Here are a couple reader requests:
(As always, click the images to view full size. These puppies are huge!)
Index to pinkie: OPI Parlez-Vous OPI?, China Glaze Who's Wearing What, China Glaze Channelesque, Pure Ice Taupe Drawer.
They all look really similar in the bottle, but they're much different than I expected when you apply them! And, in all my infinite wisdom (*snort*), I forgot to include OPI You Don't Know Jacques and Sephora By OPI Call Your Mother and Metro Chic in the comparison! D'oh.
Thumb: (left) OPI Tickle My France-y (right) Rescue Beauty Lounge Grunge
Index and middle: OPI Tickle My France-y
Ring and pinkie: Rescue Beauty Lounge Grunge
Another great request for a comparison I wouldn't have thought of myself! These look nearly identical in the bottles, but as you can see, they're quite different on the nail. Both are gorgeous, do I don't know if I'd ever be able to pick between the two!
Urban Decay Book Of Shadows.
The eyeshadows are excellent. Absinthe is the standout color, a very bright golden green with shimmer. No complaints there. The packaging, however, is really crappy. The eyeshadows are in a pull-out drawer that fits so tightly it's a struggle to open. You have to open it by a tiny little ribbon, and since you have to pull so hard to get the drawer open, I can imagine that delicate little ribbon getting torn off pretty easily.
The brushes are floppy and useless. Bah. And, my major irritation with this is the stupid "pop-up" top flap.... WTF are you supposed to do with that?? It doesn't stay open so you can't use it as a mirror.... It's just.... useless! They should have put the shadows up there instead of in the stupid drawer!
So, final verdict: Awesome shadows, crappy packaging.
Chanel Rouge Noir.
I tried taking the picture in a different part of the house, but I think the lighting turned out weird. Hm.
Chanel Tulipe Noire.
That's it as far as requests go- I'm working on a really big project right now, but I think it will help me respond to requests a lot quicker! I know a lot of you are still waiting on requests, but I didn't forget about you, I promise!
And, for fun, here's a little nail art.
China Glaze Gypsy Girl, China Glaze Fairy Dust, Art Club Black Hologram. This was a touch darker in real life, and it looked awesome. Sparkly and eye-catching!
For some reason I can never photograph reds. They always come out looking weird and too bright and glowy. Reds, oranges and neons. I don't know what it is! Argh.
China Glaze Blue Sparrow, China Glaze Emerald Sparkle and Art Club Black Hologram.
I really like this shape- it's not quite a french but it's not quite half-and-half either. I love the way this looks when the light catches it too- tons of sparkle.
Great. Now I need Chanelesque! :-(
ReplyDeleteI'm getting that shadow box for Christmas!! Can't wait! I love UD shadows IMHO they're better than MAC.
The nail art is really cute too!! <3
Cute nail art!
ReplyDeleteOh, and guess what? My China Glaze Sleigh Ride set came yesterday, and I just had to put Emerald Sparkle on right away. It's totally gorgeous. I never would've even known about it if it wasn't for you, so thank you! :)
I love tulipe noir it's one of my all time favourite shades even though chanel polishes chip so easily on me.
ReplyDeleteWhich nail polish brand would you say is your all time favourite?
Thanks for the comparisons and swatches!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't own either, judging from the pics I think I like Tickle My France-y better than Grunge...which is fabulous news for my wallet.
What has not been good for my wallet is my decision to finally make a transdesign order in addition to hitting Sephora by OPI yesterday. Payday comes but once every two weeks...and then I blow my money on polish. Hehehe.
Also, are Channelesque and Metro Chic similar at all?
ReplyDeleteThumb: (left) OPI Tickle My France-y (right) Rescue Beauty Lounge Grunge
ReplyDelete--> I just wanted to share with you that it took me a while to figure out what you meant. (Ehh?? Left thumb and right thumb?? But there's only 1 thumb!!) mmmyeahhh. *cringe* i'm not usually this slow. honest.
anyway thanks for all your swatches! love your blog. :D
Thank you so much for taking time for my PVO comparison request, Scrangie:-)
ReplyDeleteTo me they look so alike when I see them one by one, but side by side they´re not even similar. You saved me some money here. I got PVO and I´ll leave it at that, seeing that it´s really my favorite one of the bunch.
