Color Club- Best-Dressed List

Any man may be in good spirits and good temper when he's well dressed. There ain't much credit in that.
---Charles Dickens




This might look a little beat-up. I had worn it for 4 days after the holidays, so I was packing up lots of stuff like the Christmas tree, decorations, wrapping stuff, etc. I loved it, and I think it looked great and lasted well. It's a taupey mushroomy earthy tan. Very pretty and flattering to my skin tone. Not sure if it would be flattering for everyone though.

On my ring finger is a comparison of L.A. Colors "Antique Rose." Obviously, it's much redder and much darker, and has the golden shimmer where BDL does not. I like both.

Report card:

Color= A- (pretty lovely, if a bit neutral)
Formula= A (just about the best around)
Brush= B (mine is just average)
Price= B- (I got mine in a multi-pack at Ross for 8 dollars, but they run 3-4 dollars singly online)

Overall= B+

L.A. Colors- Antique Rose

A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world.
---Leo Buscaglia




This is L.A. Colors "Antique Rose" with Color Club "Best-Dressed List" on the ring finger as a comparison. It is a dark clayish color with an interesting golden shimmer. I actually really like it, maybe the most of all my clay-toned polishes. It has a lovely depth hanks to the shimmer. It dried quickly and lasted well, and held up just as well, if not better, than the Color Club did. It hard barely any tipwear at all after 3 days, and the CC had slightly more. And get this- it could easily be a 1 coater if you apply it well!

All that for a dollar! I won't complain!

Report card:

Color= A (very nice, to me. It's one I plan to rewear often)
Formula= A (pretty nifty, it might be slightly thick, but overall, still great)
Brush= C+ (the brush is too thin to me, it would be better if it was a bit sturdier and wider)
Price= A+ (just a dollar, so that's the best you can ask for)

Overall= A-

Comparison- Revlon "Perplex" versus NOPI "Bah Plum-Bug"

This is Revlon "Perplex" and Nicole by OPI "Bah Plum-Bug." I had spotted the NOPI at Marshall's and this was before I'd found Perplex at Ulta. So I thought it might work towards my Jones for Perplex/Paradoxal. Obviously, it is more "blurple" than dusky violet like Perplex/Paradoxal. It also has more of a rosy shimmer versus the violet glow that Perplex has.

One shoddy swatch later (ignore icky cuticles and how I didn't bother cleaning it up, I was lazy that night lol)- Perplex on thumb and Bah Plum Bug on pointer.




The differences are even more obvious on the nail than in the bottle. They really aren't alike at all, but, the idea is similar I suppose. Perplex is opaque in 1 coat, I swear. And I believe it's a creme. BPB is a jelly I think, and it took 2 coats, 3 on my thumb and middle finger I think.

I hesitate to pick a winner of these. Obviously, Perplex is gorgeous. But BPB isn't to be ignored either. I am glad to have both, but to be honest, the BPB's quality does leave something to be desired. It definitely needs a good topcoat (or two) because it is not a hardy polish. Easily scuffed for sure!

Comparison- Vampy Reds

Left to right: Nicole by OPI "Deeply in Love," Revlon "Raven Red," and Nic's Sticks "Do You Deliver."




Middle= Nic's Stick
Ring= Revlon
Pinky= NOPI

As you can see, the colors are all similar, yet different.

The Nic's Stick is the darkest. It almost has a purple-based tone to it. Shown is three coats for that one, since it is difficult to apply with that applicator. I love the color though, a great berry-wine red. It might have been easier to apply but my cheeky-monkey aka my son Oscar messed with it a while back and left the cap off, so it dried out. I've messed with it and nursed it back to usability, but it's frustrating, and as you can see, I have at least 2 other colors that fill the vampy-red desire and are much more easily applied.

The Revlon is a creme. Supposedly it got it's name based on the blood of a raven? Eh. It just sounds like an attempt to be gothier-than-thou to me. But, my middle name is Raven, so I had to purchase it (this was before I knew Zoya made a polish named Raven). The color is nice, and it applies decently. This is just a very average polish, in all terms. Average color, average application, average availability and price. It's just not something spectacular. But I would consider it classic. It is more bricky and opaque than the others. It does need a topcoat in my opinion, it can be prone to scuffs and tipwear more than average. Shown is 2 coats.

The Nicole by OPI polish- oh me. I love it. It's not a creme I don't think. I believe it's a jelly, or perhaps a mixture. Shown is 3 coats, but I think you can do 2 thickish coats instead. It's lovely and applies to nicely. It's a blood-red, and so dramatic. It has a slight blue tone to it and just exudes class and sexuality all in one and definitely VAMPY. It dries fairly quickly and with a cushy, glossy jelly-like finish. If you want a classic or vampy red, this is a great investment. Definitely the winner of the group.

Comparison- Medium Purples

left to right: Simple Pleasures nameless polish (from a JCP gift-set) and Color Club "Uptown Girl."




hasty swatch, thumb= nameless polish & pointer= Color Club.

