Best nail polish doesn't cost the most

Was your mother right? Do you really get what you pay for? Is spending the extra money worth it?

We ask ourselves that whether we're buying a lipstick or liposuction.

One day not long ago, I wandered into the drugstore to buy a little treat, bright-red nail polish. There I stood, utterly confused and unable to make a decision.

Was the $8 Essie better than the $2 Wet n Wild? Should I believe Revlon's extravagant ad campaigns and plunk down $6? Or do I split the difference with a $4 Sally Hansen?

That's when I decided to buy them all and put them to the test. But why stop at four?

I went online and bought a bottle of OPI, a favorite at nail salons. My final stop was Barneys because the cosmetics there are notoriously decadent.

I breezed in and demanded, "Show me your most expensive nail polish!"

"How about the second most expensive?" I croaked.

That was By Terry, which was still a laughable $30 for 0.33 ounce, the teeniest of all the brands I bought.

Then I rounded up a team of five co-workers who were willing to paint their nails crimson for many weeks as they tested the six polishes through spring cleaning, orange peeling, dishwashing, lots of typing and, yes, wine-cork yanking.

The bottom line? You can get a great polish for $8. The cheaper ones were inferior. And don't waste your money on the $30 splurge.

(All testers used Revlon base and top coats, $8 each at Walgreens.)

($8, 1/2 ounce, www.drugstore.com)• "Got a good six days out of it before the mani showed signs of fatigue. (No major chips, just minor wear on tips of each nail.)"

• "Scored 4 out of 5 for durability."

Revlon's Fire Fox matte suede

($6, 1/2 ounce, Walgreens)• "Poor coverage. I would not buy this polish again."

• "Chipped the easiest of all the brands."

By Terry's Nail Laque Terrybly, Trafalgar Red

($30, 0.33 ounce, www.barneys.com)• "OK coverage with two coats, but really needs three coats for best look. Not as durable as Essie or OPI."

• "Not as durable as the Wet n Wild" -- which costs $2, 93 percent less.

Essie's Jelly Apple

($8, 0.46 ounce, Walgreens)• "Consistency was perfect for application."

• "Good, full coverage, and it went on nicely."

Wet n Wild's Megalast, I Red a Good Book

($2, 0.45 ounce, Walgreens)• "Goopy."

• "Gloppy but durable."

Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails, Tough Love