DIY Beauty: Create your own nail polish

Posted by Alexandra C. | Wednesday January 18, 2012

I have a secret: I am a huge make up hoarder. I have buckets of lipsticks, powders and eyeliners from years past (which I am fairly certain means they are expired). For reasons beyond me, I also keep every single eyeshadow I have ever been given or bought, whether I use them or not. Whether it's the unwearable glitter shadow I bought on a whim or the multiple crushed shadows I dropped on my bathroom floor, I still have them all.

Needless to say, my hoarded stash was getting to be ridiculous which is why I was thrilled to find a DIY that used all those old eyeshadows to create something new!

So maybe you aren't brave enough to rock that intense shade of lime green on your eyes, but wouldn't it make a fabulous polish shade?

Here's what you'll need:

Clear polish (or top coat)
Eyeshadow (solid colours and pigments work best)
White and/or black polish (to lighten or darken a colour)
Nail polish thinner (use acetone in a pinch)
Container for polish
Orange stick or tool for mixing

Before you start:

Pour your clear polish into a small container or old, clean nail polish container. I'm using a bottle lid for a small amount.

If it isn't already, crush your eyeshadow into small pieces- the smaller the better.

Step 1: Add shadow to polish

Add the eyeshadow to the clear shadow, to start, only add a small amount. You can add more pigment later on until you get the shade you want.

Step 2: Mix together

Play around with colour, feel free to mix whatever colours you like best together to create something totally unexpected. Be sure to mix well.

Step 3: Perfect your colour

Mixing blue and purple shadows together, I got this indigo colour. I wanted to lighten it up though so I added a drop of white polish and mixed together. Because you are adding quite a lot of thick material to the polish, you will want to thin it out to make it easier to work with on your nail. Add a drop (not a lot!) of thinner or pure acetone (or nail polish remover with acetone) to your mixture to thin it out.

I wasn't a huge fan of my first colour so I decided to try again. I mixed a light pink shadow and purple pigment together and created a dark mauve shade.

The Final Look

Depending on how thin your polish is, you may need to paint up to three coats. I love that you can create pretty much any colour you want and it's going to be totally original!

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31 Comments

	on May 08, 2012 Vlicious 3,821 said: this is great!!! I would never have thought of using eyeshadows with a clear polish!
	on April 19, 2012 midnightsun2288 6,053 said: I might try this, because I've been looking for a mint green nail polish but I can't find one and i never wear my mint green eyeshadow.
	on March 14, 2012 jello814 1,321 said: This is so cool! I have tons of eyeshadow that I don't really wear anymore and I can't wait to try this out.
	on February 10, 2012 GeraldineL 901 said: Wow, very cool!
	on January 25, 2012 koreandoll 3,360 said: I will try this one asap! OMG Totally a makeup saver even if they're just sitting there. Now there's new use for the old ones and not just display. Whoohooo!!! PS: I'll try adding glitters too!
	on January 24, 2012 LadyChick234234 3,701 said: I would never do this. I'm too lazy. LOL.
	on January 23, 2012 luxx 2,176 said: I had no idea you could use eyeshadow. This is such a great idea, I have tons of colored eyeshadow, but I only ever wear black.
	on January 20, 2012 Dinah123 1,236 said: The first colour looked really nice! Very cosmo-y :)
	on January 20, 2012 mamaluv STAFF said: I'd even purposely not mix the pigments thoroughly for a patchy effect. As long as you use colours that go well together, it could really add some visual interest!
	on January 20, 2012 LisaDrew 2,288 said: I would have never thought of this! What a great rainy day project!