Revlon By Marchesa Silk Rosette Nail Wraps: Review & Swatches

You might remember that I had a pretty disappointing experience with the Revlon by Marchesa Brocade Wraps. They were absolutely gorgeous but the wear time left a lot to be desired. Unlike the Brocade wraps, which are more like thick stickers, the Silk Rosette wraps are a clear-based decal meant to be worn over a polish base. So I was curious to see if these would wear any better than the Brocade wraps did. I really wanted to love these wraps, because I think they are some of the prettiest designs on the market! But unfortunately, this set of wraps had a lot of the same problems as the last set...


I have zero complaints about the design itself. It looks very sophisticated and ornate. The decals have a clear base, with delicate blue rosebuds and leaves. It reminds me of something you'd see on an antique rug or tapestry. Here are the wraps over Essie No Place Like Chrome.

While they look luxurious, the application was not as impressive. Like the Brocade wraps, these began to pucker and peel around the edges almost immediately after I applied them--and all I was doing was sitting at home, nothing that would have put any stress or strain on my hands and nails. (You can already see some of the decals creasing on my nails in these pictures and this was only a very short while after I had first applied them!) These didn't tear like the Brocade wraps did and overall these are a bit sturdier wraps, but they still got the same crinkly, creased look to them after only a day of wear. It was annoying to feel all the dents and puckered edges on my nails. The wraps apply reasonably well, but the adhesive is simply not strong enough to keep them lying flat and smooth against the nail.

So while these were an improvement over the Brocade wraps, I still cannot recommend these. Given the price (about $9-$10, depending on where you buy), it's extremely disappointing that these can't even make it through a day of wear intact. If you need a special manicure for a big event and only need it to last a few short hours (even then you might be pushing it with these staying 100% pristine), then yes, these are very pretty wraps. But if you need these to last you any longer than that, you're better off putting your money toward some Sally Hansen or Incoco wraps. They're about the same price and much better quality.

Revlon Demure

Revlon Demure is a lovely peachy coral with a soft silver shimmer. I received this polish in a swap with my wonderful friend Amanda. This polish came out as part of Revlon's Fire & Ice Collection, which was a tribute to some of the classic shades that helped make Revlon into the cosmetics powerhouse it is today. I think Demure is a perfect summer-to-fall transition shade and an excellent example of a work-appropriate polish that still has some fun and flash to it.

The formula applied without any issues and covered in three coats. The shimmer is more of a sheen than a sparkle, if that makes any sense. It gives the coral a nice glimmer of depth and shine that catches the light beautifully.

Demure is a fabulous palette cleanser shade. It's understated without being dull. I love the classic nature of this color too; makes me think of something you might see Joan Holloway wearing on Mad Men.

Twinsie Tuesday: Lana Del Rey "Born To Die" Manicure

Worst. Twinsie. Ever. Sorry for the super late post today, everyone! Let's get to it, shall we?

This week's Twinsie Tuesday theme was to do a mani from a Youtube tutorial video. I am a huge fan of singer Lana Del Rey, so I used a tutorial by user kattiology to help me try and recreate Lana's nails from the music video for her song "Born To Die." In the video, Lana is sporting a gorgeous mani with a milky nude base and gold and red chevron tips.

I used Wet N Wild 2% Milk for my base, Essie Good As Gold for my gold and Revlon Red as my red. I was able to do the design on both hands, so it was fun to wear this as a full manicure and I think I'll keep it on for a few days, even if it doesn't look quite perfect.

The hardest part of this mani for me was shaping the gold chevrons; it's tough to get them centered and looking even on both sides. Layering the red over the top of the gold was easy--you just have to follow the lines you created with the gold--but actually trying to draw those straight lines with the gold was tricky. I swear, nothing gives me more nail art anxiety than trying to draw a friggin' straight line!

That being said, I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out. I don't purport to be a good (or even passable) nail artist, so anytime I attempt an "artsy" mani and come up with something that isn't an utter, embarrassing failure, I consider that a victory!

