Comparisons: Christmas Greens (Zoya Chita vs. Elphie & Zoya Merida vs. Picture Polish Kryptonite)

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Hello!


I recently had a viewer ask me to do a comparison of Zoya Elphie, one of the new Zoya Pixies, and Zoya Chita, a previous Pixie. Also, when I saw Zoya Merida a while back, it reminded me of Picture Polish Kryptonite, so I've been wanting to do a comparison of those two, and today is the day!


Let's start out with Zoya Chita vs. Zoya Elphie...Here they are in the bottle:

Zoya Chita vs. Zoya Elphie

Yep, there's clearly a difference, let's see how much:

Zoya Chita vs. Zoya Elphie

Zoya Chita vs. Zoya Elphie

Chita is definitely lighter and has a more mossy feel to it, while Elphie is a darker forest green. Both gorgeous, both special, and they both deserve a place in your polish wardrobe.


So how about Picture Polish Kryptonite and Zoya Merida?

Picture Polish Kryptonite vs. Zoya Merida

Hmmm...these two are pretty close...let's see them on the nail:

Picture Polish Kryptonite vs. Zoya Merida

Picture Polish Kryptonite vs. Zoya Merida

 These two are definitely closer. Zoya has a higher concentration of holo particles, and has a slightly bluer tinge, while Kryptonite had a purer forest green and a slightly less dense concentration of holo particles. But, if Kryptonite's higher price makes your wallet go owie, Merida will do you just fine.


Happy polishing!
M.

Comparison of Zoya Urban Grunge Metallics and Holos, Part 2!

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Hello!


I'm back today with the second half of my review of Zoya's Urban Grunge Metallics and Holos! For these comparisons, I went through my Zoya collection and pulled out the closest colors I have; I can't guarantee these are the most similar colors Zoya has, but they're the closest I have!


First let's take a look at Zoya Ash, and the closest polish I have in my Zoya collection, Zoya Gloria:

Zoya Ash vs. Zoya Gloria

In the bottle, Gloria looks a little bit lighter than Zoya Ash, but you never know until you see them on the nail:

Zoya Ash vs. Zoya Gloria

Ash is definitely more red, and the metallic finish is more dense. Gloria is a bit lighter and has a sprinkle of blue and gold in the finish. Absolutely not dupes, and you can certainly justify owning both!


Next up we have a closer horse race to look at, Zoya Finley vs. Zoya Mimi:

Zoya Finley vs. Zoya Mimi

Hmm...in the bottle, they're pretty close...

Zoya Finley vs. Zoya Mimi

...But, once we get them on the nail, they're pretty different. The color is similar, it's true, but the finishes are very distinct. Finley is one of Zoya's scattered holos, while Mimi has more of a flecked metallic flake. Definitely can justify owning both of these.  :)


And, finally, we have Zoya Merida vs. Zoya Logan and Zoya Ivanka:

Zoya Logan, Zoya Merida, and Zoya Ivanka

Yeah, it's pretty safe to say that we don't have any danger of an exact dupe here, unless something really transformative happens on the nail:

Zoya Logan, Zoya Merida, and Zoya Ivanka

Zoya Merida is pretty similar in color to Zoya Logan, although Merida is a scattered holo, and Logan is a flecked finish with a spray of gold. Still, if you only feel you need one of a given shade in your collection, these are similar on that dimension. Zoya Ivanka is pretty different on all dimensions--lighter, with a fleck-style metallic finish, and no holo.


So, unlike with the cremes, I didn't find any dupes or close dupes here...only similar colors with very different finishes. Hope this helps you make up your holiday wish list!


Happy polishing,
M.

Zoya Urban Grunge Cremes Comparison Part 3: The Final Chapter

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Hello!


I'm back with our final installment of comparisons with Zoya Urban Grunge Cremes--not to spoil it for you, but again we're not going to have anything close to a dupe, but I picked the closest Zoya cremes in my collection to show you in case it helps you decide which color or colors you need.


