Fashion
Essential Nail Polish Tips from Priti, Jin Soon, and Deborah Lippmann
Even if you're not mani cam-ing, when you've shelled out upwards of $30 for a favorite color, you definitely want to get the most mileage possible out of the bottle. What kind of mileage? Well, a proper insult for me currently might be: Yo nail polish is so old, it still says Lippmann Collection on the bottle!
Though on its last legs, I've taken care to make the bottle go the distance, and thought, who better to ask for storage tips than the pros who make our favorite nail polish? What if my favorite polish could last forever? I reached out to the cream of the manicure crop to find out what works.
Image: Sfriedbergphoto on Flickr
Spick, span, and air-tight
Priti NYC (a vegan, non-toxic polish company) founder Kim D’amato recommends keeping bottles sealed carefully when not in use. “The more polish is exposed to oxygen, the more it will dry out,” D’amato says. By using a polish remover to clean the excess polish from the neck of the bottle, you’ll avoid crusty remnants that make it harder for the bottle to close properly.
Image: Courtesy of Priti NYC
Ice, ice baby
After taking steps to ensure your favorite polish is sealed, D’amato says to keep polish away from any heat sources. “Nail polish can last forever if it is stored correctly — away from direct sunlight and in a cool dark place,” says D’amato. Manicurist to the fashion world Jin Soon, who has a batch of heavenly salons, recommends the fridge for long term storage. “When it is time to apply the polish, you will have to wait to apply it for several minutes until it is closer to room temperature,” Soon says.
Image: Courtesy of Jin Soon
Smooth operator
When polish gunks up or dries out, and application isn’t as smooth, all hope’s not lost. D’amato recommends using a few drops of thinner — not acetone, which according to Soon is terrible for your nails — to even out the texture of the formula.
Blowoff the bubbles
To avoid tiny bubbles in the bottle that translate to très annoying bubbles on the nail, “roll the polish in your hands,” and don’t shake it when prepping to apply, says D’amato. Deborah Lippmann, of her own eponymous nail polish line, agrees with doing the roll. “Never shake the bottle,” says Lippmann, “it will cause bubbles and streaks in the manicure.”
Image: @deborahlippmann on Instagram
So, to stretch the life of your polish bottles
Be good to ‘em, and they’ll be good to you.
