I was rummaging through my Mom's polish bin. I came across a seriously old polish. Do you remember when Cutex made polish? Yea, a completely forgotten fact. I don't think they are doing it now, but maybe they should. I urge Cutex to pick up the beakers again and start mixing! ;)
This polish is over twenty years old, my guess is ca. 1990. The bottle had a price sticker from Ames. Remember those stores? My Mom used to work there in the early 90's and she bought it on clearance for $0.99.
Are you ready for this?
2 coats.
You know the most amazing thing? Not one drop of thinner was necessary. When I first opened it up, it was a bit gummy at the neck. I gave it a good shake and it returned to a completely normal consistency.
It applied very smoothly, but polishes with this type of pigment usually do.
It's definitely frosty, but not too bad.
Myth busted? Perhaps.
Does this polish work? Yes, but I could imagine a polish "expiring" in terms of:
1. Color - Color can fade or change over time due to exposure to the sun or other factors. Perhaps the color I observe in the bottle now was not the original color when it was manufactured back in the day.
2. Formulation degradation - Polish contains compounds that are comprised of long chains of molecules called polymers. Mainly, these resins provide strength and flexibility to the polish coating. Can these resins degrade over time? Perhaps. If the polymers are breaking would this change the polish consistency? Maybe. I guess it all depends on the inherent physical properties of those smaller chains. Whenever I come across an old polish that is really thin (that was once normal) I always think this is the reason, but I have no idea, just theorizing here. If the resins are degrading then the integrity of the polish could be compromised because the strength and flexibility may have diminished. I would think this would be an important factor with regard to polish wear.
Is old polish safe? I don't know, but my fingers haven't fallen off. Have yours? Some people worry about bacteria in polish. I can't fathom how they would survive in the solvents. For example, isopropyl alcohol, present in many polishes, is used as a solvent, but is also a well known anti-bacterial agent. BUT, I suppose stranger things have happen. There are bacteria here on earth that thrive in sulfuric acid. Interesting fact, but I doubt there are any bacteria in polish. Regardless, let's use commons sense ... if you experience some sort of reaction, then it would be a good idea to discontinue use.
This makes me want to start a tag. Do you have anything really old? Rummage through your, your mom's or your grandma's stash and see what you can find! I would love to see it :D