We'll start today with Zoya Courtney, the Oxblood creme from the Urban Grunge Cremes (here's my review if you missed it)--I don't have anything really like it in my collection, and the two closest Zoyas I have are Pepper, a brick red, and Rekha, a blood red. Let's take a look at how they match up:

Zoya Courtney, Pepper, and Rekha

Zoya Courtney, Pepper, and Rekha

These are all fairly distinct, even from dark reds, but if you're wondering exactly how dark you want to go or how vampy each are, this will give you an idea. Pepper is definitely vampy, but in a warm brown-red sort of way; Rekha is a more traditional blood red.


And last but not least in the cremes of the collection, we have Zoya Wyatt; the closest in my personal stash was Zoya Hunter:

Zoya Wyatt vs. Zoya Hunter

Zoya Wyatt vs. Zoya Hunter

Again fairly different--Hunter is a deeper forest green, and while Wyatt is dark, it has a titch of blue to it and is more of a kelly green (although not quite a pure one).


So, none of these are dupes, and you can definitely justify buying all of them--I'm glad I have them all for different moods/nail art. But, if you're only looking to buy one of the target color, hopefully this can help you narrow down which suits your needs.


Stay tuned for comparisons with the metallics and holos from the Urban Grunge collection!


Happy polishing,
M.

Dupe or No Dupe: Zoya's Urban Grunge one coat cremes, part 2

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Hello!


Welcome to part two of my comparisons for Zoya's Urban Grunge Cremes! Okay, so, warning up front--this is more of a comparison post than a dupe post. So, like in the Princess Bride, I don't want the suspense to get away from us, lol...This is more for the 'I have the one, should I get the other' sort of comparisons. :)


Today's first battling duo is Zoya August Vs. Zoya Lake. Lake is the closest light gray I have, and while I think of it as a gray with a titch of blue, you can see it looks very blue next to August:

Zoya Lake Vs. Zoya August

Yeah, probably not going to have too much of a surprise here...

Zoya Lake Vs. Zoya August

So in this case there's definitely no dupe here, and if you need a gray that's a little darker and more pure gray, August is your lady. It's funny, maybe it's just me, but I've always struggled with finding the perfectly 'right' shade of gray that's not too dark or two light. I think August is a really nice almost-medium.


Also, don't forget--August is a one-coater, while Lake required two coats to cover.


Okay, our next set of challengers are Zoya Tara and Zoya Toni--that's right, folks, even the names are similar! Let's take a look at them in the bottle:

Zoya Tara vs. Zoya Toni

Hmm...we may have a run for our money here...

Zoya Tara vs. Zoya Toni

So, definitely no dupe here, but these are close enough that you possibly only need one if you're looking to spread your Zoya dollars around. Toni is definitely a titch lighter. And in this case I needed two coats from both of these polishes to get coverage, so not much difference there. Use that money to get yourself a different awesome color--or, hey, get them both, who am I to judge?!?!


So there you have my closest comparables for August and Tara...I'll be back soon with my comps for the last two Zoya Urban Grunge cremes--same bat time, same bat channel!


Happy polishing,
M.

Dupe Or No Dupe: Zoya Urban Grunge Cremes part 1

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Hello!


Thanks to a number of awesome Earth Day sales and such from Zoya, I've amassed quite an embarrassing impressive collection of Zoya polishes. I don't have them all, to be sure, but I have enough that when I review a new collection, I dig through to see what I have that might be close.


First, I pulled out the closest polish I had to Zoya Noah, which turned out to be Zoya Misty:

Zoya Noah vs. Zoya Misty

Close to be sure, but there's a slight difference even in the bottle...

Zoya Noah vs. Zoya Misty

Do we have a dupe? Nope. Zoya Misty is a little lighter and has a little more green to it (a bit more than shows here when in brighter light), while Zoya Noah has a little more brown. Do you need both? That depends on how you define 'need'--if you only 'need' one taupy neutral, then probably not, but if you like to vary your neutrals, then possibly yes.


Also, it's worth noting that Noah has one-coat coverage while Misty takes at least two coats--I'm wearing one coat of Noah and two of Misty in this picture.


Now let's take a look at Zoya Mallory and the closest creme I was able to find in my collection, Zoya Sia (one of my favorite blue cremes of all times, btw):

Zoya Mallory vs. Zoya Sia

Wow, these look really close. There's a teeny difference, but it's so small it might just be the light...

