Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Orly Cosmix, Part I of II: the dupes and near-dupes


Yay, finally got a moment to swatch some of the Orly Cosmix collex! These aren't the best swatches I've ever done but I had very little time today and need to keep preparing for my talk on Monday (eep). I was going to do it earlier this week but UPS hates me and kept on delaying delivery.

As many have noted, it seems that this collection contains some dupes. Personally, I love Orly bottles and they are 0.6fl oz, rather than the typical 0.5fl oz. If you can get these from an etailer (as I did) rather than retailer, they are cheaper ($5 each) than the available dupes. If you're buying these at full retail value ($10 each), then all the dupes are cheaper or the same price.

Of the three dupey polishes, only two were true dupes. But why am I yammering when all you guys want to see are pics? ;)

Orly Halley's Comet (one finger has Zoya Charla)

Shimmering blue-green mermaid's tail. Is there any other way to describe this color? This is a dead-on dupe... and it seems, the color of the year. Zoya Charla, OPI Catch Me In Your Net and now Halley's Comet. Four coats for both polishes... and still a little VNL showing through. Grr! (Charla is on the second nail from the left.)

Orly Lunar Eclipse (one finger has Sally Hansen Laser)

Shimmering dark blue with duochrome-y purple flash. This is not a dead-on dupe... the color is, the finish is but it's like the Sally Hansen was diluted with clear polish and made to be a lot more sheer. It was also harder to apply than the Orly. The Orly has three coats while the Sally Hansen was four -- and gooped off the nail, for all my troubles. (Laser is the rightmost finger.)

Orly It's Not Rocket Science (one finger is SpaRitual Optical Illusion)

Bright lime-seafoam-gold dense shimmer in a murky swampy base. I'm trying to remember what the connection between Orly and SpaRitual -- I think they belong to the same parent company? -- and by now, most of us are not too surprised anymore when some Orly colors become SpaRitual colors and some SpaRitual colors become Orly colors. It's all good though: this is a fabulous color! The formula does seem to be slightly different... or maybe it's the brush? For some reason, I thought Optical Illusion went on a bit more sheerly but built up fast while It's Not Rocket Science was a bit more pigmented but didn't build up as quickly. Oddly, it didn't look different on the nail but in the photos, it does seem like Optical Illusion is just the slightest bit darker. Four coats to opacity for both. (Optical Illusion is on the second finger from the right.)

I don't have any more time to swatch the other three today but hopefully, I'll get around to it tomorrow or Friday. :D


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10 comments:

Jamie K. said...

very well done! very informative :D major thanksss

Margo said...

Thanks so much for the comparisons! I'm rethinking this collection now; originally, I'd only wanted Space Cadet, but Lunar Eclipse looks so awesome.

Janna said...

In each of these pictures I could tell which finger was different =p They are very close though! Thanksss

Cat said...

This is great news for my wallet. The only one I plan to get is Galaxy Girl, which I hope is like a glass-flecked UD Bruise. btw, your nails are looking very nice! : )

Tuli said...

I am lemming this collection from the first time I saw it, it's stunning !
And thank you for these great comparisons, you did a great job !

Halifax @ Sparkled Beauty said...

Thanks for the spot on comparison. It's funny how many shades in the collection are dupes of something else. I prob still get the whole collection, as I don't have any of the dupes :)

flinty said...

@jamie: thanks! I'm glad you found it useful.

@ping: Lunar Eclipse is incredibly awesome. It's SO MUCH better than Laser. And Space Cadet is just incredible, period. I'm wearing it now and I have not loved a duochrome mani this much in awhile.

@janna: LOL, sharp eyes. I could see differences in OI and LE but not HC.

@faerieberry: Thank you! From what I can tell from other peoples' swatches, it looks more to me like a intense flecked version of Maybelline Vanishing Venus.

@tuli: thank you!

@halifax: I have all of these dupes and I still got the collex... but I'm planning on selling/swapping the non-Orly dupes.

Lucy said...

I will be buying the Orly polishes. It's ridiculous that drugstore polishes are more expensive than the better brands. It kills me that Orly has raised their prices! Thanks for the comparisons.

extraH said...

Ooooh, I do so love those blues!

flinty said...

@lucy: Has Orly raised its prices for all polishes or just this set?

@extraH: They are somethin', aren't they? :D

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