Nailonomics

During this trying times with the economy, many of us are trying to find cheaper avenues of escape. I know many of you out there balk at the prices of nail polish. I remember OPI being priced at $6.50 back in 2006 and Chanel at $18 in 2007. Now OPI is $8.50 and Chanel $20 (or $25-$30 depending on the collection), definitely a huge jump.

Most of my disposable income is spent on nail polish. There is nothing that compares to that except maybe going out to eat and clothing during post-holiday sales.

I do find the retail prices of the common brands (i.e., OPI (ESPECIALLY the DS line), Essie, China Glaze) to be inflated, which is why I've gone out of my way to find other avenues of purchase.

My main exception is Chanel. While I was greatly disappointed by the first two Chanels I purchased (Black Satin and US Vamp), I have been impressed by others such as Kaleidoscope, Vendetta and Nuit de Russie. The moment I saw the Moscou collection, I knew I HAD to have it. My most expensive nail polish endeavor was ordering the whole collection the day it was available online. The next expensive was ordering Chanel's holiday nail gift set, which included a long-time lemming: Rouge Noir.

Except Chanel, I rarely pay full price for nail polish. I remember one random trip to Bealls Outlet and I found a champagne-like Revlon for $1.50. When I got to the counter, apparently it was also 95% off and totaled to $0.07. YES, $0.07 nail polish!

I do have a limit when it comes to pricing, however. Even though I long for Essie Starry Starry Night, there is no way in hell am I paying $50. Prior to the Moscou collection, I was not convinced enough to pay $30 for Gold Fiction. I do wonder however, if OPI Symphony In Gold compares to Gold Fiction, which I found at a Bealls Outlet for $7 paired with OPI Thrills In Beverly Hills top coat. Something interesting I've also found was that while all the hype surrounded Gold Fiction last summer, they still have bottles of it at my local Chanel counter yet Kaleidoscope is long gone (*grumbles to self*).

For those of you who don't want to spend the full retail prices of nail polish, I suggest looking at drugstore brands. I think there's a bit of stigma associated with those brands, but I've found quite a few fetching colors and even wear with drugstore brands. The best deals can be found at discount chains such as Dollar Tree and Big Lots, with sets of 2 going for $1 or $2.

Also, brands such as OPI and Essie can be found for prices comparable or even cheaper than the most expensive Sally Hansen line via online vendors. Better yet, if you're going to buy online, take advantage of Zoya's nail polish exchange…but act quick because all packages need to arrive at their headquarters before Feb. 28!

Happy hunting!