Twinsie Tuesday: Chanel Peridot

I'm alive!! Sorry I was gone for a few days. I've had a lot on my plate lately, so I haven't had as much time and energy for blogging as I would like. But I'm back in time for this week's Twinsie Tuesday, where we're showing the true depths of our polish addictions by sharing our biggest splurge. Mine was pretty easy to remember: Chanel Peridot!

I bought this beauty back in college, when I worked at Neiman Marcus, so I was able to use my employee discount to knock a few bucks off, but it's still the priciest polish in my stash. It also happens to be my favorite polish ever, so it was totally worth it! There are multiple dupes of Peridot now but when it first came out, its pairing of rich gold with a green and teal duochrome was very unique. Even though it's since been duplicated by other brands, Peridot is still a total stunner!

Peridot applies just as wonderfully as she looks. You do have to be a little careful with brushstrokes, but there's nothing out of the norm for a metallic polish. I used three coats here.

This is a polish that will always hold a very special place in my heart. It's a drop-dead gorgeous shade and the only Chanel polish in my collection. I hope you enjoy looking at Peridot as much as I do! :)

​

Alaina at The Little Canvas

Amanda at Amandalandish

Amber at Nails Like Lace
Anna at Going to the Showing
Bridget at A Painted Nail

Casey at CaseyLane Loves Polish

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi

Cordia at Seriously Swatched

Elizabeth at Did My Nails

Erin at Paint Those Piggies

Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer

Kelly at Tuxarina

Lakeisha at Refined and Polished

​Lisa at The Polish Playground

​Marisa at Polish Obsession

Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les

Stephanie at A Little Polish

Tiffany at Polished To Precision​

Comparison: OPI Number One Nemesis Vs. Revlon Carbonite

I received a request from the lovely Amanda of Amandalandish to do a comparison of two Chanel Graphite dupes: Revlon Carbonite and OPI Number One Nemesis. You can view the individual post for each polish by clicking on their respective names. Although they are both meant to be dupes for the same polish, these two are actually quite different. Take a look!

L to R: Carbonite, Number One Nemesis, Carbonite, Number One Nemesis

The shimmer in the OPI is much more complex and vibrant. It's visibly more sparkly and in my opinion, more eye-catching as well. Carbonite, while still lovely, looks more like your standard foil by comparison. The OPI is noticeably darker too. Amanda had guessed that Number One Nemesis is also warmer-toned than Carbonite and I believe she is right; Number One Nemesis has a gold shimmer to it that is absent in Carbonite. The differences between these two polishes are far more evident in real life than they come across in pictures. When I looked at these on my nails I could easily see that I was looking at two different polishes.


Both polishes have nice formulas, although Carbonite is the more opaque of the pair. This was three coats of Number One Nemesis and two of Carbonite. Other than opacity, the two are pretty comparable as far as formula goes.

Although I don't actually own Graphite, based on pictures I've seen I'd say the OPI is the closer dupe. Revlon comes close in terms of color and tone but it lacks the extra shine and the gold shimmer that Graphite has. Overall I like the look of Number One Nemesis more than Carbonite, but I like both polishes a lot.

I almost didn't get Number One Nemesis since I already have Carbonite but now I'm glad I did! They are surprisingly different! If you already own Carbonite, I'd say these two are different enough to justify owning both. If you don't have either polish, my vote is for Number One Nemesis. I like it more and right now it'll be easier to find than Carbonite too.

Twinsie Tuesday: OPI Just Spotted The Lizard

So this week's Twinsie Tuesday theme is favorite polish! My all-time favorite polish is actually Chanel Peridot but since I've shown her on here a few times now, I thought I'd bend the rules just a smidge by showing you a new dupe for Peridot: OPI Just Spotted The Lizard. This polish was an early birthday gift from my friend Kaley and I love it!


If you're at all familiar with Perdiot (as I'm sure many of you are by this point), then you know the drill here. This is a metallic gold polish with green-blue duochrome and the overall effect mimics that of a beetle's wing. It looks simply breathtaking in person. I never get tired of looking at Peridot, so naturally the same applies for Just Spotted The Lizard.

The formula here is comprable to the original Chanel. Just Spotted The Lizard strikes me as maybe a bit more brushstroke-y but it's still very easy to apply overall and less prone to patchiness than Peridot. I used two coats here.


