Trading up to better nail polish

Trading up is a fun but dangerous habit to acquire. How can you maintain a streamlined life when you're paying two or three times what you need to pay for regular life items?

However, sometimes it's fun to dip your toe into the luxury pool, as I did this weekend with nail polish.

You might recall that I'm not much of a nail polisher; I use my fingernails as tools all too often, so my nail polish chips almost immediately. And then because my personality has an unusual mix of perfectionism/obsessive compulsion and laziness/procrastination, I am driven crazy by the chipping polish but don't address the problem, and every time I look at my nails, I get angry.

Angry is no way to live your life.

However, perhaps I've found another way through the use of superior nail polish products. This weekend, I purchased a few bottles of nail polish that might last just a little bit longer than the nail polish that I currently own.

I broke down and bought a bottle of Chanel nail polish. The color, which currently adorns my toes, is Lotus Rouge, and I love it. I wanted the perfect mix of red and pink and found it.

At $23 (plus tax), a bottle of Chanel nail polish is not a cheap acquisition. However, if you're looking for a way to justify the purchase, perhaps I can help.

A spa pedicure from your average nail salon comes in between $20 and $25, plus tip (if you go to a regular spa, expect to pay at least twice that amount). You're paying for a spa experience, but after 3 weeks, your toenails are chipping already and need to be redone. On the other hand, a bottle of nail polish that costs the same does not provide any kind of a spa experience, but you can paint your toenails for a year.

Still, $23 is a difficult justification for a single cosmetic item, so I also purchased some more reasonably priced nail polish from the OPI brand. You can buy about 3 OPI bottles for the same cost as 1 Chanel bottle, and it's doubtful that the Chanel brand lasts 3 times longer. However, I intend to start an experiment with the Chanel and OPI brands to determine how long each one can last. I'll start as soon as my toes need to be redone. If the Chanel polish is as good as I hope it is, it could be a while before I am able to start.