How long do you keep your nail polish for?

[CapturedByMegD]

I have had some Marc Jacob's nail polish that I love for a few years now and wanted to buy a new one to replace it. Does it expire? Because I swear that it used to dry faster and stay on my nails without chipping for longer. Maybe it is all in my head and I should stick it out until I use it all?

[KNC24]

Forever

[melissabt]

@CapturedByMegD,

I had to go through my collection recently and throw out some of my old nail polishes. I thew out the ones out that separated too much and were too thick when I applied them. Some of my older polishes would get goopy and would not dry. 

[lmi82]

Hi, @CapturedByMegD.

I read somewhere that nail polish is like the twinkie of the makeup world, lol - it pretty much lasts forever and is a hostile environment for bacteria growth. Your polish is definitely not expired. 😉 🙂

Now, if you do notice a major change in your nail polish formula (it completely dries out, becomes clumpy or glue-like, oddly thin, etc.), just add some nail polish thinner to breathe new life into it. Note: Nail polish remover is NOT the same thing as nail polish thinner. Nail polish thinner is a product that basically replaces the polish ingredients that have evaporated from the bottle. Nail polish remover, on the other hand, is designed to break down nail polish. If you add nail polish remover to your polish, it'll ruin it. 

If the colors separate, just shake the bottle and the polish should be good as new. 

The only time a polish should really be tossed is if 1) the formula does not improve after adding thinner a few times and 2) the separated polish does not blend and applies unevenly regardless of how much you shake it. 

Sources (replace the DOT with a period):

Spoiler

http://sugarmedic88 DOT blogspot DOT com/2011/04/does-nail-polish-expire.html

http://www DOT scrangie DOT com/2008/12/restoring-polish-quite-possibly-most.html

I hope this helps!