Amanda at Amandalandish

Amber at Nails Like Lace

Anna at Going to the Showing

Anne at Grape Fizz Nails

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi

Cordia at Seriously Swatched

Elizabeth at Did My Nails

Heather at Peace, Love, & Polish

Kelly at Tuxarina

Lakeisha at Refined and Polished

Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Meredith at Polish and Charms

Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails

Rachel at Top Coat It

Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les

Traci at DrinkCitra

Revlon By Marchesa Brocade Nail Wraps: Review & Swtches

 I have been eagerly awaiting the release of the Revlon by Marchesa nail wrap collection ever since I saw the first preview images. The designs looked gorgeous and I've become a big fan of nail wraps lately, so I was interested in checking out how Revlon's stack up to others I've tried.

The wraps come with 16 decals, a nail file and a cuticle stick. There's an excellent variety of sizes, although I did have a bit of trouble with finding a decal to fit my pinky finger; even the smallest decal was still too wide.

The design I'll be showing you today is called Brocade. Brocade has a vibrant turquoise (maybe a little bit of seafoam green mixed in there too) base with gleaming metallic gold flourishes and sunbursts. The design has a very Rococo vibe to it, which I love! The gold detailing is slightly raised, almost like they're embossed on, which makes these wraps look and feel even more ornate. I cannot get over how pretty these wraps are!

While the design is absolutely beautiful, the wear time of these wraps left a bit to be desired. The wraps themselves feel sturdy enough; they have the thicker, almost sticker-like texture that seems to be most common with nail wraps. Initially, they applied well and went on smoothly, but after only a few hours (and mind you, this was just me sitting on the couch and watching TV, so I wasn't doing anything that would disrupt the wraps) I noticed some of the wraps were started to crease and ripple around the edges, which was disappointing. By the next day, I had noticeable tipwear on several of my fingers.

To their credit, the wraps stayed put through four days of wear (and I received many compliments on them during this time) and none of them ever peeled off, but by the end of the fourth day, the rippling had gotten even more noticeable and some of the wraps had tears around the tips. I would have loved to wear the wraps longer, because they really are lovely, but most of the wraps were looking pretty worn, so I figured it was time for a change. If I was going on aesthetics alone though, these would easily rank as one of my all-time favorites!

I have another set of these wraps still left to try out; these ones are clear-based decals designed to be worn over a base color, so they have a different texture and thickness to them. I'll be curious to see if they are any more durable. I really hope so because I am such a fan of the designs in this collection, but the wear on the Brocade decals was kind of disappointing. I'd be very curious to hear from anyone else who has tried these wraps!

Twinsie Tuesday: Marching Orders

We did something a little different for Twinsie Tuesday this week: a challenge that was dubbed "marching orders." Each of us was randomly paired with another Twinsie, who could assign us anything they wanted for this week's theme. I was given my marching orders by the lovely ChiChi, who challenged me to do a dry marble manicure.

Now, when I hear "marbling," I immediately panic. But I was pleasantly surprised with how easy dry marbling actually turned out to be. Essentially, you pick your colors, place a few globs of each one on your nail, then stir them around with a dotting tool (or something similar, like a bobby pin) until they start to mix together, forming a marbled pattern. It takes some extra clean-up, but other than that, it is so simple! ChiChi sent me this Youtube tutorial as a reference, which was extremely helpful and easy to follow.

ChiChi also told me I could limit my marbling to an accent nail and after doing a full dry marble mani, each nail turned out quite different (even though I used the same three colors for each marbling) and the mani didn't look very cohesive as a whole. So I scrapped the other nails and kept my ring finger, which I thought turned out the best. I'm quite proud of my little marbled ring finger. :)

I used all Revlon polishes for this mani, which wasn't something I planned; it just kind of happened that way as I was trying to figure out what colors I wanted to use. The polish I used for my non-marbled nails is Plum Seduction, which I mixed with Mint Gelato and Sugar Glaze for my marbling.

I am extremely curious to see what my fellow Twinsies assigned each other--and how Anna, who I got to assign a challenge to, carried out her marching orders!

