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Comparison

Comparison, Nail Polish

The Classic Red: Rimmel Reds Comparison

12th January 2015

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Rimmel Red Nail Polish Comparison

The classic red is a staple of any lacquer addict’s collection and I’ve never looked further than Rimmel for a pocket friendly red polish that wears for days. I first struck gold with Heart on Fire but the Lycra Pro range has since been phased out (or more likely rebranded as Salon Pro) and I had to find an alternative. Of course, the first place I looked was the Rimmel stand and I found Rock N Roll, a very worthy replacement. More recently, I also got my hands on Mars and Raw as Night from the Rita Ora 60 Seconds line. So, how do they stack up against each other… Read more

Comparison, Swatch, Uncategorised

The £2 Flakie Duochrome

3rd August 2014

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2true Shade No. 02 Swatch // Clear Sparkle

Exactly one week ago, I received an email from a lovely lady named Lynzi who reads this blog who wanted to let me know about a very interesting polish she has in her collection and described it as looking like ‘mother of pearl or white opals’. I’m always on the look out for interesting and unique nail polishes so I was very intrigued and asked for a little more information on the polish.

Turns out it’s made by a brand called 2true which is exclusive to Superdrug. I’ve bought 2true polishes before – it’s a very purse friendly brand and the polishes are really great for that price point. I picked up a bottle for myself this weekend and couldn’t wait to swatch it!

The name on the bottle is ‘Shade No. 02‘ but on the website, it’s been given the generic descriptive name of Clear Sparkle. Seeing nail polish given numbers instead of names is a real pet-peeve of mine since a name can add so much to the appeal of a polish (or any beauty product in fact) and do wonders for the marketing *ahem, Nars Orgasm*. Whenever I see a shade that has a pun for its name, I feel like I have to buy it whether or not I like the product just because I love puns so much. Anyway, that’s a conversation for another time!

You could wear this shade on its own if you want to add a sparkly finish to your natural nails but you’ll never get it opaque. I swatched it over blackto bring out all of the different textures. There is silver glitter in there along with multichrome flakie bits that shift between purple, blue and pink.

It gives a very rich and opulent finish that I’ve never come across in a £2 bottle of nail polish before and it could probably be compared to a number of more exclusive, expensive polishes. The closest match that I own is piCture pOlish Altered State. Scroll down to see a side-by-side comparison.

Where to buy 2true

Shade No. 02 / Clear Sparkle is available from Superdrug online and in stores nationwide. RRP £1.99.

Select products are 3 for £5.

Is it a dupe for piCture pOlish Altered State?

piCture pOlish Altered State Limited Edition Swatch

Altered State is a limited edition shade from piCture pOlish released in February 2014. Currently, it’s still available on the website but when it’s gone, it’s gone! I swatched the whole collection of Limited Edition colour shifting shades back in February.

Altered State is more of in indigo purple and the colour shift is a lot more subtle. The glitter in No. 02 is slightly chunkier (although not chunky by general glitter standards) whereas in Altered State it’s very fine and holographic. There are no flakie pieces in Altered State which is what gives No. 02 its duochrome quality.

I think Altered State is an all around more refined polish and while anyone can see they’re not exactly the same, there is a hint of similarity and you may be able to fool an untrained eye!

So, is No. 02 a dupe for Altered State? No, not really. But it’s a very good alternative!

piCture pOlish Altered State Limited Edition Comparison

Comparison, Review, Uncategorised

Top Coat Comparison: Rica, KBShimmer, Seche, Cult Nails and INM

5th January 2014

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Press Sample

Finding the perfect top coat is the perpetual struggle that all polishaholics face! There are dozens out there and everyone seems to have their own favourite. We’re all mostly looking for the same things in a good top coat – easy application, a glossy finish and lasting power – but it’s hard to find one that offers all three.

When Katie at Harlow & Co saw one of my recent top coat rants, she got in touch to see if I’d be interested in comparing some indie top coats with a few popular mainstream selections. A few are ones that I’ve tried before and others are completely new to me so I was very excited to size them up against each other and hopefully find the perfect top coat along the way.

It was very hard to compare these because they’re all good top coats in one way or another. They all have at least one of the three traits we’re looking for (that’s easy application, glossy finish and lasting power in case you forgot!) but only a few have all three.

I’ve ranked them in order from worst to best so if you’re only interested in reading about the good ones, scroll down a little bit!

