There are all sorts of flakes. Some you eat in a bowl, and they give you that satisfying crunch. (Yum!) Others are white and a result of a dry, itchy scalp. (Eww!) Some are the posers in high school who think they’re all that. (Boo…)
Today I’m going to share with you the best kind of flakes – the ones in nail polish, of course!
I enjoy trying all sorts of flakie polishes, so when Ivy, one of my readers, e-mailed me and asked me about NYX Girls Gilded Glitter, I was happy to track the polish down and review it. It also helped that I didn’t have anything quite like it in my collection.
If you enjoy layering polishes and you don’t already have a gold flakie, Gilded Glitter is a great one to have. Plus the price won’t set you back much, either!
When I wore this, I layered it over a blue polish, China Glaze Frostbite, which I recently blogged about. But if you scroll to the bottom of the post, I’ve included photos of Gilded Glitter layered over several different colours to give you some other ideas on how to wear it.
NYX Girls Gilded Glitter Pictures
Sunlight
Dim Sunlight
NYX Girls Gilded Glitter Swatches
All swatches have:
- Nubar Foundation Base Coat
- 3 coats of China Glaze Frostbite
- 1 coat of NYX Girls Gilded Glitter
- Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Sunlight
Sunlight
Sunlight
Flash
Flash
Natural Light
Natural Light
Sunlight
Flash
Natural Light
Claim: TRUSTED
√ Gold flakie
Key Notes
- Name: NYX Girls Gilded Glitter
- Amount: 10 mL (0.35 fl. oz.)
- What I Paid: $1.99 USD (on sale)
- Where to Buy: Cherry Culture (although they misnamed it on their site and called it “Glided Glitter” instead of “Gilded Glitter”)
NYX Girls Gilded Glitter Review
Colour
Gilded Glitter by NYX Girls is a gold that shines brightly when the light catches it. The flakes themselves are suspended in polish that has a slightly yellow tint. It’s important to note because it does transform your base colour if it’s light, which I’ll show you later in this post.
Finish
This is a flakie polish consisting of really large pieces and smaller pieces. At first I thought the smaller pieces were just round like typical glitter, but upon closer inspection, I discovered that they’re also flakes as well!
I really like how they all have irregular shapes – makes it much more interesting to gaze upon.
A great thing about Gilded Glitter is that the flakies lie flat, so you don’t feel a lot of grittiness.
Application & Formula
Gilded Glitter was a breeze to apply. It went on smoothly and evenly. The polish wasn’t thick at all, so it glided on easily and covered the nail well.
The flakies wind up on your nail in a random fashion, but they’re relatively even enough so you don’t get exaggerated bald patches.
Layering
I would recommend that you use this polish for layering purposes only. If you hate layering, then forget about this one – I think that it’s not worth to use the 4+ coats to achieve full opacity. In fact, I didn’t even bother trying to completely coat the nail with just Gilded Glitter. This is a polish best used to enhance another colour.
What NYX Girls Gilded Glitter Looks Like Solo
Here is what it 1 coat looks like over a white nail wheel:
Both were taken in natural light (one brighter than the other). I showed both so you can see that this polish takes on a yellowish tinge.
Layering Experiments
I tried using Gilded Glitter over several different colours to give you a better idea of how it’d look. I really dig how sexy it looks over black, but it’s fun over purple, too. Over purple, it reminds me of a magician’s cloak for some reason.
But my favourite layering was over Nicole by OPI Kendall on the Katwalk and Quo by Orly Turquoise Moonlight.
(Flash) Left-Right: China Glaze Liquid Leather, Nicole by OPI Kendall on the Katwalk, China Glaze Frostbite, Spa Ritual Instinct, Nicole by OPI Kim-pletely in Love & Quo by Orly Turquoise Moonlight
(Flash) 1 Layer of NYX Girls Gilded Glitter
Natural Light
China Glaze Liquid Leather
Click here to see my China Glaze Liquid Leather swatches & review!
