If you haven't seen my review of Illamasqua Venous yet, check it out here.

Misa Dirty Sexy Money, Illamasqua Venous, Barielle Sweet Addiction

2 coats of each

No dupes here! Misa Dirty Sexy Money is similar, but it's not as vibrant and has a touch more green than Illamasqua Venous. Barielle Sweet Addiction's difference are obvious.



I'd say they are different enough to own all three, but if I had to choose one, it would definitely be Illamasqua Venous.

Barielle Elle's Spell, Layla Ceramic Effect 53, Deborah Lippmann Raspberry Beret

4 coats Elle's Spelle, 3 coats 53, 2 coats Raspberry Beret

Barielle Elle's Spell, Layla CE 53, Lippmann Sweet Dreams, Raspberry Beret

In my head, I was sure Elle's Spell and 53 would be closer than this, but ES appears to have a much deeper base. I still think those two are worth a swatch comp, though. Sweet Dreams and Raspberry Beret are both pink, so there's that.

Layla CE 52, Nfu.Oh 51

In the bottle, 52's base looks a lot more blue toned than 51. 51 also has shimmer than 52 lacks. These two will definitely be swatch comp'd soon!

This week's battle features three mid-tone purple cremes. Surprisingly, I don't own a lot of these. The more examine my stash, the more I'm learning about what colors interest me. So far, coral is hands down the winner. What color dominates your stash?



Anyway, into the arena:

American Apparel African Violet, Barielle Grape Escape, OPI

Disclaimer: Purples are always a challenge to photograph, but I tried to
get the most color accurate photos (to my eye and monitor) that I could. I sacrificed focus for color, so sorry for any
blurriness you see.

2 coats

American Apparel African Violet has more of a red undertone than I expected. I think slightly warmer purples look better on me than the cool ones.



I thought African Violet would be on the thick and a one-coater like most of my AA's. However, its consistency is thinner and a bit tough to control on the nail. I was prepared for it on the second coat, though, and it was totally manageable.

2 coats

Barielle Grape Escape is just a touch cooler than African Violet, but it is almost negligible. They are pretty much dupes. The formula on this is quite similar to African Violet's formula as well.

3 coats

OPI Funky Dunkey is much cooler than both African Violet and Grape Escape. The formula is also superb compared to the other two. It practically applied itself, which is something that almost never happens with OPIs. Pleasant surprise.

3 coats of each

Battle casualty: Barielle Grape Escape. Another Barielle bites the dust!



I chose African Violet over Grape escape because I like the bottle and the brush better. Funky Dunkey's wonderful formula and cool undertone saved it from the purge pile.



Which polish(es) would you have purged?



Have a wonderful weekend!

My purging continues with some more corals. Seeing as I am addicted to all shades of coral, there will be many more coral battles to come.



Into the arena goes:

Finger Paints Circus Peanuts, Rescue Beauty Lounge Starfish Patrick, Barielle Blossom

2 coats

Finger Paints Circus Peanuts is such a pretty peachy coral creme. I like how bright and opaque this is, but the formula is thicker than I like.

3 coats

RBL Starfish Patrick is a more subdued coral due to its jelly finish. It is rare that RBL polishes have application issues, so it should come as no surprise that Starfish Patrick practically applied itself. My only gripe is I would need at least one more coat or underwear for opacity.

3 coats

Barielle Blossom is so pretty, but I just cannot hang with the formula. It was so streaky and goopy that I am pretty sure I got a bum bottle. I thinned it and tried again to no avail.





Battle casualty: Barielle Blossom. I haven't been this frustrated with a polish in quite some time.



I kept a creme and jelly coral - makes sense to me. :)



 Have a great weekend!

I chose the first three polishes that popped into my head to compare with Chanel June. My mind definitely cries dupe way more often than necessary (i.e. it's usually wrong).

Deborah Lippmann P.Y.T., Chanel June, China Glaze Peachy Keen, Barielle Blossom

It was obvious from the bottles that two were definite outliers, but I stayed the course anyway.

The swatches are shown in the same order as the bottles, 3 coats each

As far as comparisons...



-P.Y.T. is far too pink but has the same squishy creme finish as June.

-Peachy Keen is the most similar of the bunch, but it is brighter and has a true creme finish. Note to self: I bet a coat of PYT over Pechy Keen could achieve a near-June result.

-Blossom is not at all similar, but super pretty, and I must remember to wear it soon.





With the slew of dupes coming out from cheaper polish brands (oh hey Revlon), I would imagine that a color as popular as June may have a dupe sometime in the future. The only question is, are you willing to wait?



If any polishes come to mind that you'd like compared with June, let me know. If I have it, I'll compare it.

Okay, Flurry Up is gorgeous! I want to layer it over everything! I have Deborah Lippmann's Today Was A Fairytale and will do a comparison soon, but honestly, I don't think I need it. TWAF has a really pretty base color, but I don't think I'd wear it alone often enough to justify owning both of these. Anyway, Flurry Up is silver hexagonal and microglitters in a clear base. The application was okay, and I didn't have too much trouble getting the sequins distributed. I waited about a minute in between coats.

Show your support to end anti-LGBT bullying.

More polish! Belly Dance reminds me of Zoya Pasha. I'll have to do a comparison soon.



I actually used up a primer! LORAC Behind the Scenes is my HG primer. I love it! The Stila "trios" look great when all three colors are mixed together. It's too much work to use the shades individually imo.

I was snapping pics of my latest haul and couldn't wait to get this on my nails. Excuse the messy application, I just wanted to show how gorgeous it is with just one coat. I love this and can't wait to do a proper mani with it!

This is a lovely polish to break my streak of vampy shades. In the bottle, it's a pale pink with bronze pink shimmer running through it. On the nail, it's a gorgeous peach pink that literally glows. I love it! I did not, however, love the application. Holy streaks, Batman! It was opaque in two coats but needed a third to even it out. It may have been partially because I literally had 5 minutes to do my mani this morning. Anyway, a coat of SV over the wet polish took care of everything. I'm so glad I picked this up!

Well first off, I got a lightbox. I wanted to DIY it, but with my luck, I'd probably sever an artery or at least get a major papercut (aka I'm lazy). I got my kit here. Not too shabby. I don't know what I'm doing with it yet and didn't have time to fiddle with it for too long, so these are the results. Next time I'll try to uh, focus.

 Decadence is a beautiful shimmery teal that glows like nobody's business. I love everything about it! The formula was great: opaque in one coat (I did two anyway), smoothed itself out, shiny on its own (I used SV because it's my crack), and cleanup (post pics obv) was a breeze. My nails are little jewels!