Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Dupe or No Dupe?

On Monday, I swatched Revlon Gold Coin, which you can check HERE in case you missed the post.


On Monday, I swatched Revlon Gold Coin, which you can check HERE in case you missed the post.

Coincidentally, I also happened upon a polish that looked eerily similar in the bottle while checking out the grand opening of a new Five Below in my area, called Down to Earth.

So I picked it up, along with the rest of the Funky Fingers Heavy Metal collection, and headed home to compare.



Here are the polishes after the first coat. The pinky and the ring finger are Down to Earth, while the index and middle fingers are Gold Coin. There is definitely a clear difference here, but let's give it another coat.



And here they are again, DTE, GC, DTE, GC, with two coats. They're kind of similar, but the Funky Fingers has much more of a champagne tone to it, where as gold Coin has a blacker, aluminum-like base to it. In fact, I'd venture to say that Down to Earth isn't a foil like Gold Coin, but rather a shimmer. I would say DTE is more in the vein of OPI Glitzerland.

So are they a dupe?

Leila, open the case…

DUPE BUSTED!

Check back tomorrow for a new post and stay tuned for the rest of the Funky Fingers Heavy Metal Collection.

- Princess Polish

Monday, October 10, 2011

Revlon Gold Coin

Last fall, while striving to wear every color of the OPI Swiss collection, I fell in love with a little polish called Glitzerland. I've never been the type of girl to wear gold polish, thinking it would yellow my skin tone. But Glitzerland, which had champagne overtones, proved me wrong.

So during a Walgreens haul in July, in which I made $1 in Register Rewards every time I purchased a Revlon polish because my coupon made it free in the first place, I zeroed in on Gold Coin almost immediately.



A stunning gold foil, with a little bit of an aluminum undertone to it, Gold Coin is my go-to-gold. It's not over the top with bright, chunky glitter, instead, it's classy and sophisticated. So much so, that I would confidently wear it to any party or formal event. That is… if I had one to go to.

The application was one of the smoothest of any foil I have ever used and I would highly recommend this to any polish lover, whether they are a gold-lover or not! I also adore its sister from the Metals collection, Silver Dollar, though I am in search of the last of the triplets, Copper Penny. I have yet to get my hands on her, though I hope to soon.

See you tomorrow for the first ever "Dupe or No Dupe?" post, featuring Gold Coin!

Princess Polish

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

OPI DS Shimmer

It is not exactly a surprise as to how much I LOVE the OPI Designer Series Collection. So when I saw all of them on clearance last winter at Harmons for $3.97, I snatched up every last one, all thirteen of them. In fact, I even have a duplicate for a very special reason when I hint 100 followers. HINT HINT: Get cracking on that, guys.

The most classic of all holos is silver because not only is it the first, it's often the best of a collection.

So today, I bring you OPI DS Shimmer…



The refraction of light in Shimmer is fantastic and you can clearly see the rainbow effect with one or two coats.

The application was excellent, nice and smooth. And per usual, the brush was fantastic. This was with two coats. I probably could have used a third, but in tomorrow's post, you'll see why I only used two.



This is with only one coat. I think this definitely has a chic, nearly nude-but-better look to it that is perfectly fashionable, as well. It can also be dainty, as you see here, since it's not as in-your-face as regular silver glitter, or you can jazz it up with some nail art, colored tips, or even marbling (hint hint: tomorrow) to make it a little wilder.

Regardless of how you wear it, DS Shimmer is definitely versatile and a must-have for any holo-lover.

- Princess Polish

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Essie Smooth Sailing

As you can tell from the photo, I chopped all my nails down this week due to some breakage issues. Well, not so much chopped as clipped, but you get my point. Either way, I was in the mood for some change.

Since I'd been wearing mostly heavy-duty glitters lately, I decided to go for a little more subtle sparkle and picked out Essie Smooth Sailing from the Spring '11 Brazilliant Collection, at the local salon late last week.

Smooth Sailing is a periwinkle blue creme finish with the slightest hint of silver glitter. It's subtle enough for an extra pop, but not in-your-face enough to be overwhelming.



Let me start by saying that I like this color, but I don't LOVE it.

I just don't think it suited my nails when they were on the stubby side. I think it looked a little weird in a way, but I can't put my finger on why. However, if my nails were longer, I think it'd look great. I just don't think it works well on shorter nails. Tomorrow's post will explain it a little better and you'll see why I say that.