I don't notice any differences between Just Spotted The Lizard and Peridot; they are identical to my eyes. Several other dupes for Peridot have come out recently, namely ones from Jessica and The Gap, but this one may be the easiest to get your hands on, depending on where you live. It's an excellent substitute for Peridot and I've wanted a back-up of Peridot for some time now--I try to wear it only on special occasions--so I'm extremely happy to have this in my stash. It's beyond stunning and in my opinion, a must-have if you don't already have Peridot or another dupe for it...and even then, if you're like me and can never have enough of this color, you might still want to pick up Just Spotted The Lizard.  She's a real beauty.


I can't wait to see what everyone else chose as their favorites today! If you're looking for a few more must-haves to add to your wishlist, be sure to check out the other Twinsie Tuesday blogs!

Amanda: http://amandalandish.blogspot.com/
Anna: http://goingtotheshowing.blogspot.com/
Anne: http://grapefizz.blogspot.com/
Ashley: http://artevolve.blogspot.com/
Brandi: http://thecollegiatenail.blogspot.com/
ChiChi: http://beautystarr1009.blogspot.com/
Cordia: http://srslyswatched.blogspot.com
Jenn: http://allthatisgorgeous.blogspot.com/
Jenna: http://www.jennafroggy.com/
Katherine: http://hauloffame.blogspot.com/
Marisa: http://marijonails.blogspot.com/
Meredith: http://polishandcharms.blogspot.com/
Nory: http://fiercemakeupandnails.blogspot.com/
Rachel: http://topcoatit.com/
Sarah: http://seesarahswatch.blogspot.com/
Tara: http://polishyoftruth.com/

OPI Number One Nemesis

OPI's new Spiderman Collection has two gorgeous Chanel dupes. The one I'll be showing you today is Number One Nemesis, a dupe for Chanel Graphite. You may recall Revlon made their own dupe of Graphite called Carbonite and while it was close to the genuine article, it lacked some of the fabulously intense shimmer and shine of the original. Well I'm happy to report that Number One Nemesis recreates Graphite in all of her shimmery metallic glory. Number One Nemesis is a smoky gunmetal silver foil with a stunningly complex gold and iridescent shimmer to it. This is one of the most beautiful, kickass foils I own.

In addition to being an all-around awesome color, the formula here is top-notch as well. This was three easy coats. (You could probably stop at two but I am a real stickler for opacity.) Foils sometimes feel a little goopy or apply streaky, but Number One Nemesis has a surprisingly smooth, almost silky texture when applying.

The gunmetal base is lovely enough on its own, but what really makes this polish for me is the extra hit of shimmer. It really amps up the shine factor and makes the polish that much more eye-catching. It's hard not to feel like a total badass while wearing this. If you're still looking to dupe Graphite or just love ridiculously shiny foils, pick up Number One Nemesis. It doesn't disappoint!

Twinsie Tuesday: Revlon Perplex

It's time for another installment of Twinsie Tuesday! On Twinsie Tuesday, myself and several other wonderful bloggers post a mani that fits within a particular theme. This week's theme is "famous dupe." I thought this would be a great chance to show you a dupe that's not only well-known but also was recently re-released: Revlon Perplex! The new name this goes by is Naughty but back when it was limited edition it went by Perplex and that's the name my bottle has since I originally picked this baby up on ebay--for retail price, luckily! Perplex is a greyish purple polish with a shot of rich purple shimmer and it's a dupe for Chanel Paradoxal.

The formula on Perplex is great and covers in two coats. I love the purple shimmer in this polish. The base color is nice on its own but the shimmer gives it that extra kick. The overall look is very chic; perfect for fall and winter months.


If you like this beauty and don't have it in your collection yet, you can spot it under the name Naughty in stores, as I mentioned above. It's part of Revlon's new core selection which features some new polishes as well as re-launches of past limited edition polishes, including some great Deborah Lippmann and Chanel dupes!


Be sure to check out some more duping action today on the other Twinsie Tuesday blogs below!

