1 coat, with topcoat

Marc Jacobs Petra is an intriguing plummy taupe packed with multicolored shimmer. I hoped to show how complex this shade is by capturing both the plum (pinky) and taupe (middle) tones. The shimmer really comes alive with topcoat. Without it, Petra looks more like a smooth foil.



The formula is thick and pigmented. Petra is opaque in one thick coat, but two thin coats would probably be easier to apply.



This is definitely my favorite of the few colors I picked up! What are are your favorites from the Marc Jacobs Beauty line?



Marc Jacobs 140 Petra retails for $18 and is available at Sephora.

Finally! Urban Decay is doing full sized (well, kinda - they're 9ml) nail polish again. I'm not even annoyed that both of the shades they released are dupeable. I hope this is just the beginning of an expansive range of awesome shades.



Anyway, today I have an Urban Decay Vice swatch and comparison for you.

2 coats

Urban Decay Vice is a deep purple with red and blue microshimmer. It's a really gorgeous color. The application was a breeze, and Vice has great opacity. You could get away with one coat, if you're careful.





For this comparison, I pulled the first two deep purples that came to my head - NARS Purple Rain and Illamasqua Baptiste. In hindsight, I probably should have chosen cheaper nail polishes. If you're looking for cheaper alternatives, Zoya Yasmeen and China Glaze Let's Groove look pretty close based on bottle comps.

2 coats each of Illamasqua Baptiste, Urban Decay Vice, and NARS Purple Rain

Purple Rain and Vice are quite similar, except Vice has a slight dusty quality to it. Baptiste is darker and cooler than the others. I'd say, if you already own Purple Rain, you can skip Vice. However, Baptiste and Vice are different enough to own both, in my opinion.



Urban Decay Vice retails for $15 and is available at Ulta.

2 coats

This is the second half of the Birds of Paradise duo. Gorgeous, right? It's lighter, more vibrant, and smoother than China Glaze Deviantly Daring, in case you were wondering. This glowy teal totally makes up for its mint partner that I wasn't too pleased with.



If Dior released this shade individually, I'd be all over it for a backup.

I have a few swatches that I either can't dedicate a full post to or are part of a collection that I've neglected to finish swatching. I figured I'd share them with you before I forget about them completely.

2 coats

Color Club Angel Kiss is part of the 2012 Halo Hues collection. It's a pretty light blue with a killer flame. Remember the holo drought? For years, companies would release weak, scattered holos, holo glitter, and even flakies and call them holographic. What a frustrating time! I'm so happy we have strong, linear holos that are easily accessible.

3 coats

Essie Secret Story is a midtone pink jelly. I randomly picked this up on clearance and was pleasantly surprised when I found out it's a jelly! Don't you love that? Secret Story's easy application was just a cherry on top.

3 coats

Here's an unnamed franken that I found while reorganizing my stash a couple months ago. I know it contains Wet n Wild Nocturnal and Cover Girl Ice Slicks Anti Freeze, but I'm not sure what else is involved. I only made a mini bottle, but I wish I'd made more. I love it!

2 coats

American Apparel Neon Red is more coral than Neon Coral is, in my opinion. I love the AA neons because they apply so well and don't require white undies.

4 coats

Verity Deep Violet is a purple jelly that should be in everyone's collection. It's gorgeous! However, I don't think my bottle is as pigmented as others because I see all these posts with 2 coats and no VNL, and I'm like...what? 4 coats later, my Deep Violet mani still showed VNL. I don't mind, though. It's perfect for jelly sandwiches.

2 coats

Illamasqua Charisma, how I love thee. It's a gorgeous cranberry raspberry hybrid with a flash of gold. It also has red shimmer sprinkled through it. I know people say Essie Swing Velvet is a dupe, and I even bought that one to satisfy my lemming for Charisma. It didn't quench my thirst, though, and I ended up buying Charisma anyway. I wouldn't say they're dead on dupes, but they're definitely similar. I prefer Charisma.





That's all, folks!

The Dior Birds of Paradise nail lacquer duo in Samba is a super cute set of two minis - one mint green creme and a metallic teal.

2 coats

This is the half of Samba that made me a little reluctant to get the duo. Aside from the fact that the color's not very unique, it's the kind of green I find myself avoiding. I think it's the slight yellow lean that throws me off. The application was great, despite having to deal with a smaller brush.



Here's a bottle comp with some other greens in my collection

Nails Inc Royal Botanical Gardens, Illamasqua Nomad, Dior Samba, Essie First Timer, Barielle Sweet Addiction

No dupes here, but definitely some alternatives, if you're not up for handing over $29 for the duo. To be honest though, the duo is totally worth it for the metallic teal alone (swatch coming soon).

2 coats

Nails Inc Baker Street is a fabulous cobalt creme. The color is so saturated and vibrant, which is why I think so many people love it. It also doesn't hurt that the formula is near perfection. Two coats that went on with no fuss.

2 coats w/ Butter London Lovely Jubbly

Nails Inc. Baker Street retails for $9.50 and is available at Sephora.