Recently I ordered some clear safety eyes, I wanted to play around with customizing them as I needed them instead of buying lots of eyes of different colours.
I ended up experimenting with nail polish, I have lots and lots of nail polish and I though some of them would make great eye colours for my amigurumi projects. First I used some I already had and then, when checking the results I bought some really cheap ones to experiment some more! =D
I just use the brush that comes with the nail polish to paint the back of the clear part of the eyes. Make sure you don’t have to much polish on the brush or it will smudge the front of the eye.
When painting the eyes I place them on top of an old towel so I don’t accidentally paint the table. I then leave them to dry upside-down on top of that same towel. After a couple of minutes the nail polish should be dry, but I usually leave them to dry overnight. If you wish you could paint them again once the nail polish dries, I just paint them once.
I’ve already experimented with a few of the nail polishes, check out the results! =D
White and yellow safety eyes.
Light blue safety eyes.
Blue safety eyes.
Green safety eyes.
Green, yellow and white safety eyes. The second green from the left has fine sparkles, the others are all mat.
Blue safety eyes. The first blue also has fine sparkles, the others are all mat.
On the left is the bought yellow eye, and on the right is the one I painted with yellow nail polish.
On the left is the bought iridescent green eye, and on the right is the one I painted with green nail polish with fine sparkles.
In the middle is the bought blue eye, and on the sides are the ones I painted with two different blue nail polishes.
I’m really pleased with the results! I can’t wait to used them on future amigurumi projects! =D
I think I would only use the bought ones for projects for small children, just to be safe that the nail polish doesn’t harm them in any way, but other than that I would use the painted ones, they are cheaper and you can customize them according to the project you are working on. =)
Lets bring out all our nail polishes and paint same gorgeous eyes! =D
Where do you get your clear eyes, I shop at glasseyesonline and the prices are the same for clear as they are for color….or are they?
Hi Irma!
I also buy my safety eyes at glasseyesonline! =D
I like to buy the clear ones so I can have more flexibility regarding the color for the eyes. I think you are right, they are the same price, the iridescent ones are the ones that are a bit pricier. =)
What are these used for… i use for plain black or pre coloured doe toys… and nail polish is a huge NO NO, if there is any risk of them bring put in a mouth!
Hi Nichol,
I like to use a lot of different colored eyes, so I buy the black and the clear ones that I can customize to my liking!
To customize the clear eyes I use a water base, non-toxic paint specific for this use, the nail polish is just a fun way to customize your eyes if you don’t have the paint. And like I say at the end of the article I would never use it on projects for small children.
Thank you for your input! =)
Hi Nichol,
Forgot to say that for the projects I make for babies, small children and pets I don’t use safety eyes. I make my own eyes with yarn specific for babies! You can check out how I make them here: http://www.buddyrumi.com/blog/2014/8/13/how-tomake-baby-safe-amigurumi-eyes?rq=Baby%20safe
Thank you!
Just curious how well these hold up, now that it’s been a few years. Has the nail polish reacted with the plastic, causing pitting or crumbling or anything? Has the color flaked off? Thanks!
Hi Ami,
The eyes are still looking good! =)
The only difference I see is in the dark blues where the color has faded a bit and I can see some very fine lines. I think that the fine lines look cool because it makes it look more like an iris. =)
I can’t find the green ones, so I don’t know about those.
Thank you! =)
Thanks for posting this! Super helpful and handy to know. I love it how in the comments someone has said nail polish is a no no as kids will put it in their mouth, when the nail polish is on the inside anyway and safety eyes aren’t meant for children under three years of age. I’m going to buy some clear ones and give it a go!
You’re welcome! I’m happy that you found it helpful! ^^
Yes, for children under 3 is always best to make a toy where all the parts are soft! =)
Let me know how your experiments go! =D