Amanda at Amandalandish
Anna at Going to the Showing
Anne at Grape Fizz Nails
Ashley at Art Evolve
Brandi at The Collegiate Nail
ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi
Cordia at Seriously Swatched
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Jamie at Polish, Please!
Katherine at Haul of Fame
Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite!
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Meredith at Polish and Charms
Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails
Rachel at Top Coat It
Sarah at See Sarah Swatch
Tara at Polishy of Truth

Revlon Royal

Revlon Royal is a royal blue jelly. I'm normally not a big fan of jellies but I couldn't resist a rich blue like this one. I think this is one of the best drugstore blues out there!

The formula is great. I used two coats here and as you can see, it's quite opaque for a jelly, but it still has that squishiness to it. Literally every time I wear Royal (and I've worn it about three or four times now), I get at least one person asking me if it's shellac. So I guess if you want that gel manicure look without the salon service price, this makes for a nice budget alternative. Obviously the wear time won't be comparable to a gel mani, but us addicts can't wait a whole month to polish our nails anyways, right? ;)

Royal is probably one of the most famous polishes Revlon makes and I can see why. I love the contrast between the deep blue and the jelly finish. If you're a blue lover, Royal is a must-have!

Twinsie Tuesday: School Colors Mani

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope your week is off to a good start. This week's Twinsie Tuesday theme is a mani based on our school colors. I am not really a big school spirit kind of person, but here we go. I graduated from Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI. GVSU's school colors are blue and white. A lot of GVSU's merchandising also incorporates black, but it's not an "official" school color.

So for my mani, I used Revlon Royal, a royal blue jelly and one of my very favorite Revlon polishes, as my base and layered a polish made by one of my fellow Twinsies, Ash, called Mysterium Avalanche on top. Mysterium Avalanche is a clear base with iridescent bluemicroglitter, small black hex glitter, and various shapes and sizes of white glitter. My very favorite part of this polish has to be the large pearlescent white hexes. They have this gorgeous sheen to them that is just so lovely!

I'm really pleased with how this combo turned out! It looks very wintery and I think it represents my school colors well. 

Be sure to check out what my other Twinsies are wearing for their school colors manis today!

Amanda at Amandalandish
Anna at Going to the Showing
Anne at Grape Fizz Nails
Ashley at Art Evolve
Brandi at The Collegiate Nail
ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi
Cordia at Seriously Swatched
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Jamie at Polish, Please!
Katherine at Haul of Fame
Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite!
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Meredith at Polish and Charms
Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails
Rachel at Top Coat It
Sarah at See Sarah Swatch
Tara at Polishy of Truth

Twinsie Tuesday: Canadian's Choice

Did you know two of our wonderful Twinsies are Canadian? Yes, Ash and Anne rep the Great White North in our little group and we honored them with this week's theme: Canadian's Choice! For this challenge, we were randomly divided up into two groups--Team Ash and Team Anne--and given a top secret theme from our fabulous Canuck leader. I was on Team Anne, where our theme was to do a mani inspired by Canada's famous woodlands!

You know that nail art and I don't exactly go together, but I tried to push myself for this one. My apologies in advance to the nation of Canada. Here's the end result:

It ain't art, but I really did my best! It could have been worse. On my thumb, I did a maple leaf (vaguely) like the one on the Canadian flag. My pointer finger has some little fish on it to represent rivers. My favorite nail has got to be my middle finger (probably because I didn't attempt any wonky nail art for it) where I used Rainbow Honey Sakura Matsuri to mimic the look of a meadow.

My ring finger has a little pawprint on it to represent all the woodland critters. Unfortunately the black bled when I was doing the toes of the pawprint, so the end result was a bit wonky. But it's still worlds better than the design I originally drew on my ring finger: a beaver that looked like the spawn of Satan. It was super busted-looking, so I took it off and put the pawprint in its place.

Then for my pinky nail, I used Butter London Scuppered because it looked autumnal and kind of "woodsy" to me. This is such a gorgeous polish and I am dying to wear it as a full mani!

So that's my Canadian woodlands mani. We have many much more talented nail artists than myself in TT, so be sure to check out the rest of Team Anne's take on the woodlands and find out what Team Ash was up to!

