Best Techniques to Smooth and Remove Glitter *Updated August 11, 2022*
Noodles manicures are always all about shine. We all love glitter, but removing it can be a pain. Oh, and I’ve also been known to eat top coats that leave texture on my nails after drying. If you’re particularly sensitive to the feel of your polish, try applying a thicker top coat or a second coat of thinner top coat.
Instead of applying two thick top coats, several indie brands are launching products that you can use after your last polish coat and before your top coat. These are generally thicker and will “fill in” the gaps left by the glitter. Here are some products I use and recommend (in no particular order).
6. Smooth and Shine Duo by Esmaltes da Kelly (available in Polish pickup some months)
Noodles Manicure Best in Snow (2 coats)
Let’s start with one of my top picks from the collection! Best in Snow is a pale periwinkle blue crelly with silver metallic and white matte glitter and silver holo flakes. It’s so soft and there’s something special about Holoflake. It was a little more opaque than I expected since it’s a lightweight base, but I was able to get good coverage with two coats. Also, since the Holoflakes were laying flat on my nails, they lost a bit of texture as they dried.
Blanket Fort is very difficult to convey in photos. A pale gray crelly base with white/mint/pale blue matte glitter and fine metallic silver glitter. The mint and blue glitter really stands out against the base in an interesting way that’s hard to describe. This has a really modern look. This can also be easily applied with 2 coaters. It becomes textured as it dries, so we recommend applying a glitter top coat for a smooth finish.
Ring finger: 2 coats of Zoya Rael, 1 coat of Cozy Sherpa
Cozy Sherpa is the first of two glitter top coats in the collection. The clear base topper is studded with holo, copper metallic, holo glitter, and white matte glitter. Natalie said this could be built up in 3 coats and I was skeptical, but she was absolutely right. This one has tiny glitters and lots of holo shimmers that really sparkle in the sunlight. I think slightly darker or more saturated colors are best when used as a topper. I don’t think you need a glitter topper for this. Using a regular top coat can give you a smooth finish.
Next up is Flannel Weather. This is also a top pick for me. I never expected to be so engrossed in this work. A berry red jelly base with violet/gold shimmer, silver metallic flakes, blue/purple iridescent flakes and glitter, and holo flakes. I can’t tell you how beautiful these blue iridescent flakes and glitters are. Natalie always surprises us with her interesting color combinations and visual depth. I’m happy to report that this collection includes a lot of 2-coaters that allow you to quickly apply nail polish.
Ski Squad is also a berry color, but it’s more purple than red. A plum berry crelly base with silver/rose/lavender/periwinkle metallics and matte glitter in various sizes of hexagonal glitter. I would recommend a glitter top coat as this only required two coats and was quite glittery. It is very beautiful!
And finally, Snowberry, a redder shade, has a medium berry jelly base with silver holo, rose metallic, and copper metallic glitter applied in hexagons and squares. This is one of the fluffier shades and the holo glitter really pops on the nails. I ended up using two thick coats, but you may need a third coat if you use a thinner coat or if you want the glitter to have a little more depth. We recommend a glitter top coat as jelly polish tends to attack the top coat.
Noodles Manicure Twilight Mountains (2 coats)
Well, Twilight Mountains was my favorite in the collection. I love shimmery shine and this really gives it that. This is a semi-sheer gray grelly base with aqua/blue/purple/green shift shimmer, white matte glitter, and silver/aqua metallic glitter. If you look at the nail directly from above, you’ll see more green/blue, and at an angle or in low light you’ll see white, purple when you turn your head back.I actually used 2 coats, but looking at the photo I could have used a 3rd coat (due to the bright lighting). all). Well, depending on the application and the length of your nails, this is a 2-3 coater. This is beautiful!
Ring finger: 2 coats of Zoya Rocky and 1 coat of Winter Park.
Last but certainly not least is Winter Park. This is another glitter topper that comes in aqua/pink/shifting flakes, pink holo and metallic glitter, silver holo glitter, and white matte glitter. This is full of shine, especially when applied in three coats. If you want to use it as a topper, I think it goes well with any color. It’s a versatile polish! It has a lot of texture as it dries, especially when used alone, so using a glittery topper will give it a glass-like finish.
*These polishes were provided by our company or our public relations staff. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*
