Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Dupe Or No Dupe: Color Club The Uptown vs. Nfu-Oh 51

Hello!

I recently showed you my picks from the new Color Club Girl About Town fall 2013 collection (which you can see here) and I mentioned that The Uptown reminded me a bit of Nfu-Oh 51...so of course I had to do a Dupe Or No Dupe to see just how close they are. :)

Here they are in the bottle; seriously now:

Nfu-Oh 51 vs. Color Club The Uptown

Pretty darn similar. The color, the rainbow around the edge, the flakiness...Yeah. But...the true test is how they look on the nail...

On my index and ring fingers I have The Uptown (two coats), and on the middle and pinkie I have 51 (three coats):


Color Club The Uptown vs. Nfu-Oh 51




Okay, so pretty clearly we have a case of NO DUPE. Let's break it down:


  • The Uptown has a much higher density of flakies. You could possibly get a dupe of this look with Nfu-Oh, but it would take 5-6 coats, minimum--ain't nobody got time for that. Plus, if you're using them as a topper over another color, you'd completely lose your base color if you put on that many coats.
  • The purple seems to be a bit darker (and maybe more blue-based?) in the The Uptown than in 51.
  • The look is a more delicate with the Nfu-Oh, so possibly better for glitter sammichs or the like.
  • The Uptown covers completely with two coats, but you'd need three for the Nfu-Oh to be fully opaque with no VNL. 
So, you could certainly justify owning both. But there is a possibly more interesting question here, since 51 has been discontinued. Is it worth hunting down one of the few remaining bottles of this flakie? If you prefer the less-dense effect and are willing to pay $12 a bottle for it (or more, since you may have to work to find it now), then, yes. But if you're okay with, or even prefer, the larger density of flakies, you can get The Uptown for about $3.00 through outlets like Head2Toe Beauty. And if you were in love with Nfu-Oh 51 and were depressed about the possibility that you might not be able to get it anymore, well, this is certainly a workable alternative. :)

Thanks for taking a look--hope this was helpful! Hugs and love,
M.

21 comments:

  1. Great comparison! The Color Club one looks amazing!

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    1. It really is. If they'd had this one before I bought the Nfu-Oh, I have to admit I'd never have bought it...the CC is more flaky-licious, and for 1/4 of the price!

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  2. I definitely prefer The Uptown! And it's so much cheaper! It looks awesome over that purple. Great comparison =)

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    1. Yes! The price is amazing. Oh, and it's not actually over a purple--that's the color of the polish itself! How cool is that!

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  3. Would like to see how close it is to Layla Ceramic Effect - The Butterfly Effect 52 if you've got it.

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    1. I don't have that one, but I maybe might be able to run by an Ulta and see what I can see. :)

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    2. Okay, so the amazing Emily of Macabre Manicures http://macabremanicures.blogspot.com/2012/04/stamped-nail-art-using-konad-bundle.html has helped me out with this! We put our collective heads together and based on the evidence presented, we believe the Layla is even a bit more like The Uptown that the Nfu-Oh is. Please don't hold me to that 100%, but it looks pretty darned close!

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  4. Love that you compared both! I have Nfu Oh 51 and was thinking if I need the CC - yes I do! Love the dense flakes!

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    1. For that price, you can easily justify getting the CC too...of course, it's a little harder to justify it the other way around, lol!

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  5. Gah, I was really hoping that the Nfu-Oh 51 (that I already have too) was the winner, it would have saved me the trouble of having to hunt down the Color Club! Looks like I'm going polish shopping again!

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    1. The good news is the price is right on the Color Club...but still, I apologize...kinda! :P

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  6. I saw these and immediately thought they looked very similar to Kleancolors Chunky Holo Black as well. Though that seems less flakie and more glittery.

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    1. Hmmm, I don't have that one, but it sounds like I might neeeeeed it...>.>

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    2. As pretty as it is, I would actually say don't get it :( I got all (or I think I got all of them) of the "chunky holo" polishes from Kleancolor, and they look gorgeous, but that is about it :( I highly recommend their metallics though, they are stunning!

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    3. Okay, thanks...so many awesome polishes to buy, it's always good to know when to skip one. I have the chunky bluebell holo, and I really like that, but I must admit I'm a little confused on the use of the term 'holo' for it, lol...

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    4. Yeah they really use "holo" loosely there. Is your chunky holo bluebell a slow drier as well? I feel like all of mine smell horrible and take FOREVER and then some to dry!!

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    5. I cheat, I throw Seche Vite on top of my manicures so they dry fast whether they want to or not, lol!!

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  7. Excellent comparison. Could you add a line about the dry time? I have 51 and had decided against buying Uptown. But your review is tempting me to get that second bottle ;)

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    1. Let me check it out for you. I normally throw Seche Vite right on over my polish after letting it dry for about a minute, so I never really worry too much about dry time--so let me do a test for you and I'll report back. :)

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