I recently fell in love with some of Barry M’s glitter polishes but hated the trouble I ran in to when attempting to remove them. At first I tried my usual polish remover on a cotton pad, but the pad just got ripped to bits. Then I tried the same with pure acetone but the same thing happened. Aside from being a pain in the butt I could also see it was damaging my nails because any pieces of glitter that had come loose was scrubbing my nails like sandpaper.
I remembered reading about this foil method before but was a bit hesitant to try it because it seemed like so much hassle. I’m really glad I tried it and after doing a few nails I got the hang of it.
From what I understand, wrapping your fingertip in foil prevents the acetone from evaporating and lets it really soak into the polish and soften it up so it easily comes off your nail.
So here’s how I do it…
1. Be Prepared
You’ll need acetone, cotton wool pads (or whatever you like to use to remove your polish) and foil cut into rectangles about 2″x4″.
2. Cut (Costs)
I cut up my cotton pads into quarters. You can use them whole but cutting them up makes them (and the acetone) go further and I find them easier to handle.
If you have longer nails you could use them whole or just cut them in to halves.
3. Soak It Up
Whenever I’m using acetone, I pour a bit out in to the lid of the bottle so if there are any accidents the consequences aren’t too catastrophic. Dip a corner or edge of your cotton in to the acetone and wait a few seconds for it to soak up through the pad. This way you won’t end up with too much on the pad and you won’t have it dripping it all over the place.
4. Place and Wrap
Place the cotton on your nail and wrap your whole fingertip in foil.
Be firm and secure the foil in placed but don’t squeeze too hard or you will squeeze all of the acetone out of the cotton.
5. Repeat
Repeat this process for each finger. Only do one hand at a time so you have some fingers free in case of emergencies!
6. Leave
Leave the foils on for about 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, just slide the foil off the end of your finger while pressing down slightly on the nail.
The glitter should slide off easily with the cotton. If there are any bits left on your nail, just use regular nail polish remover to get rid of them.
The End 🙂
Has anyone else found this method to be their saviour when it comes to glitter polishes?
