You save yourself a little time doing this. Instead of pre-mixing the glitters, just make your acrylic ball on the end of your brush like you do normally, but before you apply it to the nail, dip it into the glitter so that the glitter coats one side of the ball. Then when you place it on the nail be sure to place it glitter side up. The side that is touching the nail doesn’t have to have glitter. Then press it out like a normal acrylic ball.
If you are going to premix, you want to be careful not to have more glitter than polymer, otherwise the nail will be weak. When I work with glitter acrylic, I apply it in a super-thin layer and then encapsulate the whole thing in clear acrylic. This way, my nail still has strength.
The key is super-thin glitter/acrylic applications so your nails aren’t too thick.
— Elaine T. Watson is the gobal educator for Star Nail International