Varnished Dupes with American Apparel
So earlier this week I stopped in to American Apparel to get some socks, and of course I couldn’t help myself and buy some polish. But to my dismay, midway during the day I realized- I definitely have very similar colors in my collection. I guess true Varnista status has been reached, when you start to duplicate colors you already have. So the three colors I’m comparing today are, California Trooper, a beige creme, Rose Bowl a dusty orange rose, and Malibu Green a creme teal.
Some notes before we begin. I did not use a top or bottom coat. Part of that is laziness, but also I wanted to be able to compare the polishes in their true form and finish. You’ll see why for the Malibu Green comparisons. I’ve included pics with and without flash, to thoroughly compare color and finish. Also I consider true dupes to be 90% the same in every way down to the finish, color, and opaqueness. I’ve included pics with and without flash.
Let’s get started! First up California Trooper:
Dupes (left=flash, right=no flash)
Playa Del Platinum – Essie
Playa is definitely the grayest of the 3. It’s creme based and is the 2nd sheer of the 3.
Sneak a Peek- Barielle Shades
Sneak is a sheer frost, even with two coats some of the nail showed through. It is definitely in no way close to California Trooper. This color is closer to a pale silver than a beige
California Trooper- American Apparel
Cali Trooper is a beige creme. The formula is thicker than the other two with a yellower base.
Click Read More for part 2 and conclusion !
Hot & Spicy- OPI
Hot & Spicy is a fiery orange red color. It’s a creme, no shimmer or sparkles. Opaqueness is basically reached in two coats. 3 would do the trick completely, but I *NEVER* do three coats. I just don’t have the patience.
Festival Lights- Orly
Festival is the sheerest out of all the colors I compared. I don’t know if I would consider it a sheer or a jelly (I really have a hard time distinguishing the two finishes). It’s also more orange than the other two colors. It’s one of those polishes that no matter how many coats you apply, it’ll never be truly opaque.
Rose Bowl- American Apparel
Rose Bowl really surprised me. I wasn’t expecting it to be as pink. I actually think I may have picked the wrong colors to compare with this one. It’s the thickest formula and was almost opaque in two coats.
Rise And Shine- Sinful Colors
Rise and Shine is a satin shimmer. I think it would be a pretty close contender to Malibu Green if it wasn’t a shimmer. It’s also slightly greener. I usually would apply a top coat to this polish because of it’s dull nature, but I wanted to compare the polish in it’s true form.
Jamaican Dream- Quirius
Jamaican dream is a bright turquoise color. It’s a satin, and a lot bluer than Malibu Green. Definitely not a match.
Mailbu Green- American Apparel
Malibu again is a true cream. It’s a deep turquoise green color.
Conclusion- As you can plainly see, I don’t have any dupes for the new American Apparel colors I purchased. The closest match would have to Rise and Shine by Sinful Colors and Malibu Green by American Apparel, but technically Rise is a shimmer, while Malibu is a creme. The second set of dupes are most different, with AA’s Rose Bowl being pinker than the other two colors.
Do you have any dupes in your collection?