As you can see, the colors are near identical. And for as cheap as it was, the nameless polish was not too bad in the quality department. But, the Color Club...wow. It's a dream to apply. It's glossy and cushy and just oh-so-nice.

But, you can catch the JCP set on clearance for 3.60 a box, which contains about 7 polishes I believe. About a week ago, my JCP still had lots of the polish. Check it out, if you are craving this color for cheap.

Comparison- Light Pinks

Left to right: Borghese "Angelica Blush," Color Club "She's Sooo Glam," Nicole by OPI "Scene Stealer," Essie "Pinking Up the Pieces", and L.A. Colors "Classic Pink."

Burry swatch, apologies...




Thumb= Borghese, pointer= CC, middle= NOPI, ring= Essie, and pinky= L.A. Colors.

Obviously, the Color Club one is definiely not similar at all. I wasn't sure til I applied it how sheer it was going to be. It's not sheer at all, it's pretty dang opaque. And BRIGHT. And fun. I am using that this spring for sure.

The others were more my intention, which is to say, French mani pinks.

Borghese's "Angelica Blush" was kinda streaky and thick. I am thinking of adding some Zoya Renew to this one to thin it a bit. It's unwieldy to apply and as you can see (pictured is 3 coats), just too dang streaky. It's lovely though and is the perfect color for a French mani.

Nicole by OPI "Scene Stealer" is a pretty color. It's interesting. It's pale and a similar lavender-based pink, reminds me of a pink version of Essie "Demure Vixen," which I happen to be sporting at the moment. As pretty as the color is, I have to admit, the application is sadly lacking. It's just a bit thick, and streak enough, to make you not want to continue wearing it. Plus, it is dependent upon a thick topcoat. It has a slightly chalky finish and was fairly imprintable even 24+ hours later. But it is such a nice color, in my opinion. But not quite right for a French mani. It's too saturated a color.

Essie "Pinking Up the Pieces" is interesting. It reminds me of a smoother version of Savvy Femme Couture "French Opal Rose Frost" with less obvious bluish flash. I think it would make for an interesting French mani actually, different from the normal sheer pinks. The ever-so-slightly-noticeable blue flash is lovely. It is extremely sheer, so don't expect to apply 3 or even 4 coats and achieve opacity. Pictured is 4 coats. Nuff said. This is best enjoyed as an intentional sheer, and I think 2 coats is best for it.

The L.A. Colors "Classic Pink" came in a cheapie clearance 2 pack from the Dollar General this past fall. I was hopeful it was going to be decent for a French mani, but honestly, it was way too streaky. The little brush was not conducive to application either. I have since frankened with it. I made a very pretty color at least, I will show it later.

So, ultimately, I wasn't too impressed with any of these for a Classic French manicure. I have kept the Angelica Blush, it most suits that purpose. But I will either need to thin it out or learn better ways of applying it. Essie "Pinking Up the Pieces" is a great option if you are looking for an unusual mani. L.A. Colors "Classic Pink" is not worth purchasing. But you can franken with it just fine. :)

Enjoy!

Comparison- Classic Red Cremes

Left to right: Wet n Wild "Red Red," OPI "Color So Hot it Berns," and Hard Candy "Fishnet."

My quick-n-dirty swatch:


Thumb= WNW, pointer= OPI, and middle= HC

As you can see, they are all very similar in color. CSHIB is perhaps more orange-toned than the other too, and the WNW more blue-toned, while the HC is more in the middle.

As far as formula goes, I honestly prefer the WNW. The Hard Candy one was too thin while the OPI was too thick. The WNW applied like a dream. All dried very well and have nice glossy finishes.

Ultimately, because of the ease of application being the only difference really with these polishes, I gave 1st prize to WNW "Red Red" and the other two are tied for 2nd.

I don't think I need all three, they are all so similar. Some may prefer to have them all, they might be different enough to them. But this el cheapo wishes she only had one of them.

Comparison- Sally Hansen Nail Prisms' Holos

Left to right: Purple Diamond, Pink Rose Diamond, and Blush Diamond.

I found these at Dollar Tree in 2 packs for a buck each. That's a pretty good deal. However, I apparently do not like holos. I like the purple one, but that's minimally so. The rest I can do without. They are all too similar for me to need them all.

They kinda take a little bit to dry, but not too bad, and they have a nice finish. I just don't like holos, bottom line. I think it looks odd on my fingers. Maybe for a party or something?

Comparison- Teal Metallics

This is Sally Hansen "Lagoon" on the left and a mini Nicole by OPI "Jade in the Shade" that came in a Wal-Mart holiday gift set this past Christmas.

Here's my icky, blurry swatch, Lagoon on ring finger and JITS on pinky.


See, they look a LOT a like. JITS is not as opaque as the others. Since I have more of the Lagoon and it's more opaque and applies more easily, I used the other for frankening already. But I decided to swatch them so people can decide if they really need both.

Enjoy!