Zoya Mallory vs. Zoya Sia

Do we have a dupe? This one is awwwwffffuuuullllyyyy close. Sia might be a teeny hair lighter, and I did see a slight difference in bright light. But if I hadn't known they were different, I'm not sure I would have realized, and I don't think I'd be able to tell in the picture which was which if I didn't know. So, for color purposes, I don't think you need to own both of these.


That said, I'm showing one coat of Mallory and two coats of Sia--but honestly, if you're careful, you can get Sia to cover in one coat, too. Her coverage isn't quite as easy-breezy in one coat, but again I'm not sure if that's enough reason to own both.


So what's the conclusion on part one? My closest Zoya to Noah is different enough to call them distinct, but my closest to Mallory could be classified as a dupe. So pick one, and use that other money to get a different beauty for your collection!


Happy polishing,
M.

Dupe or No Dupe: Zoya Giada & Barielle Secret Desire

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Hello!

In the fall collections I've reviewed so far, there are two purple shimmers that at first glance look ver similar: Zoya Giada (from the Flair collection; see my full review here) and Barielle Secret Desire....They're similar, but are they dupes?


Let's take a look:

Zoya Giada vs. Barielle Secret Desire

Zoya Giada vs. Barielle Secret Desire

This is a clear case of NO DUPE. The polishes are in the same family yes, but Secret Desire is clearly lighter, and has a blurple duochrome deal going on. Giada is pure purple, and has the deep sexy vamp factor covered.

Do you need both? I don't know about you, but I sure do...what do you think, and do you have a favorite?

Happy polishing,
M.

Dupe or No Dupe: Zoya Janel vs. Zoya Rekha

(Press sample; affiliate links)

Hello!

When I was digging through my box for Zoya comparisons to do with the Focus & Flair collections, I came across another deep red Zoya creme that looked kinda similar to Zoya Janel, so I decided to better do a cop post...

Take a look at Zoya Janel (from the Focus collection; see my full review here) vs. Zoya Rekha:

Zoya Janel vs. Rekha

Zoya Janel vs. Rekha

So what's the verdict--dupe or not dupe? Wow, is this one close...you can barely tell in the first photo, but in the second one you can see it's a no dupe by a nose. Rekha is a teeeeny bit lighter and a big warmer. In some lights this difference was very hard to see, in others it was clearer--but in either case, these are pretty darn close.

So do you need both, and which one should you buy? Far be it from me to get in the way of an addiction, but I'd say no, you probably don't need both. If warmer tones look better on you, go for Rekha. If you prefer a cooler feel, get Janel. Either way, take that money you saved and spend it on a different Zoya beauty, there's plenty to choose from.

Happy polishing!
M.

Dupe or No Dupe: Zoya Aggie vs. China Glaze Rare And Radiant (a Chanel Peridot dupe)

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Hello!

It's been forever since I've done a Dupe-Or-No-Dupe post! When I first saw Zoya Aggie from the new 2015 fall Flair collection, it pulled my mind back to the Chanel Peridot dupes that were popular a while back--it looked similar but not completely the same, so I thought I'd put it to the test.

I don't own Chanel Peridot, but I do own one of the dupes: China Glaze Rare And Radient. So I pulled it out and had a look:

Zoya Aggie vs. China Glaze Rare And Radiant

Zoya Aggie vs. China Glaze Rare And Radiant

In the bottle, you can see that the duochrome around the edges has similar colors to it, although there seems to be more brown in the Zoya--but is that just due to the bottle shape? Let's see:

Zoya Aggie vs. China Glaze Rare And Radiant

Zoya Aggie vs. China Glaze Rare And Radiant

Zoya Aggie vs. China Glaze Rare And Radiant

 As you can see, while these two are similar polishes, they are definitely NOT dupes. Aggie has more, deeper brown, while Rare And Radient is more of a gold; they both show a similar flash around the edges, but it takes over more with Rare And Radient, while it creates more of a contrast with Aggie.

So do you need both? In my opinion, these are different enough that I'm glad to have both. I'm not a huge fan of wearing gold as my base polish, and while I love RAR, I'll be very happy to have a more brown-based duochrome with the green flash.

What do you think? Different enough to own both, or not?

Happy polishing,
M.

