Nail Polish Archives

Nail Polish Kit & Tutorial

June 28, 2017 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

Nail polish is a fun and easy way to change up your look. If you love decorating your nails, creating your own nail polish allows you to create custom shades. The new Nail Polish Kit includes four colorful micas for creating one-of-a-kind colors, as well as Fine Silver Rainbow EcoGlitter for sparkle. The kit ships free to the lower 48 United States.

Creating nail polish is a fun group activity and is great for parties. Jen of Something Turquoise created a DIY nail polish bar and it couldn’t have turned out cuter — see it here. A nail polish station makes a perfect addition to a birthday party or a bridal or baby shower. See our tips for throwing your own Nail Polish Party here.

If you’ve never made nail polish before, it couldn’t be easier. Simply add your choice of colorants into the nail polish bottle. Pour in Suspending Nail Polish Base, and mix the base and colorants together. Add more colorant until you have the perfect hue. Once you’re happy with the color, it’s ready to use!

The Nail Polish Kit Includes:
Suspending Nail Polish Base
8 Nail Polish Bottles
16 Nail Polish Mixing Beads
0.2 oz. Mermaid Mica
0.2 oz. Raspberry Mica
0.2 oz. Buttercup Mica
0.2 oz. Super Pearly White Mica
0.2 oz. Fine Silver Rainbow EcoGlitter
4 Mini Scoops
Printed Instructions & Labels

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Nail Polish Wedding Favor DIY

March 8, 2016 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

Nail polish is one of my favorite cosmetic products to make. It’s easy and customizable. If you’re getting married soon, custom nail polish makes a fantastic a wedding favor or bridesmaid gift. A nail polish party is also a great idea for a bridal shower or bachelorette party. Last year I threw a nail polish party for a few friends and we had a blast. Click here to see the fun, and my tips for throwing a nail polish party. Jen of Something Turquoise also created her own “Nail Polish Bar.” Click here to see her adorable set up and ideas.

If you’ve never made nail polish before, it couldn’t be easier. In a nail polish bottle, simply add the mica of your choice, a mixing ball and the Suspending Nail Polish Base. Then shake, shake, shake to disperse the color! Then it’s ready to use. You can also add pigments to the nail polish base as shown in the Anti-Pinch Nail Polish, but if using pigments, they do need to be mixed in isopropyl alcohol first to get rid of clumps.

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DIY Nail Polish Painted Champagne Flutes

January 6, 2016 Filed Under: Home Crafts

Making your own nail polish is a fun and easy DIY project. It’s also a really awesome party idea; last May I threw a nail polish party for a few of my friends and it was a blast. Check it out here. If you’re looking for another party activity, you can use your nail polish as paint! The Bramble Berry team and I recently created these painted champagne flutes for New Years and Valentine’s Day using homemade nail polish. It was a fun and super simple crafting session. This project can also be done with nail polish you already own.

To make these glasses, I used Q-tips to apply the nail polish directly to the glasses. Once they are painted and dried, I recommend hand washing them. I wouldn’t recommend placing these glasses in the dishwasher. The heat from the dishwasher may cause the paint to come off. We didn’t use a sealing spray, but you can if you like. I also recommend keeping the nail polish and the sealant spray toward the bottom of the glasses if you plan to drink from them. If they are just for decoration, feel free to decorate to the brim!

If you’ve never made nail polish before, it’s incredibly easy. Simply fill the bottle with the mica of your choice, then fill the bottle with Suspending Nail Polish Base. Shake until the colorant and nail polish base are completely mixed together. Then, it’s time to get painting! To see the process in action, check out this Soap Queen TV video.

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Handmade Cosmetics Roundup + Tips

October 12, 2015 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

When buying new cosmetics, it can be tricky to pick out the right product. I know I’ve taken home shades of lipstick or eye shadow that look way different on than in the tube! That’s why making your own cosmetics is such a great option – you can create the perfect shades for your skin tone and preference. As an added bonus, you know every ingredient that goes into your recipes.

Those who love easy recipes will love the Rose Gold Cosmetic Collection. It features a packed eye shadow, a lip shimmer made with moisturizing Nourish Lip Balm Base and a nail polish made with Suspending Nail Polish Base. The products all use Rose Gold Mica, which is a gorgeous two-toned color that looks great on a wide variety of skin tones. The color is also so on trend right now (there’s even a rose gold iPhone!) Best of all, making all three products only takes about an hour.

The Rose Gold Cosmetic Collection makes 3 different products with just 1 ounce of colorant!