Nicole by OPI Kendall on the Katwalk
Click here to see my Nicole by OPI Kendall on the Katwalk swatches & review!
China Glaze Frostbite
Click here to see my China Glaze Frostbite swatches & review!
Spa Ritual Instinct
Nicole by OPI Kim-pletely in Love
Click here to see my Nicole by OPI Kim-pletely in Love swatches & review!
As you can see, layering Gilded Gold over this pale pink turned it into a pale peach.
Quo by Orly Turquoise Moonlight
Click here to see my Quo by Orly Turquoise Moonlight swatches & review!
What NYX Girls Gilded Glitter Looks Like with 2 Coats Over China Glaze Frostbite
I actually prefer the way a single coat looks. With 2 coats, it looks…chunkier. Who knows? Maybe you’ll like that. It’s not awful, but with this polish, I feel like less is more. Do you prefer 1 or 2 coats?
Sunlight
Sunlight
Sunlight
| Pros |
- Easy way to spice up an old manicure
- Different-sized flakies
- Applies smoothly
- Doesn’t feel gritty
- Inexpensive
Cons
- Can be hard to find (I’ve never seen this in a physical store. I bought it from Cherry Culture.)
- Can alter the colour of your base polish because Gilded Glitter has a yellowish tint
Final Verdict: 8/10
NYX Girls Gilded Glitter is a very versatile polish that’s easy to use and that makes a drastic change to a manicure that you’re already sporting. I recommend this if you want to breathe life into polishes you already own to create new, blingtastic looks.
What’s the last flakie polish you wore or bought? Which is your favourite layering combination that I showed? Do you prefer just 1 coat of the flakie polish, or do you like the dense look of 2 coats?
This is a pretty glitter. I had no idea NYX made nail polish.
PinkGlitter recently posted: Soap & Glory Hand Food Hand Cream
Hey PinkGlitter!
Oh yeah – they even came out with another line! The bottles look a bit like Deborah Lippmann polish bottles, actually. You can see them on the Cherry Culture site!
I love the way this looks layered over another polish, such that you can still see the polish underneath. So pretty! I’m going to look over at Cherry Culture now, which is bad news for my bank account.
Hey Valerie!
Yes, it isn’t one of those polishes that’ll cover your base colour.
Haha, well, good luck sticking to your budget. I know that Cherry Culture has a coupon code sale going on, so that’ll save you a bit!
well now i have to add gilded glitter to my wishlist! that is seriously pretty. i’m recently becoming more attracted to gold polish and whatnot. need this flakie!
rae recently posted: My First Tutorial is LIVE! (plus The Daily Nail- CYMK Dots)
Hey rae!
I’m the same way! I wasn’t into gold polishes much, but lately, I’m really digging them! Did someone swap the water in the cooler? 😛
Have you tried Essie As Gold As It Gets? It looks like it might be similar, and easier to find for sure 🙂
Hey Amy!
Nope, I never tried Essie As Gold As It Gets! Hmm…good to know that it’s similar, though! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I love flakies but for some reason this does nothing for me. I mean, sure it makes a nice layering polish and the versatility of these are immeasurably awesome, but that yellow tint is a huge no go for me. Plus, the flakies look like minced gold foil or minced up gold leaf, which is probably where the appeal lies. I happen to prefer iridescent flakies so I’m not a big fan of this. I might want to get it to complete a flakie collection, but apart from that, I doubt I’d want to get it. Great review, though! 🙂 And I did appreciate how you layered it over various colors, too. 🙂
Carmela recently posted: Pam’s Girly Bits: Stormy Skies and Street Magic helps you Sea’s the Day
Hey Carmela!
*Gasp* Does nothing for you? *Checks your forehead* Hehe, just kidding! “Different strokes for different folks”, my dad used to say. 🙂
I absolutely love this polish! When I do my mother-in-laws nails she always asks for this. I’ve never done it over a light polish though, so I don’t have a problem with the tinting of the base. May favorite is just to do a coat of Gilded Glitter over a nice, shiny black. So simple, but so pretty!