Also, the glitter didn't pop enough for me. It kind of looked like I had put some polish over a glitter top coat to try and hide it. I'm all for subtle sparkles, but I think this one just missed the mark. In the light, it has a nice glass-flecked finish, which saved it for me. But in the rainy days of September, it just didn't do it for me.

Don't worry, Essie... I love you anyway. And I hear my grandmother just brought home a new polish from you for me to try. Apparently, it was in the clearance bin at Harmons. Go figure.

Until tomorrow!

- Princess Polish

Essie Smooth Sailing

As you can tell from the photo, I chopped all my nails down this week due to some breakage issues. Well, not so much chopped as clipped, but you get my point. Either way, I was in the mood for some change.

Since I'd been wearing mostly heavy-duty glitters lately, I decided to go for a little more subtle sparkle and picked out Essie Smooth Sailing from the Spring '11 Brazilliant Collection, at the local salon late last week.

Smooth Sailing is a periwinkle blue creme finish with the slightest hint of silver glitter. It's subtle enough for an extra pop, but not in-your-face enough to be overwhelming.



Let me start by saying that I like this color, but I don't LOVE it.

I just don't think it suited my nails when they were on the stubby side. I think it looked a little weird in a way, but I can't put my finger on why. However, if my nails were longer, I think it'd look great. I just don't think it works well on shorter nails. Tomorrow's post will explain it a little better and you'll see why I say that.

Also, the glitter didn't pop enough for me. It kind of looked like I had put some polish over a glitter top coat to try and hide it. I'm all for subtle sparkles, but I think this one just missed the mark. In the light, it has a nice glass-flecked finish, which saved it for me. But in the rainy days of September, it just didn't do it for me.

Don't worry, Essie... I love you anyway. And I hear my grandmother just brought home a new polish from you for me to try. Apparently, it was in the clearance bin at Harmons. Go figure.

Until tomorrow!

- Princess Polish

Monday, October 3, 2011

Wet n Wild Ready to Pounce

Okay, I know what some of you are thinking. You've blogged about Zoya, OPI, and China Glaze… but Wet n Wild is not even in the same category. So why bother?

I'm not going to lie. Prior to this year, I'd always viewed Wet n Wild as nothing more than a bargain brand polish. And listen, I have nothing against these "bargain polishes." To be honest, as a college student, I can't really afford to go out and only buy designer brand polishes, considering brands like Butter London and Deborah Lippmann cost double digits and Zoya/Orly/OPI/China Glaze hover just below the $10 mark. That's why clearance racks are a girl's best friend.

But I have to give Wet n Wild credit where credit is due. Gone are the old formulas in which I'd have to thin out their polishes after a month, causing me to spill nail polish remover all over my desk. Gone are the streaky finishes and gloppy applications.

In fact, today, October 3th, 2011, I will confidently stand on my soapbox and proclaim that Wet n Wild makes solid quality polishes for a fantastic price!

If you need convincing, I suggest you head to your nearest drug store and pick up a polish from their On the Prowl collection. And if you can't find any polishes from that collection… it's because it has become one of the hardest to find beauty products of the season. Not OPI, not Essie, not Illamasqua… Wet n Wild. Seriously, there is a blog that actually has an interactive map where people post locations in which it has been spotted. See?

In fact, I managed to snag the last one of Ready to Pounce, the most highly touted one of them all, from Harmons, if only to see what everyone has been raving about. And guess what I found out?



Shut the front door. It's. Gorgeous.

A beautiful vampy plum, with subtle purple shimmer, it's the perfect fall color. It has lasted for over five days now and has survived my subconscious nail chewing of the LSATs, with the slight ding in my middle finger due to my overzealous chocolate lab. If only she had waited until the chew toy was no longer in my hand…

And if it takes the tooth of a ninety-pound chocolate lab to take this baby down, then you KNOW it'll hold up well to the rest of the elements. You'll have to excuse the lack of a bottle shot… it was being passed around amongst my friends for use at the time this article was written.

Oh and speaking of Deborah Lippmann? The cost of DL Happy Birthday, DL Ruby Slippers, and DL Wicked Game? A wallet-busting $54 at your local Nordstroms.

The cost of their WnW dupes, Party of Five Glitters, Behind Closed Doors, and Gray's Anatomy? $5.97.

Want to join me on my soapbox?

- Princess Polish