Mesmerizing Glass Nails That Illuminate Your Beauty
Even the most indifferent onlooker has to give them a second glance. No one can resist these mesmerizing glass nails. They are an enchanting combination of translucent polish and holographic foil that resembles shattered glass. Whenever nail enthusiasts see them, two questions come to their minds. First, what is this glass nails trend? And second, how do I get them for myself?
Vogue magazine interviewed Eun Kyung Park, the inventor of the shattered glass manicure. She is considered Seoul’s top nail artist. Her creations are featured during Fashion Week and worn by K-pop celebrities. She came up with the idea for glass nails by experimenting with candy wrappers, but they were too inflexible. She then trimmed a thin holographic foil into tiny shards that she arranged on each nail and coated them with a glossy gel. Of course, this gorgeously unique look went viral. Since then, it’s been adapted in a million different ways.
What’s the best part? The basic design is simple enough for anyone to do at home. It simply takes patience (and a sharp pair of scissors!) Check out the glass nail designs below for inspiration and learn how to do them at home.
How Do You Get a Glass Nail Manicure?
Ask your favorite salon if they can do a glass nail manicure for you. But be aware that it may be pricey. It's nail art on top of a regular gel service.
If you’d like to do glass nails at home, you’ll need the following:
- Gel base, top coat, and colored polish, preferably sheer (or you can simply use clear)
- Sharp scissors and holographic foil
- A nail lamp
- Manicure tools like clippers, cuticle pushers, nail files, and tweezers for nail art
- Polish remover and lint-free wipes for cleanup
Please note that either the top coat or the colored polish needs to have an inhibition layer. That’s the sticky residue that you’d normally wipe off with alcohol. But you need that tacky surface to secure the glass shards until you can cover them with the top coat.
Now, here are the steps to do glass nails:
- Prepare your nails like you would for any other gel manicure. Remove the old polish and push back the cuticles. Trim, shape, and cleanse the nails.
- Apply the base coat and cure it. Then, brush on one or two coats of the colored polish if desired. After that's cured, it should be slightly tacky.
- Now, do one nail at a time. Trim tiny triangles of foil and arrange them on the nail with tweezers. Turn them into a mosaic as if glass had shattered. Cover them with a top coat and cure.
Yes, it’s just that easy. However, it’s a painstaking process. We highly recommend putting on your favorite relaxing music and keeping snacks and drinks close at hand.
Aurora Ice Cube Cellophane
LAVIS J03 - Set 36 Colors - Gel Polish - Bare With Me Collection
LAVIS Gel Base & Top
Short Glass Nails
Not only are glass nails simple to do at home, but they also look great on short lengths and different shapes. Because the holographic foil is iridescent, it also matches a wide range of colors.
Glass Illusion
Glass nails don’t have to look shattered. They can also resemble glass windows or mirrors. These nails have an extra illusion of depth due to the foil type. But note the sheer polish on the other nails. It’s likely the same color as what’s underneath the holographic stickers on the other fingers.
LAVIS Set 24 Color - Gel Polish - Candy Jelly Collection
Purple Stained Mosaic
You can also make your nails look like stained glass or a mosaic. We like the pleasing contrast between the matte surface and the flecks of “glass” as if they were glossy tiles set into a wall.
Variations on the Glass Nail Trend
As every nail artist knows, once their creation is out in the world, people are going to copy it and come up with variations on its theme. Now, you can see acrylic nails and soft gel extensions with the glass nails look. Moreover, soft gel tips are straightforward for beginners to apply. These flexible, clear nail covers come in many different lengths and shapes and make a perfect canvas for glass nail art.
Lavis Soft Gel Tips
Ballerina Nails with Shards
This manicure reminds us of a dangerous ice queen with the shards concentrated at the tips. Wouldn’t this be a fabulous look for the holidays?
Transparent Acrylic Tips with Holographic Shattered Glass
Why not turn your tips into prisms the next time you do acrylics? If you flip the nails over, you can also see the foil underneath.
3D Crystal Nails
You might get lucky and find 3D glass nails to wear as press-ons. Or, if you have experience sculpting nails with acrylics, hard gel, or polygel, you could experiment with this crystalline look. The charms make it even more luxurious.
Extensions with a Shattered Glass Nail Design
This multi-layered manicure is a work of love and incredible artistry. Underneath the glassy top coat, we count at least two layers of reflective foil. Some of it is iridescent to reflect little rainbows. If our nails were this hypnotic, we might stare at them all day and not get anything else done!
Truly Shattered Glass Nails
And if you want to go the extra mile and take things literally, this look was also created by Eun Kyung Park.
Conclusion
Glass nails are mesmerizing and straightforward to do at home. They only require a regular gel polish setup plus holographic foil. Then, they can be customized with different colors and various nail lengths to suit virtually any outfit or occasion. We know you'll have fun with this trend, and we wish we could see how your glass nails turn out!
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