Amanda at Amandalandish
Anna at Going to the Showing
Anne at Grape Fizz Nails
Ashley at Art Evolve
Brandi at The Collegiate Nail
ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi
Cordia at Seriously Swatched
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Jenn at All That Is Gorgeous
Jenna at I'm Still Thinking...
Katherine at Haul of Fame
Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite!
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Meredith at Polish and Charms
Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails
Rachel at Top Coat It
Sarah at See Sarah Swatch
Tara at Polishy of Truth

Twinsie Tuesday: Animal-Inspired Manicure

It's no secret that I dread the nail art Twinsie Tuesday themes. So when I saw "animal-inspired manicure" as one of the upcoming themes, my first reaction (after panic) was: CHEAT! Because really, do you guys want to see me struggle through a nail art challenge with my kindgarten-level art skills?

But instead, I decided to be a sport and search for a simple nail art tutorial that maybe even an artistically-challenged person like myself might have some hope of completing. I came across the idea of penguin nails and thought it looked both super cute and relatively easy. I didn't want to press my luck too much though, so I limited the penguin to an accent nail. I know my limitations!

I know it's far from mind-blowing, but given my abilities (or more accurately, lack thereof), this is like the freakin' Mona Lisa. I think the little penguin turned out cute! This is the first of our nail art themes that I actually wore out of the house.

I used Essie Boxer Shorts (which will have its own post later this week) as my base color, Sally Hansen White On for the penguin's tummy, OPI A Roll In The Hague for the beak and feet, Revlon Red for the bowtie and Rimmel Black Satin for the eyes. Since I don't own any nail art brushes, (I know, you're shocked) I did the detail work with a toothpick.

It may not look like much to anyone else, but I'm proud of my little attempt at nail art! We have some very artistically gifted ladies in the TT group so be sure to check out what everyone else did this week!

Amanda at Amandalandish
Anna at Going to the Showing
Anne at Grape Fizz Nails
Ashley at Art Evolve
Brandi at The Collegiate Nail
ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi
Cordia at Srsly Swatched
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Jenn at All That Is Gorgeous
Jenna at I'm Still Thinking...
Katherine at Haul of Fame
Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite!
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Meredith at Polish and Charms
Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails
Rachel at Top Coat It
Sarah at See Sarah Swatch
Tara at Polishy of Truth

Comparison: China Glaze Man Hunt Vs. Revlon Royal Vs. OPI Dating A Royal

It's a "royal" rumble today on Nailed as we've got three royal blue jellies facing off! When I bought China Glaze Man Hunt, I was pretty sure I had dupes or very close matches somewhere in my stash, but I can't resist a good blue! I picked two contenders from my stash that I thought would be my best bet for matches: Revlon Royal and OPI Dating A Royal. So now to the pivotal question: dupe or no dupe? Let's take a look!

L to R: China Glaze Man Hunt, OPI Dating A Royal, Man Hunt, Revlon Royal

Royal is the darkest of the three and the differences between it and the other two polishes are more perceptible in real life. It's definitely in the same family as the other two, but it's not a dupe for either. If you're not an obsessive blue collector like myself though, owning Royal might be enough for you.  OPI Dating A Royal, on the other hand, is extremely close to China Glaze Man Hunt. It is a smidge lighter so it's not a 100% dupe but I'd say it's like a 98% match. The differences between the two are very, very slight. If you already have Dating A Royal, then you don't need Man Hunt.

Formula-wise, all three polishes are great. Dating A Royal is the sheerest of the trio. This was three coats of Dating A Royal and two of Royal and Man Hunt. They all have that great squishy jelly finish to them but also have nice opacity too--no VNL here!

So there you have it! If you're gearing up to make your On Safari picks, I hope this was helpful!

Twinsie Tuesday: Revlon Sugar Glaze

This week's Twinsie Tuesday theme is a rather unique one: a polish the same color as your room. Now, my room in my apartment is a boring off-white since we're not allowed to paint the walls here, but my room at my parent's house is a blue-based light pink shade. (There's also purple shag carpet and pink leopard bedding, because when I chose the decor, I was 14 and classy.) When I saw this theme, I knew right away which polish I wanted to use: Revlon Sugar Glaze.

