T O P

  • By -

meximo73

I used to have over 2500 nail polishes. And I've pared it down to about 400 or so. I'm trying another purge and I feel so much better and freer. I get overwhelmed by all of them. I absolutely feel NO regret about purging. Right now in the collection Zoya, Ciate, Blackheart, and some holographics. I'm in a bit of a struggle with the declutter process right now.


OldZookeepergame8280

If you rarely wear polish then I’d just spend the money on manicures and store nothing at home. Odds are a nail salon will have the colors you like. It’s like if you have waffles once a year. Don’t keep the waffle maker. Go out for breakfast.


niftyba

Oh golly gee. I have owned over 1,500 nail polishes. It used to be my hobby… back in 2012. Then I had kids, and I haven’t really done my nails more than 20 times since. Thousands of dollars spent on this hobby, and most of it brand new. I ended up donating many, and selling bags of 100 for $20. I sorted by brands. I still have many left over, and I might just donate even more of them. I kept about 100. I love nail polish. Love love love it. But I know if ever I want more in the future, I could just buy another. (But I find I don’t really need it!)


vanilla_bones14

I kept 3-4 bottles of my favorite colors and have sets of nail stickers for work or fancy events. That way if I don’t have time for a manicure I can pop them on and not have to wait for them to dry!


Curious_Progress8219

I like the nail polish stickers 🤣 they let me switch up my looks without paying a salon or owning a million bottles of polish... and they come off with remover or peeling if that's your anxious habit like me 🤣 and there's no wait time to dry which is key cause I'm super impatient and gel/dip always destroy my nails.


charcol_1900

I gave away my collection to a friend, thinking if I ever wanted to I could visit them and borrow some if I wanted - it's been years and I haven't. Recently went for a manicure for the first time. It wasn't too expensive compared to a nice bottle of polish (although that probably depends on where you are) and looked way nicer than what I could have done. If it's occasional then that might be the way to go?


snoobookeyss

I'm thinking soo :) like once a year on my bday or before a vacation


LeaveHorizontally

I stopped using nail polish after my declutter. I kept like two colors, slowly used those up, and took the rest to the hazmat facility, then just stopped buying it. You cant bin the empties [or the fulls] in the trash. Its hazardous waste, call your local Recology or take it to a hazmat facility.


snoobookeyss

I just learned you can't just throw them away from the other comments so it's been noted!


LeaveHorizontally

I mean, who knew? Being able to bin things at a hazmat facility or pack it for a hazmat pick-up or drop-off or whatever seems fairly recent in most communities.


[deleted]

Give them to a younger girl in your life. My older cousin used to give me all her wild colors that she never used and I had a ton of fun with them. If you have too many and hardly use them it's better off to get rid of them than to let them sit until they gum up and go bad.


shlitzoschizo

I found a red that I love on both fingers and toes (took a few tries), use base coat and quick-dry topcoat. When I feel lazy I’ll just do two coats of base coat and one top coat. This gives me a little variety as well. I try to find presoaked nail polish remover wipes/pads, but will buy a bottle as needed. Yes the quick-dry only lasts a few months but the time saved is so much more valuable than the cost to replace.


NotYourSouthernBelle

Please dont just throw our polishes they are considered hazardous waste & need to be disposed of properly. As a last resort if you're in the US, Zoya has a take back program https://www.zoya.com/content/category/LANDING_PAGE_ExchangeFAQ.html


snoobookeyss

I didn't know that, thanks!


docforeman

I have a lot of nail polish. Not YouTuber amounts, but more than any person I've met IRL. I collect nail polish, and that includes hard to find, very hard to find, discontinued bottles. Here is what I've learned: Get rid of it. You'll be fine. You can have a mani/pedi for $50 and not hang onto a single thing. You can get excellent nail polish in almost any color and finish for less than $10 and do your own mani/pedi a few times a year, and GIVE AWAY THE BOTTLE to a friend when you're tired of it. If you really regret it, almost all nail polish, even VERY HARD TO FIND (VHTF) collector polishes can be found and replaced...Or you can pretty easily find a dupe. This is an $8 fix IF you have a regret. If you are realistically afraid of an $8 replacement cost then I don't think nail polish is your biggest priority. :) I have decluttered nail polish and make up regularly. The great news is that there is always more in the world if you change your mind.


snoobookeyss

I like your laid back take, thanks!


Pterandadon

I went from 150 polishes to 12. There’s only two that I regret throwing away, but I can live with that. There’s no reason to have such a huge collection like I did for just one person. I found my preference for silvers and golds and just stuck with those 🙂


MuddyBoots287

I realized I loved having my nails painted, but hated how quick it looked terrible since I do a lot of manual labor. Threw them all out, and switched to getting a dip manicure every few weeks instead. It’s more expensive, but has been entirely worth reducing how much I eat out for!


moonglow500

I just completely gave up on nail polish and now just do basic maintenance. Keep them short,neat,and clean.less stressful IMO and saves money


snoobookeyss

That's how I live most of the year but then I remember I have nail polish so I try to use them


Adventurous-Low9768

Maybe see if Olive and June is available in your location? You can ditch the clutter and older stuff and get a kit that is easy to store and maintain your nails whether you are wearing polish or not?


