sealing with nail polish

actually I sprayed a clear sealant over it and it undid the worst of it, and since the figure's wearing leather pants an even color wasn't a big deal. The spray sealant works good, now I just hope I can find more of it (it's like 10 years old lol).

Yep, it can really mess up your paint job if you're not careful--several coats of paint, and not brushing too hard/much with the nail polish usually prevents that. Sometimes, the "ruined" effect can be desirable though--if you paint several layers of different colored paint, and then purposely let the nail polish "eat" through it, you can get some interesting weathered/rotting looks.