People back home pay about $8.00 for a polish and think that's expensive. Here we pay between ￥1800-2100 for OPI and Essie. That's about $23.00 - 26.00 U.S. per polish. Yah. Deborah Lippmann's are usually about ￥2800 to 3000 ($36-38) and Chanel, Dior and the rest average about the same. Nail polish in Japan is a rip off.
Now, having been here almost 7 years (yah, I can't believe it either. Where did time go?), I've found ways to feed my addiction without breaking the bank. I shop online at Rakuten a lot, and also use Mariposa. I usually just go to shops if I want to see new stuff, get nail polish remover or find a bargain. Not to get shocks like this:
This brand, Shareydva, sell polish only in Asia from what I can find on google. This brand polish retails for about ￥1890. OUCH! And it doesn't even have the international reputation of other big brands like Orly, Zoya, etc. Since this was a special collaboration with Disney, the polishes cost even more (pushing them over 2000!). The inhumanity! The injustice!
This is why I'd rather order from Ebay and pay outrageous shipping. 9 times out of 10 it's still cheaper than buying it in a store here! Japan really needs some kind of price freeze on nail polish!
If you're curious about the colours, here's a close up of the swatch.
Very pretty colours and bottle designs, but for those prices, they better apply themselves on my nails!
Oh, yikes! Like you said, lovely colours, and the bottles are super cute, but that price tag! And I thought we paid outrageously inflated prices here in Hong Kong... @_@
ReplyDeleteHi Elizabeth!
DeleteYah, prices are redonculous here in Japan. Even mini bottles of polish cost more than $4 here. I envy ppl in the States who can just buy OPI or Essie for less than $10! How much does polish cost you in HK?
Hey! Sorry for the late reply--I just happened to click this one again and see your question. Polish in HK is expensive but not quite as bad as it seems to be in Japan. I've found a few places to get OPI, China Glaze, Zoya & Orly for about $9ea, but those are actually discount shops. In salons, OPI is about $17US! Sorry, but no.
DeleteLippmanns are about $27 (though I've seen one place asking $38).
You can of course Sasatinnies by the bucketful here for just a couple of dollars each, but the selection is hit or miss. ;)