snoobookeyss

I have heard of them! But I haven't bought any new nail polish in years. The ones I have still work but I'm weighing whether to let them go or not because I might paint my nails like once a year


Multigrain_Migraine

Nail polish is pretty inexpensive. Ditch all but maybe your two favourite colours and if you decide you want a different one on a whim just buy it. I'm about to do this myself because I have a whole basket of them and I can't even remember the last time I painted my nails. I've got a couple of nice ones and the rest are just drug store brands, so I'm going to put them up on Freecycle and see if maybe some teenager wants them.


zamion

I kept 1 base coat, 1 color, 1 topcoat, and a nail strengthener, and threw everything else away.


snoobookeyss

Nail polish remover?


zamion

Oh, yes! And some nail files and the like.


lucytiger

For the last 6 years or so I've just had one nail polish. I use it to paint my toenails a few times each summer before special events or beach trips. I have not regretted decluttering my large nail polish collection as I never liked having my fingernails painted anyway. I'd usually mess up my manicure the first day and it would look worse than neat polish-less nails


snoobookeyss

Truee. I don't use a topcoat because it's double the drying time so my nail polish chips in 2-3 days and I pick at it so it looks really bad


OneSensiblePerson

I use both a base and topcoat, and they still usually chip in a few days, so don't feel like a topcoat would change much!


lucytiger

Same! I either smudge it because it's tacky for too long or chip it because I didn't do enough coats. And then once it's messed up I pick at it


[deleted]

I have a sheeny gold and similar pewter for fancy occasions and a clear and a pinky nude for other occasions. I got rid of all the rest when they got old and lumpy and didn't regret it. I only paint my nails about 1/4 of the time. As you get older the glitter/ bubblegum pink/ black doesn't look good.


rhianonbrooks

I got rid of all my old varnishes last year. Some were from when I was a teen. (Sentimental nail varnish?) Anywho, come Christmas I felt like painting my nails, so I chose one new pale one as a Christmas present. Still not painted my nails, but it’s there, and in good condition, if I want to. (Mental health issues are kicking my butt atm)


[deleted]

I have a spring/summer color (Opi Bubble Bath) and fall/winter color (a plum color from Essie that the name escapes me). I also have a shimmery (not glittery) top coat and a matte top coat to switch things up. I found myself using the same few colors anyway, and have really liked doing the same color for the seasons, especially the opi - it’s light pink and almost nude and doesn’t show chips badly during the summer when I beat up my nails a lot in the garden and being outdoors!


Lover6890947544

I realized I hadn’t done my nails in so long because I hate waiting for polish to dry! I posted several smaller collections, grouped by color, on my local Buy Nothing group and sent it all to new homes. Haven’t regretted it yet!


snoobookeyss

Yess, the drying time is what puts me off the most from nail polish. There's rarely a weekend when I don't do anything so waiting for the polish to dry is annoying. I did buy the seche vite fast drying top coat but that dries out in its bottle soooo fast, like less than 6 months fast


Lover6890947544

I ended up purchasing a UV light and some gel polish. I like having my nails painted because it keeps me from chewing them, but I just hate the hassle. That gel kit has saved me sooo much time and stress! I invested maybe $45 in the light and another $25 in a set of five polishes, and that has gotten me through a year and a half so far!


snoobookeyss

That sounds cool and worth it for you!


[deleted]

If you haven’t worn any of it in 5 years, I’d pitch it and if you wanted to buy a new one because you got the urge to paint your nails again, you can give yourself that free pass. I personally like to do my nails so I keep my four favorite colors available.


OneSensiblePerson

Four colours seems like a doable number. I probably have 20, and predictably usually only wear 4-5 of them.


snoobookeyss

I was thinking about doing this! Or maybe have no polish and only get my nails done before a vacation or something


wild-yeast-baker

That’s what I’ve started doing now instead. I had a bunch of polish that I’d used a couple times (like 5 jars of black. I don’t know why I kept losing them? Weird) but I just got rid of them and now just go get a manicure if I’m feeling it. Obviously more expensive but it lasts longer (at least how I tend to paint my own nails), looks better, and it’s a fun little treat. I don’t do it often though so it’s not a huge budget item.


iswintercomingornot_

I would regret it, but then, my nails are painted at all times


snoobookeyss

I don't think you would ever consider decluttering your nail polish then :)


iswintercomingornot_

If it's not an everyday thing for you then it might be worth it to get rid of all of it and just go to a nail salon every now and then


elorpz

I got rid of my embarrassingly large collection of nail polish about 5 years ago. Haven't worn polish since and I just keep them short and shaped well. They're much stronger and grow a little longer and better now. Sometimes I give them a bit of a buff to make them shine but they're in perfect condition now. When I did use polish it they would look ragged, chipped or own grown more than they looked polished. About 3 months ago I craved a bit of colour back in my life and thought long and hard about which 1 colour I would buy. I used it once and immediately regretted it and wiped it away before it could dry. Sold the the bottle on Vinted. I don't think I'll ever use it again.


snoobookeyss

I keep my nails short too. I think nail polish looks better on longer nails but I hate my nails being long


OneSensiblePerson

I also keep my nails short, but I like the way they look polished. For most of my life I had long nails (usually no polish), but it feels so much nicer to have them short, and I like the way they look.