Saturday, July 24, 2010

Readers' Corner: "What's The Deal With Expensive Polishes?"

I have been asked gazillion times on my take on really expensive nail polishes as compared to the inexpensive ones.  Aside from the yellowing and all those ingredients concern, in which I don't really look into detail on it as I always make sure to use a base coat to protect my nails.  One thing I learned over the week.  Expensive polishes do last longer compared to the cheaper alternatives. 


Take one example of my California Girls (Katy Perry) inspired nail art.  You can smile and click HERE to look back on the exact date I posted this and mind you, I've done this 2 days earlier before I posted this.  And I was busy over the weekend so I didn't get the chance to redo my nail art.  Take a look at my nails at present.  Oh before I do, here's my nail condition ---

1. Types the whole day at work and types after work for the blog
2. Type really hard and quick (my colleagues can attest to that)
3. Helps my mom cook at times for dinner
4. Dishwashing without gloves
5. Frequently washes my hands as I'm OC remember? Not to forget, I carry along an alcohol spritz and I love spritzing my hands with alcohol *lol*

In case you forget, here's my nail using Orly Nail Lacquer in Cotton Candy
(Thanks Sol for this)

 
And this was the "newly-done" design 2 weeks ago


Using the same base coat and top coat, here's my current ugly nails after exactly 13 days! You can literally see my nails grew approximately 1 cm longer.


Most of the drugstore nail polish lasts approximately 5-7 days depending on nail art design.  First sign of chipping always starts on my pinkie fingernail as pointed out on photo below.


The more expensive nail polish Orly lasted 2 full weeks without chipping!


If I may add, my nails has grown and it looks totally ugly, so please bear with it as I can't!  Hahaha.  Take a closer look on the photo below, the blue polish is starting to fade (as pointed by arrow) but the Orly Cotton Candy polish stayed.

I guess this post proved that expensive polishes do have some benefits --- Pigmented, Shiny and Long Lasting!  You do get what you pay for!  To some who find these polishes too expensive for their taste, no worries!  You can change your polish weekly like the way I do!  It's just a matter of preference!
Hope this post helps a lot of "wondering" readers out there! 
Thanks for asking me this query and I enjoyed this experiment!
Now time to get my nail polish remover and start another nail art design!

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!


25 comments :

  1. The reason I stopped using Caronia was that one time I had my toenails painted Pussy Red, and the whole week I wore that color, I randomly saw three other women wearing the exact same shade on their toes! I don't like, hehe! From then on I stuck to The Face Shop polish na. Not Orly or O.P.I. level expensive, but not as 'masa' as Caronia.

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  2. I super love nail polish! I haven't got my nails done in like 6 months now. Been dying to go to a nail salon soon! hmm... I wonder! Should I should I not? I really miss it so much! I love the nail art too sis... it's such a winner, I need to get tips from you on how to actually do it yourself coz I end up ruining it all the time.

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  3. Your nail polish looks pretty good after two weeks of wearing...

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  4. That's amazing how the pink is still there even though the blue is gone!

    I must start getting some of those polishes and start doing my nails too! XD

    http://xmaterialgirlsx.blogspot.com/

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  5. very extensive review I must say! hehehe...but yeah, it's true. more expensive nail polishes do lasts longer than their cheaper counterparts...

    but thanks for the photos to illustrate!:D

    God bless!

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  6. Crush na crush ko talaga yang Cotton Candy na yan! :) I'm just not good at applying them on myself :( I use Sally Hansen a lot, but my favorite expensive nail polishes are Essie, China Glaze and OPI. And I can attest na iba talaga pag mas expensive! Love this post! :)

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  7. I get what you mean.. Because I own that kind of nail polish too..I mean Elianto one..^_^.. Thank you for sharing Nikki..

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  8. thanks for sharing this... in my point of view.. I have lots of different expensive nail polish but some didnt last on my nails for a week...its not about how expensive the polish is its on how u put the polish & choosing the right base coat & top coat...im looking forward on ur new nail art...

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  9. I find that OPI is more long lasting than the average drugstore polish but I find that you can retain the nail polishes longer with top coat anyway. cool experiment!

