Glitter Find

Links checked 12/12/13

Updated 11/18/11 It's a late realization but I'm fairly certain all of these bleed and/or turn into flecks. That includes the glitters from Sally Beauty and most of the Hobby Lobby vials.

I went out a few weeks ago to a couple stores with my sister, Sally Beauty, Garden Ridge and Hobby Lobby and while she isn't so artsy (she in fact inherited the brains in the family) we can both happily get lost in the craft stores for hours. 

We went to Sally Beauty because she was chasing after a holiday China Glaze and I found these down low by the counter.

At only $0.99 of course I bought them. I don't know how much they contain package wise but it's plenty to last quite a long time. Now according to the item #s on the bottom, the first is Lavish Lavender, and the second and third are Blue Lagoon- though you can clearly see they aren't identical. I labeled them simply C, A and B in order they appear here. The names are not listed on the package, I found that on Sally Beauty.

Photographed "dry", actually captured on double sided tape. You can see that Blue Lagoon is larger in size than Lavish Lavender. There will be further picture comparisons below.

It's a late realization but I'm fairly certain all of these bleed and turn into flecks.

In the Hobby Lobby while my sister wandered through Christmas trees and décor, I headed over to glitter and the like. I already have a lot of glitter, both craft and the cosmetic kind from TKB Trading and Coastal Scents  as well as UV neon glitter from Glimmer Body Art but there's no such thing as too much.

What I purchased was this: Mini Glitter Tube Set

The description says "Add some sparkle to your projects with this garment quality, color safe, non-toxic and acid free polyester glitter. The package contains 24 jars measuring about 1/2" in diameter x 2" tall. Caps have a 1/8" diameter hole for easy dispensing." $7.99 for the set of 24.

The picture below is to give you an idea of the size we're talking about. The first is Coastal Scents Sahara Sand (TKB's are the same size), in the middle is a random color from the package of 24 and the last is Lime glitter that I recently purchased from Glimmer Body Art. Neither the Hobby Lobby glitter or Glimmer Body Art packaging mention the size.

Coastal Scents states that their glitter is, ".004 particle size" while TKB Trading phrases it as ".004 hex size" (hex refers to the shape) but it all means the same thing. .004" is 101.6 microns or 0.1016mm, normally labeled as "Micro-fine" The Conservatorie lists theirs as being either .004" or .008" (depending on the glitter) which is 200 microns or 0.2mm, labeled as "Ultra-fine".

Another reason I am pleased with these new glitters are the containers themselves. The word "jars" in the item description is stretching it since they are more like vials, approximately 45mm long w/out cap and 12mm wide. (1 inch is 25.4mm).

As advertised they also have "a 1/8" diameter hole for easy dispensing."

The glitter came out and poured into my polish bottle easily with the help of a small paper funnel (without it I made a mess) which the glitter did not stick to. It's made out of polyester which is the same material as those sold by the aforementioned stores.

The size of the vial makes it easy to take along with you, unlike the 4oz. jars the rest of my glitters and pigments are stored in, which made me wonder if they would be good for pigment too? They are small but hold enough for many bottles of polish. Those 4oz containers aren't exactly portable when there are so many. I haven't yet found any empty vials to buy but I'll continue to look.

So you can see how all the glitters compare in size…

I'd seen these when I was actually at Hobby Lobby but put them back… I knew when I did I'd be sorry and was, so I went and ordered them online. Disco GHT, Disco ZHT, Disco VHT

picture from website

swatches of actual glitter

The description (and price) is the same for all three:

Poly Flake is the glitter that makes you a pro. It's made with water and solvent-resistant coatings making it mixable with most paints and adhesives (always test a small amount before starting your project). It's perfect for fabrics, ceramics, fingernails, floral, cards, school projects, crafts and stamping. Non-toxic, non-tarnish and washable. Package contains 21 grams of glitter (about 3/4 ounce). $3.47

Update: This pertains to the glitters above. I tried them today in regular clear polish (as opposed to TKB's Franken Base) with very disappointing results; rather than a brilliant Sally Hansen Disco Ball effect, the glitter turned into white flecks, without iridescence, no sparkle. The same was true for both clear polish and colored polish and all three glitters did it. Since using them in polish didn't work, I tried painting my nail with one coat of clear polish and sprinkled the glitter on and this did provide brilliant results. Thus far I only did my thumbnail to test so I'll have to complete the job to post pics. The Fairy Dust glitter from Coastal Scents, both hex sizes, will also become white flecks when used directly in a bottle of polish.

I've used all my glitters in polish to varying degrees of success and am of the opinion that when you use "too much" of Coastal Scents or TKB Trading's glitters they appear gritty, rather like grains of salt whereas the Hobby Lobby glitter seems to lay down a little smoother because it is larger. But that may have more to do with my formulation than the glitters.

Below are the glitters swatched in polish along with a few store bought glitter polishes for comparison. As a reminder, Sally A & B are "Blue Lagoon". Vial F & A are from the Hobby Lobby 24pk. The final polish swatch is one of my own that I named Carousel and it contains a little of all the vials as well as Sally A, B & C.

Related Entries:

Cosmetic Glitter Swatches