Gold Foil Dupes? Orly Luxe, Etude House Lucidarling Sparkling Royal Gold, Collection 2000 Aztec Gold

With Christmas coming up, you absolutely know you have to have a gold foil in your nail colour arsenal. After all, gold is one of the colours of Christmas, and the foil finish, with its metallic-like surface, is so festive. Even if it isn't Christmas, a gold foil is a gorgeous colour to have anyway. And the good thing about gold foils is that there's a shade of gold foil to flatter every skintone, from cool to warm, from dark to light.

So here are a couple of gold foil comparisons. Up for swatching are Orly Luxe, Collection 2000 Aztec Gold, and Etude House Lucidarling Fantastic Nails 01 Sparkling Royal Gold. As always, it's a source of slight amusement that the product names of Asian brand cosmetics are always so much longer than Western brands - it can't just be nail polish, it has to be Lucidarling (whatever that means) Fantastic Nails :P



L-R: Orly Luxe, Collection 2000 Aztec Gold, Etude House Lucidarling Fantastic Nails 01 Sparkling Royal Gold

Well, I guess they're not dupes. And they may not all be gold foils. But let's see how they hold up to swatching, shall we?

Here are the 3 polishes swatched on my nails:


L-R (Index to pinky): Orly Luxe, Collection 2000 Aztec Gold, Etude House Lucidarling Fantastic Nails 01 Sparkling Royal Gold, Orly Luxe

As you can see, Collection 2000 Aztec Gold isn't really a foil. But it's a pretty gold polish, nonetheless. It does have a metallic finish, but not the fine-grained finish of a foil. It's a good option for those who don't like foils, but want something gold and metallic.

Orly Luxe is a cult favourite among foil finish fans, and I absolutely see why. It's a bright gold that isn't so warm-toned that it's unwearable for cooler-toned people. There's just something about it that catches your eye.

Etude House Sparkling Royal Gold (I'm not going to type out the entire name) is also a foil, but it's a bit more muted, and slightly warmer than Orly Luxe. I also like it a lot, and I think this would be a great substitue for anyone who felt Luxe was too OTT with the bling, and wanted a more subdued version of Luxe.

Here's what Luxe looks like in the context of my fingers, just so you can see the contrast of nail polish against skin:



L-R (Pinky to Index): Orly Luxe, Etude House Lucidarling Fantastic Nails 01 Sparkling Royal Gold, Collection 2000 Aztec Gold, Orly Luxe

In terms of application, all were good. I had no trouble with any of the three. But Orly Luxe and Aztec Gold were a lot more pigmented than the Etude House version. Both Luxe and Aztec Gold were opaque in one coat, but you'll need 2-3 coats with Sparkling Royal Gold before you don't see any VNL (visible nail line).

I'm glad they're all different - it totally justifies having them all :P But for anyone who wants just one, my personal favourite would be Orly Luxe. However if you can't get your hands on it (since Orly is one of those hard-to-find-outside-the-US brands), then it's great to know that Collection 2000 in the UK has a viable replacement, and that Etude House also has something similar for us Asians.

Cheap and Awesome: Collection 2000 Colour Extreme Lipstick Swatches

One of the things about drugstore lipstick is that the colour selection is often poorer than that of higher end lipsticks. Often, the colours aren't very nuanced, so we often see a bright harsh pink instead of a wearable one, or a weird dusty brown few people could wear. Of course, things have improved in the past couple of years (like the lovely wearable colours from Revlon's Colorburst range), but especially at the cheaper end, finding wearable lipstick colours can be a challenge. Fortunately, Collection 2000 has just the answer to such a problem.

Collection 2000 is the cheapest-of-the-cheap when it comes to UK drugstore brands, and their lipstick colours are surprisingly wearable, and quite complex for a drugstore brand. There isn't a colour that I swatched that I thought was outright unwearable or plan ugly.

Here are swatches:



L-R: Delight 1, Spice 2, Bliss 6, Firecracker 8, Playful 9, Hotpants 10

Delight 1 is a pretty pinky-mauve that is cool-toned. It has some slight shimmer, but not too much.

Spice 2 was swatched a bit too heavily because the lipstick broke off halfway (argh) so it isn't as dark or brown as it looks. It's a darker purply-pink that has shimmer that honestly is a bit on the gritty side.

Bliss 6 is a light-medium pinky-peach. A great option for warm-toned girls.

Firecracker 8 is a middle-of-the-road bright pillarbox red with a neutral undertone. You know I love red lips, so you know I'm going to love this one. If you're looking for a red lipstick but don't want to spend too much money, this is a good option.

Playful 9 is a peachy-coral with a hint of pink. Probably mostly a peach. Also a warm colur.

Hotpants 10 is a magenta pink, but as far as magenta pinks go, it's actually pretty muted. It's not a WOWZA pink, it's a pink that's got some zing, but it's not neon. I actually quite like this as a bit of a pop of colour for girls who don't want to wear brights.

The texture of these lipsticks was a little on the dry side, but I guess since these are probably the cheapest lipsticks you can get if you are in the UK, I can't really complain too much. I'd say these are cheap, and value for money.

