These are my biggest cosmetic conundrums: products aren't supposed to last forever and that funky smell or coagulated consistency lets me know when a lip gloss or nail polish has expired and it's time to toss. When a brand discontinues a favorite item, I might ignore that smell or deal with clumps for a few more uses. This nail polish hack made my day, since it means I can extend the life of a nearly empty bottle and get a few more coats or, well, a handful more manis out of the bottle, especially when it's a discontinued shade.
But it comes with a few conditions.
As Allure reminds us, every time you or your manicurist uses a polish, air enters the bottle, which thickens the polish over time. The thicker the polish, the messier the mani. I've seen my nail tech take medicine droppers and insert a little polish thinner into the bottle, shake it, and viola! A flawless, streak-free mani is the result. But that's not the sole way to de-clump the brush and to get to the bottom of the bottle for a perfect polish job.
NYC mani queen Miss Pop shared this hack with Allure and it's crazy easy.
You clean the brush with a little bit of acetone, since too much can ruin the remaining product, in a non-plastic cup you will use for pretty much only this purpose. Don't use anything you'd serve drinks with and don't be heavy-handed.
Miss Pop suggests that you "swirl your brush in the acetone until the clumps of polish loosen and fall off." If there are chunky pieces that refuse to give up their grip on the brush hairs, pull them off with a paper towel, not a tissue or cotton ball, since they tend to leave fibers behind. Don't rinse the brush. Put it back in the bottle as is, since any leftover acetone on the brush hairs will serve another purpose and that's thin out clumpy polish.
But don't do this hack unless the brush and polish and clumpy and you really are nearing the bottom of the bottle, since too much acetone will break things down and will eventually ruin the rest of the polish. You use acetone to, you know, remove last week's mani color, so the same thinking applies because duh!
If this sounds like way too much effort for a couple extra manis and if you're not super married to a brand, may I suggest another hack? Why not try the SuperDuper app, which finds drugstore replicas of high-end brands? It will at least help you find something similar in quick and cheap fashion, without any chemicals.
Images: Giphy (4)
