Want to make a custom color? Let Nik show you!

I decided to do this as a pic-tutorial!

A few notes before starting:

Make sure to empty a small amount of clear polish from the bottle if its new to make room for the powder!

Eye shadows with shimmer and glitter will obviously create a shimmery polish. It looks almost like satin.

This can be pretty messy. I did mine in the bath tub (not while bathing, haha).

Of course the polishes aren't going to be super high quality like your expensive name brands, but they're pretty awesome and fun to make! They last well in my experience, dry quickly, and look pretty good! To pump up the shine use a glossy top coat, or keep the satiny finish with a matte one.

Here goes!

Have you made colors before? What method did you use?

Feel free to share your creations and experiences at http://www.facebook.com/mommiesmanis

Nik's Own Polish- Elephantastic

A few months ago, when my family was in midst of the worst part of our financial crisis, I had discovered nail polish on etsy. I thought it was so cool that people could actually MAKE nail polish at home. It intrigued me. There were many shops there but I couldn't really purchase any.

I was a but bummed about it, but didn't let it get let it get me down. Instead, I googled how to do it.

I found a simple method to make pigmented polish (not glitters because at the time that's not what I really liked as much) that involved clear top coat and crushed eye shadow.

So easy.

So fun!

My husband laughed as I set up station in the kitchen and broke out five bottles of cheap top coat that I had on hand, because fit some reason over the past I had over purchased thinking I was probably out.

Three of the five that I made, or maybe four of the five, I forget, were made with $0.97 Wet N Wild top coat.

Yes, I made five. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to create other than a blue and a grayish purple, but I had do much fun I also made a dark mauve/red, forest type green, and a gold/orange color. Apparently I either lost the orange one or gave it to my sister, because I couldn't find it for the photo below. In the photo the one I am wearing is the only one I shook and left the others separated so you could see what I was talking about.

I used super cheap eye shadow compacts from Walgreens that I went and bought with spare change. I think they were but one get one free at $0.99.

Today, I decided to wear the gray-purple color. I made it thinking about elephants and how mysterious their color is to me. I call it "Elephantastic."

These homemade colors are not only fun to create, but they work really well. I put quite a bit of pigment (crushed shadow) in each bottle so they are all opaque in 1-2 coats. They dry to a satiny shimmer, but with top coat are quite shiny.

They dry really quick! I was nervous, for some silly reason, that they would wash off or something, but they really don't. Just to be safe, I usually wear top coat (matte or glossy).

When the polishes sit, they tend to separate (see photo), but shaking them up a bit solves the problem, no sweat.

Anyone else ever made polish colors at home?