What’s the trick to getting dark glitters to cure when doing rock star gel nails? I do my nail prep, then a layer of Akzentz Base N Gloss. I cure and put another layer of Base N Gloss, then sprinkle on the glitter and tap off some of the excess. I cure after that, and I brush off the excess again when it’s done, but a lot of glitter will come off with it. And this is with a brand new gel lamp. So I put on more gel, more glitter, etc., but I’d like to get it right the first time to save time.
I cut the opaque glitters with a clear, translucent glitter. I usually use Young Nails Crushed Pearl from the Heavenly collection, and it gives the darker colors just a little extra sparkle and hologram effect. The translucent glitter also allows the UV light to cure better.
Some techs will do a longer initial curing time if it’s a dark glitter, about four minutes for the first cure.
But I try to apply dark gel glitters very thin, because the thicker it is, the longer you need to cure. With a thin application I can do a normal two-minute cure and it works fine. — Rhonda Kibuk is the owner of The Purple Pinkie in Ford City, Pa.
