Ask Shatter me Claire - My fave polishes under $5

While I had some time off I've been thinking about where I want my blog to be in the next 12 months. I only have to look back at my first posts to see where I've come [and then cringe with embarrassment over how bad they are!!!].

I could easy continue to putt along posting swatches and trying to own every polish known to mankind or I could actually set myself some boundaries - limit myself to a single helmer and remind myself that I could wear my favourite polish everyday if I wanted too and that I don't have to wear something new and unswatched daily.

Anyway it's become clear to me that majority of the people who ask me questions and keep my inbox feeling loved are those people who I know in real life or have worked with online ... they are everyday people who don't visit many blogs, don't own a vast variety of polishes and have many questions. So I'm going back to basics and collating questions that I get asked.

I'm going to start with what I think is my most asked question ... that is "What is your favourite polish brand?"  and honestly that's like the hardest question in the world. I have so many that I love dearly from different collections so I'm going to seriously narrow it down ... so this is my under $5 list of polishes you can find in stores without resorting to eBay bargains! [$5 Australian that is ... sorry for those overseas].

Having a good polish doesn't mean going down to David Jones and forking out $20 for an OPI. Just because the price is expensive doesn't mean you are getting a better product. There are plenty of great brands in Australia that you can afford that will not break the bank or your budget.

Ulta 3/ NYC Color

Don't let the price fool you on these. Cheap doesn't mean nasty!! While there are some that aren't worth a second glance - for around $2 why not give it a try as there are some beautiful colours in these bins if you have time to dig around for them!

Essence

I am amazed that a brand from overseas can arrive here in Australia and be so cheap in price!! Why can't others learn from this example? The racks at my local Target are generally empty as soon as it's restocked! Also I enjoy these smaller bottles and the larger ones are usually limited editions and cost slightly more but they are generally still worth investing in.

Face of Australia

I really do love this range as it seems to pretty much do anything. I use FoA for nail art and stamping aswell as just painting my nails. 

Apart from this there are many other brands around that fall into the $5 category when on sale!! Things like Chi Chi, Rimmel and Maybelline spring to mind.

End of the day - if you like the colour ... just buy it!!

** As we live in the age of smartphones - if you are worried that the bottle will not look like the finished product then just google the name and look at the images. There is generally some sort of swatch for all the brands I'm listing below. I used to be the biggest dud finder. If I had a dollar for everytime I brought something that looked pretty in the bottle but didn't translate in real life then I'd have some serious savings going on. So if you have the time before heading to the checkout then do this!! **

I'll continue this series in the future on other favourite brands that cost that bit more!