Take it Easy: Removing Glitter Nail Polish

I might have a nail polish obsession…

If you ever get the chance to meet my family, you’ll realize that this apple didn’t fall too far from their trees: at 6 feet tall, I managed to inherit their collective heights of 5’10 and 6’6; I have an insatiable appetite for reading and science fiction that they both possess; my quest for patterns in numbers and numbers in patterns reveals an instinctual inclination towards math that runs through to my Grandfather, a math professor at OSU who was fluent in over seven languages. But there’s a few things that my family will never, ever understand about me – like my obsession for all that sparkles, glitters, flashes and accentuates. It’s like their uber logical brains can’t wrap their heads around my draw to the creativity within fashion and beauty. All things considered, I find certain mathematical and chemical equations quite beautiful and I know for a fact they agree – but do they understand why I was so excited to inherit my mom’s Chanel Blush in Red Fire* , a spankin’ new stellar hair straightener, skinny jeans that fit my legs just right or that uber glittery nail polish from O.P.I.? Not so much.

As luck would have it for my parents, I was an only child…but my friends all had older siblings. Some of them taught us swear words, which leading to rousing games of “Fuck, Fuck, You” instead of “Duck, Duck, Goose” as an elementary school student. A few, unknowingly mind you, had their issues of Playboy swiped by friends who in turn educated the rest of us on all things sexual. Others were hoping to become competitive athletes – so they started shaving their arms and legs to cut down on water resistance; in monkeysee, monkeydo fashion we followed suit. And last but definitely not least, some were wearing makeup and caring about their clothes. But then, two things happened that put a damper on my fashion sense: Instead of going to the public middle school like my friends, I chose to attend an all girls school and my mother, Queen** of Disapproval, put her foot down and a lid on my makeup use – the most common reasons cited were my age, 12, and…well, my age.

The one and only arena I was allowed to have some fun and creativity with: my nails. I would swoon over nail polish like it were a delectable evening gown at an awards show; and truth be told, I still do. There are sultry, deep purples that remind me of Autumn and bold, neon colors that pop like Spring. By the time I was back in a public high school as a Junior, I got a little more into fashion and makeup and more or less forgot about my nail polish. As I left for college, I finally noticed myself evolving into a young woman – and my makeup drawer and closet echoed that sentiment. For my first few years in LA, I was lucky enough to land a gig as a beauty blogger for almost a year – I’ve dabbled in all the great, and not so great, brands and have developed some tried and true relationships with certain products. I’ve always thought that if makeup were considered paint, more women would be considered artists – but now that I’ve become an expert within my own right I know this to be true. Makeup, hair, nails and fashion are projections – extensions of ourselves as women; whether it’s a desire to become someone else for a night, or to cut and color our hair to the point that someone thinks there’s an odd looking doppelganger on the loose, we use these things as creative outlets, and I love it. The irony of my situation now is working in a fairly corporate atmosphere, the only creative beauty outlet I have during the day is – once again – my nails.

Well, every now and again, I get stuck in a beauty blunder. And I obviously can’t reach out to my mom or step-mother about these things, so thank goodness for the interwebs! I have a ridiculous obsession with glitter – glitter in my eyeliner, glitter in my hair, glitter on my tank tops, and glitter on my nails. It’s an awesome look to rock, but it has an obnoxious flip-side of being beyond difficult to take off. Well, have no fear – because I have an easy, breezy DIY method that involves very little rubbing, scrubbing or headaches.

Tools:

Cotton Balls
Aluminum Foil
Nail Polish Remover

How To:

Tear off a piece of aluminum foil; from that piece rip up five 3″ x 2″ pieces
Soak cotton balls briefly in nail polish remover and place on top of glitter adorned nail
Wrap aluminum foil tightly around your finger and the cotton ball
Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes
Twist from side to side and slide off!

Voila! Glitter free nails =)

A few takeaways – first, yeah, your hands look a little Freddy Kruger-esque and silly, but I bet you look sillier spending minutes scrubbing down the glitter off just one nail – so keep that in mind. Secondly, doing hands one at a time can go a long way – you’re free to do small tasks that involve lifting, twisting and typing – and you can reuse the aluminum finger holders, too. Last but definitely not least, I really wish I knew about this trick sooner – I’m already saving tons of time and energy!