I got an email from the lovely Stephanie at Polish Addict regarding Japan-only nail polishes. As some of you may know, I’m in Japan so I can see these goodies on a daily basis.
So what’s the difference between Japanese nail polish and U.S./European versions?
1) The Japanese nail polishes are cute and pastel. In the Japanese OPI Designer Series, there is not one dark color like DS Glamour. They are all pastel. There are extremely few vampies or bold colors to be had here, except red. Most brights on the market are imported from the US at a steep price.
2) Price. How steep? A regular bottle of OPI is around $25 US, Designer Series OPI runs $35 US, Color Club is $12 US, China Glaze is $16, and Chanel is $40. These insane prices are actually one of the big reasons I started frankening.
There are some local high-end Japanese brands, like Shu Uemura and Shiseido, both run around $18 per bottle but the quality tends to be pretty good. The colors can be a snooze-fest, but they seem pretty nice in general. I don’t actually own any.
Some Japanese drugstore brands are pretty nice like Estimo TiNS, Pa, Majorca, and even some good dollar store polishes can be had. I do most of my frankens with el-cheapos, and I get good results and pretty good wear. I change colors often, but I do a lot of typing and I rarely chip.
So, ladies, if you want to get unavoidable envy for Japanese polishes, I am providing you with an online catalogue for a major Japanese nail polish supplier. You can zoom in on the catalogue and flip pages, just hold your cursor to the bottom left or right corner of the page. I’m sorry it’s all in Japanese, but it’s one of the most extensive collections I’ve seen on the Web for Japan polish. The company is called Red Nails, based in Tokyo. Some of the polishes are Japan-only, others you will recognize from the US or Europe.
http://202.69.238.177/DC/index.html#40
There are 15 pages of polish to ogle over.
For the prices, it’s easy to convert to US dollars, anyway. 1,575 yen (written as ￥1,575) equals roughly $15.75 US. Be prepared for sticker shock!
I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you so much for all of the info….I can’t wait to spend time drooling over the glitters!
I have been IN LOVE – TRUE TRUE TRUE love with TiNS!! I need TiNS in my life! I would kill to get me some of those. I have not found anyone that will sell these to the US! I even email TiNS, somehow I found an english email address and emailed them. Talk about glittah baby.
How much do the TiNS run in US dollars? Are there any available around you?
Thatgurl- Enjoy!
Brooke- I can get an abundant supply of TiNS- they are really popular here. They run about $14 but I can usually get 20% off with my discount card, so around $11 or so. Did you see all the duochromes on pg. 48 of the catalogue? I never actually noticed those before! I’m going to score a couple today.
Do you want any???
Can you please email me (I didn’t see and email addy for you)? I would love to maybe work out a deal with you to get some of those TiNS!!!!!
brookiebaby at yahoo . com
YOU ARE THE BEST!!!
I would love to get my hands on some TiNS as well! please email me if you are able to send me some!
Hi,
Could you kindly email me you email address ? Thanks alot.
Shermin
Hi, please take a look on the right side toolbar on the blog. My contact info is there.
Hey thanks for the info! I cant seem to be able to open the link to the catalogue you were talking about though. Im in the USA if that makes a difference. Feel free to e-mail me if youd like
Hi, I guess because the link is to an older catalogue, but here’s a link to the shop:
http://www.redshop.jp/shop/frontpage.php?mode=category&category=%83%7C%83%8A%83b%83V%83%85&subcategory=
You can find the various nail polish brands on the left of the page.
Do you know if this website ships to the US or if there are ones available for shipping to the US? Thanks.
I would like to get a japanese professinal nail polish machine
Hi, I’m sorry but I don’t know the machine you are referring to. I paint by hand.