Some Spring/Summer Comparisons!

 *Sent for review*

I am totally out of room in my Helmers right now, so I kind of have nail polish all over the place. The good thing about this predicament is that I spotted a few similar polishes in the spring and summer collections for you. It was easy to see the similarities with all of these sitting out right next to each other. First we have Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Swimsical and Zoya Talia. These are definitely not dupes, as Swimsical is much lighter and more blue, while Talia is darker and has more hints of green. But they are in the same family, so I thought I'd show them side by side. This is three coats of Swimsical and two of Talia. Both have very nice formulas.

I would call OPI Lost My Bikini in Molokini and Zoya Serenity dupes for all intents and purposes. They look nearly identical in person and on camera. Zoya Serenity is maybe a hair dustier and ever so slightly more blue based than the OPI, but they are definitely not different enough to own both. This is two coats of each polish, and both of these also have a very nice formula.

OPI That's Hula-rious! and Zoya Tiana are also pretty much dead-on dupes. The OPI is a smidgen brighter and more white-based, but honestly, that's nit-picking a lot. Most human beings will not notice any difference between these two. This is two easy coats of OPI That's Hula-rious! and three slightly streaky coats of Zoya Tiana, so in this instance, I would go with the OPI.

In the category of "Not Dupes", we have Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Dive Bar and OPI Can't Find My Czechbook. I thought these would be closer. Czechbook is much much lighter and a different shade of blue. I was also going to compare these to China Glaze Bahamian Escape, but that is WAY lighter than both of these, so it was pointless. No dupes here and I am fine with that because I love these blues!!

Hope this was helpful! I may have more comparisons for summer collections coming up too.

OPI DS Titanium and Orly Rock Solid Comparison Swatches

 *OPI DS Titanium sent for review, Orly Rock Solid purchased by me*

I have been seeing a few people suggest that Orly Rock Solid might be a dupe for the new OPI DS Titanium, so I decided to drag out my bottle of Rock Solid and check. Both polishes could be described as glitter in a dark grey jelly base, so I can see why people maybe thought they could be similar. However, the glitters in these two polishes are totally different and even the colors of the grey bases are different. The picture above shows a bottle of Orly Rock Solid on the left and OPI DS Titanium on the right. You can see the differences right away in the bottles.

 left to right- Orly Rock Solid, OPI DS Titanium, Rock Solid, Titanium

These swatches show three coats of both polishes plus top coat. As you can see, the base of Rock Solid is darker, almost black, while the base of the OPI is a lighter, almost blue tinged grey. The glitter in Rock Solid is small round holo glitter, while the glitter in Titanium is iridescent, less regular looking in shape and more than one size.

*OPI DS Titanium sent for review, Orly Rock Solid purchased by me*

So ultimately, these are not even close to dupes. I guess they are slightly similar in concept, but different in execution. I personally love them both, with a slight preference for the OPI because i love that cool iridescent glitter! By the way, I am always happy to do comparisons between polishes. Please just leave a comment or shoot me an email if you have anything you'd like compared.

Some Spring and Summer Comparisons For Ya!

 left to right: two coats OPI Jinx, three coats Zoya Destiny, two coats OPI Jinx, three coats Zoya Destiny

The polishes in this post were all sent for review. All opinions are my own honest thoughts.

My first summer collection comparison is OPI Jinx and Zoya Destiny. These two are very very similar. To an extremely discerning eye, OPI Jinx is slightly darker and has a bit more golden sparkle. In these pictures, I had been wearing Zoya Destiny for 3 days (only a teeny bit of tipwear!) and OPI Jinx for about half an hour, so the OPI does dry down even more. Destiny might be a tad warmer of a shade. All in all though, I'm sure you won't need both.

 left to right: two coats Zoya Rocky, two coats OPI Can't Find My Czechbook, two coats Zoya Rocky, two coats OPI Can't Find My Czechbook

OK well, these two are so close that I actually had to write down which finger had which polish on it because I was afraid I would forget before I could write the post! OPI Can't Find My Czechbook and Zoya Rocky are near perfect dupes. In person, I would say the OPI is a teeny bit brighter and the Zoya a little bitty bit darker and dustier. Again, you probably don't need both unless you're crazy about this color blue. Personally, I can't decide which to part with, so I will probably keep both. What can I say, I am a blue ho.

