Does spring start tomorrow? Oh, we didn’t notice. Kidding…we have been crossing days off the calendar since the start of January. Spring means pastel colors, bare legs, hayfever, and spring cleaning. That means it’s time to have a dig through those boxes of nail polish under your couch and work out what you can keep, donate, and toss. Yes, we are advocating tossing out your polish. If it’s clumpy or stinky, it has to go. But more on that in a second.
First up, take stock of what you have. Whether you have ten, or one hundred polishes, pull them all out and lay them on the floor in color groups. Immediately move your favourites to the side, because they stay, and then systematically go through bottle by bottle. How often do you wear it? Did you buy it for a particular reason and haven’t touched it since (like that 80s party you needed a neon orange for)? Did you buy it in this current decade? Someone in our office still has polishes from high school…no judgement here.
As you look at each bottle, check to see whether the polish has separated or if it’s thick and gluggy. If the color has just separated then that’s an easy fix – roll the bottle between your palms to circulate the formula and mix it. If it’s a little thick and you want to save it, then you can buy special nail polish thinner to loosen the formula. Handy hint: don’t just use acetone to thin your polish – it might work in a pinch, but it will damage your polish long term. If your polish looks really gluggy and dry, it’s time to say goodbye.
Now that the damaged polishes are safely in the trash, go over the colours again and make the final call. Do you have multiples of anything? Seven shades of red? Three silver glitters? Will you really wear it? You might be over that pink glitter, but your little cousin would probably love it – offer it to her. Get your besties together for a girls night and trade your duplicates. Or you could do your good deed for the week and donate your excess polish to Polished Girlz, and amazing nonprofit started by teen Alanna Wall. She does nail parties for girls in hospital, fund raising, and for special needs, and her work is so inspiring it brings a tear to the eye. Click here to see where you can send your polish. Then head out and buy all the new spring colours, because too much polish is never enough.
