How to make your own nail polish at home: DIY tutorial

So I made my own nail polish, thanks to "how-to's" on the internet. I used the cheapest brands of clear or sheer base coats I could find and a tonne of glitter and eyeshadows that I didn’t want any more to get these nail polishes - mostly neutral, because of the ingredients I used. The process was very easy and took very little time and effort, even for a klutz like me. And, since I went in for cheap brands from the corner store, it cost me hardly anything.

Here's how you can make your own nail polish at home with easily available ingredients.

Ingredients you need to make nail polish at home:

1. Clear nail polish. You can get away with lighter colours like white as well, but if you want complete control over pigmentation, formula, texture and the final shade, go for clear.
2. Eyeshadow in the colour of your choice. Pigmentation doesn't matter. You'll have to shake it all around anyway!
3. Paper funnels you can make out of old calendars - see below.
4. A workplace that can withstand powder and polish spills and stains.
5. Glitter in the colour of your choice, if you want to add a bit of bling to the polish. Preferably solvent-resistant glitter (is there another kind?)
6. Patience. 

Here is a step-by-step tutorial to make your own nail polish:

1. Scrape out the eyeshadow from the pan.
2. Empty a bit of polish from the bottle so there's some space for the eyeshadow.
3. Powder the eyeshadow - I wrapped it in newspaper and pounded away with a stone.
4. You can add eyeshadow to the clear polish to achieve the consistency you want.
5. Pour the eyeshadow powder into the bottle of clear polish with the help of a paper funnel.
6. Close the nail polish bottle and shake vigorously!

Voila! With the above eyeshadows, I got varying shades of neutrals and brown and I love them all. I know they all look alike in the picture - they're not! Swatches later - my nails are too yellow right now for more polish. Remember, the eyeshadow pigment will tend to sink to the bottom, so you might want to give it a good shaking before you apply the polish each time. Also, you can mix two or more eyeshadows to get the colour you want.

I then tried out glitter in clear polish and glitter in a bunch of other polishes including a midnight blue Max Factorr. I love all the results. Only, you need to shake well before use, as the glitter tends to sink.
I mixed silver glitter into the midnight blue Max Factor (centre) so it looks like a starry night. Also mixed glitter with two polishes I've owned forever. The glitter with clear polish will make a great top coat.

Meanwhile, I emptied a bit of each of the polishes into an empty bottle of Lakme nail polish remover, to make space. Guess what? I love this colour and I'm going to use it. Only, I'm wondering how to stop it from drying up, given the huge mouth of the bottle. I'm naming this colour "Renu Loves Lavender" :)

I had fun with the process - spilled glitter all over my table, got my fingers thoroughly coloured, got eyeshadow all over my dress and chin and nail polish on my floor.
If you do try this, remember to shake the bottle very well before each use, as the eyeshadow and glitter tend to sink to the bottom. Have fun!