The formula here is pretty decent, if a little streaky. I used three coats here. This is a scented polish, but the scent is extremely subtle. When I was painting my nails with another polish from this collection, Revlon Mint Gelato, I could smell the mint scent right away, but with Sugar Glaze, it wasn't apparent until the polish was dry and I put my nails right by my face. It has a faint but pleasant scent to it that's sugary and reminds me of strawberry shortcake. If you're wary of scented polishes, I think this one is low-key enough that the smell probably wouldn't bother you.


Sugar Glaze is a cute, feminine color, although not a particularly unique one. I don't personally own a dupe for it, but if you collect pink polishes, it's likely you own something close to this one.


Do you own a polish the same color as your room? How do you feel about scented polishes? I can't wait to see what colors everyone else's rooms are!

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/

Twinsie Tuesday: Ombre Manicure

Welcome to another fabulous installment of Twinsie Tuesday! This week's theme is ombre manicure. Ombre is the French word for shadow, so for an ombre manicure you do polishes in the same color that advance in tone from light to dark, creating a gradient or shadow-like effect. For my ombre manicure, I opted to use one of my favorite polish colors: pastel green! I figured I'd have a large enough variety of this color to create a decent ombre effect and I'm really happy with how it turned out!

I've done an invididual post on all of the polishes I used for this mani except one, so you can click on most of the names below to be taken to that polish's post if there are any colors in particular that you'd like to learn more about. The polishes I used are:

L to R: Revlon Mint Gelato, OPI Thanks A Windmillion!, OPI Mermaid's Tears, Nicole by OPI Peas And Q's, Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet

Well, that about wraps it up for me today! Head on over to the other Twinsie Tuesday blogs for more ombre action!

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/

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.

Revlon Mint Gelato

Hello everyone! I'm happy to report my exams are OVER and I have graduated from college! Thank you for bearing with me during my slightly sporadic posting schedule this last week or so. Things should be getting back to normal around here now that my exams are through.

Anyways, have you seen the newest Revlon collection? The display images for it feature macaroons, which are both delicious and adorable, and the entire line is dessert-themed and scented! I was hooked at macaroons; I have an odd fixation with them. Ultimately I picked up two polishes from the collection: a purple-y pink called Sugar Glaze and the polish I'll be showing you today, Mint Gelato.

Mint Gelato is a green-leaning turquoise creme. It's kind of like China Glaze For Audrey's greener, mint-scented little sister! I absolutely adore this polish. It's a cute color and totally on-trend for the season.

I'd never used any of Revlon's scented polishes before so I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of smell. I don't really like the smell of mint so I was a little wary but thankfully the scent is actually quite pleasant--and it actually smells a whole lot like mint gelato! The smell was noticeable while I painted my nails and when my hands are by my face, I can still smell it now that the polish has dried. It's not overpowering but it is there, so if you're sensitive to scented products you might want to take a whiff of this polish before you buy it to make sure it's not something that will bother you.

The formula is on the runny side but not unworkable. It took three coats to cover completely for this mani. I was afraid I might have a dupe of this but it actually doesn't look like I do. It's more blue than polishes like OPI Mermaid's Tears but as I mentioned above, more green than polishes like China Glaze For Audrey--at least to my eye.

Overall I'm extremely happy with Mint Gelato. It's just such a fun color. The whole collection looked really nice so I'd suggest keeping an eye out for it next time you're at the grocery store or drugstore. Just look for the yummy dessert display. :) All of you modern-day Marie Antoinettes out there will love it!

Revlon Moon Candy Preview

I think we all knew it was only a matter of time until one of the drugstore brands busted out their own line of flakies. Flakies came back in a huge way this year and now Revlon is jumping in on the action with their own line of flakie polishes, Moon Candy. These look to be more on the chunkier shredded mylar end of the flakie spectrum (think Studio M Covered In Diamonds), as opposed to tiny duochrome flakes. Take a look!

Photo Credit

These duos will be hitting the shelves in August and retailing for $8.95. I'm not usually a big fan of these double-ended polish bottles but it makes sense for a flakie combo. Personally, I'm intrigued. Revlon is one of my favorite drugstore brands and they make some great, affordable polish.
Have you picked up some flakie polishes yet this year? Will you be adding any of the Moon Candy polishes to your fall wishlists?