INM Out The Door

Given the amazing things I’ve heard people say about this in the past, I was expecting great things but I was sorely disappointed with this top coat. It was not very fast-drying and I found that it leaves very noticeable streaks on my manis. Even a second coat can’t smooth things over. It also chips fairly easily at the tips. The only thing that redeems INM Out The Door is the fact that it doesn’t shrink my mani!

Gloss 3/5

Lasting Power 3/5

Overall 2/5

Although drying time is good on this one, the streaky finish makes it an absolute no-no for me.

Where to buy: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK)

Seche Vite

What can I say about Seche Vite that you haven’t all heard before?! It dries insanely quickly and gives amazing shine but it has its downfalls too. I know from past experience that this top coat gets thick and gloopy before you’ve even used half the bottle and once it gets to that point, it starts to shrink on your nails. By this, I mean that it literally shrinks as it dries and takes the nail polish underneath with it. It pulls away from the tips and cuticles so you have a layer of paint that’s just slightly too small for your nail!

I’ve heard it said that if you ‘wrap your tips’ (paint all the way over the very edge of your nail tip) it doesn’t shrink quite so badly but I’ve never mastered this technique. Having short nails, I always just end up with a lot of top coat stuck to my fingertips so I ain’t got time fo’ dat!

Gloss 5/5

Lasting Power 4/5

Overall 3/5

If I’m paying upwards of £5 for a bottle of top coat, I want to be able to use more than half of it. However, the quick drying time and rock hard finish is this top coat’s saving grace.

Where to buy: Amazon (US), Boots (UK)

Cult Nails Wicked Fast

This top coat really lives up to it’s name. It truly does dry wickedly fast! It’s also very shiny but again, from experience, I know that this gets gloopy when you’re close to the bottom of the bottle. However it’s nowhere near as bas as with this Seche.

Gloss 5/5

Lasting Power 4/5

Overall 5/5

This is a fast drying, glossy top coat but does get very thick towards the bottom of the bottle. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend this top coat because while it lasts it’s amazing!

Where to buy: Harlow & Co

Rica Glossy Glam

This top coat is really great for covering those thirsty glitters. Two coats and the finish is completely smooth. It’s fast drying and is indeed Glossy but I don’t like the brush as much as I could. It’s a perfectly functional brush and a great all round top coat but I think a wider brush would be a great addition to the already amazing Glossy Glam.

Gloss 5/5

Lasting Power 4/5

Overall 5/5
I don’t have a bad word to say about Rica Glossy Glam. It offers brilliant shine and speedy drying time.

Where to buy: Harlow & Co

KBShimmer Clearly On Top

This one is a great all rounder but I wish it dried a little quicker. I LOVE the brush in this one which is wide and flat. Combined with the perfect consistency, it makes applying this top coat an absolute dream and it never smudges my nail art.

Gloss 5/5

Lasting Power 4/5

Overall 5/5

With two coats, the shine of this polish was unrivalled. Although it’s not quite as quick to dry as Glossy Glam, the wide brush and lower price tag push it to the top of the list.

Where to buy: KBShimmer, Harlow & Co

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It seems Indies are really winning this race. Perhaps the fact that the creators of these indie polishes are so closely involved with the online nail community gives them an edge because they’re so tapped in to their audience and they know exactly what we want out of a top coat.

It was so tough to choose between Rica and KBShimmer for the top spot but that wide brush really gave KBShimmer the edge and I’m happy with my choice although I do wish it wasn’t so difficult to get hold of these indie top coats here in the UK. Most online stores offer international shipping these days but it can be pricey so you have to buy a lot of bottles at once to make it worth the shipping costs.

Most of the polishes on this list are available from Harlow & Co where international shipping is available.

Comparison, Uncategorised

Comparison: Barry M Cyan Blue vs. No7 Stand Back

1st July 2011

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I don’t know if anyone remembers my post from Saturday (find it here if you missed it) where I mentioned a new colour that I purchased from No7 called Stand Back. I noted that it was very similar to Barry M Cyan Blue which I also have, but I had convinced myself that they were different and I needed both of them. Well I decided to try the two on side by side and I discovered that there is literally no difference in the colour! Oh well, what’s one more polish in the pile?!

Barry M Cyan Blue and No7 Stand Back

The Barry M colour is in my Top 10 favourite polishes anyway so I’m sure they’ll both get plenty of use. They look so pretty in the sun so I’ll definitely be wearing them a lot with the summer coming on.