THANK YOU!!!
I need Chanelesque now too!
ReplyDeleteI love the shadow box !!
I love the nail art! Woo woo!
hi scrangie i have a question. i love essie for their colors but they are not big three free. i dont know what are the risks of using nail polish that have these chemicals in them. did you know about essie containing the big three? would you still use essie? i am so indecisive.
ReplyDeleteCarla G, at least it's not expensive :D I used to really hate Urban Decay shadows and then all of a sudden one day I woke up and loved them! lol :D
ReplyDeleteAtomica, YAY!!!! It's soooooooooo beautiful, it's unreal!
Alison, Chanel polishes chip really easily on me too :(
I'd say my favorite brand formula-wise is Rescue Beauty Lounge and my favorite brand for range of colors is probably OPI, but I really love them all :D
Grace, oooh yeah, I feel your pain... I've been on a serious makeup and polish binge this weekend >.< *wallet is smoking* I think Channelesque and Metro Chic are pretty similar, but I haven't put them side-by-side yet (can't find my Metro Chic bottle!! :( )
Aisle, hehehe :D I confuse myself with that, too, I can't think of a good way to explain that I have two different colors on one nail :D
Micha, you're very welcome! :D I really like PVO the most out of those, in terms of application and shade, so I think you made a great choice :D
Lydia, yay! :D They're all so nice, I bet you'll love 'em!
Hallie, I like polish *with* the big three better. In my opinion, all of the advertising for 3-free polishes is just a scare tactic and has little basis. I am not one bit worried about the negative effects of "big three" and I prefer my polishes to have them. There's just not enough evidence (or any!) that proves wearing nail polish is bad for you. On a side note, all new Essies with blue labels are 3-free, if you're concerned about that :)
Oh wow! i liked most the chanel tulipe noir...amazing!
ReplyDeleteAWESOME nail arts!!! :D I love the half-ish thing :) I'm away to try it with OMG and DV8 :)
ReplyDeletewhen you say all essie with blue labels are big three free, you mean the labels at the bottom of the bottle? where it tells the name and the ingredients?
ReplyDeleteNitzan, it is very pretty, I don't know why they make the best colors limited edition! :(
ReplyDeleteLina-Elvira, thank you!! I think that will be an awesome combination :D There's just something about that slanty half shape I like, it just appeals to me for no apparent reason :D
Hallie, yep, that's the one! :) Instead of black ink it will have blue. I'm pretty sure all new Essies will be 3-free.
Ooooh TYFP! Do you have SOPI Metro Shic to compare w/ the other purples?
ReplyDeletevbie3714, you're welcome! :) I do have Metro Chic, but I can't find my bottle >.< It's got to be in the kitchen somewhere.... I'll take pics when I find it, lol XD *looks under couch cushions*
ReplyDeleteHmm... the Pure Ice Taupe Drawer might be what I am looking for. I passed on that new Borghese grape color because of the price.
ReplyDeleteI love everything in this post:D
ReplyDeletethe nail art rules!
I agree! I would kill to see comparisons of OPI Parlez-Vous OPI?, You Don't Know Jacques, Sephora By OPI Call Your Mother and Metro Chic!! :D
ReplyDeleteBeautiful job on the art, Scrangie, and I covet your Rouge Noir!
ReplyDeleteOMG!!! You've given me a hard-core lemming for the Book of Shadows. I adore UD :D
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm tottaly digging the green/blue/black mani you did @the end. Perfection!
thanks so much for posting the smoky violet comparisons, it really helps my shopping! (and keeps my wallet with a trim waistline...)