YSL Belle de Nuit Manicure Duo: Duping the Look for Less!

YSL came out with nail polishes sets that they call "Manicure Couture Duos", and for US$30 (or more if you're outside the US) you can get two polishes that are supposed to go with each other to produce a chic take on the traditional french manicure. In particular,one of the set of shades, Belle de Nuit, is rip-roaringly popular for Fall/Winter 2010. It consists of a deep purple and a shimmery gold.

Image from YSL Website

So I saw that, and immediately my first thought was - I GOTTA HAVE THAT! Then, when some semblance of sanity returned, I realized that I already have a gazillion purples, and a billion gold foils. In fact, the YSL colours aren't particularly unique. Every brand has a deep purple creme, and most brands have a gold foil. Then the realization sank in - I (as well as billions of polish addicts out there) could probably already dupe the look with the colours in my stash, for much, much cheaper!

So I set out to dupe Belle de Nuit. I took a look at the swatches on this blog, and decided that a creme base (like YSL had done) was honestly a little boring. I wanted something with a hidden shimmer to make it more interesting. But if you want to dupe the creme finish as well, then dark purple cremes are plentiful - my personal favourite is Nails Inc Dover Street Market.

Here is my dupe. I didn't use french manicure strips to create the lines, so you'll have to bear with my messy freehand tips. Also, my third fingernail looks like it's a lot thicker than the others, but that's just because I (still) have a nail wrap over it from way back when, LOL. My nails grow SLOOOOWLY.



I ended up using KOH's Purple Rain, and Collection 2000 Aztec Gold. I really should have bought those french manicure strips, because my freehand french manicure sucks.

KOH Purple Rain is a beautiful deep purple that has a hidden shimmer that is apparent when the light hits it, or if it is indoors. It's beautiful. Collection 2000 Aztec Gold is a metallic gold which is absolutely gorgeous - it's not a brassy or orange gold, but more of an antique gold. I really love this colour.

Here's a shot of my nails indoors. You can see the hidden shimmer where the light hits the nails. Beautiful.



KOH isn't a brand available in the UK (not that I know of, at least), and I think it's a Netherlands-based company. They do have some interesting polishes, but unfortunately I don't know much about them, other than that they have gorgeous bottles and packaging - each nail polish comes in it's own little case with a mirror!

Collection 2000 is a UK-based drugstore brand that is very cheap and readily available in any Superdrug. Aztec Gold was a cheap pick-me-up I bought from Superdrug. These polishes performed better than I expected - they were well pigmented and application was good, but they were very chippy on me. I think these are good for konading and layering.



What do you think? Has anyone else tried duping Belle de Nuit yet? Or is it so easily dupable that no one has even bothered?

Collection 2000 Shimmer and Shade Powder Swatches!

Collection 2000 is probably the cheapest brand of makeup you'll probably be able to buy in the UK, and it's akin to Wet n Wild in the US. However unlike Wet n Wild, which has a user base appreciative of its products, Collection 2000 doesn't seem to generate the same amount of interest. My personal hypothesis is that this is due to the fact that it is overshadowed by other UK drugstore brands (ahem, Sleek and Barry M), but also due to the fact that the quality of Collection 2000 items tend to be a little bit spotty. If you remember my previous Collection 2000 swatches, there were some items (the eyeshadow palettes, swatched HERE) that were just OK, and some items (the metallic liners, swatched HERE) that looked more promising, and some items that are just disappointing - today's swatches being a case in point.

Maybe disappointing was a strong word. I guess that in the age of NARS, Cargo, Illamasqua, and other fiendish brands that produce blushes that have wow-pow-wham-bam pigmentation, I've come to expect that my blushes and highlighters should have more pigment rather than less. I'm sure not everyone agrees with me on this though, since blush intensity is really more a matter of preference and the look you're going for than anything else. Which is why though I don't love these, some other people definitely will.

The Collection 2000 Shimmer and Shade Powders are touted as being a highlighter, bronzer, and blush all in one. Each Shimmer and Shade Powder has three colours, which you can blend together or use separately. The packaging is actually quite attractive too - they have these cute little flowers on the surface:


(Picture taken from Collection 2000 website)

Anyway, despite the adorable packaging, the pigmentation on these was pretty sheer, with some colours verging on being chalky. You'll see what I mean with the swatches.

First is Pink Me Up, Shade 1:



The swatch on the extreme right shows all 3 colours blended together, while the first 3 swatches from the left show the individual colours in the palette.

I think this one is alright. It's a bit chalky, and a bit weak in pigmentation, but the pink colour isn't too bad.

Next we have Golden and Gorgeous, Shade 2:



This one is a pretty peachy golden shade, which would work better on warmer-toned girls than cooler-toned ones.

Lastly, we have Just Peachy! which is Shade 3:



I know this is supposed to be peach, but on me it just turned out to be varying shades of off-white. And it was sheer. And chalky. This one probably the least impressive of the lot. It's probably best used as a highlighter for fairer girls since the colour doesn't really show up too well.

