Your Claws: Cheap Gold Flake Look

So, the thing this winter seems to be topcoat with flakes of real gold leaf in it. There's one from OPI, one from Zoya, one from Sephora by OPI, etc. They're pretty, but I'm never going to spend $30 on a bottle on nail polish. I'm probably never going to spend $15 on one. So I found a way to get a similar look for much cheaper.


It's NYX Girls Nail Polish in Gilded Glitter, and it costs $2. I got it at Cherry Culture. It's a clear topcoat with irregular sized/shaped pieces of gold glitter. You're not going to get huge chunks like some of the gold leaf top coats. It's more like the Sephora version: smaller pieces more densely packed. It's not real gold, and if you look really closely, you can tell, I guess. But it still looks fucking pretty.

Here it is:

(I don't have the nicest nails. Deal with it.)

I put this over Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Color in Co-Bolt Blue. It's a perfect, shimmery, royal blue that only needs one coat. Love. Best part? I got it on clearance at CVS last week for $2.50. So keep an eye out.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.