Dupe Or No Dupe: Finger Paints Hollydazzle vs. Zoya Nidhi

Hello!

It's been a while since I'd done a dupe post for you, so I have a quick one today, featuring two very pretty, semi-sparkly reds: Finger Paints Hollydazzle and Zoya Nidhi.

A while back I was pulling out some reds for a manicure, and realized that these looked pretty close in the bottle:

Finger Paints Hollydazzle and Zoya Nidhi

Intriguing, but there might be a difference...Let's take a look at them on the nail:

Finger Paints Hollydazzle and Zoya Nidhi

Finger Paints Hollydazzle and Zoya Nidhi

Finger Paints Hollydazzle and Zoya Nidhi

Hollydazzle is on the index and ring fingers; Nidhi is on the middle and pinkie.

Wow, these are close! In fact, in most lights, I couldn't really tell the difference, but in some lights where the flakies show through a bit more (see the middle picture), you can tell that Nidhi has a bit more of the flakie flecks in it...

Conclusion? No dupe, but possibly the dupiest no-dupe I've ever tested! You certainly don't need to have both of these in your collection; and while most of us (okay, maybe just me) are masters of justifying why we need similar-but-not-exactly-the-same polishes, you're gonna have to be a talented talker to get your significant other to agree you should have both of these, lol.

Which would I recommend getting? I personally love my flakies, so I'd probably go with Nidhi. I didn't find any real noticeable difference in formula, so I think you'll be fine either way on that front. With respect to cost, Finger Paints tends to be a little bit cheaper (unless you get in on one of Zoya's sales).

Hope this was helpful! Either way, you're getting a fun polish with a little bit of extra oomph. :)

Hugs and loves,
M.

Dupe Or No Dupe: Julep Ciara vs. Orly Galaxy Girl (Featuring Nubby The Problem-child Nail)

Hello!!

A few days back, I showed you Julep Ciara, which I love, and mentioned that it reminded me of Orly Galaxy Girl...and I promised you a dupe post about it. The only problem is...I broke the middle finger nail on my dupe hand, and I'm still in that denial phase of nubbin-ness where you only file down your other nails so much because you can't accept that they have to go yet again because this darn nail constantly breaks on you...and so you have those uneven nails while you come to grips with it all...or maybe that's just me, and these pictures will be a sad, tragic tribute to my own neuroses. ::sigh::

What were we talking about? Oh yes. Dupes.

Here are the two polishes in the bottle:

Julep Ciara vs. Orly Galaxy Girl

The shapes of these bottles make this a little hard to interpret. There does seem to be less of the purple edge on the Ciara, but that might just be because of the rectangular shape...So on to the swatches, says I!


Here are the two polishes next to one another:

Julep Ciara vs. Orly Galaxy Girl

 

I have two coats each of Julep Ciara on my index and ring fingers, and Orly Galaxy Girl on Nubby and my pinkie. What's the verdict? Welllll.....I'm gonna go with No Dupe. You can tell a clear difference between the two--Ciara is darker and has more of the blue shimmer. Galaxy Girl is has more of the raisin color showing, and a bit less of the blue showing directly. I qualify it with that crazy 'well' because I think the colors would be a bit closer if Galaxy Girl had three coats...But regardless, that makes them not complete dupes.

Are they similar enough that you don't need both? Sure. You can create similar-enough looks with the two of these, so if you want to avoid things that are too close, you can definitely just grab one of these. Are they different enough to justify buying both? Sure. If you're looking for a justification, I officially just gave it to you. ::wink, wink::

I hope this helps anyone who was wondering about these two, and I apologize for Nubby's cameo appearance!

Hugs and loves,
M.

Dupe Or No Dupe: Julep Angela vs. Sally Hansen Black And Blue

(Products in this post were purchased by me.)

Hello!

It's been a while since I've done one of these, and I miss them!

In a recent Julep box, I received the lovely Angela, a dark blue-black-silver-purple duochrome that I love. But as I was swatching it, I realized that it reminded me of something...and finally remembered, Sally Hansen Black and Blue! Take a look at the two in the bottle:

Sally Hansen Black And Blue vs. Julep Angela

Sally Hansen Black and Blue is on the left, and Julep Angela is on the right. The purple shift is more pronounced in the Sally Hansen, but it's possible that's due to the shape of the bottle--if you look closely, you can definitely see the same purple in the Julep.