Amanda: http://amandalandish.blogspot.com/
Anne: http://grapefizz.blogspot.com/
Ashley: http://artevolve.blogspot.com/
Jenn: http://allthatisgorgeous.blogspot.com/
Katherine: http://hauloffame.blogspot.com/
Marisa: http://marijonails.blogspot.com/
Meredith: http://polishandcharms.blogspot.com/
Nory: http://fiercemakeupandnails.blogspot.com/
Rachel: http://topcoatit.wordpress.com/
Sarah: http://seesarahswatch.blogspot.com/
Jenna: http://www.jennafroggy.com/

China Glaze Velvet Bow

Velvet Bow is a dark, vampy chocolate red from China Glaze's Let It Snow Collection. It's like a creme version of the legendary vampy jelly Essie Wicked. The color actually reminds me quite a bit of dried blood-creepy but true.

I did two coats for this manicure. The first time I wore this polish I got really horrible bubbling-I painted my nails in a hurry that day-but the second time I had no problems, so I'll chalk the initial bubbling up to my hastiness rather than an issue with the formula. The formula is a bit streaky though so I had to be mindful of my brushstrokes to get everything to even out smoothly.


I'm not much of a red person and this is honestly not the type of polish I'd have bought if it weren't part of a minis set I got at Sally. That being said, for what it is, Velvet Bow is quite nice. It's also a virtual dupe for the original creme version of Chanel Vamp. (The current version of Chanel Vamp is a shimmer, but the classic version now retails as Chanel Rouge Noir.)  The original Vamp, released to blockbuster sales in 1994, is perhaps best known as the polish worn by Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction. So if you want to get your Fox Force Five on, this is the way to do it.

Essie Pure Pearlfection

I originally wasn't sure if I needed Pure Pearlfection since I thought it might be a little boring compared to the stunning Shine Of the Times (which you can see HERE) and As Gold As It Gets (check that one out HERE). But I decided to grab it anyways and now I'm so glad I did because it is anything but boring!

Pure Pearlfection is an iridescent shimmer that, as the name implies, creates a pearly look. But this is more than just silvery shimmer. There are also little sparkles of green, pink and purple in this polish and I bet you'd see a few other colors based on what you layer this over. For my first manicure with Pure Pearlfection, I layered one coat of it over three coats of OPI Suzi Skis In The Pyrenees, a charcoal grey creme with a little hint of blue to it.

 You can really see all the different colors here!

 And the bottle...

Amazing, right? While I had this mani on, I kept thinking the effect looked a little like the crazy intense shimmer of the much sought after Chanel Graphite. So I thought I'd bust out Carbonite, Revlon's version of Graphite, and see how it looked with some extra Luxeffects fun on top. Carbonite is pretty close to Graphite but it lacks that extra kick of shimmer and shine Graphite has. So here is two coats of Carbonite with one coat of Pure Pearlfection over it.

And for reference, this is Carbonite alone. It's a great polish and I still see several bottles every now and again so it's not too late to grab this one!

And this is Suzi Skis In The Pyrenees by itself. This is part of OPI's permanent line so it's not difficult to find.

This is getting to be a ridiculously long post so I'll just wrap things up by saying Pure Pearlfection is another smash hit from Luxeffects. Shine Of The Times remains the obvious must-have but As Gold As It Gets and Pure Pearlfection are extremely beautiful as well! You really can't go wrong with this collection. I've only got A Cut Above left to try and so far I'm obsessed with every single one of the Luxeffects polishes!

Chanel Peridot

Way back when this blog first started, one of the earliest polishes I showed you was a very special one: my only Chanel, Peridot. Peridot mimics the look of a beetle's wing and the duochrome effect is very strong on this one; the dominant color here is gold, but in other lights it's teal or green or something in between, either way it's always stunning. Definitely click to enlarge so you can see the complexity of this shade. I felt like wearing this again today so I figured it wouldn't hurt to show you guys some more pictures of this absolutely gorgeous polish. After all, a girl can never have enough Chanel in her life, right? :)

As you can see, I took many, many pictures of her because she is a special lady. But pictures don't really do her justice. This is two effortless, gorgeous coats. I know some people have problems with the wear on Chanel polishes but I took these shots after almost three days of wear and I had nary a chip or sign of tipwear. I'm still wearing this mani now because I kind of don't want to take it off. :)

She ain't cheap, but she's worth it, ladies! I would own a bazillion back-ups of this if it weren't so expensive, but as it stands I just have to savor the one bottle I have. I used my employee discount from the department store to pick her up, which softened the blow a little bit, but it's still an investment. Normally Chanel polishes cost around $25. But if you have just one in your collection, in my opinion, it ought to be this one.

