Makeup - Expensive Nail Polish... worth every penny!

I used to wonder WTF was wrong with people who made a big deal over OPI nail polish and question their sanity when they think that it is OKAY to spend more than ten bucks for a small bottle of nail polish when I can get the same sized bottle of Wet & Wild for 99 cents.  If I am lucky, there is a buy one get one free special. HA!  Ten bucks (sometimes sixteen) dollars for a bottle of nail polish is just ludicrous, right?  Thats what I thought too...

... but I admit that I am slowly moving on over to the dark side!  Eeep!  Save me!

I have never been crazy about painting my nails because...

1. I have huge hands and feet... meaning:  HUGE nails...!  A lady who did my nails last called me "Supa-man" for my big hands and feet and I haven't gotten a professional manicure or pedicure since.  Sorta traumatizing!
2. Can't afford weekly mani's and pedi's 
3. Don't have the patience to do it myself and wait for all that gunk to dry before I can even scratch my nose!
4. I am rough with my hands ("that's what she said" - LOL) and the colors start to chip by the following day, usually!

So yeah... those are just some of the reasons why I wouldn't think of spending a few extra bucks I could have spent on a Big Mac on a nail polish color.

BUT... lately I've been really bothered with the way my nails look sometimes.  My friends give me crap about my chipped nail colors often, so I usually just choose not to wear any nail color.  BUT... if I don't wear any nail color, my hands look massive and manly... and that just ain't cute!  :(

Anyway, I try to maintain my nail colors for those reasons... because chipped nail polishes aren't cute but neither are manly hands.

I would go to the drugstore around the corner and find the cheapest nail polishes I could find.  Yes, I am cheap like that!  I noticed that they take forever and a day to dry and I tend to eff it all up before its dry because I have to actually get things done from time to time.  Even if I sit around for an hour and it dries completely, it would start to chip and wear off by the next dish washing session.  How annoying!

Today, I decided to give OPI a shot after hearing all the great things about it.

Good thing I got mine for a discounted price, or else I would be beating myself up for it right now rather than typing this!  The color I got is not what is shown here... I got a color called "Senorita Rose-alita".  The description reads, "A rosy plum with a touch of golden charm".  Its REALLY pretty!  You can check out the color at http://opi.com/ but let me tell you that the picture online doesn't do it much justice.  ;)

The color dried fast and amazingly, I only needed ONE coat to get its true color.  I'm not talking about a gunky thick coat either... it was a really thin coat, but it gave the true color it promised when you look at the bottle.  I was so amazed that it was neither runny or too thick and gunky.  AND... it dried so amazingly fast... no more than ten minutes for my toes and fingernails, I would say.

Now, I am not usually an advocate of spending the same amount of money that is better spent on an eyeliner on nail polish, but look at it as an investment.  We'll see how long this polish lasts, but from what I've heard and read, it can last up to two weeks without chipping at all!  Thats amazing... but I will report if it is true or not.  If it is, then it truly is an investment because you would only have to do your nails once in two weeks.  Think about it... if you use the cheaper brands that chip and wear off after a day or two, you'd really be spending more money on nail polish than you think... considering you would have to apply multiple coats and you'd be done with your bottle before you even know it! (I didn't even use a top coat because I want to test it out)  I also find that I am never really satisfied with other nail colors and I would just buy it out of impulse because its so cheap. Its rare that I wear a nail color more than once, but in this case, I am so happy and in love with the color that I KNOW I will wear it over and over again.  Ahhh!  New love!

Do you use OPI?  What do you think of it?  What other nail polish brands do you recommend?  Any tips for those who are rough on the hands and the color wears off from easily?

THANKS!!

By the way... I don't know why, but that was a fun post.  I sure miss blogging!  You'll hear more from me now, I think!  ;)