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Rose Gold Cosmetic Collection: Eyeshadow, Lip Shimmer & Nail Polish

September 22, 2015 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Lip Products

Micas can be used for a variety of projects, including lotions and melt and pour soap. They’re also great for cosmetics, because they add beautiful shimmer. For this project, we used Rose Gold Mica to create three different products! This Rose Gold Cosmetic Collection has a gorgeous nail polish, eye shadow and lip shimmer. All together, they create a gorgeous collection that’s perfect for gifts.

Rose Gold Mica is a lovely two-tone mica. It appears as a pale rose pink or a glimmering gold, depending on how the light hits it. In the Lip Shimmer, it adds a subtle rosy color to the lips, while in the Nail Polish, the gold really stands out. The Eye Shadow has a lovely pale golden pink finish. You can wear one product at a time, or all of them at once for a cohesive glam look. These recipes create four of each product.

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Nail Polish Party + Nail Polish Colors and Free Templates

May 27, 2015 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

A few months ago, I threw DIY party at my house. It was a ton of fun; my friends and I created a Winter Gardenia Sugar Scrub, along with various colors of nail polish. Nail polish is one of my favorite projects to make with friends because it’s simple, easy to customize, and just about everybody loves nail polish. Making nail polish doesn’t require precise measurement or heat, which makes it easy to set up and clean up after.

I recommend planning on each person making about three bottles of nail polish. To give your guests plenty of color options, colorant sampler packs are a great way to go. For this party, I used the Brights and Pastel Micas Sampler Pack. I also brought along some glitter to add plenty of sparkle.

First, I showed everybody how to create a bottle of nail polish. Then, I gave them each printed instructions along with a template to test their nail polish color throughout the mixing process. I also had labels printed out, so my friends could write the name of their custom shade on the bottle. Coming up with fun polish names is one of my favorite parts!

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Nourishing Nail Polish Formula

March 31, 2015 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

Nail polish is an easy way to add color and personality to your look. Nail art has recently flourished, and there are now more nail polish options than ever before. While nail polish is fun, it can take a toll on your nails. This Nourishing Nail Polish Formula contains skin-loving argan oil to help care for your nails while adding color. Mixing the colorant in the oil before adding it to the Suspending Nail Polish Base also makes the blending process easier.

For this recipe, I use argan oil, but any lightweight liquid oil would work. Sweet almond oil, chia seed oil, green tea seed oil, avocado oil or hazelnut oil would all be great choices. While slightly more oil could be added to the mixture, adding too much can prevent the polish from drying. If you’d like to add more oil, make a small test batch first to make sure the polish dries and hardens. This technique also works with other colors. The Radiant Plum Colorant used in this tutorial gives a gorgeous vibrant purple hue.

Keep in mind that nail polish base is extremely flammable; do not make or store your polish near an open flame. Because nail polish can be hard to clean, you may want to cover your counter space with newspaper in case of a spill. If you prefer to mix the polish, oils and colorants in a separate container before pouring it into the bottle, use a nail polish-safe, disposable container.
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12 Days of Christmas: Holiday Glam Nail Polish

November 15, 2014 Filed Under: Home Crafts

Red and green are classic and beautiful holiday colors. But every once and awhile, it’s nice to shake things up! Gold, silver and merlot hues are both glamorous and sophisticated, making them perfect for nail polish. These four festive colors make an adorable holiday gift set. They are also the perfect size for stocking stuffers!

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Shine Bright: Bronze Series + Bronzing Lotion Recipe

July 11, 2014 Filed Under: Lotion

Whether you’re taking an exotic trip this summer or tanning in your backyard, you’re covered with this series of Bronze tutorials. First up, give your lips some moisturizing shine with the Beautiful Bronze Lip Tint tutorial. Featuring a special blend of Merlot Mica, Copper Mica and Gold Sparkle Mica (which is 20% off this month!), it’s perfect for subtle color. Then, visit Soap Queen on Tumblr for the complimenting Bronze Goddess Nail Polish. This recipe makes 3 bottles of polish, so keep one for yourself and give the rest to friends!

From top left clockwise: Shimmer Stick, Bronze Lip Tint, Bronze Goddess Nail Polish, Coconut Cream Cold Process

For bronze-y skin care, take a look at the Shimmer Stick that came out in this week’s newsletter (didn’t get it? sign-up here!) It’s a super-pigmented solid bar that also imparts plenty of skin-loving moisture. It’s fragranced with Burnt Sugar Fragrance Oil, which features delicious notes of amber and vanilla. For more skin-loving goodness, take a look at the Coconut Cream Pie Cold Process tutorial. Made with 100% coconut water instead of distilled water, it’s a tropical soapy treat!