This is one of my top three polishes in my collection, hands down. Maybe my absolute favorite -it's too hard to choose though! The formula is marvelous, the color is unique, the wear is good and I mean, just look at her, you guys. Don't you just hear well-manicured angels singing when you see her?

Revlon Carbonite

Last week I showed you Sally Hansen Barracuda, a dupe for Chanel Riva. Today I have yet another Chanel dupe for you! This one is Carbonite, Revlon's version of Chanel Graphite. This is not the first time Revlon has put out a color to match the latest buzzworthy Chanel shade; you may also recall Perplex, a dupe for Chanel Paradoxical and Black With Envy, their version of Chanel Black Pearl.

Graphite is a dark silver with some flecks of gold and a near-foil finish. While Carbonite doesn't have that subtle gold in it, it's still pretty darn close to Graphite.

(Revlon Carbonite, two coats)

Carbonite lacks some of the depth of color Graphite has, but I'd say they're definite dupes. And at just $4 for the Revlon, I really can't complain about whatever minute differences the two may have; they're close enough for me. :) I'm glad Revlon put this out because I was starting to waver on my decision not to buy Graphite. What can I say? Chanel makes some amazing colors for some not-so-amazing prices.

But since I can't leave well-enough alone, I decided to add a coat of gold glitter on top to try and mimic some of that extra warmth Graphite has. I think it turned out pretty well. Here's Carbonite with one coat of Sinful Colors All About You. (Sorry for the messiness around the edges! I was in a rush!)

Carbonite is a bit harder to find than your typical Revlon shade and people will likely be snapping this up since it's a known Chanel dupe. When I got mine at the store, it was on its own display shelf away from the rest of the Revlon. Keep your eyes open for this one!

Sally Hansen Barracuda

Yesterday I showed you Peridot, my one Chanel polish. But today I'm going to show you Sally Hansen Barracuda, an apparent dupe for another Chanel polish, Riva. 

 

Chanel Riva

Sally Hansen Barracuda

Although I don't have Riva in my collection for you to look at, from other pictures I've seen and the bottle shots above, these two shades are very similar. Barracuda might have a hint more green to it than Riva does, but overall, this polish is a great way to get this color for less ($6 for Sally Hansen vs. $25 for Chanel).

 Sally Hansen Barracuda (two coats, plus one topcoat)

The formula on this was nice and manageable-maybe the teeny tiniest bit bit thick but that also makes it quite opaque for a pastel shade, which I'd say is a decent trade-off. While I like Sally Hansen formulas, the brushes are not my favorite to use. They've got a more tapered shape than ones like the OPI Pro Wide (my favorite!) and I just find the Sally Hansen brushes a bit harder to manage. But it's more a matter of personal preference rather than anything being "wrong" with the Sally Hansen brush.

Chanel Peridot

Today I have something very special for you! It's the only Chanel polish in my collection: the much-talked about Peridot. Definitely click to enlarge the pics so you can see her in all her glory!

It's very hard to capture this shade with a camera, because the color and sparkle change dramatically depending on the light. I would say the first picture is the most accurate for how Peridot looks most of the time, but it can flash gold, green and even some teal if you look at it from different angles and in different lighting. I know some people have compared it to the effect on beetle wings or fly eyes and I think that's probably as close a metaphor as I can come up with. Don't let the insect vibe creep you out though! This is a STUNNER!

Here's a comparison of indoors vs. outdoors:

Peridot is a truly unique polish and is quickly becoming one of my absolute favorites. I can't think of another shade out there like this one. But being Chanel, it doesn't come cheap: $25 per bottle. As much as I love Peridot, I'm not quite sure if I would have been willing to pick this up at full price. (I work at a department store so I used my employee discount to pick this beauty up.)

However, if you feel the need to treat yourself-even just this once!-to a really special polish, Peridot may be for you. My pictures don't do justice to how rich-looking this is on the nail.