Manicure Monday: Thunderbird - Amplified

I was perusing Pinterest the other day an came across this cool post that showed someone layering nail polish over glitter nail polish, giving the nail polish a glitter finish, but also making the glitter look as though its part of the nail polish (as opposed to added on top). 

I decided to give it a try with China Glaze Thunderbird - a shimmery deep red - layered over Julep Mila. I'm not a big glitter polish girl, as I've stated before. But I thought this technique would be better for me as a way to amp up my polish without it screaming glitter. For some reason, I always feel like glitter top coats always look better on everyone else. 

The first time I tired this trick (on Friday), it worked beautifully. I did it at night, so I didn't take a photo. Boy do I wish I had that photo. I got the layering perfectly, and Thunderbird looked like a pair of ruby slippers. Alas, I started working on a little DIY project at home, and totally destroyed my manicure. 

This time around, Thunderbird is still more sparkly than it is on its own, but not quite as sparkly as my first attempt. I'm totally kicking myself. But I still like how it turned out. As you can see from the bottle, Thunderbird has some shimmer, but it's not super glittery. By adding a layer of Mila between coats of Thunderbird, I gave the polish a bit more pizzazz.

Here's a closer look:

 In the right light, the glitter shines through. You can see it best on my pinkie finger in this shot. So, I'm excited because I have at least two glitter polishes that I've found a new way to use so they don't just sit there going to waste. 

Next time, I'll apply a lighter top layer so the glitter shows up even better. That's where I think I went wrong. I was a little too heavy handed. Another thing I learned is that this trick doesn't work with all polishes. You want to make sure you use a polish that isn't super opaque. For example, use a polish that definitely needs two coats to get the color pay off you want. Otherwise, if the polish is super pigmented it will just cover up the glitter and all you'll see if a lumpy top coat. Not pretty. I tried it with Zoya Kelly and that's the result I got. 

Alright so here's how you do it:

1. Apply base coat
2. Apply one coat of your choice of nail polish color (Thunderbird for me in this case)
3. Apply a coat of glitter polish (any glitter polish will do)
4. Apply a thin layer of the color nail polish on top of the glitter
5. Apply top coat
6. Let dry and sparkle on!

I think this is a great trick to spice up your color selection using polishes you already have. Heck, I'd forgotten I even owned Thunderbird until I dug in the back of my nail polish drawer! (Side note: I really need to get on top of making my own nail polish rack)

Well, what do you think? What polishes will you be sprucing up this holiday season?