What is Smitten Polish?

Smitten Polish is an artisan nail polish company based in Missouri. Smitten was created in the summer of 2012, and was born of a deep love of color and a (slight) obsession with nail polish. Our creator, Noelie, was a passionate collector and blogger about nail polish, so it was an easy transition into experimenting with making her own lacquers.

So Smitten Polish is actually handmade?

Yes, it is! It is hand mixed in small batches, and then bottled and labeled for sale. Because of the handmade nature of this polish, please be aware that there will likely be small variances from batch to batch.

Are your polishes 3-free?

Yes! They are free of Toluene, Formaldehyde, and Dibutyl Phthalate. A full list of ingredients can be found on the MadeWith page.

About swatches:

We do our very best to show the polish as it actually looks. But please remember that there are differences in cameras, lighting, monitors and skin tones that can make polishes look drastically different from one person to the next.

About glitter:

Please note that all glitters, whether in indie or mainstream polishes, have the possibility of changing over time. Some glitters - especially metallic ones - may develop reflective curling over time. Reflective curling is when a glitter appears to be curling, but actually does still lie flat on the nail. We only use glitters that are listed by the manufacturer as being solvent resistant, and all of our glitters have been thoroughly tested. Most have not developed any reflective curl after many months in lacquer base, but the potential is always there for this to happen down the line.

About removing glitter:

We all know that removing glitter is a pain, but there are easier ways to do it than just trying to scrub it off with acetone and a cotton ball! We have had decent success with peel off base coats, though we have noted that they can affect how well a polish wears. The other option is the foil method. Simply soak cotton balls in acetone, place them over the polish, and wrap the ends of your fingers in aluminum foil. After about five minutes, all the polish will slide right off!

About pigments:

Certain pigments separate over time. This is normal, and there’s nothing that can be done to prevent it, apart from giving all your polishes a good shake from time to time. For both pigments and glitters that sink or separate, shaking or rolling the bottle before use should fix them right up.

About base coat and top coat:

If you aren’t using base and top coat, you definitely should! In addition to extending wear times significantly, some of our polishes do not dry shiny on their own due to the pigments used. All of our polishes will look best with a shiny top coat. Our glitter polishes will look their absolute best with a coat of Gelous or a similar thicker top coat, plus a coat of quick dry top coat. We strongly recommend the use of a base coat to help prevent staining.

About staining:

Note that darker colors, especially blues and greens, are more prone to staining than other shades. We test our pigments for staining, but differences in nail porosity plus removers and removal methods make it impossible to know for certain that a polish that doesn’t stain on one person won’t stain on another. If you do end up with stains, whitening toothpaste works well to remove it. Some cuticle removers, such as Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover, have worked well for us in the past in removing stains as well as cuticles!

About storage:

It’s best to store polish out of direct light, as many pigments can fade over time (especially true of blues and purples), and this is exacerbated by exposure to light – especially direct sunlight.

About thinner:

All polishes can thicken over time, and this can happen more quickly with glitter polishes than others. You can get polish thinner at most beauty supply shops or online to help revitalize your polishes and get them back to their original consistency. Don’t use nail polish remover or acetone for this! That will actually break down the ingredients in the polish, as opposed to just replacing the solvents that have evaporated and led to the thickening.