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Monday, June 20, 2011

RBL Bikini Bottom and Friends

Way back when I swatched the spring polishes from Rescue Beauty Lounge, I promised Michelle L. in the comments that I'd look for a dupe to Bikini Bottom, which I'd ordered when it was re-released and received in May. Here it is on its own:





Bikini Bottom is sheer. I used four thin coats; I could have stopped sooner but wanted to be sure that the staining on my ring finger wouldn't show through (why just that finger stained and not the others I've also used as accent nails recently, I'm not sure; I can't think of a time recently when I had something completely different on that nail only).

The recent release (and my purchase) of Sally Hansen's Barracuda, another milky blue, reminded me of my promise, so I looked through my blues and the closest I saw to Bikini bottom was an older Brucci, Kathy's Baby Blues.



The bottles didn't look that close to each other, but we know appearances behind glass can be deceiving.


Top to bottom: Kathy's Baby Blues, Bikini Bottom, Barracuda, Bikini Bottom.



Top to bottom: Bikini Bottom, Barracuda.


This time, the picture in the bottles was born out on the nails; neither the Sally Hansen nor the Brucci could pass for Bikini Bottom. They're both too opaque, even at only two coats compared to the RBL's four. They're also too light and bright. I'm now wondering about using Barracuda as a base for a Bikini Bottom franken. It would need some clear added to make it more sheer, but I'm not sure what other colors I'd need to drop in to get the base color right. Grey maybe? Or green? Let me know in the comments if you've got any ideas for me, either for the franken or other possible dupes for Bikini Bottom.
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15 comments:

  1. PrettyJune 20, 2011 at 10:56 AM

    bikini bottom is too sheer for me. :-P

    ReplyDelete
  2. rebeccaJune 20, 2011 at 11:07 AM

    my ring finger on my left hand is stained way worse than any other finger! and i can't recall what would have done it either!

    ReplyDelete
  3. LauraJune 20, 2011 at 11:50 AM

    My ring finger and pinky get stained worse than my index and middle finger. It's quite weird. I like the color of Bikini Bottom but it's too sheer for me! I think adding grey would definitely make a huge difference for a franken.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Johanna (Paillette)June 20, 2011 at 12:06 PM

    Could you franken this by mixing DSM and some white?

    Just a thought.

    :D

    ReplyDelete
  5. nail crazyJune 20, 2011 at 1:03 PM

    nice shade, but seeing you compare it with barracuda... barracuda wins :-D

    ReplyDelete
  6. GemxJune 20, 2011 at 1:08 PM

    I love the milky blue colour. My ring finger and little finger nails are stained more than the rest of my fingers, I don't know why!

    ReplyDelete
  7. RoryJune 20, 2011 at 1:28 PM

    I've struggled to find a dupe of Bikini Bottom as well. That murky aspect of it is so hard to find in other polishes. If you frankened it, I think you could try a gray green like Essie Sew Psyched or Chinchilly. But don't listen to me, my frankening skills are weak. :(

    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownJune 20, 2011 at 2:09 PM

    Bikini Bottom is mega sheer, which is too bad because I'd almost buy it just because of the name. Barracuda is my kind of blue though!

    ReplyDelete
  9. AlanaJune 20, 2011 at 2:36 PM

    Great color! Very soft and pretty! I think that for a possible franken for Bikini Bottom, perhaps a little white, and maaaaaybe (i'm really estimating here) one or two drops of a really pastel mint green like Essie MInt Candy Apple and then using a few drops of a light grey creme to keep it looking somewhat neutral? That's my guess. haha :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Enamel GirlJune 20, 2011 at 3:43 PM

    i didn't realize it was so close to Barracuda. maybe i don't need it after all.

    ReplyDelete
  11. LesleyJune 20, 2011 at 6:05 PM

    I don't even know which polish I like best. They're all rather pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  12. paint that nailJune 20, 2011 at 10:33 PM

    both very pretty colors but im not a fan of VNL so I definitely prefer barracuda awesome comparison!!:)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Jade (Frescurites Femininas)June 21, 2011 at 9:28 AM

    Thank you for visiting my blog.
    :)
    I really like yours.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nail Dazzler Nails June 21, 2011 at 11:55 AM

    All the shades are pretty, but barracuda for me is the best.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Michelle L.June 24, 2011 at 6:03 PM

    Yay! Thanks for doing this, Karen! I cannot believe I missed the post. My 10-year old niece was here that day & took over my computer to play Sims 3. LOL!
    I love Barracuda & can't believe I put it back down while shopping at Target on Saturday. :( Fingers crossed that it's still there. Guess it's time to try my frankening skills to recreate a opaque Bikini Bottom.
    Thanks again! Have a great weekend!

    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.