left to right: Essie Pretty Edgy, Zoya Josie, Essie Mojito Madness 

No dupes here, so I didn't even swatch them. If you want to see them swatched, just let me know in the comments. I am also a green ho, so even if these were vaguely similar (they're not), I'd keep them all. Mojito Madness is even brighter and darker than it looks here, while Josie is dustier and lighter.

 left to right: three coats Zoya Yana, two coats Nicole by OPI A Like-Haley Story, three coats Zoya Yana, two coats Nicole by OPI A Like-Haley Story

Zoya Yana and Nicole by OPI A Like-Haley Story are similar, but not dupes. The NOPI has a lot more shimmer, especially in person. The finish is totally different. Yana's shimmer is that super smooth kind that you barely notice, whereas the NOPI is little mini flakie sized shimmer. They are a similar bright pink color though. I think Zoya Yana is slightly warmer and A Like-Haley Story contains more blue. Unless you really love pink, you probably don't need both, but they are not dupes.

If you've requested any other comparisons in the comments of the Zoya Stunning posts, I'll get to those this weekend. If you've suddenly remembered other polishes you want me to compare, just let me know! Hope these were helpful!

The polishes in this post were all sent for review. All opinions are my own honest thoughts.

OPI Just Spotted The Lizard!!

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you may remember that I referred to Chanel Peridot as "Polish of the Gods". I am not entirely sure why my pictures in that post are so small, but whatever, you get the idea. I LOVE CHANEL PERIDOT! So I was pretty pumped when OPI came out with OPI Just Spotted the Lizard in the OPI The Amazing Spider-Man collection. I wanted a back-up of Peridot, but didn't want to pay the price tag a second time. I also know that there are others dupes, but none were very accessible brands for me personally. I am doing a happy dance for this polish!

Look at all of this gorgeous green/gold duochrome!! And that shiny finish!! LOVE!

Like the Chanel version, Just Spotted the Lizard is nicely pigmented, requiring only two coats to look UNBELIEVABLE. I prefer the OPI Pro-Wide Brush to Chanel's long, thin brush, so I enjoyed using the OPI more. The formula is very similar as well, both are thin, but in a good way that makes them easy to control and apply perfectly.

So the OPI has the same formula as the Chanel, requires the same number of coats as the Chanel, has a better brush and is WAY cheaper. Now, I'm sure you want to know.... are they exact dupes?? Please, view the photos below:

Can you tell I'm wearing two different polishes? No? Me neither!! In these two pictures I am wearing: (left to right) OPI Just Spotted the Lizard, Chanel Peridot, OPI Just Spotted the Lizard, Chanel Peridot. I am very confident calling them exact dupes.

Don't own either of these? Get the OPI. You'll save cash and have the same gorgeous nails.

So, any big plans for Mother's Day? I am going to make my mom some delicious breakfast and something good for dinner. I got her some Laura Mercier Creme Brulee body cream and some other goodies, so it should be fun!!

OPI Just Spotted the Lizard and the other shades in the Amazing Spider-Man collection should be available now at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for  $8.50 ($9.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer.
For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com.

This polish was sent for review. For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy. 

Quick Comparisons of OPI Holland, Zoya True, etc!

 left to right: OPI Red Lights Ahead... Where?, OPI On Collins Ave, OPI Thanks A Windmillion, Zoya Bevin

I have a few quick comparison swatches for you today. In this post you will definitely find some dupes and close relatives, and hopefully these swatches will help you make decisions about which spring polishes you need to add your collection. First up we have OPI Red Lights Ahead... Where? and OPI On Collins Ave (from the South Beach Collection). Red Lights Ahead is more red, while On Collins Ave definitely has more orange in the base. If you are not a coral fan, you will probably not need both. I LOVE both of these though, so they are staying. Both only need two coats.

