*Photo of Sally Hansen Color Therapy Nail Polish Bottles, from L to R: Strengthening Base Coat, Fluer-t, Sheer Nirvana, Reflection Pool, High Gloss Top Coat*

Nail polish is gorgeous. There can be nothing like opening a new bottle of nail polish for the first time and brands are releasing ever more gorgeous formulas all the time.

But, have you reached your storage limit? Do you have more nail polishes than days in the month (or year) to wear them?

How many untrieds do you have in your collection?

Whether you have 10 or 1,000 nail polishes, there comes a time when you may want to stop buying polishes for a while to use up and enjoy what you already have.

You may come to a point of “enoughness” in your collection and find yourself content there.

To start implementing a nail polish no-buy period, you must resist the temptation to buy.

When you begin a nail polish no-buy period, think about when and where you are going to be tempted to buy nail polish and begin limiting your exposure to these places.

After that, below are 10 tips for nail polish no-buy period success:

*How To Do A Nail Polish "No Buy:” 10 Tips For Success text overlay nail Sally Hansen and OPI polish bottles, Fluer-t and Kyoto Pearl in front, with top and base coats in rear*

1 - Designate a no-buy buddy

Tell someone you trust that you aren’t buying nail polish and ask them to be your accountability partner.

Ask them to remind you that you’re not buying polish until you: use what you have, wear everything in your collection twice, get through your untrieds, etc. Set whatever limit you want.

2 - Unsubscribe from or delete sales emails

Brands are releasing new products every day. There are so many brands and so many polishes being created, it would be impossible to wear it all before you leave this Earth.

There seems to be no limit to what is being imagined in the nail polish universe and you can stop being aware of it by deleting new product releases from your inbox.

Sleep well knowing you can jump back into these waters at any time.

3 - Shop your inventory first

If you see a new polish you are excited about and inspired by, do a scan of your inventory and see if you have something like it first. Wear that as a substitute.

4 - Commit to trying your untrieds

How many bottles of untried polish do you have? How long would it take you to get through that?

You got these to experience them. Before buying anything, wear your untrieds first.

5 - Hide your “out of season” formulas

During spring, gather up all the spring colors you’re going to wear and hide your summer, winter and fall colors. During summer, gather your summer colors and hide your fall, winter and spring colors.

Continue this way for fall and winter.

When you remove your seasonal formulas from your sight, the exciting feeling of “new” can be yours four times a year.

The bottles you “hid” will feel like new colors when you see them, because you haven’t seen them for a long time.

6 - Share with friends and family

Your friends and family members may be eyeing up bottles in your collection that are sitting there collecting dust. Likewise, you may be eyeing up shades in their collection that are being neglected.

Offer a gift, swap or borrow. When you wear someone else’s polish given or loaned, it feels like a new color.

7 - Wear everything twice

Promise yourself you’ll wear all your current polishes at least twice before buying new.

If you have polish that you don’t want to wear more than once, offer it to a neighbor, give it as a gift or use it as a bargaining chip in a swap with a friend or family member.

8 - Find It FREE first

Set up an alert on your Facebook Marketplace for free polish in your area or check your nearest Buy Nothing Group.

Neighbors DO give away polish for nothing in return.

Maybe they’re switching lines or they have to stop wearing polish for work. Whatever the reason, you can be gifted perfectly good polish by those in your community.

9 - Create your own polish

Save your empties and mix up your own bottles of polish by blending some of your well-liked colors together. You don’t have to use it all up, you can mix up new shades in mini bottles.

10 - Do nail art

Instead of new colors, what about new designs?

Use your existing colors to tap into the nail art world and try stamping, French Manicures, dots, hearts, striping, whatever you want.

When you are toying with the idea of doing a “no-buy” on nail polish, the above tips can give you greater success in sticking to your guns.

You may have enough nail polish on hand to last you a few weeks, months or even years. If you have reached a point where you are content with your collection, it’s okay to stop buying more.

Nail polish can last a long time when you store it right.

You can also usually restore older polishes with a touch of thinner, to really extend the amount of joy, or in economics terms, “utility,” that you get out of your investments.

On your nail polish no-buy journey, you may see others out there who openly break their commitment to their no buy, but this does not have to be you.

You can see your no buy as a way to strengthen your resolve, cultivate patience and enhance your relationship with and appreciation for your current collection.

For more content like this, follow and like us on Instagram!

Other Articles You May Enjoy:

How To Do A Nail Polish "No Buy"