I’m a nail polish whore. I’m literally obsessed with it. If you were to line up each bottle I own in a row, you’d probably have a pretty seamless transition from light to dark. I have so many bottles I’ve purchased one of those three drawer organizers just to house my polish and mani/pedi tools. Nothing delights me more than to get that Ulta ad in the mail only to see that Essie and OPI polishes are by two get one free. And to further feed my obsession, some of the lovely ladies at work get my input before heading out to get their own mani/pedis (I live vicariously through their mani/pedis since I do my own- it relaxes me).
Recently I was asked an opinion about a certain color a girl at work was considering buying (Essie’s Mint Candy Apple). Of course I knew right away what color she was considering and I said she should go for it. As she was about to make her $8 plus shipping and tax purchase on Essie.com I felt like I needed to let her in on my little secret. Why pay $8 for a bottle of polish on Essie’s site when you can go to Amazon.com and find it for half the price! Sure enough she does her search and there it is at a refreshing $3.99. But, “why stop there” I said. “let me suggest you search for the amazing Good to Go Essie Top Coat and get the combo deal?” Sure enough, up pops Essie Good to Go Top Coat and Mint Candy Apple all for the low price of $8.44…um Score! Good deed for the day accomplished!
Here are some other tricks and tips to help you feed (or develop) your very own nail polish obsession:
- Out of all the polishes I’ve tried, Essie and OPI are the best I’ve used. They have the best colors and last the longest.
- Essie’s Protein Base Coat is great for dry and brittle nails. Use it under polish or alone. The milky consistency makes it slightly opaque, therefore it hides some discoloration and flaws.
- Essie’s Good to Go Top Coat is the best fast-dry top coat I’ve ever used. My nails are literally ‘good to go’ 5 minutes after applying it to the last nail. A-MAZ-ING!
- To help remove/soften cuticles, use Sally Hansen’s Instant Cuticle Remover. Massage into nail-bed and leave on for 2 minutes before pushing cuticles back.
- Before applying base coat, I brush pure acetone over my nail bed so any remaining oil or residue is removed-allowing polish to stay on longer.
- To clean up mistakes, I purchased a small, synthetic haired, flat paint brush from an art supply store and dip it in pure acetone. This way you can get a nice, clean, mistake free line.
- Beauty trade shows are the happiest place on earth for beauty junkies like me. Every Essie Color imaginable at wholesale prices. 6 colors for $20? Heaven.
- When searching for a particular OPI color last fall, I stumbled across the best nail polish blog around www.scrangie.com. This girl reviews every nail polish collection imaginable and the best part-she actually paints her own nails so you get a chance to see the color outside of the bottle and how it looks against her skin tone. It has become a reference point for me each time I’m thinking of heading out to purchase a new color.
I hope I’ve provided you with some useful information! Time to paint my own nails!
The West Street Journal 