DIY NAIL POLISH REMOVER JAR #THRIFTYTHURSDAY

Welcome to a new weekly feature – #thriftythursday! Each week I’m going to be bringing you beauty and lifestyle tips or recommendations that won’t break the bank, whether it’s drugstore alternatives to your favourite high-end beauty products, amazing savings or easy DIY hacks to save you money. So if you’re a student, on a budget, saving up, waiting for payday or you simply have better things to spend your money on, I hope this series will give you some tips!

Nail polish remover jars are pretty genius inventions. I first started using these when I lived in Spain (Mercadona does an amazing inexpensive one!) and then Bourjois brought out their offering which is also great but a little more pricey. You can find inexpensive versions of these in places like Home Bargains and Wilko’s, but I’ve found that the quality of the remover isn’t always great in the lower-end offerings, and the sponges disintegrate pretty quickly. The Bourjois version is great, but if I use it to remove glitter, I have to buy a new one pretty sharpish. The solution? Make your own! Not only can this easily be made with things you have around the house which makes it super cheap, but over time you will save a fortune as only two of the components ever need replacing. It also gives you the flexibility to use your favourite remover!

You can use any kind of jar for this. I used a small mason jar but you don’t have to buy something, an empty glass jar from a cooking sauce works perfectly and you’re recycling at the same time. Bonus. I got a pack of two sponges for 60p from the supermarket, and I only used half of one which makes it very thrifty indeed. The sponges can probably be flipped over and rotated a few times before they need to be replaced and the other great thing about this is you actually use far less remover than you would using cotton pads. Plus you don’t need to buy the cotton pads. It just gets better! Check out the video above for a quick demo of how to make this – it’s so easy it would be criminal not to give it a go!

If you make this don’t forget to tweet me @gemsmaquillage and if you instagram use #gemsmaquillage so I can see it! You will automatically be featured on my community page!