Great. You go to put on some left over Color Street strips after learning how to save them and now they’re all dried out. You think there’s no hope for them and start walking to the trash can.
Wait!
Before you throw away those dried out Color Street strips, let me show you some things you can do with them so they aren’t wasted! There are ways for you to revive them, make decals, or use them in a project that is completely non-nail art related!
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Revive the dried out Color Street strips
Because Color Street is 100% nail polish, if not used immediately they will dry out and become stiff. If you’ve let them go for long enough, even the clear plastic layer can be difficult to remove from the strip. Reviving them makes them more pliable and sticky to be used on the nail again.
The simplest way to do this is by using a nail wrap heater to gently melt and rehydrated the dried out Color Street strips. You want to do this quickly because as the strip cools it will harden and be unusable again. Make sure that you use a liquid top coat over the strips, ideally immediately after each nail to make sure they last.
Another method would be to use a heat gun (like for crafts) instead of a nail wrap heater. (I just learned that these exist and I wish I would have known sooner!) They would both get the job done, but the heat gun would be useful in other crafty situations whereas the other has a single purpose.
Watch the video below for a quick visual tutorial – I’m more of a visual learner myself.
I’ve also heard that using steam from a pot of boiling water will do a similar effect with the dried out Color Street strips to make them easier to use. However, it’s not as easy to use when traveling or trying to apply your nails in a location without a kitchen. You can also use a hair dryer on a hot setting. Make sure to hold the strip with a tweezer so you don’t burn your fingers!
I personally tried dipping my super dried out Color Street strips into non acetone nail polish remover to try to revive them for this article. However, all it did was make them goopy and not in the sense that it made them stick to my nail. I didn’t have any acetone remover to try to see if that works better (because acetone is bad for your nails!). I don’t recommend this method, but if you can make it work more power to you!
Here’s another video showing multiple different ways to revive dried out Color Street strips that you might find helpful!
Don’t want to revive them to use on your nails? Follow the next ideas to make something else with them!
Make Nail Art Decals
Probably one of my favorite things to do with the dried out Color Street strips is to make nail art decals with them. When they get stiff it makes it easier for a hole punch or scissor to cut through them. After removing the clear plastic layer, simply put the strip into a shape hole punch or cut with a scissor! Then remove them from the paper and push down onto the nail. It’s that simple!
You will still need a top coat to make sure they stay on the nail! Liquid works better in situations like this whereas Clear As Day would work better in all other situations.
Stay tuned to see how I made the above daisy flower design.
Make Jewelry
Making jewelry is another way to showcase your artistic ability other than on your nails. This is a perfect way to preserve your favorite colors, designs, or glitters. Keep in mind that Color Street does not allow the sale of products made with their intellectual property (aka: their nail polish strips). But you can make whatever you want for your own personal use! You can read my full tutorial on how to make earrings with died out Color Street strips as well as where to get all the supplies you’ll need.
Are earrings not quite your thing, but want to make other jewelry? The method above works great for any premade jewelry bases with glass cabochon covers such as pendants, bracelets, or rings.
Few people realize that you can use nail polish strips for ANYTHING! Lots of people have been experimenting and getting creative with liquid nail polish so now it’s time to explore with dried out Color Street strips!
Other Ideas
Resin art is extremely popular right now and another great way to use the dried up Color Street strips! You can put some of your favorites into a mold and spice anything up with Color Street! Never used resin before? Start with a beginner kit! If anyone does this, I would LOVE to see your creation! (it’s on my list of things to learn)
If you use them quickly and don’t allow them to become dried out Color Street strips, you can think of them like a sticker. Anywhere you can place a sticker, you can place a nail polish strips. Here are 30+ more ideas on how to use your left over Color Street strips!
Think of something else you could do with them that’s not listed here? Share it in the comments!
There’s always something you can do with your dried out Color Street strips before they head to the trash. Get your money’s worth out of them while being creative at the same time.
Emily Meyer
Independent Color Street Stylist
www.thehappyrainbow.net
Thank you! I sell Colorstreet, so I appreciate this article!