Custom Nail Polish Colors at Home

 

Nail polish in Japan is very, very girly.  It’s primarily pink and shimmery or sparkly.  Or pastel.  And if it’s none of those things, then there’s usually a rhinestone or some kind of gold shiny decal on the person’s nails.  I love bright, bold colors like coral and mint.  I love dark, rich reds that border on black or purple, and I own about 10 different shades of what I would classify as “wine.”  I like clean colors: no glitter or shimmer.  As you can imagine, the state of nail polish here makes me sad.  Carla’s care packages always contain at least 5 different bottles of nailpolish, and I beg visitors to pick up the latest colors for me.   I was thrilled for about 10 seconds a few months ago when I found OPI and essie at a local drug store.  Then I looked at the price tag: nearly $25 per bottle!  Dream on.

 

 

So when I came across a pin the other day that claimed you could make your own nail colors by mixing clear polish and powdered eyeshadow, I was so excited that I could hardly sleep that night.  I ran down to the Japanese equivalent of a dollar store and picked up a few bottles of clear polish.  I have loads of eyeshadow that I practically never wear and would happily repurpose into nailpolish.

 

 

The verdict?  It works!  And holy crap, is it fun to make.  I played around with different colors and mixtures for at least an hour.  I felt a little bit like a mad scientist.  The polish is a little transparent, and I needed 3 coats before I was happy with it.  But if you use a higher quality clear polish, it might work better.  For $1, I’m not complaining.

 

 

I’ve seen lots of midnight blue and different shades of brown popping up as big nail color trends for fall, so that’s where I started.  My navy eyeshadow made the nailpolish look black, so I mixed it with a little bit of blue nailpolish that I already owned to tint it more toward blue.  I just kept tweaking and re-applying each of the colors until I liked the outcome.  I also made a rich chocolate brown shade and a latte color that has a hint of pink (I’m thinking ombre brown??).  It seems like the outcome varies depending on the brand of makeup and how dark the color is.  So can’t really give you a formula – just experiment!  Start with a little bit of powder and add more (you can always add, but you can’t take away!)  And have so, so much fun with it.

 

 

Custom Nail Polish
adapted from Chic Factor

 

You’ll need:
Clear nail polish
Powder eye shadow or blush
Wax paper to funnel the powder into the polish

 

Use a toothpick or something with a pointed end to turn the pressed powder into a loose powder.  Try to break up any chunks.  Empty the powder onto the wax paper.
If you are using a new bottle of polish, empty some so that there’s room to add the powder.
Use the wax paper to funnel the loose powder into the bottle of polish.  Shake VERY, VERY WELL to mix.  Test, and adjust accordingly.  ENJOY!

 

Tip: My bottles of nailpolish didn’t have any agitators in them, and the powder was clumping and streaking a little bit when I applied it.  I added a few small beads to each bottle, and that helped eliminate the problem.  I still need to shake vigorously before applying, however.