 left to right: OPI Red Lights Ahead... Where?, OPI On Collins Ave

 Top: OPI Thanks A Windmillion, Bottom: Zoya Bevin

Next up are OPI Thanks A Windmillion and Zoya Bevin. These are nearly identical. I think Zoya Bevin is a hair lighter, and OPI Thanks A Windmillion is a touch more blue. I used two coats of OPI Thanks A Windmillion and two of Zoya Bevin, so they are very comparable in formula as well.

 left to right: OPI Red Lights Ahead... Where?, OPI On Collins Ave, OPI Thanks A Windmillion, Zoya Bevin

 left to right: OPI Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh?, Zoya Farah, OPI Dutch Ya Just Love OPI?, Zoya Tru

Let's talk about OPI Dutch Ya Just Love OPI? and Zoya Tru first. Both are lovely purples with gold shimmer. Zoya Tru's shimmer pieces are larger are more prominent. OPI Dutch Ya Just Love OPI? is darker and the shimmer is less obvious. These are definitely relatives, but not exactly the same. You probably don't need both, but which one you get will come down to personal taste. I am actually keeping both, cause I'm crazy about this color! Both were two coats.

 left to right: OPI Dutch Ya Just Love OPI?, Zoya Tru

 left to right: OPI Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh?, Zoya Farah

OPI Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh? and Zoya Farah are also very closely related. OPI Did You 'Ear is a touch darker. I only need two coats of OPI Did You 'Ear for an opaque, smooth finish. I need three coats of  Zoya Farah, and it was streaky with just two coats.

  left to right: OPI Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh?, Zoya Farah, OPI Dutch Ya Just Love OPI?, Zoya Tru

 left to right: OPI I Don't Give A Rotterdam!, Zoya Skylar, OPI I Have A Herring Problem, Zoya Skylar

 left to right: OPI I Don't Give A Rotterdam!, Zoya Skylar

Finally we have all of the beautiful blue shimmers! There aren't any direct dupes here and they all have permanent homes in my collection!! LOVE all of these. OPI I Don't Give A Rotterdam and Zoya Skylar are really not even close. OPI Rotterdam is light blue-gray with fine silver shimmer, while Zoya Skylar is a medium warm blue with gold shimmer. Three coats for Rotterdam, two coats for Skylar.

 left to right: Zoya Skylar, OPI I Have A Herring Problem

Zoya Skylar and OPI I Have A Herring Problem are slightly closer than the first two, but not the same. Skylar is a lighter, more true blue with larger golden shimmer. OPI Herring is dustier and greener with more fine shimmer than seems to be more silver than gold. Both shown using two coats.

left to right: OPI I Don't Give A Rotterdam!, Zoya Skylar, OPI I Have A Herring Problem, Zoya Skylar

I hope this post was helpful to you! If you are a fan of blue shimmers, you need all three of the ones here. So gorgeous!!

The OPI Holland collection is available now at Professional Salons, including Ulta and Trade Secret.

The Zoya True collection is available now on Zoya.com.

Some polishes in this post were sent for review. Please see my Disclosure Policy. 

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY 800 FOLLOWERS GIVEAWAY!!!

OPI Nicki Minaj Quick Comparison Shots

Just a couple of quick OPI Nicki Minaj comparisons for you today. First we have the non-dupes. Above left to right: OPI Sparrow Me The Drama, OPI Pink Friday, OPI Metallic 4 Life, China Glaze Tinsel Town. OPI Sparrow Me The Drama is a darker, dustier rose creme. Pink Friday is a brighter, clean bubblegum pink.

 left: Sparrow Me The Drama, right: Pink Friday

OPI Metallic 4 Life has a darker base and larger, more obvious glitter. China Glaze Tinsel Town is a lighter gray base with more pieces of fine glitter, and less large pieces of glitter.

 left: OPI Metallic 4 Life, right: China Glaze Tinsel Town

Above left to right: OPI Did It On 'Em, OPI Who The Shrek Are You?, OPI Fly, China Glaze Shower Together. These are a bit more alike than I thought they would be. OPI Did It On 'Em is slightly more yellow and lighter, while Who The Shrek Are You? is darker and more green.

 left: OPI Did It On 'Em, right: OPI Who The Shrek Are You?