So let's have a look on the nail. I alternated the polishes, starting with Julep Angela on the index finger, Black And Blue on the middle, Angela on the ring, Black And Blue on the pinky. This is with no underwear, and I put on two coats:

So what's the verdict? No Dupe, but only as a matter of degree. Angela is darker, and has very blackened edges with two coats. Black and Blue is a bit lighter, and shows the shift in a more pronounced way. The difference isn't huge, but it's there. I personally think you only need to own one of these.

So which one should you buy? The first and most important consideration is whether or not you have a color preference; if so, go with that. But if you don't, I think it would depend on which you can get for the better price--Julep tends to be more expensive, especially if you buy the Sally Hansen on sale and/or with a coupon. Another consideration is that while Sally Hansen itself doesn't test on animals, it's owned by a parent company that does. While I'm willing personally to buy from subsidiaries as long as they don't test on animals, if I have an option that is not owned by a parent company that tests on animals, I prefer to go with that, so I'd choose Julep in this case.

What do you think? Close enough that you don't need both? Do you prefer the lighter or the darker?

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you're having a great weekend!
M.

(Products in this post were purchased by me.)

Comparison post: Fleck-finish greens

Hello!!

I've had a few requests for comparison posts and dupe posts, and it's a good reminder that it's been a while since I've done either. So I decided to pull this forward in my rotation a bit, and show you a comparison of 8 green fleck-finish polishes that I own. :)

Here is the bottle shot for the first 5:

Hard Candy Crush On Ivy; Zoya Rikki; Brash Sergeant Khaki; Zoya Ivanka; Zoya Logan

I wanted to do with comparison initially because I suspected Hard Candy Crush On Ivy and Zoya Rikki might be dupes, so I wanted to put these two together; can you guess which two they are, lol?:

From left to right we have:

Zoya Ivanka
Brash Sergeant Khaki
Zoya Rikki
Hard Candy Crush On Ivy

As best I can tell, Zoya Rikki and Hard Candy Crush on Ivy are not quite dupes, but they're close; they both sage green but Rikki has gold flecks in it that Crush On Ivy don't have, and I love that (Rikki also has a slightly better formula, imo). But, they're close enough that if you have one, you can easily skip the other.

As for the other polishes, Brash's Sergeant Khaki is true to its name and has a much deeper, more olive color, while Ivanka is a brighter, more grass-green polish. SK has a wonderful formula and is a one coater; did I mention it was only $2.99 at Payless Shoe Source? They have a whole line of polishes there, and I never had a clue about that before stumbling on this (actually, a friend I was shopping with noticed them and called me over!). I can't find any information about whether or not they're cruelty-free, which is why I haven't bought anymore--I can't say for sure they aren't, but I can't find anything saying they are, either.

But wait, didn't I say 5 polishes? Oh yeah:

On my thumb I have Zoya Logan, which is a more forest green with subtle gold flecks. This was from their holiday collection and is certainly a pretty, Christmassy green. The color is so rich, it actually washed out the other colors in the picture. I love love love the play of yellow-gold and green in this polish. :)

To continue on the comparison over both hands so you can see how they all compare to one another, I swatched Zoya Rikki on the pinkie of my other hand, then put on the final three polishes. Here is the bottle shot first:

Julep Etta; Zoya Meg, Apple and Rikki

Here they are on the nail:

From left to right:

Julep Etta
Zoya Meg
Zoya Apple
Zoya Rikki (again)

Zoya Apple turns out to be well named, as it's a pretty green-apple color; the formula on this was very thin and with two coats it was still patchy and needed a third; this is really the only one of the bunch I probably wouldn't buy again. Zoya Meg had no such problem--her formula was wonderful and she was nearly a one-coater. Her brand of green is more of the lime persuasion, and I could look at that color all day ::sigh::. Finally, Julep Etta is an almost yellow avocado sort of green; she also had a good formula.

And that concludes my first comparison/dupe combination post! I hope it was helpful. What are your favorites? And which color/finish would you like to see me compare next?

Hugs and loves,
M.