Sophisticated Sparkle

I love me a bit of sparkle. I do. 

It does seem that the older I get the less I gravitate toward it though. I'm not sure whether it's the removal process or if I just prefer the clean look of a cream or shimmer finish.

That said, when I do wear glitter I like to look for slightly understated but still glitzy shade that makes it hard to tear my eyes away from my tips. 

These days these three shades are the ones I've reached for the most. 

Firs on the list is the indie offering. If you want glitter done well you need to look to the indies. The lovely men and women mixing their own blends and perfecting suspension bases in their home kitchens have been killing it with their shade combos. 

Black Cat Laquer's "Let Them Eat Cake" is a beautiful blend of pastel sparkle suspended in a clear base. It is a perfect layering polish and and pairs really well with nudes and pastels and adds an understated shine to a "work appropriate" manicure.

For something a little more on the vampy side I like Butter London's Wallis. It's not a chunky glitter polish but rather a fine antique gold glitter in a sheer olive green base. This is opaque in tow coats and makes ugly pretty colors oh so easy to pull off. 

For something exceptionally fun I reach for Deborah Lippman's Across the Universe. This is a damn near cult classic nail shade in the the nail world and for good reason. Despite many an attempt no budget brand has been able to successfully knock off the blue green ocean-esque galaxy that this creates on the nails in two short coats. 

If you are fortunate enough to have a job where you're allowed to wear whatever you like or, if you are looking for a way to jazz up your weekend you can't go wrong with one of these.