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/

Revlon Whimsical

I essentially had an aneurism when I found out this polish existed. I have been waiting for a more affordable brand to dupe Deborah Lippmann Glitter In The Air so when I heard about Whimsical I was just over the moon. Finding this polish took a decent amount of hunting but I finally discovered it at Ulta and snatched up the last one! (Okay, the display only had two to begin with, but still-it was the last one!)

Whimsical has a milky, sheer base with pastel blue and pink hex glitter and some smaller silver hex glitter and round iridiscent glitter floating in it. Like I said, it's a dupe for Glitter In The Air, so if you're familiar with that polish, you know what you're getting with Whimsical. Since the base is so sheer and would likely require many coats to acheive full coverage, I chose to layer Whimsical over another Revlon polish, Blue Lagoon. Blue Lagoon is a beautiful baby blue shimmer and I thought it looked cohesive with the base color of Whimsical. This is two coats of each polish.

I love how ethereal and airy this polish looks. It's just so beautiful and I couldn't be happier with it! Revlon did a great job matching Whimsical to the Deborah Lippmann original. I'd been wanting Glitter In The Air forever but as lovely as it is, I could never bring myself to pay $20 for it. I'm much more comfortable for the $4-ish I paid for Whimsical.

Getting Whimsical will probably require some looking but it's totally worth it! I mentioned that I found mine at Ulta but I've read others have bought it at Bed Bath & Beyond (only the special ones that have cosmetics sections) and Kmart. If you see Whimsical, definitely grab it right then and there if you want it because this beauty's becoming quite hard to find already. I've never seen it other than the day I bought it.

To wrap things up, I thought I'd also show you Blue Lagoon on its own. Unlike Whimsical, Blue Lagoon is super easy to find since it's core. If you're a blue lover like me, this is a nice one to have in your collection and it has great formula and coverage, especially for a pastel.

Revlon Royal Cloak

Royal Cloak got the most buzz from Revlon's Masquerade Collection and for good reason-it's a complete stunner! Royal Cloak is a royal (of course) purple flakie and it's easily one of the best polishes Revlon put out last year. I was intrigued by this when I first saw it but decided to get it another time since my Meijer rarely sells out of polish collections. But lo and behold, I couldn't find Royal Cloak anywhere once I decided to finally buy it! Ugh! Luckily I recently came across this at Ulta and grabbed it right away. Now I know firsthand what all the fuss was about...

The formula on Royal Cloak is silky smooth and covered in two coats, although I did need a third coat on one or two nails just to cover up a few patches. This is one of my new favorite purples for sure! If you see this one, be sure to snag it while you still can!

Revlon has really been stepping up their game lately with some beautiful polishes that look much more expensive than the $4 or so you pay for them. My wallet and I are both in agreement for once, since the many Chanel and Deborah Lippmann dupes Revlon's been releasing mean I can fulfill my high-end lemmings one a more college-friendly budget. Who doesn't love that? :)

China Glaze Ring In The Red

I've got another pick from China Glaze's Let It Snow Collection to show you all today: Ring In The Red. Ring In The Red is a red (obviously) glitter with both microglitter and medium-sized glitter particles. This polish is a bit sheer on its own, so I thought I would make it more opaque (and save some polish) by layering it over a simple red creme. I chose one coat of Revlon Red as my base then put two coats of Ring In The Red on top.

Then with flash...

Now THESE are some Jessica Rabbit nails! I really had high hopes for Deborah Lippmann's Jessica Rabbit-inspired Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? but I was disappointed with swatches I saw of it. If you're in the same boat, maybe Ring In The Red will help! The formula was excellent and although I'm not much of a red girl normally, I do think there is something particularly feminine and appealing about red glitter. Or hey, maybe I'm just wild about glitter no matter what the color haha.

For the record, this is what Revlon Red looks like on its own. It's not quite as retina-searingly bright as my camera chose to capture it here, but it's still a vibrant cherry red creme. Like I said, this polish is a one-coater too! Not a unique color by any means but nice all the same.