Is Your Nail Polish Thick & Goopy? Try This

Polish gone sticky is a pretty common issue—so much so that you can find plenty of polish thinners on the market to help liquefy the consistency. Snag your thinner of choice (like this one from ella + mila) and add a few drops into your bottle of lacquer. “Once you’ve added the thinner, you can rub the polish bottle between your hands to ensure an even consistency of your new polish mixture,” says Amy Lin, the founder of sundays—a nail care brand focused on wellness. 

Just don’t shake to combine—this can lead to air bubbles in your polish, Lin notes, which can make your polish chip faster.

Simply roll the polish between your palms to swirl the mixture. Another caveat? Polish thinners typically contain the same base ingredients as nail polish, so it might affect the pigment depending on how many drops you use. (Generally, the more drops you use, the more washed out your color may appear.) One or two drops likely won’t make a noticeable difference, but if you’re concerned about the color payoff, you might want to follow some of the other methods below.