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  10. wow, this post is very helpful. I don't do my nails but i just learned something ^_^

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  11. Im so tempted to try out 100php+ nail polishes but my conscience keeps on stopping from doing so, i see myself happier spending on my family...but one day I might...hehehe...its hard to be the nail art addict that i am and be very kuripot at the same time. :P

    love your blog ms. nikki, the pink is super cute!!!
    more power to you..


    syry-online.blogspot.com

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  12. haha, I think the trick is to have a healthy stash of both!

    I do have my moods and I do get moments when I just want a "stupid" colour combi nail, such as that of Germany flag to celebrate World Cup, but h3||, I don't want to have yellow nails for normal times.

    Still prefer to stick with neutrals and more "normal colours".

    So for those one-off colours, I just pick them up when I see it and have a sudden fancy.

    But I really invest in standard reds, browns, pinks, blues.

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  13. i though nail polish should be removed after 7 days to give nails a rest to prevent them from getting damaged (e.g., yellowish, etc.)?

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  14. I totally agree that you get the quality of what you pay..

    If you are frugal, like me who wanted a decent quality for less price tag, you gotta try Bobbi Brown Premium..

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  15. Dea, lol so you prefer buying the more expensive polishes because of its unique shades? I got ya there! :) I don't mind about similar shades as I usually do nail art designs which adds to my personal touch! The Face Shop polishes are great!

    Emily, sis! After giving birth, I'm sure its the best time for you to pamper yourself after 9 months of hard work :) I'll help you out with nail art! For sure!

    Anastacia, yes 2 whole weeks! I was really IFFY and I wanted to remove it, but hey, its a wonderful experiment worth doing!

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  16. Lisa, so true, I was surprised myself!

    beautylilsecrets, I'm glad my photos help you out! :) I love doing expreiments! God bless to you too

    Khymm, hahahha Enlightening talaga pa ha!

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  17. I know Tara, crush ko din, I really heart it when I saw sis Jheng posted it! Thanks to Sol for this! I love Orly and OPI haven't tried China Glaze pa

    AngiePink, Elianto works just as fine! :)

    ThRiSzHa, actually its not about the expensive brand, it also has to do with the polish shade itself, there are some same brands that are pigmented, others are just plain sheer! I agree that it depends on how you put the polish and of course, each person has different types of nails! Thanks for sharing

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  18. Nicnic, I use top coat all the time, so I guess this experiment works cause I use the same top coat and base coat for both expensive and inexpensive brands

    Becky, better start nail polish application, you'll love it!

    Louise, it's ok, do not force yourself, purchase what you're comfortable with, I can't seem to purchase Php300+ polishes too! :) Thanks for reading and hope to see you agian!

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  19. Jyoan yes, that's a good idea, I like having both, rather than having ALL expensive ones, it'll make my wallet cry :) You can always start investing those shades you like, its never too late!

    Anonymous, of course, that's preferable! Giving your nails time to breathe is the best way like a week without polish, to prevent yellowing and weakening of nails! But hey, its one thing I just can't stop doing! I told myself I'll give my nails some rest time but I just can't, nail art makes me happy! LOL

    Carol, Haven't tried Bobbi Brown premium, thanks for the suggestion

    Vanessa m, thanks dear

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  20. I've had better experience with expensive nail polish like OPI, compared to Caronia, my nails don't get those nasty bubbles that destroy my mani and pedi. I don't even stay near a fan or inside an A/C'ed room and my nails always get those bubbles with cheaper polishes.

    Since I've been using OPI my mani and pedi looked better. I use Sally Hansen for my top coat and my nails stay glossy, unlike cheaper brands where after I wash my hands, take a bath or just sleep, the glossiness is gone.

    So you're right, expensive as they may be, but the price is so worth it. :)

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  21. I so agree...my TFS nail polishes lasts on me at least 2 weeks..you'll just see the nails growing but the polish stays put...and they still have shine :)

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  22. Madz, glad to read your thoughts :) Thanks for sharing your experiences!

    Crystal Gale! I've used the cheapest of all cheapest polish and it lasted only a day or 2 :(

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  23. hey, is Orly nail lacquer readily available in Malaysia or do we have to get them at pedi and mani salons?

    i love the cotton candy colour!!!

    Thanks

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I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to comment your questions, suggestions and just anything you may want to say! Keep smiling and stay happy!