With the economy being what it is (in the crapper) I’ve been cutting back my expenses any way I can. I’ve always been an at-home manicurist and I’ll splurge on the occasional salon mani but I absolutely hate doing my toes so I’m pretty religious about getting pedicures. Recently I’ve switched from full spa pedis to express versions to save money since I refuse to give them up.

So my question to all of you is… Where do you get your nails done? At home? In a salon? Did you used to be a salon girl before the market tanked? If you still go to a salon, do you space your appointments out more to fit your budget? Has the economy affected your nail routine?

I was going through my collection recently, sorting colors, weeding out dupes. It got me thinking about how old some of my polishes are and wondering… Am I the only one that hoards old colors, even if they’re a bit goopy, just because the color is so great? That brings me to my questions for you. What age is your oldest bottle? What is it? Or, if you’re the type to regularly purge, how long do you keep polishes for before giving them the heave ho?

My answer: I believe my bottles of OPI Rainforest are the oldest polishes I own. Since no one knows the exact release date and there is collection information dating back to the early 90s with no mention of Rainforest, I can only assume it’s from the 80s. Still applies like a dream though.

When it comes to nail polish formulas, my ideal would be to use a medium thickness, highly pigmented, requiring only two coats, lacquer that flows evenly onto the nail. And while I’m sure that most brands strive to achieve that we all know, for the majority, it’s not the case. So what if you had to choose? If given only two options, what’s your preference?

A. A thinner polish that applies smooth but lacks pigmentation, requiring 3+ coats.

B. A thicker, more pigmented polish that only needs 2 coats but requires a bit more work for a flawless finish.

Share with us in the comments!

With the current state of the economy more and more of us are turning to drugstores and mass retailers like Wal-Mart, K-mart and Target for our beauty needs than ever. I realize some of you have always been drugstore divas. I used to be but over the years I’ve become more of a brand snob than I was during college when I was broke as a joke. And I realize that price doesn’t always equal quality.

So to those of you that shop the mass market brands, which ones are your faves? Why? Who has the best formula? Color range? Value?

I’ve been receiving a lot of questions regarding treatment products. Seems we’re all having nail health issues lately. It could be due to the fiercely cold, dry winter a lot of us experienced or excessive dryness thanks to frequent polish changes. Regardless, we’re all looking for that magic potion to produce healthy nails that don’t split, peel or break.

What makes giving treatment advice difficult is that I can only base my recommendations on my specific problems so I’d love to hear what products make you jump up and cheer.

Tell us what ailments plague your nails and your favorite solution. Let’s help each other work towards better tip health in 2009.