Have you heard of the real 24-K gold flake polishes? They are the same concept, but with real gold! They have white gold, yellow gold and rose gold, I believe. They are a bit $$$ at $12.50 a piece, but I’ve been dying to try them! I think I’ll stick with my Gilded Glitter for now, but I can dream about them =)
Jacqui recently posted: Layla Magneffect Magnetic Effect Nail Polish in Silver Galaxy
Hey Jacqui!
I agree – over black it’s just perfect! 🙂 Just enough glitz without screaming for attention.
Yes, I’ve heard of the real 24K gold flakies, but hehe, yeah, I don’t know if I’d ever buy them unless they drop in price. I like the look, though. Really decadent!
Hey Mary!
This is so pretty I’m going to the mall today and I know one store that has Nyx. I really hope that they have this color!
-C.
Hey Candy!
Hope you can find it, too! 🙂 Good luck!
I just got back from the mall a little while ago, and alas, I did not find this nail polish :/
I did get some other really cool colors though (26 of them to be exact, I may have gone a tad bit overboard >.
Aww! Sorry to hear about your disappointment. Maybe you can order it online later.
But that’s really awesome about your other purchases – HOLY SMOKES! Twenty six polishes at one go? Hehehehe! Huge haul! Were those other colours from NYX, or other brands?
Whoa, my comment got cut off . To sum it up real quick, I found some great discontinued OPI polished for $5 a bottle, I was able to nab 19 ;]
Anyways, I’m going to call it a night.
So good night and sweet dreams! :]
-C.
You know, I’m finding that comments get cut off regularly, and I’m not sure how to fix it. 🙁 Even my comments get cut off sometimes. Looks like I’m going to have to double-check my comments after I submit them just in case.
Okay, I replied to your first comment before seeing your second comment. Whoops!
WOW! OPI for just $5 a bottle? What a score! I’m drooling here, just so you know. 😉
I got 2 Nicole by OPI, 19 OPI, and the rest were Kleancolors.
I was drooling too when I saw they were $5 each. I actually called over the salesclerk and asked her if they were really $5 a bottle. I thought it was a mistake or something. She looked at me like I was illiterate and said, “Yes, that’s what it says on the sign…” Then she rolled her eyes and walked away. Can you say rude? Anywho, even her sour attitude wasn’t able to ruin my joy :]
-C.
It’s hard for me to believe that anyone could be so sour about a $5 OPI sale. Honestly! 😀 That’s AMAZING! I’m glad that you didn’t let her spoil your fun. If she didn’t know the joys of polish, well, it’s too bad for her. And more polish for you! 😉
You know, you basically just bought someone’s entire collection in one go. You must’ve felt like you were on Cloud 9! I know I would.
That looks like such a beautiful glitter for layering! It looks awesome over Frostbite. I also love how it looks over Liquid Leather and Turquoise Moonlight. It really does add something special to the polishes. I don’t have many glitters like this so I should probably invest. Great swatches and review!
Melissa recently posted: China Glaze Mrs. Claus
Hey Melissa!
It’s great how affordable this flakie polish is compared to the numerous ones on the market. It makes a decadent-looking gold flakie more accessible, so I’m all for that!
oh very pretty 🙂 I like that a lot. I havent tried any NYX polishes. I think I like it over the black best. My football teams colors 🙂
Amber recently posted: Thanksgiving look #2
Hey Amber!
Their polishes are pretty affordable, and they have such a wide selection. Oddly, I only have a few of their polishes. This one is one of their more unique lacquers!
Yaaay! You posted! Thank you again for fulfilling my request 🙂 I LOVE your swatches, and thanks for swatching over various colours too. I’m definitely going to purchase this, but from beautyjoint instead of cherry culture because the shipping is cheaper haha.