ReplyDeletebtw, you should be a hand model, you know, not just for your blog =)
Hailey, the Pure Ice one is very nice, I'm impressed with how well it applied, and at under $2 it's a smart choice :D
ReplyDeleteSanna, thank you! I think I've been bitten by the nail art bug! :)
MariahGem, oooh you might be interested in this post I did a while back comparing them:
http://www.scrangie.com/2008/08/reader-requests.html
Hope this helps :)
Siobhan, thank you, I'm honored! You inspired me :D (And if you want Rouge Noir, I just got mine in that gift set from Chanel! :) )
QJ, thanks!! It's a really nice palette, not too many duplicate colors from other palettes, which is a bonus! :D
Firepail, you're very welcome :D And thank you! I'd love to be a hand model, I wonder how hand models get hired?
scrangie, as always an amazing post. your pictures put me to shame and i am still waiting for a colour to not suit your skin...other than that one terrible one by RBL that looked like yellow'd death :P
ReplyDeleteI LOVE LOVE the slanty half colour thing you've done. Would you mind letting me know how you did that? I am assuming you used some sort of tape (?) to cover half the nail to do that first colour? If you could provide a quickie tutorial I'd be so greatful!
Naz
Hey Naz :) Yeah, that RBL is easily the worst polish I've ever worn, hehehe :D
ReplyDeleteAs for the nail art, it's really quite simple! I painted my nail one color, then I used a nail art polish to draw a diagonal line across my nail, and filled in the rest with the polish :) The Art Club polishes have a long skinny brush that's perfect for making stripes- it practically does the work for you! You should give it a try, it's fun! :)
I looked at the Box of Shadows in the store the other day, and I agree. It's pretty and all, but I'd rather get at my makeup easily. Have you seen the Sustainable Shadow Box? Still a great color selection, but much easier to get at.
ReplyDeleteOh I also got the 24-7 Liner Travel Size set in VIP. It's awesome sauce. Just the right size to stick in a purse or small make up case.
ReplyDeleteHoneyHoneyNY, I did see the Sustainable Shadow Box, and I was contemplating ordering it until I realized I had all the shadows that were in it except one. :D I wish they didn't duplicate so much in their palettes! I'm definitely going to get the new 24/7 set in Velvet Rope- I loooooove the 24/7 liners!!!
ReplyDeleteI really like Urban Decay's products, but their packaging has sucked for me almost across the board. The plastic "bubble" covering the lid of my Ransom Deluxe Shadow was always falling off, the metal lid to my Lip Gunk came unglued from the plastic inset/applicator, and Primer Potion has the infamously wasteful bottle design. If Urban Decay would make their packaging more solid, I'd spend more money on them.
ReplyDeleteJocelyn, I completely agree. It seems they go more for "cute" than "functional." I have stopped using Urban Decay Primer Potion for that reason! Too Faced Shadow Insurance is waaaay better anyway :) I especially hate the new lipstick tubes! For one they're really fat and take up much more space than a 'regular' lipstick, and secondly they're very hard to open- you have to pull on that stupid little dagge and it's SHARP! I don't know what they were thinking.
ReplyDeleteYep, UD definitely seems to favor cuteness over function. I haven't looked at the UD lipsticks in person, but the dagger design does look literally painful to deal with.
ReplyDeleteI've switched to Too Faced Shadow Insurance also! Good formula that goes on my dry lids more smoothly, and I'm all for the squeezy tube. :)
A tip to you about Urban Decay's "Book of shadows"; pull the drawer all the way out, and remove the rubber-string that's glued to the inside of the box, then you won't struggle so much with pulling the drawer out!!
ReplyDeleteI wonder is Chanel Tulipe Noire by Chanel is similar to La Bohema by OPI?
ReplyDeleteor maybe together with POi Boheme and Chanel Tulipe Noire can go OPI
ReplyDeleteWine Me & Dine Me? How do they differ?
Anonymous, WOW thank you for that tip! I'm going to do that right away!!
ReplyDeleteChloe, La Boheme is a lot more interesting that Tulipe Noire- it's a red shimmer with green and gold flash, super pretty.
Wine Me and Dine Me might be more similar color-wise to Tulipe Noire, but the shimmer in Tulipe Noire is really flat, where as Wine Me and Dine Me has a lot of depth and looks lit from within :)