From left to right, the Nars polishes are:
- Lal Mirchi (this was exclusive to a Bleecker St boutique, so it wasn't available near me at all)
- Anardana (azalea pink)
- Ratin Jot (orchid purple)
- Amchoor (bright yellow)
- Kutki (powder blue)
- Koliary (cyan blue)
These have been out for awhile, and I am very late to this party because I was deliberately trying to ignore them since I knew I would want one. Clearly I didn't last long though, because I happened to wander over to Sephora last week and was tempted the minute I saw the testers still available. I tested each color on one hand in that pretty little combo you saw yeseterday, and then sadly realized that although there are a few colors left at Sephora (here), most are sold out, and obviously the ones I would want have been sold out for ages.
The next best thing is always a dupe hunt, so I went home and scoured my collection to find anything close. First, here are a few closer up pics of the Nars colors.
Thakoon for Nars colors
Thumb: Kutki
L-R: Ratin Jot, Koliary, Anardana, Amchoor
Thakoon for Nars with flash
I found something pretty similar for each Nars color that I already owned - success! I actually even went to Ulta and tested a few other colors, but nothing I could find was any more similar than what I already had.
China Glaze Flyin High
China Glaze Bahamian Escape
China Glaze Happy Go Lucky
Utla Socialite
China Glaze Heli-Yum
So first I compared the bottles to the swatches of Nars I had on paper.
Paper swatches are Nars Koliary and Kutki
Paper swatches are Nars Amchoor, Anardana, and Ratin Jot
Then I painted my right hand with the possible dupes, very hastily and with my subpar left-hand painting skills, so I apologize for how sloppy these look.
China Glaze Happy Go Lucky,
Ghina Glaze Heli-Yum
China Glaze Flyin High
Ulta Socialite
China Glaze Bahamian Escape
Dupes with flash - sorry for the blur, but for some reason these colors turned out more accurate than most of the non-blurry pics I had
Comparison time!
Left side (my right hand) - the dupes
Right side (my left hand) - Nars
Left side - China Glaze Bahamian Escape
Right side - Nars Kutki
Left side - the dupes
Right side - Nars
My verdict: Almost there, but not quite.
I didn't love Amchoor, Ratin Jot, or Koliary on me enough to buy them for $18 a pop anyway, so I wasn't too concerned with how close of dupes my similar polishes were. The yellows, Amchoor and Happy Go Lucky, were definitely different - HGL is much brighter where Amchoor is more of a mustardy yellow. Koliary and Flyin High were pretty close, though Koliary might be a bit brighter in real life. Definitely in the same ballpark though. Ratin Jot and Socialite were very different, so this I wouldn't consider a dupe at all. I didn't love this one on me either, so I wasn't bothered by it, but if you were looking for something similar in this tone, Zoya Areej is pretty similar looking and is $10 cheaper.
The two I really liked were Anardana (the bright pink) and Kutki (powdery blue), so I was more focused on dupes for those. China Glaze Heli-Yum ended up being really, really close to Anardana - definitely good enough for me, and these types of pinky reds are so common that I'm sure there are other similar colors around. Not worth buying in my opinion, even though the formula was nice. Finally, and most sadly, we have Kutki. Bahamian Escape is so close to being close enough, but it's just not. It's darker, not as white/bright of a base, and more subdued while Kutki is a glowy, white blue that I couldn't find a dupe for anywhere. What's a girl to do??? Don't worry, I'll keep my eyes open for anything else similar that comes out and I'll report back if I ever find a good enough dupe!
What do you think - did you like this Nars collection? Did you end up getting any of them? Are these dupes close enough for you, or do you only consider them dupes if they're spot on?
I love the NARS collection, but the prices are crazy! So I love this idea of comparison. I always lean towards the pink so the Heli-Yum would be great! But maybe I might go blues, loved them on you!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thursday!
Erin
www.cali-landchic.com
Oh love the comparison. I love wearing polish but I normally wouldn't spend more than $10 on a bottle unless it's something that I know is totally worth it!
ReplyDeletexo, Yi-chia
I'd say you did a fantastic job finding dupes! That's a lot of money saved :)
ReplyDeleteThose are so similar - I can't believe how much work that must have taken. I don't own any Nars polishes yet (I only really have drug store brands with a few OPI/Julep mixed in). Painting my nails has only been a recent thing I do regularly - back when I was in school I never did my nails! The biggest thing I've learned about nail painting is to not start at the cuticle with the brush. I learned that you are supposed to start in the middle of the nail and then push the polish towards your cuticle - it prevents the paint from getting all over your skin/cuticles!
ReplyDeleteThanks Erin! I know, the prices are ridiculous - sometimes I'll pay it if it's really a unique shade that I can see myself using a lot, but usually it's just not worth it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Yi-chia! I totally agree, $8 is usually my comfortable range (which is basically what Essie, China Glaze, etc. are) - I hate that the higher end brands are SO expensive!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tara! I was really happy that most of the colors were close enough for me - definitely glad to not want to spend that cash! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat tips Franziska, thanks! I usually try to be slow and careful, but if I'm in a rush, it's just all over - I have to really take my time to do a good job! I promise I'll post a new mani on Monday to show that I'm not like a 3 year old coloring outside the lines every time I do my nails, haha :) I don't know a lot about drugstore brands, but I'm sure they're just as good as the higher end ones - what would you say is your favorite drugstore brand?
ReplyDeletewhat FUN nail colors!!!! i didn't even know NARS made nail colors... shows how much i know...
ReplyDeletesuch pretty nails colors -love the NARS collection!
ReplyDeletehttp://allthingsprettyandlittle.blogspot.com/
Thanks Molly! They were supposed to be India-inspired, but they remind me of the circus for some reason. Haha, be glad you didn't know they made nail colors - they're way too expensive, so I wish I didn't know about them! :)
ReplyDeleteAh I know, NARS always comes out with such beautiful collections!
ReplyDelete