The hack
Using old eyeshadows as a stand-in for nail polish.
The test
Like many, I bought a do-it-yourself gel manicure kit during lockdown. But reports are increasingly suggesting that at-home kits might be causing adverse skin reactions. So as somebody with very sensitive skin, I’ve left mine untouched of late.
Most versions I’ve seen of this eyeshadow-as-nail polish hack use an at-home gel polish kit, so I’m keen to see if it might work with regular polish.
First, I painted a clear base coat on my nails and waited until it was dry-ish, which took around two minutes. Then, with an old eyeshadow brush (one you don’t mind potentially ruining), I dabbed some powder eyeshadow to the nail, which applied better than I thought it would, and added on another shade towards the tip of my nail for an ombre effect, patting the colour on to make sure it adhered well and was blended.
I finished with a long-wearing top coat and let it dry for a few minutes. Surprisingly, it looked pretty good.
The verdict
If doing your nails brings you joy, then this is worth a go. I like any beauty admin to be as fast as possible, so I’ll be sticking to a regular nail polish with the occasional gel manicure at the salon.
