What's in a finish?- Jelly

Today on the What's in a finish series I take a look at the Jelly finish. So what is a jelly finish? Well, Jellies are like glazes and are basically pigment added to a clear base. They are often described as having a "squishy" texture. You might notice that a lot of glitter polishes have Jelly bases making them great for layering on their own or over a cream polish to give it a little extra Pizazz.

Photo Credit: Hot Pink Aurora

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    Because Jellies are usually made in a clear base they tend to be sheer but have an extremely glossy finish. However, if you're looking for full opacity be prepared to apply several coats. One trick to avoid adding 5 layers (or more) of polish to your nails would be to use a similar color creme polish as "undies".

     Many nail Bloggers use Jelly polishes in what's called a "Jelly Sandwich" manicure. You need 2 polishes to make a jelly sandwich. The first one being the jelly polish to be used as the "bread". Normally this is a pigment only jelly. The other polish used is a glitter polish for the "meat". A chunky glitter typically gives you more dramatic results, but any glitter would work.

Photo Credit: Goose's Glitter

So what do you think of the Jelly finish? I only have a few in my collection and have yet to do a jelly sandwich. I should probably give it a try one of these days. If you missed the previous posts in this series you can catch up by following these links: Creme, Matte, Shimmer, Suede, and Satin. Or if you have questions about a finish I haven't covered yet, feel free to ask about it in the comments and I can make it the next one in the series. Happy Polishing!