Nail polish is a very simple and fun way to change up your look and there are so many colors and brands to choose from.
But lately, there have also been a lot of what I’ll call “specialty” polishes that have been popping up everywhere. Nail art is awesome, but some people don’t have the patience or steady hands to try new things. The following polishes take something common and make them extraordinary. I thought I’d share some of the specialty polishes I have in my collection and what they do.
Let’s start with something simple. Glitter polishes (alone or layered) are an excellent way to spruce up your regular polish routine. There are chunky glitters that look best over one color or need to be layered to be opaque, and super fine shiny glitters that do well on their own with a few coats. This polish, called Dodgy Barnett (by Butter London, obviously) is considered a holographic polish.
There’s something about it. It reminds me of these shorts from American Apparel. Super shiny and multi-dimensional.
Out of this world!
I think that Shatter nail polishes have sort of died down, but for a while you couldn’t get your hands on a bottle! They were always sold out. Then, before you know it, every company had their own version. I remember scouring and constantly checking for a bottle of basic black Shatter. I’ve only used it a few times, but I think it’s worth having. If you’re feeling lazy, but still want something funky going on with your nails, Shatter is the way to go. I started this with a basic gray polish (Pelican Grey by China Glaze, to be exact) to show the contrast. The Shatter polish is quite goopy, and at first it looks like nothing will happen. But then it starts separating right before your eyes! Very cool.
(Apologies for my messy nail. I should’ve done this one first. I kept using the same nail and it got a little messy. And I got a little impatient.)
LA Colors Art Deco stripers are pretty darn amazing. It makes lines and stripes and diagonals and even drawings so simple. The design I did above is far from perfect, but I wanted to show the different things you can do. I like to use mine to make dots (dotting tools are excellent, but I need a new one and this does just fine) or draw triangles and, of course, stripes! If you’re looking to get super-involved with nail art, I would highly recommend picking these up. I got mine at a dollar store!
Finally, I wanted to share Essie’s Matte About You top coat. It takes any polish you have and gives it a matte finish, which is a really interesting look. We are all used to high-shine, glossy finishes, and there’s something striking about matte polish.
I chose this beautiful blue Gap polish as an example because it has a shine, and you see a really neat difference in the way it sparkles.
The difference is much more apparent in person, but you can tell that the flash is no longer glaring off the polish.
Super cool. But I would recommend a ridge filling base coat (or make sure your nails are nice and buffed!) because this top coat will bring attention to any and every flaw on your nail.
That’s all I have for now! I wanted to share a Glow in the Dark polish I have (it really does glow!) but I don’t know exactly how much light I need for it to glow, and I think taking a picture of just one nail in the dark might not have come out. Maybe another time?
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