31 Jaw-Dropping Broken-Glass Nail Designs

KimL | Oct 13, 2018

11. Accent Nail

Source: @a_fistful_of_fingernails

If you want to try this great and unique look at home, why not focus on just one nail rather than all of them? Trying to get this design just-right when you’ve never attempted it before is going to be tricky – it’s like most things in life, practice makes perfect and all…

Pick one nail and just go a little crazy – add a few more pieces of the cellophane / broken-glass effect and experiment. You can always take it off and try again and because it’s only one nail, it doesn’t matter!

12. Golden Glitter + Broken Glass Mani

Source: @_dnixo

If you can’t decide what look you want when you go to the salon, why not mix and match? You’ve got gold glitter to make the design instantly glamorous, and the broken-glass applied to a couple of the nails helps to add more of a dimension to the look.

As you can see, these are also quite short nails. By cutting the nail in half, so to speak, you have more options open to you, giving you the perfect opportunity to switch things up.

13. Broken Glass & Golden Studs Mani

Source: @unistella_edit

Nail embellishments are a really easy way to liven up any look and as you can see here, can help to add structure to otherwise random designs. Again, you don’t need to concentrate on every nail (it would get quite fussy!) but with the odd accent or feature nail, it looks perfect!

14. So sharp…

Source: @unistella_edit

Broken-glass is… Well, sharp. So why not make your nails sharp? Cut your broken-glass into shards and slithers before applying them to your nail. Again, using foils or tape, you can add these asymmetrical designs where not all the nail is covered. It’s like a negative space but with a bit more flair!

15. Perfect Design for Short Nails

Source: @unistella_by_ek_lab

What a great, simple and easy look! Simply use your black nail art pen (or regular black nail polish if you’ve got a steady hand) to create a black ‘tip’ and a black half-moon at the base. You could then apply your silvery / pearlescent broken-glass to the top of whatever colour you like. You could leave the nail base nude, or opt for a shimmery pink or pastel colour. Get experimental! Just remember to tag us in your social media posts with #StayGlam for a chance to be featured!

16. Dark Base + Golden Glass

Source: @mining_1021

The best news about these broken-glass pieces, especially in the gold like this one, is that under different lights, you’ll get a completely different effect. In one light, this looks gold which goes great with the rich, dark colour beneath. In a different light, the shards look a greeny colour. This can change the entire look of your nail, especially if you put it together with a colour it doesn’t go with as your base coat. Check out your new mani in different lights to make sure it all works well.

17. The Glass Pedicure

Source: @unistella_edit

If you want to give all the nails on your tootsies the broken-glass treatment just remember to use really small pieces. You can always layer it up but if you start with a bigger chunk or piece, you won’t get the same effect. There are only two small ‘sections’ on these toes and it looks just as good as layered-up looks on larger nails.

18. Mix it Up with Solid Polish

Source: @remnant_nailist

If you want something that stands out from the crowd, solid blocks of colour are always a great eye-catching choice. The different shades of green in this beautiful design really compliment the mermaid hair trend everyone’s been talking about and it’s actually a very simple look too. You could have either a really dark green or black colour behind the shards of broken-glass effect, and you could even add some glitter to the brighter green nails if you wanted a party look.

If you’re not quite brave enough for that fluorescent colour, substitute it for a pastel green instead. It’ll have the same effect.

19. Broken Glass Stiletto Nails

Source: @designbyci

Stiletto nails are in. Broken-glass nails are in. What does that mean? Stiletto broken-glass nails of course!

If you want a super quick way to revitalise your nails or just don’t have time to head to the salon, use the glass-effect to cover the chips and dents! You’re covering up a multitude of sins technically so you can give yourself a little bit longer between salon-appointments too. Of course, if you need in-fills done on acrylic or gel nails, you could always go for the half-moon effect where you cover the space between the cuticle and the nail with the broken-glass cellophane pieces.

Smart, right?

20. Just wow… right?

Source: @ruegembon

This look is simply beautiful and not quite as confusing as it looks. It’s almost cosmic-looking and in order to copy it for yourself, you’ll need a blue-green broken-glass effect cellophane over the top of a shimmery blue/purple/black. If you’ve ever added a radiant to your nails by first applying the three or four colours (increasing in intensity/shade) with a sponge, do the same with the darker blues, greens and purples before applying the broken-glass over the top.

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