You Must Choose! Lip Gloss or Nail Polish?

Everyone has their "thing" that they have too much of. It's that one where no matter what, you can always justify picking up a new one.

For the longest time, that was me and lip gloss. I could (and, um, can still) always think of a reason to pick up another lip gloss or another lipstick. I guess this is why they call it the leading lipstick indicator or lipstick index.

But lately my head has been turned. As much as I love lip gloss and lipstick, I can't always justify another "your lips but better" or red or hot pink or even coral lip gloss. I have so many, and the shelf life of a lip product is only so long. If I keep adding new ones into the rotation, the older ones are going to go bad with me barely using them because I keep swapping them out for the newest color. Not so great. Plus, again, how many colors can I really wear on my lips, and how many colors are they really going to put out? Could I wear a royal blue creamy-matte lipstick, if a company actually made it available? I don't think I could, and they wouldn't -- couldn't -- sell it anyway.

So lately my thing, in case you haven't noticed, is nail polish. It comes in all sorts of colors, lasts for days instead of hours, and is, generally speaking, much cheaper. It's not uncommon for me to swing by a beauty supply shop (there are two on my way home! two! and that doesn't include the drugstores!) and take a peek. Plus, as I said, with the color range of polishes out there now, I don't have to limit myself to pinks and reds (though I do love them) -- I have a growing collection of blues, greens, purples, yellows and oranges, and several different metallics in gold and silver and copper. And the amazing colors just keep coming!

But nail polish has its drawbacks too -- I always wind up smudged (if I hit my nails in the first, oh, DAY) and chipped, plus there's the chemicals, the smell, and the time it takes. Lip gloss you can apply in seconds, plus it smells and tastes better. (I have never actually tasted nail polish. In liquid format.)

If you were to decide between the two -- lip gloss versus nail polish -- what would you pick, and why?

images from beauty.com