OPI's "Parlez-vous OPI?" and China Glaze "Below Deck" Comparison

Well hello!


Today's post is going to be short and sweet...


A friend of mine on Facebook recently wanted to see a comparison of OPI's "Parlez-vous OPI?" and China Glaze's "Below Deck" to see how similar they are. As you may know, PVO was part of OPI's 2008 Fall Collection de France (one of my favorite OPI collections!). I purchased mine at my local grocery store (I know, total diversion...) and am so glad I snatched it up when I did. It's quite hard to find, and is going for some pretty crazy prices on Amazon and eBay. I purchased Below Deck recently from a local beauty supply store. This one isn't as hard to find (yet!), since it was part of China Glaze's 2011 Anchor's Away Collection which was released earlier in the year. 


I never realized how close the two were until my friend requested a side-by-side comparison.

Sorry about the messy painting. I literally just slapped on a couple of coats of each and snapped some pictures quickly. 

But as you can see, they are very close, but not dupes. PVO is much more "purple-y", where BD has a hint of taupe in it. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I prefer the color of Below Deck over Parlez-vous OPI. Normally, I'm all about the OPI's, but this time, CG wins! That said, I'm not giving my bottle of PVO up to anyone! 

CND - Jason Wu Collection - "Sophia"

Hey, ladies (and maybe gents, too!)! Sorry I've been a little M.I.A for the last few days. I've been meaning to give myself a mani (I've been going 3 days without polish on my nails! Such a sin!), but haven't had the time. Finally, I got around to painting my nails tonight! Every time I paint my nails, I'm reminded how much fun it is, and how much the finished product brings me joy!


Tonight's color choice is from the newest line from CND, the limited edition Jason Wu Collection.  The Jason Wu Collection became available on May 1st and includes four staple colors: "Miss Wu" (a limestone gray), "Brigitte" (a dirty rose), "Veronica" (a sexy, beet red), and my choice for tonight's mani color - "Sophia" (a dark mushroom). Also included in the set is a CND Effect top coat named "Anna", which contains silk fragments to provide depth and texture, much like a tweed material finish.

I recently read on "All Lacquered Up's" website, that Michelle (the author of the blog) feels that, "CND has one of the best formulas on the market. Their polishes are extremely pigmented and smooth. The lacquer glides on the nail with ease in three simple strokes, requires only two coats and dries to a perfect, even finish." Thank you, Michelle, for taking the words right out of my mouth! I couldn't agree more! CND has definitely become one of my favorite brands of polish because of it's high-quality formula, reasonable price, availability (at Beauty Brands!) and color selection. 


Ladies, I'd like to introduce you to my new friend, "Sophia":


Application:
OPI Chip Skip
1 coat of OPI Nail Envy, Original Formula
1 coat of Essie's "Fill The Gap" 
2 coats of CND's "Sophia"
2 coats of China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat
1 spritz CND Solar Speed Spray

The Jason Wu Collection is available for purchase in salons and via www.cnd.com. The suggested retail price for this set is $47. The collection will be sold globally while supplies last.

For more information about CND and the new Jason Wu Collection, please visit the CND website.

*The product in this post was sent to me by the company or their PR firm for my unbiased review. 

Revlon - "Perplex"

WARNING: PICTURE-HEAVY!!!!!!!!!


"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!"


Those were the exact words that came out of my mouth when I was in the cosmetics aisle at Big Lots today and saw a lonely bottle of Revlon's "Perplex" sitting by itself on the bottom shelf - with a $1 price tag on it!!!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted it! I immediately picked it up (for some reason, I was worried if I didn't snatch it up immediately, someone else might...?!? Weird.). Anyways, I ended up purchasing this, along with 2 other Revlons (again, for $1 each) and 3 older Sally Hansen's (for $1.50 each). I was all smiles when I left the store today. My thoughts were, "MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED"!


I should also mention that I found these goodies at a Big Lots 3 hours from my house. I was traveling for work today in Pekin, IL and on my way home, I was going to pick up a bite to eat before I hit the highway. In the same strip mall as the fast food restaurant was a Big Lots. I've always heard that each Big Lots has different inventory, so I figured I'd "bop on in" to check out what they had. Boy, what a great unintentional find!


Thennnnnnnn, when I got to Springfield, IL (1 hour away from my first stop in Pekin), I stopped at their Big Lots. And guess what?! They had a TON of Perplex's!!!! Again, I found myself grabbing everything I could find, without a basket! After much debate with myself, I ended up only buying 2 at that store (for a total of 3 in one day), along with a couple other Revlon's (the scented ones!) and a few other things. All in all, a GREAT day for me, indeed! :-)


"Perplex" can easily be a 1-coater, but I chose to use 2 coats. I haven't used a Revlon polish in years (probably 15+), so I was curious about the quality. Honestly, not bad at all! Easy to apply, no streaking, no bubbling, dried pretty quickly. Definitely not $1 quality with this beauty. I believe this polish originally retailed for $4.99, and to me, even that would be a killer price for this polish! I'd pay double that, without question!


I think it's safe to call this color a duochrome. In some lights, it looks taupe-y, in others it looks almost violet. Then in these pictures, it even looks gray. Love it!


Apparently, "Perplex" is a dupe of Chanel's "Paradoxal" (which I believe retail(ed) for around $23). From swatches I've seen online, it's a perfect dupe, too! I love deals, I really do! :-)


Enough babbling, right? You probably wanna see pictures of this beauty!


Application:
OPI Chip Skip
1 coat OPI Nail Envy, Soft and Thin Formula
2 coats of Revlon's "Perplex"
1 coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

In summary, if you're looking for "Perplex", try your local Big Lots soon! Before some crazy twenty-something comes in and takes all they've got left!