DIY Beauty: Create your own nail polish (page 3)

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 January 18, 2012 SmallBudgetBeauty 294 said: Very cool idea! I will be trying this out!
	on January 18, 2012 BrittanyJRW 354 said: This is such a neat idea! Off to create. :)
	on January 18, 2012 takanikki 2,265 said: That looks fun. I've been looking for a certain shade of blue, but now, I'm just gonna make my own. Thanks for sharing the great idea!
	on January 18, 2012 assia 1,578 said: Thanks for the advices!
	on January 18, 2012 Raeven13 317 said: DON'T USE ACETONE!!!! Acetone will ruin the nail polish. Use Polish thinner!!! You can get it cheap at Sally Beauty Supply.
	on January 18, 2012 Patricia 6,845 said: Thanks! What a great idea for old eyeshadows!
	on January 18, 2012 beachbabe 4,164 said: That's such a cool idea! Love it.
	on January 18, 2012 beautyinfinitum 2,817 said: Love it! I have some pigments I probably won't use so I should try this.
	on January 18, 2012 Becky 13,128 said: love the idea!!! wow girl I have MAC pigment in vanilla just sitting in one of my drawers.. i had no idea what to do with soo much pigment! now I do :-) awwwsome! thanks :-)
	on January 18, 2012 Nik05 7,949 said: Love this idea! I'm the same when it comes to makeup...I'm a huge hoarder, I have tons of eyeshadow colours that I haven't used in years.