NYC Ruby Queen Swatch and Review

~purchased by me~


Out of the four colors I got from this collection (Fashion Queen Fall 2014) two are monotone (the blue and green) and the other two had thrown in an another color of glitter. NYC Ruby Queen is red and pink hex glitter in a red jelly base. I'm not sure if there are two shades of pink glitter in this (a lighter shade and a darker one) or it's just the glitter being tinted by the base.

I for one, love red glitter on the nails. If this was just pure red glitter I would consider it a holiday color but the pink glitter makes me think of Valentine's day haha.

The formula for all these appear the same across the board. Two easy coats, decent formula, decent brush.

Very cute and unique in my collection. I experienced no staining in the time that I wore this. I recommend this shade from the collection as well!

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Brilliant Bordeaux vs Finger Paints Picasso's Puce Comparison

~purchased by me~


Continuing with the Sally Hansen Diamond Strength line, I thought I might have a dupe for another shade. Brilliant Bordeaux is a dark shimmery maroon shade. Or wine shade, if you go by the name ;)

Indoors. Really dark.

They are kind of hard to see since they are so dark. How about a pic in the sun?

Lol, not better.

These kind of shades are a really nice way of wearing a dark vampy color without it looking black. I especially like wearing maroons in the fall. Two coats for swatches, though, you can most definitely get away with wearing only one. Also, super shiny. I didn't post some other nice pics I took because you could see my reflection in them, looking super ratchet as I'm wont to do ;)

Picasso's Puce (I+M) and Brilliant Bordeaux (R+P)

Picasso's Puce has a touch more brown in it while Brilliant Bordeaux has a little more red. Both have fine red shimmer and high shine. Formula was good on both, as was the brush. I really don't like the Finger Paints bottle though. I think the shape is off-putting and I really don't like their font. It looks like its made for children...though, Finger Paints does make some really pretty, unique shades and the price is right so I'll forgive them. At least their bottles are better looking than Nicole by O.P.I.'s.

Fun Fact! Did you know "Puce" means of a dark red or purple-brown color?

They look really similar in pics but you can tell the difference in real life if you're a nit picker for color. You don't need both though. I prefer the Sally Hansen one myself since I don't like to wear brown on my nails but they are both very nice.

In sunlight they look virtually the same because of the shimmer

I'm pretty sure you can only buy Finger Paints brand at Sally's Beauty Supply. At least, that's the only place I've seen it sold. They retail for $5.49 but they often have promotions like BOGO free or BOGO 1/2 off. I think I bought my bottle on clearance for $1 or so ^_^. The Sally Hansen Diamond Strength line can be bought at drugstores for about $4.49. Of course, being a drugstore brand, that means there's plenty of sales to catch for it as well.

Sally Hansen Diamonds & Rubies vs Rimmel Stiletto Red Comparison

~purchased by me a long ass time ago~


So I was trying to figure out a new way to organize my swatch sticks and I stumbled upon what looked like a possible dupe! Things can look different on swatch sticks compared to on real nails though so I thought I would do a comparison for you guys!

Look damn near the same though, don't they?

I know I bought these a long, long time ago, when I only had a handful of nail polishes. I had thought to myself, well you have to have the basics! And whats more classic than a nice red cream (creme?)? It's actually surprising I don't have more possible dupes for this shade but the only other red I have is more of a jelly/crelly so that doesn't count.

Stiletto Red (I+M) and Diamonds & Rubies (R+P)

I absolutely adore the brush on the Rimmel Lasting Pro line. Wide and curved, it makes painting nails really easy, especially for a beginner. They only had 10 or so shades when I initially bought it but they discontinued the line now :( They've since replaced the line with one called Salon Pro I believe. The good part is that you can probably find all the shades in the line on clearance in drugstores! It's been awhile, but I think the last time I was at the drugstore I spotted some. The Sally Hansen Diamond Strength line has a nice skinny brush that is good for smaller nails (like my pinky).

Look, you can see my dumb head in the shiny reflection!

I really like the bottle on the Rimmel Lasting Pro line. They line up ever so nicely in the drawers of my helmer. The top is embossed with a little crown so they look good from above too. The brush and formula for the line was always impeccable. I recall being able to wear this with one coat (!) but I used two for swatches. They will be sorely missed. Now for the Sally Hansen Diamond Strength, this is the old bottle. I think the new bottles are all faceted, like a diamond. Pretty! Also, the little rhinestone etched into the front of the bottle is a nice touch. Both polishes are 2 coats, no topcoat.

In sunlight. Yup, these are dupes.

I'm not bothered having these as dupes because red is such a basic color. You can wear it pretty much all year round (well, maybe except for spring) or really, any damn time you want, color appropriate seasons be damned. Also, I may have bought knowingly bought another red because one of them might have had trouble water marbling. I was really into that back in the day. You can buy Sally Hansen Diamond Strength polishes for about $4.49 at the drugstore. The Rimmel Lasting Pro line is discontinued but they were really cheap, probably even cheaper now that they are all being clearanced out.