How to Make Glittery Nail Polish

Allow girls to create custom bottles of polish as a party craft.

If you have searched for your dream glittery nail polish to no avail, you can call off your quest. Creating a custom blend of polish and glitter is well within your reach, and it allows you to concoct sparkly shades that match every nail fantasy you have. Though the base of your creation is traditional nail polish, the glitter does not have to be a product intended for cosmetic use. Craft glitter is perfectly suitable for this project and is available in myriad hues.

Things You'll Need

• Newspaper
• Empty nail polish bottle
• Clear nail polish
• Opaque, colored nail polish
• Index card
• Tape
• Craft glitter

Instructions

1. Cover a work surface with newspaper.

2. Pour clear nail polish into an empty nail polish bottle. Fill one-half the bottle with the clear product. The openings of the bottles should be similar in size if not identical. Hold the top of the clear nail polish directly to the top of the empty bottle to decrease the likelihood of spills. Pour the polish slowly to ensure it all flows into the empty bottle.

3. Dip the brush of an opaque nail color into its corresponding bottle of polish.

4. Transfer drops of opaque polish on the brush to the bottle half-full of clear nail varnish. Hold the end of the brush above the opening of the half-full bottle. Shake the brush lightly to encourage two or three drops of polish to drop into the bottle.

5. Place the opaque color brush back in its bottle. Place corresponding brush and lid on the half-full bottle. Shake the bottle to mix the colored and clear polishes. Opaque nail color obscures glitter partially. Tinting clear polish gives your creation some color while allowing the glitter to sparkle in full glory. Add more opaque color to the mixture to achieve your desired color intensity, if necessary.

6. Pull two corners of an index card together to form a cone-shaped funnel. Shape the pointed end of the funnel so that it is narrow enough to fit in the opening of the nail polish bottle but wide enough to let glitter pass through it freely. An opening the size of a slim straw is suitable.

7. Place a piece of tape on the overlapped portion of the card to secure it in the funnel shape.

8. Insert the narrow end of the funnel into the top of the mixed polish. Pour about 1/2-teaspoon of craft glitter into the funnel. Tap the side of the funnel gently with a finger to knock any glitter stuck on the side of the paper into the bottle.

9. Place the cap on the bottle of glitter and polish. Shake the bottle to mix the contents. Turn the bottle upside down and let the contents shift slowly to mix the polish and glitter if shaking does not mix them thoroughly.

10. Add another 1/4-teaspoon of glitter if you want to intensify the metallic content of the mixture.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose fine-cut glitter which has the smallest metallic flecks. The more the glitter resembles dust, the easier it is to mix into polish and paint on your nails.

• Adding drops of an opaque polish is optional.

• A mixture with a lot of glitter is likely to chip once you apply it. If you create a polish with a lot of glitter, paint over it with a clear top coat to prevent chipping.