Comparison- Sheer opalescents

This is one of my favorite type of polishes. Shiny, shimmery, duochromatic, opalescent sheers. Above, from left to right, we have: Nina Ultra Pro "Molten Copper," Borghese "Patina Pearl," Pure Ice "Sea Shell," which is discontinued, and Sally Hansen "White Diamond," also discontinued.

The Pure Ice polish is my oldest actual bottle of polish. It was the originator of my "lazy mani" attitude of swiping on one coat of a sheer, opalescent polish and going on about my day. "Molten Copper" I bought back when I first got back into nails, this fall. Sally was having a buy 2 get 1 free for that brand I believe. The Borghese polish I found on sale recently at Walgreens, for $2.19 down from $8.17. I knew I already owned the similar Sally Hansen one, but I haven't been impressed with its quality, so I picked up the Borghese one to put them both through the gauntlet. I found the Sally Hansen one at my local Dollar Tree, along with other Sally Hansen polishes.

Now, when I swatched these, it was obvious that "Sea Shell" and "Molten Copper" looked nothing like the other too, so since my camera was getting full, I decided to just take pics of the Borghese and Sally Hansen polishes.




They were both pearly in general, with green on one side and pink on the other. They looked so similar, although the Borghese has a slightly stronger pink flash than the other. Ultimately, I liked the Borghese finish, and application, best. Poor Sally Hansen "White Diamond" now sits in my to-franken bag. It just takes way too long to dry and smudges like crazy. It is slightly more sheer and better for layering though, I'll give it that.

nameless Wet n Wild, what are you?

One of the colors I thought my nameless Wet n Wild holiday gift-set pink might have been was Wild Card. Walgreens restocked their WNW display, so I snagged it. I knew when I saw the bottle in person that it was not my nameless color. I did a comparison anyway. Wild Card is more purple, while the nameless one is more pink and more duochrome with a somewhat metallic finish. I like both quite a bit, but Wild Card wins. It's just lovely.

Enjoy!

Comparison- Dark plums

I kinda have been obsessed with dark plums lately. Obviously, or I wouldn't have so many lol.

Pictured above, left to right: Revlon "Plum Night," Nic's Sticks "Dash Into the Dark," Borghese "Carnevale Grape," and Nicole by OPI "Show You Care." There are subtle difference to these colors. The Revlon is a dark vampy plum, almost black. The Nic's Stick is slightly grapier than the Revlon. The Borghese is opaque at one coat, and obviously red-toned and grapey, but at two coats, is nearly indistinguishable from the others. The NOPI color is similar to the others, an uber-dark, grapey-plum but it has lovely, delicate silvery shimmer which provides interesting depth.



Quick n dirty swatch: thumb= Revlon "Plum Night," pointer= Nic's Sticks "Dash into the Dark," middle= Borghese "Carnevale Grape," and ring finger= NOPI "Show You Care."

The Revlon is a great example of a good, standard polish. I applies well in 2 coats, dries ok, nice and glossy, etc, and is easy and fairly inexpensive to find. The Nic's Stick, well...I don't like those things. I can't apply them very well. Lovely color, difficult applicator. The Borghese gets my vote for the fave of this spread. It's opaque with just one coat and dries at a decent rate and is nice and glossy with a lovely cushy, yet not smudgey, finish. It's also not so close to black as the others, so it stands out more. The NOPI one, that also is a fave, tied for first place I'd say. The shimmer just really sets it apart from the rest, and I think it's worth having, even if you have other dark plum shades.

Report card:

1st place: Borghese "Carnevale Grape & Nicole by OPI "Show You Care"
2nd place: Revlon "Plum Night"
3rd place: Nic's Stick "Dash into the Dark"

There ya have it!

Comparison- Metallic Orange

I ended up with oodles of metallic, shimmery, or glittery oranges after Christmas. Pictured above, left to right, is Sinful Colors "Courtney Orange," nameless Hard Candy from a Wal-Mart gift set, a nameless Wet n Wild, also from a holiday gift set (Dollar General), and then lastly OPI "Take the Stage."

I did a quick and dirty swatch:




Thumb= SC
Pointer= HC
Middle= WNW
Ring= OPI

The Sinful Colors and WNW are almost identical. They have very similar quality as well, and are both pretty nice. The Hard Candy...whew boy. It's awful. Ain't worth a flying fart. Gritty, stinky, goopy, took forever to dry, ec etc. The fumes from the Hard Candy polishes was just God-awful. Something funky is going on with them. And Take the Stage is nice, but I just don't like glitters in general. It's difficult to apply. It dries nice though and was hardy.

If I had to pick a fave, it's definitely Sinful Colors. A close second is the nameless WNW. Third is OPI "Take the Stage" but only if you like that sort of finish. The Hard Candy one is worhless. It doesn't even earn "4th place" because that implies some sort of value. It's terrible. The bottle is ok though, if you empty it to franken with, but I'm finding it extremely difficult to get the glitter all out.