OPI Glitter Off Base Coat Review and Tutorial
Glitter nail polish is a party on the nails, that is, until it’s time to remove. That’s when it becomes all, you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.
Over the years, I’ve tried every possible method of removal and none of them are a joy. The soak-off (aka foil) method, using squares of felt, scrubby jar removers, straight up soaking in acetone. They all work but none of them are fast and pure acetone is SO drying.
Enter the peel-able glitter base. I’ve been using a mix of Elmer’s glue and water but OPI has released their own version, OPI Glitter Off Peelable Base Coat. I decided to put it to the test versus my DIY version in the video below. If you can’t see the embedded video click here.
OPI Glitter Off Peelable Base Coat is available at salons and spas nationwide including including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, jcp Salons, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, ULTA and ULTA.com for $9/ea for a .5oz bottle.
So, is this something you will try? Have you tried making your own glitter base coat at home? Will a product like this get you to wear glitter more often?
Disclosure: Product samples were provided by reps for OPI. Affiliate links appear in this post. When you purchase through an affiliate link, you help support this site. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.
Lisa N.
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I have essence’s peel off base for a while now but it doesn’t make me wear more glitter than i used to, mainly ’cause it tends to chip easy
That’s a good point. I guess it’s good if you don’t want to wear it for long.
Thanks for the video, I think it may have been easier if you used a base color under the glitter? I think the glitter pieces kept the polish suspension base from forming a real layer over the glue. Just an idea.
That is a good idea. Thanks for sharing. I’m going to try with a more dense glitter, like Milani One Coat and with a solid base color and see how it fares.
I have never heard of mixing water and Elmer’s glue together for a glitter nail polish base or just a plain glitter nail polish base so thank you for the tip, cause I do love a good glitter nail polish.
Have you by any chance tried removing it with a nail polish remover? I heard that when you apply glitter base, nail polish remover works just as well as it does with creme polishes because the base prevents it from sticking to the nail. Don’t know how much truth is in this statement. I plan to buy the glitter base because I avoid glitters right now due to the hateful removal process, but am in doubt over whether it is even worth it…
On the nails that I had trouble with, I finally broke down and used remover. That didn’t make it any easier for me. Maybe because my nails are so dry, it adheres better.
Nice review and tutorial! It was very helpful to see.
I haven’t picked up the OPI Glitter Base yet (and I’m not sure I will), but I have used the DIY glue option. I actually didn’t mix any water in the glue the first time I wore it, and it took forever for the base to dry, but I lost a full sheet of glitter when I was washing my hair the next day. After a couple of days, I soaked my hands (did the dishes), then applied a little cuticle oil to keep myself from scratching the nail, and once I found the “sweet spot,” the polish slid right off. I wonder if it would help to get some moisture under the edges of the base?
That’s a good idea. I wash my hands multiple times during the day but maybe I need to soak a bit right before trying to remove.
Thanks for the video. Everything people have posted about this so far isn’t making me feel like I’d need to switch from my homemade PVA glue basecoat.
(Also, I was watching it with the sound off and the auto closed caption’s on, and apparently the glitter polish you applied is called ‘Desperately Seeking Seagram’s. Thirsty?)
Hahaha! I’ve never watched YouTube with the captions but now I want to.
Wow I’m shocked! I had a completely different experience. I couldn’t get polish to stay on my nails for more than a day when using Glitter Off – polish was popping off left and right in one big piece. I tried it 3 times and the same thing happened each time. Interesting that it must work different for different nail … um… chemistry?
I saw your review Amy and I was amazed how different our experiences were. Though you had a lot more layers of polish and really dense glitter. And I didn’t use a top coat with mine. I wonder if all those layers, plus Seche Vite helped it come off faster. I know I get more chipping when I have on thick layers of polish as compared to two thin coats. Some people have suggested using two coats of Glitter Off but, if that’s necessary, shouldn’t that be part of the directions?
I find I have the best luck with the glitter off when I use two coats. They stay for days and peel right off. I also use two coats of seche vite when I use glitter polishes.
Thanks for the honest review! I haven’t done any glitter polish and after seeing this, I don’t think it’s something that I’ll be trying. I’m not sure that my nails can take it.
I’m on the fence with this one.
Now I’m using a non-glue peel-off base (an indie brand – Nail Pattern Boldness Glitter-A-Peel), and with it glitter really comes off in one sheet, quick and easy… and sometimes quicker than I wished. Like after taking a shower.
And I read another review about OPI Glitter Off where user had the same issues with it (easy to remove when you want it, but risky to lose a nail when you don’t want it), so I guess the outcome may also depend on this magical “nail chemistry”.
Yeah, I’m getting that impression as well. That it’s very dependent on nail chemistry and the type of glitter might make a difference. I read a review about a blogger that was using multiple layers of full coverage glitter and a thick top coat, like Seche, and it popped right off. In general, thick/multiple layers of polish are more prone to chipping and peeling so that might be helping the Glitter Off to remove easier.
Just an FYI there is no video or link to a video on mobile, just a big blank spot. Maybe post a separate hyperlink to the video as well as the embedded one?
I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize that the embedded video wasn’t showing up on mobile so thank you for pointing it out. I added the link in the post. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDOufym5hCs
I use the method of cotton with foil ^ ^ I’m pretty satisfied, but that base is really interesting!
I’ll have to give this a try since I love glitter polish, but hate the removal!
If you try it, let me know how it works for you.
What’s bizarre to me is that when I wear glitter I have no problem just chipping it off in one sheet all on its own. 99% of the time it just spontaneously happens, but it also does seem to take some of the nail plate with it if I force it even a little. But usually I can just apply a tiny bit of pressure and it’ll pop right off without any special base — I need a base that will keep my glitters on!
Maybe it’s because my nails are so dry but glitters stick to me. It seems no matter what I do, they’re staying put. I think I need to try to apply them wrong so maybe they’ll come off easier. Like super thick coats, way too many layers and soaking my hands in water multiple times a day.
As a tip, try removal after going for a bath/shower, or after soaking your hands in warm water for 5 minutes. It comes off super easily then, even if you’ve been wearing it for a week.
Also I find that keeping about 4 hours between applying it and soaking your hands/nails (e.g. doing dishes) is necessary to keep it on for days. Otherwise it will pop off.
I only use glue basecoat for my glitters (of which I have many) and don’t have a problem unless I soak my hands too soon.
Thanks for the tips. Very helpful.
This puts me on the fence. It sounds good, since I tend to wear glitter on it’s own (no creme base for opacity), and top it with topcoat to take away some of the bumpy texture, but I also tend to pick at the glitter when it starts to lift from the nail on it’s own
It always peels *eventually,* right? Never tried the glue/water DIY mix, but I could/probably should before I plopped down the $8 or $9.
I have been using white glue for at least 18 months and have been very pleased with glitter removal. I have found that it comes off in one piece much more easily if I use a base coat on top of the glue layer, and also top coat it a couple times. Basically, the thicker the total sum of polish layers is, the easier it can be removed.
That’s a great tip, thank you!
Has anyone had any experience using this with acrylic nails? I usually use my glitters the week before I go in for a fill because they have to grind my nails anyway and its much faster than acetone, but I’d love to wear them more often than once a month or so.