Deborah Lippmann’s ‘Glitter In The Air’ – swatches & review

In my opinion, Deborah Lippmann not only was one of the first to make large hexagonal glitter polishes modern and sophisticated, but also so wearable for more than just the teenage set. ‘Glitter In The Air’ continues her glittery legacy but with a new Springtime freshness; the milky base prevents this shade from coming on strong and the sparse amount of large glitter pieces keeps things just interesting enough, without any overkill. Swatch is with Deborah Lippmann’s Rehydrating Base Coat and 3 coats of lacquer, no top coat.

At first glance, the base tone in the bottle looks like a cloudy pale blue, but once on the nail, it settles into more of a milky hue, slightly tinting your natural nail colour, and adding an almost creamy tone to it. The glitter itself is a very unique colour combination; there are two shades of the large hexagonal glitter pieces – a coppery salmon and a cerulean sky blue, with smaller hexagonal pieces in the same shades and a smattering of tiny silver glitter thrown in. Since this lacquer is not meant to be opaque but more of a confetti-like veil on your nails, I find that it imparts a clean, fun look. I love how there are some pieces that seem to be simmering under the surface, almost peeking through, while the last coat I added left the glitter almost floating to the top, to catch and bend the light as it hits the nail. The finish is rather fast drying and super glossy and what’s even more interesting, is that it feels quite smooth to the touch, even without any top coat added.

Final thoughts: Personally, I think that this is my favourite glitter polish to date…at least for daytime wear! In Deborah Lippmann’s own words, she said the following:

“My inspiration for ‘Glitter In The Air’ was part customer request and part Pink’s magical performance at the (2010) Grammy Awards – floating through the air, wrapped in a sheer body suit with sparkles. I wanted to capture that ethereal moment in a bottle”

…and she has done exactly that! If you’ve never gotten onto the large hexagonal glitter bandwagon, I am positive this polish will win you over. It has a deceptive simpleness to it, but then a piece of glitter flashes in the light and you’re mesmerized! The formula was amazing as well, easy to apply with its well formed brush, and basically self-leveling. The more clear base also means that this is a very forgiving lacquer, making it almost impossible for you to mess it up. Deborah Lippmann polishes are available at several high end retail department stores as well as her website. Stay tuned for more ‘Glitter In The Air’ coming in my next post, as I show you a layering combo that Deborah herself used!