Check Out These Surefire Ways To Make Your Nail Polish Collection Last Longer

If you’re anything like us who has a full crate of nail polish lying around for months, but refuses to let go regardless if they’re actually still useable or not, then this article is for you. Not knowing whether we can use a bottle of polish can truly be confusing, so we're here to let you in on tips and tricks to make your collection last long, so you can create pretty pointers for as long as you possibly could!

We're happy to report on some of the fail-safe tips and tricks we gathered for all of you who have the same questions in mind. Now, they can last much longer. 

Being in quarantine for months on end can surely take a toll even on our beauty collections—a lot of it can go stale, including our nail polish. For instance, is it still okay to use if the formula has visibly separated? What if it has gone sticky? And if it has gone bad, is there an eco-friendly way to dispose of it? 

Below, we gathered some tricks for you to get as much life as possible out of your polish. You can even rescue polish that has already dried up if you have a little lacquer thinner handy! Keep reading!

Keep them out of direct sunlight. 

You’re told to store nail polish in a cool, dark place for a good reason. Bright light or direct sunlight damages your polishes, so avoid them at all costs, as beauty vlogger Michelle Phan suggests.

Keep the mouth of the bottle clean. 

In lifestyle queen Martha Stewart’s blog, here’s a maintenance rule-of-thumb from Essie’s global lead educator Rita Remark: "Keep the mouth of the bottle clean by wiping it with a bit of nail polish remover after each use. Otherwise, polish can quickly build up and prevent the lid from sealing fully. “This then allows air in, which can thicken the polish.”

Invest in polish thinner. 

A polish thinner is a separate product sold by most nail brands for you to add to your nail varnish when it starts getting gloopy. It brings the nail polish back to the perfect liquidity for painting. 

Agitate polish every few days. 

Nail polished that sit for long periods of time is more likely to start to set. To avoid this, occasionally roll the posh in your hands or turn the bottle over a few times. You can also shake the bottle gently, but shaking vigorously can create bubbles which can make the polish apply unevenly the next time you use it.

Lead photos from Essie and Betina Goldstein