The Oh-So-Glam Gold Glitter Gelicure

Ever since my friend Andi treated herself to a Rockstar Manicure at Pampered Hands on Melrose, I've been dreaming of doing the same.

Over the holidays, I finally treated myself. I figured I'd be socializing and catching up with my nearest and dearest, so spiffing up my claws was really the least I could do.

Getting the manicure was just as much fun as sporting it; it felt like a very intense crafting project. First, Gelish brand foundation gel was applied and cured. Next, a second thin layer of Gelish foundation gel was added and then the dipping commenced!

Pampered Hands has at least 250+ glitters to choose from, so the whittling down the selection was pretty tough — so many glorious, glittery choices! I finally decided to go for gold, but even that left me with a ton of contenders. I opted for a glitter that was a cooler, more champagne-y gold rather than yellow gold. I especially liked my choice because this glitter had several sizes and shapes of specks, which I thought would yield a nice layered affect and really give the sparkle some depth, too. If you go, it's called "T-1."

So a large jar of loose glitter in my color of choice, T-1, was brought over. The second thin layer of foundation gel was still wet, and my fingertips were dipped into the jar one by one. When my finger emerged, it was completely covered in glitter. My nail technician gently patted down each nail with her finger to make sure the glitter was adhering to the gel beneath it. She cleared away extra glitter and moved along to the next nail.

After all of my nails were patted and complete, I cured away under the UV light again. Next, the nail technician got out a pot of clear gel polish and painted it on with a separate brush. (I think it's because she was able to wipe the brush off on a towel if needed, rather than contaminate a gel bottle with whatever color glitter she was using.) And then I cured again! Last but not least, a thin layer of clear topcoat was applied and voila, I was done.

A Rockstar Manicure is more intense and a little more expensive than a normal gel manicure, but it was totally worth it. I couldn't have been happier; I got nonstop compliments for two weeks and had so, so much fun wearing these gorgeous nails. I was sad to see them go!

All in all, I think the Rockstar Manicure was $60; not cheap by a long shot. But for glittering, gorgeous nails that made me feel like the life of the party and stayed flawless through cookie baking, holiday kitchen cleanup and lots of hands-on activity, it was worth the splurge.

staygolden, Francesca