Comparison, Review, Uncategorised

Quick Born Pretty Plates Review

6th May 2011

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When I saw that Born Pretty Store were selling Konad replicas for $1.55 each I knew I had to buy a few. I’ve been lusting after M78 and M79 for so long but my budget never seems to stretch to Konad plates these days. So I bought 4 new plates from Born Pretty for about the same price as one genuine Konad plate and I didn’t pay any shipping which is what always puts me off buying Konads.

I got M76, M78, M79 and M57. I already have Konad M57 but I thought I would buy Born Pretty’s version too so that I could compare them and I’m glad I did.

I scanned in all the plates I bought along with M57 so all the images are relative sizes for side-by-side comparison.

I was disappointed with BP’s M57, the designs are so small! It would be a push to get them to cover my ring finger. Compared to Konad’s 15.5x12mm, the all over designs on the Born Pretty plate are only 12.5x10mm (no infographic this time, sorry!)

But. I can’t complain because the image on the product page clearly shows that the designs are quite small. I was so excited when I was buying the plates that I didn’t spend much time checking the pictures!

I’m really pleased with the other three plates. The patterns on M78 and M79 are the same size as the Konads which definitely redeemed the plates in my eyes as these were the ones I was most looking forward to.

The designs are really well cut and good sizes so I think I’m going to be getting a lot of use out of them.

L-R: Konad M57, BP M57, BP M76, BP M78, BP M79.

You can buy these plates here. They’re back to the regular price of $2.99 each now but that’s still a steal compared to Konads and the shipping’s completely free. Just steer clear of M57 unless you have tiny nails!
These products were purchased by me.

Comparison, Review, Stamping, Uncategorised

New Bundle Monster Plates Review/Comparison

27th April 2011

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My set of the new Bundle Monster plates arrived in the post this morning so I immediately cracked them open and started inspecting them! I’ll post my new mani later today but for now I want to share my thoughts on the new plates and show you how they compare to the old Bundle Monsters and Konads.

The first thing I noticed about these plates is how crisp the designs look. On the last set, some of the designs lack definition but Bundle Monster have really upped their game this time around.

Every plate in the set comes covered with a thin sheet of blue plastic. I’m not 100% sure why but I would guess that it’s just to protect the plates from any scratches during the final stages of production and packaging. I think this is great because I like to remove the coverings as I use each plate so I can see which ones I’ve already used and which ones I still have to play with!

Another improvement that they’ve made is to add a plastic covering to the back of the plates, exactly the same as you’ll find on the back of Konad plates. I’ve read about plenty of minor injuries caused by the old BM plates, although I’ve never suffered any myself, which have quite rough edges so I’m sure this new backing is a welcome addition to all BM owners. The new BMs still aren’t as smooth as Konad plates around the edges but unless you run your finger along the edge while applying pressure, they aren’t going to cut you!

I think the new feature that most people were looking forward to was the larger designs that Bundle Monster promised us. The ‘all-over’ patterns on the old Bundle Monsters are too small to even cover my short, fairly narrow nails and lots of people found themselves with the same problem. The designs just weren’t sufficient in size to cover the nail with one stamp which led to double stamping with dodgy joins.

So, with me being a perfectionist and general neat freak, I had to measure up all of the designs and put a little graphic together to show you my results! All measurements are in mm, size descending.

New Bundle Monsters: 16 x 13

Konad Plates: 15.5 x 12

Old Bundle Monsters: 14 x 10

The all over designs on the new BMs are indeed bigger than on the old ones and are even bigger than the Konad designs. They’re only bigger than the Konads in height by half a millimetre which is only a tiny amount but could make all the difference.

You can buy the NEW plates from Amazon.com here or direct from Bundle Monster here.

You can also buy these plates from Amazon UK.

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Comparison, Swatch, Uncategorised

Brown Comparison – E.L.F Smoky Brown vs. Barry M Mushroom

19th August 2010

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When I got home with my haul a few days ago which included Barry M Mushroom, I realised that it’s really similar to E.L.F. Smoky Brown Which I already have! Darn it, I could have bought Blueberry Ice Cream which I’ve been drooling over for aaages!

So here is my first comparison post! There’s not much to compare though, since the two are practically exactly the same, the Barry M is just slightly more creamy coloured.

They are great dupes for each other so if you are looking for a shade like this, I suppose it just depends which brand you prefer.

I personally prefer the E.L.F because the brush is wider and flatter, making application easier in my opinion. But if you like your brushes round and slim, go for the Barry M.