV lamp. It is considered a good option because it does not require degreasing nails and is easy to use.
- Rubber. This is a novelty in the nail industry. This type of foundation with a shimmer has an unusual effect. The rubber top is made from a special elastic material.Due to this, it perfectly adapts to the structure of the plate, completely repeating its bends.
In addition to all of the above types, on sale you can find a shimmer with various special effects, allowing you to create an unusual design. So, shimmer paint with a sticky layer has found wide application, it is suitable for decorating the effect of “wet” nails.
The black loose shimmer with sparkles also looks great. - it is used to create "velveteen" marigolds. You can also use black gel polish with a shimmer - it is ideal for a jacket.
As for the color palette, Shimmer is available in different colors. This season, transparent varnishes with golden or silver sparkles are very popular. This is a budget option, since there is no need to separately purchase gel polish and sparkles.
Transparent looks no less interesting white glitter polish - it is usually chosen when creating a manicure in a business style. Dark blue, red or burgundy shimmer is often chosen for French manicure and moon manicure, it can be matched to the main tone of the design and only one nail can be processed.
For those women who are used to creating an extraordinary image and standing out from the crowd, stylists recommend using a shimmer in brighter shades with reflective particles.
How to choose?
Since the nail industry market is represented by a huge assortment of shimmer, it is difficult to make the right choice in favor of one or another type. During the purchase, it is important to pay attention not only to the color of the varnish, but also to its quality, following a few rules.
- Shimmer is best purchased in specialized stores where it is possible to open the bottle and test the products. Supermarkets and markets often sell cheap fakes, which contain many active solvents in their composition that do not provide a durable and beautiful coating.
- Since the shimmer has a shelf life of no more than one year, when purchasing this product, it is important to pay attention to the date of its manufacture. If stored incorrectly and after the expiration date, varnishes acquire a thick consistency, and they are not easy to apply. Particular attention should be paid to choosing a shimmer that is sold for promotions. If the contents of the bottle are heterogeneous, divided into layers, then it is better to refuse the purchase.
In high-quality products, glitter can settle to the bottom of the bottle, but after several turns of it, they should be evenly distributed in a transparent varnish.
- Separately, it is worth paying attention to the shape of the bottle. It is desirable to give preference to a cylindrical shape. This bottle will be convenient to use until the end of the varnish. As for the bottles of the original forms, they often have bends and are inconvenient to use. This also applies to the surface of the lid - if it is smooth, it will slip when opened. Therefore, you need to choose bottles that come with a rubberized or rough cap.
- When buying a shimmer, you should clarify its composition. Sometimes cheap varnish can include toluene and acetone, which dry out and damage the nails. Shimmer from well-known brands consists of more gentle substances.
- An important factor when choosing a varnish with a shimmer is its density. Now on sale you can find both liquid and thick varnishes, while the latter are more difficult to apply to the nail surface. To check the density of the product, just soak a brush into it, from which one drop should flow every 2-3 seconds.
- If you plan to create a manicure using a shimmer at home, then you must also choose the right brush for applying the product. In high-quality products, the brush is elastic, comfortable, has a pile of the same length. While pressing the pile to the nail, the brush should fan out. Some manufacturers produce a shimmer with brushes that can paint over the entire plate in one motion.
As for the colors, it is selected individually depending on personal preferences. When creating an everyday manicure, it is recommended to choose a shimmer of neutral shades, but you can complement the festive look with the help of a polish shimmer of brighter tones.
How to use?
The shimmer is easy to use, which is why it is often chosen by ladies to create an original manicure at home. To create a beautiful design yourself, just follow a simple instruction.
- You can apply a shimmer only on a previously prepared surface of the nail. To do this, you first need to degrease the nail plate, then eliminate all minor flaws using the base coat. You can also apply glitter over regular clear polish.
- The base applied in a thin layer is dried in a lamp. To get a stunning effect, the nails need to be covered with a base in several layers, each of which is dried separately in an LED lamp for 30 seconds. If the lamp is powerful, then 10 seconds is enough.
- The next step in manicure is the application of a shimmer in two layers, drying each in a UV lamp for no more than 30 seconds. After drying one nail, the second one is painted, and the whole hand must be placed under the lamp. It is important that when applying the shimmer, you should deviate from the cuticle by 1 mm.
- The procedure ends with an overlay of a finishing agent that will prolong the beauty of the manicure.. Some masters do manicure under a matte finish. The top layer is dried in a lamp for 1 minute.
- After that, it remains only to carefully remove the sticky layer of the top (there are finishing products that do not form it when dried), and apply oil for the cuticle. Hands are wiped with a dry cloth, then a nourishing cream is applied to the skin.
Working with a dry shimmer is also very simple - decor is done with a fan brush over a polymerized layer of gel polish, which has a sticky structure and holds small spangles. Then everything is covered with a top.
You can also mix gel polish with a shimmer and apply it on the base, adjusting the density of the sparkles on the surface of the nails yourself.
Fashionable manicure options
In modern nail design, there are many options for designing a manicure using a shimmer, each of which is available even at home. To make a chic manicure with your own hands, you can apply any of the popular design ideas.
- Gold. It can be chosen at any time of the year, regardless of the image. This design will look chic on both short and long nails in the form of an oval or soft square. With the help of golden sequins, you can create unusual geometry or mega-style polka dots. The background for the composition should be light shades.
- French. This manicure is considered a classic, and it is always in fashion, as it is easy to transform. In this case, white stripes can be replaced with colored ones, which are performed both with gel polish and with a top with a shimmer. Pale pink, light blue or gray are well suited for winter. In this case, the “smile” can be drawn on all nails or only on one.
- Lunar. With the help of a shimmer, you can create an exquisite moon manicure, in which lunulae can be presented in various variations. The base coat is better to choose matte. It does not hurt to decorate such a manicure with shiny flowers or butterflies - this will give the female image of tenderness.
How to make a base with a shimmer with your own hands, see the next video.