Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Skimp or Spend? # 1

Welcome to the first post on my new series, Skimp or Spend? In these posts I will compare two polishes in my stash that are similar (not always exact dupes) but have two very different prices. I want to share that inexpensive nail polishes can often have a better quality than an expensive polish, and vice versa. Although I will be explaining my thoughts on the two, it's ultimately your decision. Would you rather skimp, or spend? 



 Since Valentines Day is right around the corner, I thought it'd be fitting to make this post about pink polishes! Today I'll be talking about two pink polishes, both with subtle shimmer, OPI's Chic From Ears To Tail ($8.99), and Love (so appropriate for v-day) by Pure Ice ($1.97). I'm so excited to share my thoughts and to kick off this series!


I started off with no base coat (mainly because I forgot but I also didn't want to waste my base coat on polish that I'm going to immediately take off), and 1 coat of Chic From Ears to Tail and Love on alternating nails. As you can see, Love by Pure Ice is a tad darker and it is also way more opaque. Chic From Ears to Tail had a very runny formula and is very streaky on the first coat. 


After the second coat of each polish, Love is completely opaque. I used thin coats for each polish and the formula for Love just glides on and is so creamy. The second coat for the OPI polish removed streakiness but there is a very noticeable and large bald spot on each nail. I think it was because the brush was a little bit stiff and removed some of the first coat from that area. 


Once I added the third coat, Chic From Ears to Tail was getting a bit better, the bald spot was slowly getting covered but is still very visible. Love on the other hand was completely opaque with the second coat so I added a layer of top coat so that you can see the shine. I used Orly's Sec 'N Dry top coat, not because it's amazing, but because I didn't want to waste my Seche Vite. Sec 'N Dry is actually really bad quality, after two hours my polish was still easily dentable and was completely ruined. 


Finally after 4 coats, the OPI polish was opaque. I could hardly see the bald spot anymore and I was satisfied with the color. 


With top coat on all of my fingers, you can see that Chic From Ears to Tail is slightly brighter than Love. It's not too noticeable, I don't think anyone would tell unless they were an inch away from my nails. I'm a little disappointed that this polish took 4 coats to look decent.


Overall I think I would Skimp. As much as I love OPI, this polish was way too watery/runny for my taste. I don't want to deal with 4-5 coats every time I use this. I would rather grab for a two coater. I do love that the shimmer in Chic From Ears to Tail is more noticeable though, it's so pretty in the light! I'm also really happy that the Pure Ice polish is under 2 dollars! It really can't get better than that, especially when it has an amazing formula. 

So what's your decision, Skimp or Spend? Or maybe both! :) 

16 comments:

  1. Thank you for the comparison! I'm excited to see more!

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    1. I'm so glad that you like this series! Thank you so much for reading :) ♥

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  2. I love this! Such a great idea, I also agree with Irais! I can't wait to see more :)

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    1. Aw thank you! I'm happy that you like this series! ♥

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  3. I don't usually read blogs but this post was informative and enjoyable to read. please do more of these comparisons!

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    1. Wow thank you so much! That really means a lot to me ♥ I will be making these posts once every 1-2 weeks! :)

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  4. Great post. I enjoy your thoughts in the matter and this is really helpful. Good job ��

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  5. Agreed with everyone, great job!! And great idea! I have to say I'm unsurprised. I have some OPI and China Glaze that are just horrible quality- some famously (flip flop fantasy) and others not. I have some cheaper ones that are much much nicer. But then again some cheap ones that are yuck too. I think this series is going to be great, and I can't wait to see more. I just hope you do them as regularly as we all want to see it! Best wishes xx

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    1. Thank you for reading! I agree, it's a hit or miss with inexpensive/expensive polishes. I'm glad you are enjoying this series ♥

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  6. I love this post idea! I think that having a great brush and even application matters most in a polish - although the cheaper option was opaque quicker, I can tell that the OPI was easier to apply because you have a neater cuticle line with it ;) I would Spend! Can't wait to see more posts like this!

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    1. It's refreshing to see someone that would spend! :) What a great eye, my cuticle line is way neater with the OPI polish! I never realized that. Thanks for reading! ♥

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  7. Wonderful post! Can't wait for more!

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  8. this post was super informative! I think I would definitely skimp on this one... I agree with Rachel that the cuticle line is neater with the OPI but I honestly don't think anyone in real life would notice... and I'm pretty impatient lol... also thanks for the warning about the Orly top coat... I've never tried their top coat and definitely wouldn't buy it then!

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  9. POST MORE, IM BEGGING YOU, COME BACK

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