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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Paradoxal and Friends

I keep talking about de-duping my stash, yet I continue to acquire polishes that I know are likely dupes or near dupes to things I already have. Case in point, I bought Chanel Paradoxal fairly soon after it was released, yet that did not stop me from asking Lucy to get me Barry M Dusky Mauve when we did our swap, nor did it stop me from buying Revlon Perplex pretty much the minute I first saw it. I finally had a chance to swatch the copycats alongside the real thing recently. I know plenty of people have already done this, but I like to see for myself and figure more pictures means more information or at least confirmation available out in the world wide web.

First up, the Barry M. In the bottle, it looks very much like the Chanel.



On the nail (two coats for each), they continue to look very much alike. Very, very much alike, in a variety of lighting conditions. Bravo, Barry M!


Lightbox, top to bottom: Paradoxal, Dusky Mauve, Paradoxal, Dusky Mauve.



Room light, top to bottom: Paradoxal, Dusky Mauve.



Flash, top to bottom: Paradoxal, Dusky Mauve, Paradoxal, Dusky Mauve.


Next up, the Revlon. In the bottle, it looks pretty close, but not quite as close as the Barry M did.



On the nail (again two coats for each), it's same story as the bottles: close, but not quite. Bright light brings them closest to each other in appearance.


Lightbox, top to bottom: Paradoxal, Perplex, Paradoxal, Perplex.



Room light, top to bottom: Perplex, Paradoxal.



Flash, top to bottom: Paradoxal, Perplex.


The Revlon definitely leans more purple than the Chanel, and that's a fine thing as far as I'm concerned.

And finally, not at all a dupe but a polish I picked up because the brown and purple shimmer combination it had going on reminded me a bit of Paradoxal. CQ is a brand made by Scherer, the company that also makes Petites, Petites Color Fever, and Chameleon polishes. This particular shade is called Shimmering Bark; it's much warmer than Paradoxal but seems distantly related somehow.



Since I already had Paradoxal on two fingers, I went ahead and did a comparison even though I knew from the bottles that these were not close.




I don't need to tell you which is which, do I?


One big difference between Shimmering Bark and Paradoxal is Shimmering Bark is much more sheer; I used four coats of it versus two for Paradoxal. Hello, layering polish.
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15 comments:

  1. The Preppy StudentJanuary 27, 2011 at 4:40 PM

    I have Paradoxal and Perplex!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 27, 2011 at 4:53 PM

    I don't have Paradoxal, but I found Perplex, finally! Thanks for this post!

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Phalanges FriendJanuary 27, 2011 at 5:42 PM

    Thanks for this great comparison!!
    I got Perplex and skipped Paradoxal, and I'm so glad that I did, because I really think Perplex is the prettier color.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rachel MarieJanuary 27, 2011 at 6:25 PM

    I love the petites brand. :) They're made not too far from my house.

    ReplyDelete
  5. shortwidenailsJanuary 27, 2011 at 9:01 PM

    3 dupes!!! I haven't been able to get my hands on perplex yet since it hasn't come out yet but soon I will have the pretty in my hands.

    i don't even want to think about de duping my stash....i need them all!

    ReplyDelete
  6. SerenaJanuary 27, 2011 at 9:58 PM

    I wish I could find Perplex! My Walgreens never puts up Revlon polish displays.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Une Ruxi à ParisJanuary 28, 2011 at 12:16 AM

    Between the chanel, the revlon and the barry m I really don't see any difference. thanx for the comparison.

    ReplyDelete
  8. GemxJanuary 28, 2011 at 6:53 AM

    Thanks for the comparisons! I didn't realise how spot on the Barry M was to Paradoxal. Chanel has got the better name though, Dusky Mauve doesn't sound as cool :P

    ReplyDelete
  9. jaljenJanuary 28, 2011 at 9:06 AM

    It's all just hype. I have the Barry M but you can't say it is a blindingly interesting polish. I wouldn't pay big money for it.

    Jade had a wow/hasn't been done factor. But not Particuliere or Paradoxal. And Black Pearl isn't even nice!

    ReplyDelete
  10. RoryJanuary 28, 2011 at 11:36 AM

    Thanks for the comparison! I don't have any of these colors because I'm just not feeling them...I feel like I should at least get Perplex though!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Nail Dazzler Nails January 28, 2011 at 1:35 PM

    i think the most similar to channel is the barry m i cannot tell the diference betweeen both on the nails

    ReplyDelete
  12. JaybirdJanuary 28, 2011 at 3:48 PM

    I have Perplex and Never Glum Plum. I love them both. Thanks for the great comparisons!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Recalcitrant NailsJanuary 28, 2011 at 6:04 PM

    What a "duh" moment for me...I have both Barry M and Revlon - not the Chanel. I could have compared them for my own information. However, I like your post much better! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Enamel GirlJanuary 28, 2011 at 6:58 PM

    thanks for the swatches. i'm so happy i grabbed Perplex!

    ReplyDelete
  15. JeanelleJanuary 28, 2011 at 7:27 PM

    Thanks for the comparison! I'm so glad I passed up Paradoxal and got Perplex.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for reading and commenting! I greatly appreciate knowing I'm not just talking to myself here. :) I'm moderating most comments now due to the spate of spammers who claim to be looking for sexy times.