Swatches, Comparisons & Dupes...Oh My!

It's my first comparison/dupe swatching attempt....I was subbing for high school Spanish & during my lunch/prep time, I had brought along a mini-salon to do some comparisons ;) Some of these ended up looking more different then I originally thought when first glancing at the bottles.  But they are pretty similar & it was fun checking them all out on my nail. Let's get started already!

Here are some of my shimmery milky whites: Revlon "Calla Lilly", China Glaze "White Cap", & NOPI "All About The Glam".  They look similar in the bottle but not on...

The NOPI goes on opaque white in 1 coat, a milky white with silver/white shimmer.  The ChG ends up being more of a clear base & PACKED with gold flecky shimmer. The Revlon would actually make a great shimmery topcoat.  It's very sheer, very fine white/gold shimmer...took 4 coats to get it semi-opaque

 Love my blues! Ok these are very similar shades of blue but very different formulas as whole.  The ChG is a jelly based blue filled with fine flecks of silvery-white glitters.  The OPI is more of a frosty creme blue which I ended up not liking as much bc I'm not too into frosts.

 I can't remember the last time I had pinks on my nails...but mom got me this OPI for Christmas & the ZOYA was from their 2 polish promo deal last month that I hadn't tried yet.  They were both a nice fuchsia base with fine iridescent shimmer.  The slight different was that the OPI was more blue-toned & the Zoya was more red-toned & more densely packed with glitters.

 I think these greens are my most identical dupes of the whole post.  I bought these 2 on the same day too, not realizing id purchased 2 identical greens...guess my subconscious was really feeling green that day! ;) Anyways, Ive swatched this OPI before (from the Texas Collection) & have been wanting to compare it to this Ulta green.  Only slight difference is the Ulta is more blue-toned & dries a tiny bit darker.

 This certainly isn't a 'dupe', seeing as they're both OPI's, but wanted to compare these 2 colors seeing how similar they are.  I'm sad that my photos suck the big one & don't capture the sunset shimmer in both of these deep purple-toned blues. They look almost identical in the bottle..."Play 'Til Midnight" is just touch more purple & "Russian Navy" is more bluish, but both have spectacular gold-pink shimmer.

 With these 2 black cremes, I am not comparing colors obviously, but more the quality of the polish formula.  These are both fabulous highly pigmented black cremes.  I'm sure most out there own "Black Onyx" as a staple essential.  If you've seen my swatches of other Revlon ColorStay polishes, I can't stop raving about the formula, quality, application of this line (supposed to be similar to gel polish without needing the UV light).  Dare I say that the Revlon "Stiletto" is better than "Black Onyx"!?!?!? **gasp** ;) Both are great...OPI will always be a dependable classic, but I am highly endorsing you all to try some of Revlon's ColorStay!!!!!! 

What do y'all think of these comparisons????

Swatchalicious Mania!!!!

 Ok, so I had all these polishes just waiting to be tried out.  I spent all of Sunday swatching these cheapies....all kinds of random brands needing to be tested.  Pretty much every color got a quick 3 coats, no base & no top coat for these. Only problem with "swatching", you can't actually test the polish's wear time, so who knows how long the lacquer formula lasts. But without further adieu, lets get on with it :)

 Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear: "Mint Sorbet"

(natural sunset lighting, indoors) This is a great milky pastel with a touch of light green. It is applies opaque easily with just 2 coats. I liked the quality of the polish, especially for $2.  Good brush & good application. Great Spring color & affordable.

new Wet n Wild Fastdry: "Teal Of Fortune"

(natural sunset lighting, indoors) another polish available at Wal-Mart for less than $1.50 per bottle...these pics don't do it justice because the teal-green & gold shimmery flecks weren't really picked up by the camera.  Its surprisingly AWESOME! good formula, nice wide brush & fantastic glitter!

Revlon: #089 "Sunshine Sparkle"

This is a lovely pastel yellow that has super-fine silver shimmer mixed in.  It is a fun color to get you ready for Spring...this picture makes it look more 'yellow' than it really is. It is a more pale milky on.

Revlon ColorStay: #220 "Rain Forest"

(left, artificial warm lighting. right, fluorescent lighting) Here's one of the 2 polishes from this swatch that I won't be able to stop raving about.  First of all, Revlon's new ColorStay polishes have a phenomenal formula..the brush is wide & full.  You just can't beat this deal, this quality for less than $5!!!! I am now in love with this color.  An intense emerald green jelly mixed with fine gold flecks that reflect the deep green. I HIGHLY recommend this polish, any color from this ColorStay line really.  Incredible!  

