Saturday, August 6, 2011

Desperately duping graphite


I have a rule against buying Chanel polishes. I lust after them, I render myself completely broke buying them, I apply them with a frantic anticipation, I am disappointed. This is how it always goes. I adore a luxury purchase as much as the next girl, but every Chanel lacquer I've had has ended up in the swap pile. But Graphite...*sigh*. I adore Graphite. Quite apart from the fact that I'm not supposed to be buying polish at all, never mind Chanel polish, this one has my heart. So I went rummaging through my stash to see if I had anything similar that would prevent me from hitting 'purchase!'.


This is what I turned up: 'Mischa' by Andrea Fullerton, a brand available in Superdrug in the UK. The colour is definitely not a dupe, but it's in the same vein, and a very fine colour in its own right. It's a foil with dominant colours of pewter, violet, and gold. From a distance it looks like a dark grey with warm undertones, and it sparkles nicely in the sun. This is three coats, and longevity has been good (I'm on day four of wear today with no issues, although I will be removing it tonight).


But, I'm not convinced by the brand. The bottles are teeny - 5.5ml - and are priced at £5.50 each. At £1 a ml, these are more expensive than my Illamasquas (£13.50 for 15ml, although I nearly always purchase in a sale, making them more like £10 each). They're not even far off Chanel, which is £17.50 for 13ml. I bought four of these when I first started my internship, and the colours are really gorgeous and unique (I'll swatch some of the others in the coming weeks) but they are expensive given the small quantity you get. Not sure why I'm complaining, given that I rarely dent my big 15ml bottles, but the size of these does feel a bit stingy.

Are you ever put off polish purchases by the quantity you get in a bottle?
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10 comments:

  1. DianeAugust 6, 2011 at 2:51 PM

    I picked up a polish from Face Shop in NYC, which is a little Korean store, that is a pretty close cousin to the swatches I've seen of Graphite.

    If you have access to Face Shop stuff, the colour is "GR502" from the FACEit line. I paid $5 for a bottle. There's no volume or size listed, but it's about average-size.

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  2. LucyAugust 6, 2011 at 2:53 PM

    Such a pretty shade. Love the foil look.

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  3. Grace ThomasAugust 6, 2011 at 2:54 PM

    Thanks, Diane! I will see if it's available over here. I just can't justify splurging £17.50 at the moment...*repeats like a mantra*... I've decided to ask my mum to keep an eye out at the duty free when she flies out to Africa in a couple of weeks. If it's still there at 20% off, then I deserve it. Heh.

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  4. cucumpearAugust 6, 2011 at 3:02 PM

    I like the look of this polish. Peridot is the one Chanel polish that tempts me, but it's just too expensive and I'd rather buy a bunch of cheapies.

    And as for bottle size: I despise miniature bottles. When you do the math they're always more expensive than they should be when compared to full-sized polishes of the same brand (if available) or a similarly priced brand.
    I'd rather have the polish stand around for years than only get a couple of applications out of a 1£/€ per ml bottle. Especially since you have to expect that about 2 ml will remain in the bottle when you can't get any more out (I cheat by frankening with those dregs).

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  5. polishlovingAugust 6, 2011 at 3:39 PM

    thats gorgeous :) I haven't caved in to a Chanel yet!

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  6. The Phalanges FriendAugust 6, 2011 at 8:10 PM

    I never buy Chanel either, but this one is gorgeous.
    And your nails look fab! So long and square!

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  7. AnonymousAugust 6, 2011 at 10:34 PM

    I picked up the LMdB Rock 'n Romance set from Nordstrom's and it boggles my mind that those 4 mL bottles are actually "full size." It's one of the reasons I won't buy LMdB polish again (the more important reason: the color/wear is underwhelming for the price point)

    Either way, I've got a decent sized stash, but since I tend to wear my top ten rather consistently (creature of habit and all) I can actually make dents in my 15 mL bottles, so tiny bottles on luxury brands is an irritation for me!

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  8. jaljenAugust 7, 2011 at 1:29 AM

    I have a Chanel watch but I'm far too mean to buy a Chanel polish! Crazy, huh?

    This looks way better than Peridot. Not a dupe at all as you say but just way better. Peridot looks 'watery' to me.

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  9. fleur de lisAugust 7, 2011 at 1:37 PM

    I don't know how close it'd need to be, but Cafe Makeup has compared Revlon Carbonite here: http://cafemakeup.com/2011/08/revlon-carbonite-a-dupe-for-chanel-graphite/

    As for Andrea Fullerton and the bottle sizes, I guess for me it depends on how much I'll wear the colour but I don't think I've ever managed to finish a (coloured) nail polish... I usually have to throw them out before I can finish them!

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  10. beachgalAugust 7, 2011 at 8:23 PM

    I am soooo glad I am not the only one who lusts after Chanel polish and all the advance hype they get and their amazing press photos. I am in the same boat. I buy them and always am disappointed...even with the Paradoxical. I cannot count the ones I have I would even rate among favs or even term gorgeous. I only have 6 because I am a fast learner and it's hard for me to part with that kind of $. I don't like their makeup so why should I figure I would like their polish either?

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