OPI Fly is lighter and more green-leaning than China Glaze Shower Together. Shower Together is more blue and noticeably darker, but they are more similar on the nail than they are in the bottles.

 left: OPI Fly, right: China Glaze Shower Together

For my taste, these are different enough to own all of them. For the less enthusiastic polish collector, you may have just eliminated something from your wish list.

The OPI Nicki Minaj collection is available now at professional salons!

Some polishes in this post were sent for review. Please see my Disclosure Policy. 

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY 800 FOLLOWERS GIVEAWAY!!!

MAC Bloggers' Obsessions Quick Swatches

MAC Jealousy Wakes

Good morning everyone! Thanks to those of you who have voted in my poll so far. I see that most of you think I should just post my make-up swatches and product reviews here on Never Enough Nails. I haven't quite decided what I will ultimately do (make a new blog or post here), but I do appreciate your input! I have a vast and ever-growing make-up and beauty product collection, and I would definitely like to share more of it with you! If you haven't voted in the poll, please let me know what you think!

For today, I have some quick swatches and comparisons of a few products from the MAC Bloggers' Collection. If you haven't heard about this collection, MAC asked a bunch of bloggers to submit their ideas for an eyeshadow or lipglass, and then chose nine of those bloggers to visit the MAC headquarters in Toronto and create their own product! Exciting, right?

MAC Jealousy Wakes

There were four eyeshadows released with this collection, I picked up Jealousy Wakes, a sell-out shade created by Christine from Temptalia. Jealousy Wakes is a gorgeous shimmery emerald green shadow. It is a Veluxe Pearl finish, one of MAC's most popular eye shadow finishes. Jealousy Wakes is super-pigmented and easy to blend. I could not think of an eye shadow to compare this to, so I'd say it's pretty unique! Unfortunately, it sold out rather quickly online, but knowing MAC they'll re-promote it in another collection.

MAC Jealousy Wakes

left to right: Nitro:licious 2046, Sonoran Rain, Caqui, and Evolution Revolution

There were five lipglasses released with this collection and I purchased four of them! I was only familiar with one of the bloggers who created the lipglasses, and that is Karen from Make-up and Beauty Blog. Karen is probably why I started blogging. I have loved her blog for years! Not only does she provide detailed swatches and opinions about product, but she is also a fellow crazy cat lady and I love her cat Tabs. She created the shade Evolution Revolution for this collection, and I knew I had to have it.

bottom to top: Nitro:licious 2046, Evolution Revolution, Caqui, Sonoran Rain

left to right: Nitro:licious 2046, Evolution Revolution, Caqui, Sonoran Rain

Now, on to the comparisons! There haven't been many comparisons online, as all of the bloggers involved refused to really review/compare this collection. They felt it wouldn't be right since they created these shades. Christine from Temptalia did some comparisons for Jealousy Wakes, but that's about it.

bottom to top: MAC Rue D'Rouge Dazzleglass, MAC Sonoran Rain, MAC Red Devil

I wanted to compare Sonoran Rain to something in my collection, but it is definitely not a match to anything I own! I compared it to MAC Rue D'Rouge Dazzleglass (too sheer and blue-toned) and MAC Red Devil (too orange-y and not the same kind of glitter/shimmer).

bottom to top: MAC Mimmy, MAC Evolution Revolution

I thought that Evolution Revolution would be very similar to my favorite everyday gloss, MAC Mimmy (from the Hello Kitty collection, 2009). However, Mimmy is more pink and has less prominent shimmer. Ev Rev leans more on the coral/peach side and has very prominent, gorgeous shimmer. I might have a new favorite daily gloss!

left to right: MAC Nitro:licious 2046, MAC Russian Red

I also thought Nitro:licious 2046 would be very similar to MAC Russian Red lipglass, but they have their differences. Nitro is more blue-based and has a kind of jelly-like finish. Russian Red is more of a true red, and lighter than Nitro.

Overall, I am really pleased with the items I got from this collection. I can't wait to play around with them more! I will be posting lip swatches and an eye look with Jealousy Wakes as soon as I have time.

MAC Bloggers' Obsessions is available now ONLY online at MAC.