What is a Jelly Polish?

I know that there are some nail polish fanatics who read my blog (waves to my peeps!) but I also know that not everyone who reads Nouveau Cheap is freakishly obsessed with nail polish. For the casual nail polish fan, some of the terminology within the nail community might be a bit confusing, which is completely understandable (I just recently found out what "tacoing" means--if you don't know, it's when a big piece of glitter refuses to lay flat on the nail and folds up on the sides to create a "taco").

So for those of you who are a bit more casual (read: less obsessive) about nail polish, I'd like to take a moment to answer some questions that I seem to get asked quite frequently here, on Facebook and Twitter. Here's everything you need to know about jelly polishes:

What is a jelly polish?

"Jelly" refers to the finish of the polish. Just like with frosts, shimmers, cremes, mattes, glitters, etc., a jelly polish is unique because of how it looks on the nail. On the nail (and even in the bottle) a jelly polish will look translucent and jelly-like. Imagine applying a thin layer of red jello to your nail. That's what a red jelly polish sort of looks like! Some describe this as "squishy," meaning that it looks like you could squish a jelly polish (like jello). Jellies can also contain glitter, shimmer, glass flecks, etc. and still be considered jelly polishes due to their translucency.

How do I apply it?

You apply a jelly polish just like any other polish. The only difference is that you'll need to build up the coats in order to achieve the level of opaqueness you desire. Most jellies are VERY sheer on the first coat but if you want more color, expect to apply three, four or even more coats to your nails.

Where can I get it?

You can find jelly polishes everywhere (drugstores, beauty supply stores, online, etc.). Some easy-to-find jellies that come to mind are: Milani Rad Purple, Sally Hansen Red Carpet and Sinful Colors Kissy. L'Oreal released an entire line of jellies in their Miss Candy Collection (I reviewed two of them here) that you still may be able to find in stores near you. There's also a jelly in their new pink polishes as well (I'll be reviewing that soon!). And of course higher-end brands like Zoya have jelly collections as well--remember I used Zoya Paloma for this manicure?

What's so special about jelly polishes?

Other than looking extremely cool on the nail (well, to me at least!) the best part about jelly polishes is that you can make jelly sandwiches with them! A jelly sandwich is when you apply a layer of glitter polish in between layers of a jelly polish to create a "sandwich." This makes the glitter particles look suspended within the jelly (think of a jello mold with fruit inside). If you have no idea what I'm talking about, her you go:

jelly sandwich example #1

jelly sandwich example #2

For information on the polishes used in these manicures, click here.

OK, I think I got it! But what the heck is a "crelly" then?

A crelly is simply a creme-jelly (I actually refer to these as jelly-cremes, but it's the same thing). Basically, a crelly is a creme polish that has the same type of "squishiness" to it that a regular jelly polish has, only without the translucency. An example of a crelly would be the CoverGirl Glosstini shade Appletini (actually, there are several crellies in that collection).  And just FYI, there are also milky jellies! A milky jelly is a jelly that--you guessed it--looks a little bit milky (but still has the translucency of a jelly). A perfect example of a milky jelly is Wet n Wild 2% Milk.

I hope that answers all of your questions about jelly polishes, and if I left anything out, please leave a comment below and I'll do my best to answer your questions!