Deborah Lippmann Glitter and be Gay over Zoya Ziv

Glitter and be Gay was released by Deborah Lippmann as part of the fabulous Jewel Heist collection for fall 2013. I just loved the sparkle bombs of this collection and have swatched a few of them here already, namely Fake It Til You Make It, Shake Your Money Maker and Va Va Voom. The one that I was missing and really wanted to have was Glitter and be Gay. Luckily I was able to win this on ebay.

So I've got Glitter and be Gay on my nails right now and it's extremely distracting to be pausing and staring at my nails after every sentence like I've been doing. *pauses and stares at nails* But I can't help it! This stuff is a showstopper, it's like a circus costume for your finger nails! Officially described as a "candescent canary yellow glitter," Glitter and be Gay is the sort of decadent glitter bomb you'd expect from the Jewel Heist collection. It has a transparent yellow tinted suspension base packed with a superabundance of metallic yellow, gold and metallic blue/violet hex glitters in large and small sizes, much of it holographic. The amount of rainbow colors refracting off of the holo glitters amongst flashes from the equally reflective yellow, gold and blue glitters boggles the mind. I'm afraid no still image can stand up to experiencing this kind of varicolored radiance in person. It's sensationally gaudy in the best possible way. 

Application was a hot mess. I decided to use a base polish for Glitter and be Gay, one that would have the least possible impact on the thickness of the manicure, which I anticipated (rightly) would be extensive. I chose Zoya Ziv for this job and applied one scant coat, just enough to give myself a shape to conform to with the glitter. Then came Glitter and be Gay. The consistency of this polish is thick and somewhat sticky, and the neck gets a little goopy and crowded with glitters as you use it. I ploshed and spread the first coat, getting glitters evenly distributed all the way to the edges as much as I could. The next two coats I mostly just painted on, with a little spreading here and there. After the surface of the third coat had set and was no longer sticky, I carefully and gently tamped down the glitters on all my nails with my little finger to flatten any stickups. Then I applied two coats of Gelous and a coat of Seche Vite to get the glossy, glitter-under-glass look I love so much. But I can still feel a bit of texture when I run my fingers over my nails. As you can imagine, it's a thick manicure, and I did get glitter everywhere, most of which wouldn't budge during clean up. As I said, a hot mess. Glitter and be Gay itself dries naturally in very good time to a glitter-textured finish.

Photos show three coats of Glitter and be Gay over one coat of Zoya Ziv over treatment and basecoat, with two glitter smooth coats of Gelous on top of that and one layer of Seche Vite to finish. 

Deborah Lippmann Glitter and be Gay over Zoya Ziv

Deborah Lippmann Glitter and be Gay over Zoya Ziv

Deborah Lippmann Glitter and be Gay over Zoya Ziv

Deborah Lippmann Glitter and be Gay over Zoya Ziv

Deborah Lippmann Glitter and be Gay over Zoya Ziv

Deborah Lippmann Glitter and be Gay over Zoya Ziv

Deborah Lippmann Glitter and be Gay over Zoya Ziv

Deborah Lippmann Glitter and be Gay over Zoya Ziv

Deborah Lippmann Glitter and be Gay over Zoya Ziv

Deborah Lippmann Glitter and be Gay over Zoya Ziv

Shazaam! What else can I say with nails that are the equivalent of a fully costumed Vegas showgirl? This polish is a spectacle, that's for sure, and not something you'd wear just anywhere, unless you're me. But for those times when you just gotta get your glittah on, here's one to feed your hunger and blow the hair back of all who see it. I don't think you have to do three coats, either. Two would probably be just as good over a yellow or yellow gold base. I came across a manicure using two coats of Glitter and be Gay over OPI I Just Can't Cope-acobana on Polish All the Nails, and it looks just so very awesome I can hardly stand it! Next time I wear this, it'll be over yellow!

love,
Liz