That was a dumb phase.
I've been lemming Jade ever since. And on eBay, it's unaffordable. So I've pounced on the dupes I've heard are very close, such as Claire's Dream Catcher (which I love) and Charlotte Russe Jade (which is still in my untrieds).
Recently, a new dupe has been identified: Milani Dress Maker. As soon as I saw comparisons on Nail Board, I ran out to CVS (with a wish and a prayer) to find it. And I did. And here it is! :D
Milani Dress Maker
The photos at these size all look virtually identical. And they are. But the shimmer looks different in all three. Sort of. There's a certain amount of insanity that you engage in when you have this many nail polishes and have a blog devoted to nail polish. Mint green with green shimmer. This took me four coats (and I still have marginal VNL). Somewhat easy to apply. I'm not a big fan of Milani but this was a decent one.
This may be the next Hidden Treasure of NB. Only time will tell.
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23 comments:
I am addicted to mint green and this is no exception.
Loving your new nail length. :)
Omg, this is so awesome!! I'm still kind of lemming Jade, and have settled on buying Dreamcatcher when I find it. It's too bad about it needing four coats, this is such a great dupe!
First off, I LOVE your nails at this length. They look fantastic.
Now, about the polish - I feel like by calling this line "Haute Value", Milani has crossed the line from dupe to knockoff, and I just can't get on board. It's one thing for dupes and similar polishes to turn up organically - trends are trends - but, again, I just feel this crosses the line.
(I actually got dragged into a little snit about this polish the other day on another nail blog because someone took offense to my opinion, which I think was a bit much. I mean, we're all passionate about nail polish... but it's still just nail polish. Anyhoo, I just want to clarify that I have no issue with anybody who likes this or wants to buy it, or obviously with PoP for swatching it... it's just not for me.)
@BB&B: I'm a huge mint fan myself. I'm not sure I've ever not bought a mint... and thanks! I hate filing my nails but am making an effort to keep them at a shorter length lately.
@ping: I've just given up on Jade entirely. I already have three like it so... no need to spend $250 for the real thing. ;)
@Grace: thanks! Personally, I'm perfectly fine with it being a knock-off (as opposed to an organic dupe) because it is no longer in production (and very hard to locate). Milani is not taking money that would have otherwise gone to Chanel... and, imo, Milani is not exactly a trend-setting, trail-blazing company that is based on original ideas. They're the opposite: they provide a lower cost version of popular looks to us huddling masses. :) If Milani were pretending to be creative, then sure... it's ridiculous that they'd make an exact dupe. But that's not the raison d'etre for the company. Anyway, just my opinion. :)
I would die for Jade. LOL
You know what, I skipped out on Nouvelle Vague too, the moment I realized "NO I do want it!" It was sold out everywhere.
and all was left was feeings of sorrow, remorse and bitterness. LOL :(
:) I'm wearing two coats now and I don't mind the slight VNL! Crazy, right?
It does seem like HT-redux over on the NB though, lol. Hopefully it's easier to find than HT for most.
I hope I can find this soon. Thanks for the swatches.
I've never seen this one, but I'll have to look for it! :)
I was in my naive, didn't-know-things-would-be-discontinued-and-never-come-back phase when Chanel Jade came out. Lol.
Flint I am *loving* your nails this length (and seems like other people are too!) and wow its too bad you didn't get Jade when it came out because girl, this is your colour! On me, these colours look like Nickolodeon slime, but somehow mints always look super great on you (I think it was Damone Roberts that made my jaw drop). So glad you didn't have to shell out the big bucks!!
@Grace - In a way I agree with you, its blatant knock-off-ing (words...not happening today for me) to call it Haute Value. I could even name some of the other polishes they were knocking off just from a far away picture of the display. In a way, my sense of right and wrong, real-deal Vuitton vs fake Vuitton is offended as well, and I can definitely see your point. On the other hand, flinty makes a good point in that Milani isn't exactly taking Chanel's money. Not sure where I stand in all this, but to add to the fray, Chanel could have gone the way of Tiffany and copyrighted their colour to prevent this? Oh and don't worry - we don't get in snits here :) PoP tries to be a peaceful place with semi-intelligent banter!!
k2k
@milan: I was worried that I would regret not getting Nouvelle Vague but every time I see a photo of it, I'm just unmoved by it.
@jen: I still never found HT (and I looked in the drugstores of three states). I finally just bought Nubar 2010 from eBay (where it was cheaper than buying from their website).
@shortandsweet: good luck!
@crystalpolish: Egads, I missed out on such good stuff when I was still in the naive phase.
@k2k: seriously, it's about how much time I have to bother filing my nails. I hate doing it! :) As for mint greens, I just love 'em! I'm glad my skin suits it. And I'm not sure you can just copyright any colors -- you'd have to ask someone who was actually familiar with copyright law -- but I imagine that you'd have to demonstrate that it was central to your brand (Tiffany blue, for instance) ... Otherwise, we'd never have any new cosmetics anymore by new companies, if everyone copyrighted all their colors. There is a finite number of colors that the human eye can distinguish and that technology can reproduce.
This color is great on you. Even better, however, is this nail length. It is perfection. Seriously.
I really like your nails this length - I think they are just long enough. :) I don't know about the -next- Hidden Treasure, though...I'm still frantically searching for THE Hidden Treasure.
@Piff: Yeah, I'm going to put in greater effort to keep the length like this. Who knows what'll happen when I get seriously stressed and pressed for time though!
@Zara: thanks! ... and yeah, I've just given up on HT.
Awesome!!!
I also wished I just grabbed it when it first came out.
But the upside is that Milani will slap this sucker on their site and we can just get the Mint Happiness w/o going nuts watching eBay auctions for triple digits.
I've always been happy w/Milani, too!
Lovely! I saw this and thought it looked "Jade"-ish. It's quite a beautiful color.
@flint - Oh yeah definitely. I was just saying that if all the Jade dupes really bothered them and they felt, like you said, that the colour was 'central to their brand', they could have tried to copyright. Clearly, they haven't, and the colour isn't synonymous to Chanel, so they should expect dupes/knock-offs. Especially with the demand being so high for the colour. If they really wanted to cash in they should re-release.
I agree with Zara, your nails look great at this length!
I can't believe how identical they are! Both very pretty, and Milani obviously will save you a hell of a lot of money if you're lemmin' for Chanel Jade! WOW!
I also agree and love this length! I'm also in need of a "trim" lol!
I've been lemming jade too but can't bring myself to spend that much on a polish! that being said, I love this one! mint greens are my fav <333
wow thats a good dupe, i like it!
Dupe or Knockoff: I really want this polish! I love greens and this one is amazing (Chanel or Milani). Where is Milani Sold in CANADA!! HELP!
Oh my how wonderful! A dupe for Chanel's Jade. I've been a fan of mint polishes ever since MAC's Peppermint Patti. I was on a no buy for Lent. MAC sold out before I could buy PP. I have been lemming it ever since. I saw Chanel's Jade and the same thing happened, sold out. Glad that you've posted this. Now I hope I can find this one.!
I don't know what it is, but I HAVE to buy every mint green that comes out. Haha, at the insanity part.
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