How I Mix Custom Shades

A peek behind the glitter curtain where chaos, community, and color mix.

If you’d told me three years ago that I’d be mixing custom nail polish with glitter flying everywhere and shimmer stuck in my hair, I would’ve said, absolutely not! I’ll stick to behind-the-scenes work, thanks. I started out handling customer service for Loud and slowly took on more and more until, well... here we are. Now I’m running the whole thing, mixing up custom shades for the Babbs (that’s what I call our amazing community), and turning your wild ideas into real, wearable color.

I’ve been making custom nail polish for a little over three years now, and it still surprises me how many new combinations there are left to discover. The ideas y’all come up with? Absolutely unhinged in the best way. I’ve made shades to match a grandma’s favorite cardigan, a partner’s prized yoyo, and enough fandom creations to fill a Comic-Con booth. I swear, sometimes I feel like a tiny wizard bottling vibes, memories, and inside jokes.

The process is pretty simple, and you can find it all laid out on the site, but here’s the quick version. First, you choose your finish: creme, shimmer, holo, glitter, or complications (which is just our catch-all for crellies or anything that doesn’t fit the usual categories). If your finish includes a base color, you’ll pick that next, followed by whatever ingredients you want added. You can also upload inspo and name your polish, which is probably my favorite part. Y’all are hilarious.

Now, this isn’t just throwing stuff in a bottle and hoping for the best. Custom mixing takes a solid understanding of color theory. Want something more muted? I add just a drop of its complementary color, green tones down red, blue mutes orange, and so on. I try to match the hex code you send as closely as possible, keeping in mind that screen brightness and display quality can make colors look slightly different from person to person.

Cremes are made to be opaque in two thin coats. Shimmers and Holos need three to really shine. Glitters? They’re best used as toppers or translucent layers, you can build them up, but they’re not meant to be full-coverage unless you’re really piling it on.

When someone orders a creme, holo, shimmer, or glitter, I usually just mix it up as-is. But sometimes, I’ll get a combo I know won’t work well, like a light pink base with a dark blue mica. Micas are super pigmented and don’t always play nicely with lighter liquid pigments. You might end up with something muddy or grainy, and that’s just not the vibe. If I have inspiration pics, I’ll adjust based on what I think you’ll love. If not, I’ll reach out to chat and get a better sense of what you’re after.

Now, if you order a complication (which is what I call the more elaborate customs), you’ll drop your cell number during checkout and I’ll text you directly during the mixing process. I’ll send photos, sometimes videos, and we’ll work together in real time to tweak and perfect your polish until it feels just right. It’s super collaborative and gives you way more control over the final look.

Every custom is poured, labeled, and named by hand, by me. I try to include a little sticker and an insert with each order, usually sharing something about Loud or a recent launch. It’s personal. Every bottle feels like its own little story.

Fandom-inspired customs are honestly the highlight of my week. I’ve mixed superhero reds that could give Iron Man a run for his money, moody Coraline blues, sugary glitters for the Sabrina Carpenter stans, and all kinds of dreamy BookTok shades. About once a month, I pick the top epic shades that’ve been living rent-free in my head and unleash them on the site for the Babbs to snag. Sometimes I’ll even turn the process into a Reel, complete with whatever viral audio I’m obsessed with that week. It’s a fun way to show off the creativity that flows from this community.

At the end of the day, it’s not just about pretty polish (though, let’s be honest, they’re all bangers). It’s about connection, expression, and having fun. So whether you’re sending in a pixel-perfect inspo photo or just saying “vibes: cursed lemonade,” I’m here for it! Shimmer, flakes, dusty tone drama, and all.

Ready to make a custom? Let’s get weird.