The gold over the black is probably the standout for me because it’s so simple but it still looks unique. I also really liked this polish over all the blues & also the purple!
Once again thanks for taking the time to purchase and review this polish! 🙂
Hey Ivy!
You’re very welcome, and thank you for bringing this polish to my attention. I don’t think I would’ve known about it otherwise unless I came across it accidentally on another blog. It’s like no other polish I own, so I was so excited to find it easily at Cherry Culture.
I’ve actually never shopped at BeautyJoint before. I’ll look into that and see if they ship to Canada. That would be cool if I have a new source!
Haha no worries. Yes, I agree that it is a pretty unique polish. The flakes are really pretty.
🙂
🙂
If you ever want to get rid of that NYX polish, please let me know LOL! I have been wanting it for a long time!
imfeelingnail-venturous recently posted: Born Pretty Store Review
Hey imfeelingnail-venturous!
Hahaha, I don’t think I could give it up easily because it is such a friendly character. I introduced it to the other polishes in my Helmer, and it made friends with all of them quickly. 😛
You should order it from Cherry Culture the next time you need to pick up a bunch of other stuff. 😀
It looks soooo nice over Turquoise Moonlight! NYX recently opened up a store right next to my university, so I was really excited to get some bottles but I realized their store selection was really poor. I had gone on their website and picked out some colors, but not a lot of them were in stock. Perhaps the store was still new, so I will check it out again once finals are done.
Hey Vivian!
A NYX store? I wish there was one where I am. Well, maybe there is. I’ll need to do some research. I have a feeling that there isn’t, though, or I would’ve heard about it a lot sooner. 😉
Yes, hopefully they’ll expand their store collection in 2012 so you can get all the cool colours you’ve been drooling over online. The only place I can find NYX polishes in physical stores here is at my Rexall. But they just carry some of the core collection.
P.S. Good luck on your finals! Ace those suckers!
This is so cute!!!! I love the layering but you can’t see much of the flakes in the Kendall on the Katwalk. I finally found the Kardashian nail polish line in my Shoppers! 🙂 If you live near Scarborough or Markham, you can go to Pacific Mall and there’s this store called Phoenix Beauty Lounge and they sell all these nail art stuff and nail polishes including NYX Girls but I’m not sure if they have this one.
If you’re interested in the store, heres there Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Phoenix-Beauty-Lounge/117964461555617#!/photo.php?fbid=289995051019223&set=pu.117964461555617&type=1&theater. They sell there NYX
Girls nail polish for 2.99 and I think I saw Gilded Glitter in one picture. They also have other prices on their websites.
Thanks for the link! Awesome – I also saw that they sell OPI Designer Series polishes for just $11.99! That’s great – I may stop by to try to find a back-up of OPI DS Extravagance.
How the heck have I never heard of that store? It looks incredible! Plus I’d also check out their ecoTools brushes.
Hey maddy!
The reason why I liked it on Kendall on the Katwalk is because the flakes blended in so well with the glitter. If you wanted the flakes to be more prominent, you could add an extra coat. I’ve never tried it that way, though. Maybe I will!
YAY! I’m glad that you finally found that collection – took them long enough!
Oh, I didn’t even know about that store. If I’m ever in that area, I’ll keep my eyes out for it. Thanks for letting me know! 😀
Wow, that manicure looks soooo much like the lapis lazuli gemstone, amazing! I agree that one coat looks nicest. I love all the layering experiments you do, too! x
Hey Nazneen!
I didn’t know what the lapis lazuli gemstone looked like, so I Googled it. Great comparison! I agree with you – it really does! 😀
Thank you. I’m glad that you enjoy my layering experiments. They’re interesting for me because, like this layered over Kendall on the Katwalk, I never would’ve paired them together normally. But for these experiments, I try to include a few ‘random’ colours just to see if it will be beautiful or a disaster. Curiosity and the cat. 😉