Sometimes all that glitters really is gold!

The final tutorial in our Bronze Series is the Beautiful Bronzing Lotion. Made with the Aloe Lotion Base, this is a beginner recipe that can be made in a matter of minutes.

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Guest Post: Nailing New Trends in Nail Polish

June 16, 2014 Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

In this Soap Guild 2014 recap post, guest blogger Jodi Chen walks us through the ins and outs of creating your own nail polish. The session was presented by Christina Rose, owner and creative director of KBShimmer Bath and Body. Read on to learn all about creating an awesome nail polish that will stand the test of time. — A.M.

Walking into the conference room set up for Christina Rose’s presentation on handmade nail polish was a bit like walking into a candy store. An enticing array of glitters, micas, and pigments were laid out on a table, shimmering in the light. Bottles of nail polish base sat in tidy rows, beckoning like tiny blank canvases awaiting a creative touch.

Christina brought so many fun glitters to experiment with.

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Have a Pedicure Spa Day in 5 Easy Steps

June 13, 2014 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

The weekend is almost here, and after a long day on your feet, it’s always nice to come home and relax. Summer is around the corner too, which means it’s time to break out the sandals and get your toes in flip flop shape. To help you out, we’ve put together this handy free instruction sheet that will guide you through how to use the series of tutorials we’ve shown you this week.

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Sunday Night Spotlight: Suspending Nail Polish Base

December 8, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

As a quick and easy gift or for a crafty night in, homemade nail polish can’t be beat! I also have it on good authority that nail polish parties are the hot ticket at Otion. We have rigorously tested our Suspending Nail Polish Base to make sure it can suspend all sizes of glitters, and we’ve found the best usage rate is 5 – 7.5% (max) for the glitter. If you add more than that, it won’t matter how lovely and light the glitter is … it’ll still sink. Our nail polish base is also formaldehyde, toluene and DBP free.

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Peacock Glitter Nail Polish

July 16, 2013 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

Strut your stuff with this fabulous Peacock Glitter Nail Polish. The polish is super simple to make, and in under a half an hour you can have your nails prepped and ready for a night out! The Vintage Grey Mica adds a touch of sophistication, and the subtlety of the green, blue and aqua-hued glitter make this a versatile polish for any occasion.

What You’ll Need:

Suspending Nail Polish Base

3 Nail Polish Bottles (15 mL size)

3 Nail Polish Mixing Balls

Peacock Nail Polish Glitter

Vintage Grey Mica

Tiny Funnel

Mini Scoops

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

Never made nail polish before? It’s easy! Check out this Soap Queen TV Nail Polish tutorial for a quick introduction to making your own polish.

ONE: In a well ventilated space, pour the nail polish base slowly into the bottle. Fill until just below the shoulder of the bottle to allow for mixing room. If you spill, use an old rag to wipe the neck of the bottle. If you forget to do this, your lid may ‘glue’ itself to the bottle. Please note that nail polish is extremely flammable and should never be customized near any open flame or extremely hot heat source (say, a stove or something like that).

TWO: Drop a mixing ball into each nail polish bottle.

THREE: Using a mini scoop, add 4 – 5 scoops of colorant per bottle. This part can get messy because the mica is so fine, so consider pouring over a garbage can or an easily washable surface.

FOUR: Insert the brush into the bottle and twist the black cap over it until you hear a “click”. Once the cap is securely on the bottle, start shaking! Shake the bottle for 3 – 5 minutes to fully disperse the colorant into the nail polish base.

FIVE: When the colorant has been fully dispersed, add the Peacock Glitter. The amount of glitter is completely up to you, but we added about 10 – 12 scoops.

Tip: To avoid spilling glitter everywhere, consider using a Mini Funnel to channel the glitter directly into the bottle!

That’s it! You’re ready for a night out with perfectly peacock’ed nails.

Matte Finish Nail Polish Tutorial

March 12, 2013 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

Creating our own nail polish has become all the rage for Team Bramble Berry and we can’t get enough of playing around with our Suspending Nail Polish Base. We’ve done everything from basic colors to scented nail polish. Have any questions about making your own nail polish? Check out Talk it Out Tuesday all about customizing nail polishes. For this tutorial, I’m trying out a cool effect I came across while surfing Pinterest last week. Matte nail polishes are all the rage, and the addition of a special ingredient – cornstarch – can take your polish from glossy to glam.

Matte Finish Nail Polish