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Fun Manicures That Will Make You Sparkle

Nothing says glam like a little bit of glitter! If you’re in the mood for a nail makeover but you’re not sure how to make your fingers look their best, glitter is probably the way to go. How can you make the look more unique than just your regular sparkly nail polish, though?

Check out these styles for a little bit of inspiration!

1. Gold glitter nail beds

VIEW IN GALLERYGold glitter nail beds

This style, featured on So Nailicious, has a dusting of glitter at the nail beds for a just bit of light sparkle.

2. Lightly sparkling French manicure

VIEW IN GALLERYLightly sparkling French manicure

Subtle sparkles with a solid white tip takes the idea of a French manicure to another level. Take a closer look on Pinterest.

3. Fading glitter tips

VIEW IN GALLERYFading glitter tips

Concentrate glitter at the tips and fade it out towards clear polished nail beds, just like Aelida did. This tactic keeps all the attention on the glitter rather than distracting the eye with other colours too.

4. Full glitter with pink tips

VIEW IN GALLERYFull glitter with pink tips

Alyce Paris

Do you like the idea of the subtly sparkling French manicure but wish it had a little more punch? Try a neon tip and all the sparkles you can fit on each nail instead!

5. Teal glitter on teal

VIEW IN GALLERYTeal glitter on teal

Matching the base colour to the glitter on your tips (or beds, or wherever you decide to put it) creates an awesome contrast without breaking consistency. Check out this look on Fast1Cash.

6. Confetti glitter on black

VIEW IN GALLERYConfetti glitter on black

What’s even more fun than regular glitter? Big, rainbow confetti glitter! Pick a simple, solidly coloured base polish (black will make the flecks show up well) and try out something like this style from Brick and Glitter.

7. All-over loose glitter

VIEW IN GALLERYAll-over loose glitter

Using loose glitter instead of glitter polish to sparkle your nails adds a little bit of texture to them too! Check out how Fleur de Force did it!

8. Glitter accent nail and rhinestones

VIEW IN GALLERYGlitter accent nail and rhinestones

A glitter manicure doesn’t have to be entirely sparkled on every nail to be glamorous! Try making a single sparkling accent nail and carefully placing tiny rhinestones on the others, like this look from Sociales.

9. Glitter and matte polish

VIEW IN GALLERYGlitter and matte polish

Using matte polish for your base colour contrasts amazingly with the shine in your glitter polish! Shelby’s Swatches shows you how to do it with deep purples.

10. Glitter and vertical stripes

VIEW IN GALLERYGlitter and vertical stripes Manicure idea

Fashion Lady shows you how to create the illusion of wearing two different types of glitter by painting differently coloured stripes underneath.

11. Glitter stripes

VIEW IN GALLERYGlitter stripes

Use tape to mark out stripes with straight lines and fill them in with a solid colour. Once that’s entirely dried, fill the empty spaces left with a complementary shade of glitter, just like this look from Watch Out Ladies.

12. Glitter base with a full glitter accent nail

VIEW IN GALLERYGlitter base with a full glitter accent nail

Tease your glitter colour on a few nails, but choose one accent nail to give the full effect! This style, featured on Love This Pic, contrasts white and purple for maximum impact.

13. Zig-zag half glitter

VIEW IN GALLERYZig-zag half glitter

Good Housekeeping‘s zig-zag idea will take patience, but it’s worth it! Use strips of tape to mark off clean lines, filling one side with a solid colour and the other with sparkle in a shade that suits.

14. Opalescent glitter stiletto nails

VIEW IN GALLERYOpalescent glitter stiletto nails

Maybe the nails your painting are a acrylic set and not your own? Try filing them into a trendy stiletto shape to really give your sparkly opalescent polish some umph, like this look on Nail Art Gallery.

15. Glitter placement mermaid nails

VIEW IN GALLERYGlitter placement mermaid nails

Lucy’s Stash shows you how to place individual large glitter flecks across the surface of your nails so they they look like a luminescent mermaid tail! It’s a time consuming technique, but the final product is beyond gorgeous.

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