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Pink base coat & gold crackle overcoat
What makes crackle nail polish crack? 

The nail polish companies, such as China Glaze, Sally Hansen or O.P.I., have added a solvent (ethanol) to the polish that makes the nail paint dry quickly and unevenly. This is why when you use crackle nail polish you must work quickly and with a steady hand. The polish dries fast in the bottle and on the brush, so make sure to shake it before you apply to a base coat color. This effect is the exact opposite of how nail polishes should normally behave – you want, slow even drying to ensure the smoothest finish. But by adding this alcohol to the formula they’ve created an imperfect film that shrinks as it dries, resulting in the cracks and crevices that show off the base coat. What should have been a formulation failure is now a new fabulous fashion trend.  How clever! The chemist who thought of this should get a big raise or a Nobel Peace Prize in fashion and beauty!

My word of advice when working with crackle nail polish is be patient because the first time you are tempted to paint on a thick coat. But the trick with painting on a crackle coat, use a thin coat because for the crackle to come out correctly the thinner the coat the better. I speak from experience because a thick coat does not allow the solvent to work correctly and make those beautiful cracks we all aim for. You end up with a big glob of crackle paint on your finger and you must start over, which always makes me quite because it is just too much trouble.

Have fun and good luck in painting your nails! Once you perfect this art you will have a quick and easy way to add flair to your fingertips.  

“Regular” Nail Polish Ingredient List (minus colors)
Ethyl Acetate, Butyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Propyl Acetate, Tosylamide Formaldehyde Resin, Isopropyl Alcohol, Trimethyl Pentanyl Diisobutyrate, Triphenyl Phosphate, Ethyl Tosylamide, Camphor, Stearalkonium Bentonite, Diacetone Alcohol, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Benzophenone-1, Citric Acid, Kaolin, Dimethicone

Crackle Nail Polish Ingredient List
ETHYL ACETATE , SD ALCOHOL – 40B, ADIPIC ACID/ NEOPENTYL GLYCOL/TRIMELLITIC ANHYDRIDE COPOLYMER, SILICA, BUTYL ACETATE, NITROCELLULOSE, ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL, STEARALKONIUM HECTORITE, STEARALKONIUM BENTONITE SUCROSE ACETATE ISOBUTYRATE, TRIMETHYL PENTANYL DIISOBUTYRATE, ETHYL TOSYLAMIDE, KAOLIN
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Black crackle makes for a dramatic look and is the most fun to work with

Never used a crackle overcoat? Learn the basics here...

 


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