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength: "Black Tie"

I've seen this color swatched before & decided I had to have it.  It's an almost-black cream base but get a duo-chrome effect with some blue-teal-pink iridescent shimmer blended in.  It's a truly fabulous polish...great quality lacquer...good brush...great contoured handle...more than worth the $3

Revlon: #230 "Popular"

A soft pink milky base filled with small round pieces of glitter & larger hexagonal silver glitter.  It layers really nicely.  This is a very feminine glitzy pink & of course worth the $4

Revlon: #441 "Radiant"

Another fabulous glitter by Revlon! (I'm still waiting to own 'Facets of Fuchsia' & 'Whimsical'.  This is a clear jelly base, completely packed with small round blue-turquoise glitter pieces, mixed with larger blue-turquoise & silver hexagonal pieces.  The silver pieces give this glitter a nice extra pop!

Pure ICE: "Purple Reign"

(Natural sunset lighting, indoors) Ok I am going to just RAVE about this bottle of polish!!!! You don't even know. Of course the photos don't do it justice & display its total beauty.  I had no expectations for this $1.97 bottle of polish from Wal-Mart.  The brush was a little thin, but what a diamond in the rough...a total treasure.  This gem is a beautiful earth-toned purple mixed with the finest rose-gold shimmer.  It was opaque after 2 coats.  Its truly gorgeous...my new favorite polish as of now! What a MUST-BUY! :)

Nicōle by OPI: "Count On Me"

This is an EXTREMELY sheer polish...more meant for layering than for wear on its own.  In the bottle, it looks like it would maybe apply after opaque.  But below on the left is 4 coats & its still very sheer.  Don't be discouraged tho, it may be sheer but its densely packed with a complex iridescent shimmer that gives a duo chrome effect.  In some light/angles, it shines a sunset pink...sometimes gives off a brilliant blue-teal hue...and other times an extraordinary blue-purple.  I wanted to try to make the most of this chromatic shimmer by layering it over something opaque.  Below right, I layered "Count On Me" over my new favorite Pure Ice "Purple Reign"...given, this covers up 'Purple Reign's' glamorous rose-gold shimmer.  Anyways, I think every polish blogging girl needs "Count On Me"($7) as an essential layering piece in her repertoire! I bet it would look good over any purple or a black creme! :)

**NEW** 2012 Kardashian Kolors Released!

They are back at it again...The Kardashian Women have created 7 new colors for Nicōle by OPI 2012.
“In collaborating with the Kardashian/Jenner family on the CVS exclusive shades, we came up with lacquers to represent each of their vibrant personalities and individual styles. The seven resulting colors offer the perfect accessory for spring’s bright colors, feminine frocks and reinvented neutrals.” “These lacquers provide a great way to transition from winter to spring,” adds Weiss-Fischmann. 
The new spring line should be hitting CVS stores this month, February 2012! Be on the lookout!!!!

Smile for the Glam-era
The paparazzi is all about this shimmery photogenic plum.

 Back to Reality…TV

                                        This pretty shimmery little periwinkle was made for TV.

  One Big Happy Fame-ily

This lavender shimmer is the American dream. 

  Our Fuchsia’s Lookin’ Bright

This purple-y fuchsia has the world at her hands. 

  Ladies in the Limelight

The most talked-about yellow-lime of our time! 

  Paparazzi Don’t Preach

This pretty blush pink is doing just fine. 

Strike a Pose
A totally camera red-y color.

What new Kardashian Kolors are you most excited to get?? I am def loving all the shimmers :)

Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates...

"....You never know what you're gonna get."  Here's another little Valentine's Day mani...just a little simple morsel inspired by a typical lover's day gift: a box of chocolates...my favorites, the chocolate-covered cherries.  For this fairly plain look, i used a fabulously rich (almost red-toned) milk chocolate shimmer from Revlon's New ColorStay line, called "French Roast".  It dries much darker on the nail, but what I love is the subtle rose-gold & blue shimmer in it.  I have OPI Nail Envy as a my base coat right now.  Next I layered 3 coats of the Revlon.  Then, I used a fine tipped paint brush to do little red hearts on the outer tips with Essie "Forever Yummy"...its a perfect red.  Lastly, topped it all off with some Seche Vite! I highly suggest you get this new brown Revlon....like having freshly roasted coffee beans on your fingertips :)  

Revlon "French Roast" & Essie "Forever Yummy"

had to use my left hand to swatch today because my right hand (normal swatch hand) has a broken/uneven 'flipping off' fingernail ;) I'm a left-handed girl, so painting with my right is slightly less steady

(this is natural lighting, indoors)

Direct sunlight, sunrise to be exact

 Took a picture of the Essie next to my dad's '66 Red Ford Truck :)

Now get out there & get yourself this luscious café color! I'm really liking the quality of the ColorStay line and I think you will be pleased with it as well! Happy V-Day lovers!