The last time I swatched Collection 2000's blushes (HERE) I said that I felt that while the quality of most of their products was not too shabby, the powder products aren't their strength, and I think this agrees with my assessment of today's swatches. They do have some pretty good stuff though - which I'll be swatching soon enough! :)

Collection 2000 Powder Blush Swatches

Collection 2000 is a UK-based drugstore brand, and it's like the Wet n' Wild of the UK - it's probably the cheapest drugstore makeup in the UK. And like any line, their items consist of hits, misses and maybes. The last time I featured this brand, I swatched the Angelic and Poptastic Eye Palettes. Today I'm swatching their Powder Blushes.

There are only four colours, all of which are lightly pigmented:



L-R: So Pretty 01, Bashful 02, Breathless 03, Trouble 04

So Pretty is a light, light pink with shimmer.

Bashful is a pinky-peach with a bit of red, leaning warm. It looks darker in the pan than it applies.

Breathless is an orangey peach with gold shimmer.

Trouble is a pinky peach with shimmer. It's the requisite NARS Orgasm-like shade every brand seems to have nowadays, only a lot more sheer.

I was actually drawn to the blushes initially because of their really cute packaging - they're in small round pans with a swirly floral design etched onto them - but they're not my cup of tea. Like I said before, these are sheer, which can be a good or a bad thing depending on your preferences (for me, it's not that great). And they also have shimmer. In general the lighter colours are more sheer than the darker ones, but none of them are super pigmented - what you see is as much as I could build up. The colour range was also a little bit boring, but I suppose since the brand only has 4 shades, they had to cover their bases with all the basic colours. If you like sheer blushes with shimmer, this would probably suit you better. I think it's just alright - it's clearly not the brand's standout product. I think that in general for Collection 2000, their powder products aren't their forte, but some of items previously swatched, such as their glitter and metallic eyeliners, were much better.

Bright Summer Eye: Collection 2000 Glam Metallics Coloured Eyeliner Swatches

Summer is always perfect for brights - bright nail polish, bright clothes, and bright makeup (not necessarily all at once, of course - but then again, why not?). For girls who aren't comfortable with bright nail polish or bright clothes, bright makeup is a good way to start off bringing some summer into your look. It's always good to pick one feature (lips, eyes, cheeks) and put a pop of colour onto it, like a bright lipstick in an otherwise-neutral face. But my favourite by far is to wear entirely neutral makeup, but with bright eyeliner. That way, your look isn't drastically changed (after all it's only a line or two of colour), but you get in on the brights trend.

Today's trend-related swatches are the Collection 2000 Glam Metallics Coloured Eyeliners. That's a long name, LOL! Collection 2000 is the Wet n' Wild of the UK - the cheapest drugstore brand for makeup you'll possibly find. The last time I talked about this brand, I swatched some of their eyeshadow palettes HERE, but I didn't think they were all that special. However, this time unlike the eyeshadows, the Metallic eyeliners aren't too shabby.

Here's a peek. Don't they look nice and metallic?



L-R: Vinyl 1, Fierce 2, Ripped 3, Groupie 4, Punk 5, Grunge 6

Vinyl 1 is a pretty metallic silver, that really looks like metal.

Fierce 2 is a metallic gold, and this one also does look really gold.

Ripped 3 is a lilac purple, very pretty and a nice feminine twist on metallic eyeliner.

Groupie 4 is really cool. It's a turquoise aqua colour, and I think this one does have a slight gold sheen to it. It's not a duochrome, but just a slight sheen. It makes it a little more unique.

Punk 5 is a sky blue that's pretty bright.

Grunge 6 is a light yellow green, that reminds me of grass.

I noticed that when I swatch these they were decently pigmented. Not massive pigmentation, mind you, but decent, especially given the price. And another thing that I thought was good, was that after I had swatched them, I tried to wipe them off, and I found that a couple of the colours left a stain behind on my skin. I'm just going to take that to mean that these things have decent staying power, hopefully. It's hard to tell when you're just swatching them. But in terms of colour and pigmentation, these are not bad at all.

Glitter Summer Eye: Collection 2000 Glam Crystals Dazzling Gel Liner Swatches

If you are unafraid of glitter, then glitter eyeliner will probably be one of your staples during summer. Glitter eyeliner is a good way to jazz up an otherwise neutral face. While I myself personally am glitter averse (I'm eternally worried that the glitter bits will irritate my eyes), it seems to look good on others. And since glitter seems to be synonymous with summer, I figure why not swatch them for you guys?

Today's glitter eyeliners are the Collection 2000 Glam Crystals Dazzling Gel Liner. These are basically bits of glitter suspended in an almost-clear gel base. Because of this, they are perfect for layering over non-glitter eyeliner to give a little bit of bling to your look.



L-R: Glitz 1, Funk 3, Hustle 4, Le Freak 5, Night Fever 6, Dancing Queen 8, Retro Chic 9, Shake It Up! 11, Spandex 12

Glitz 1 is a silver glitter suspended in a clear base. This one had one of the denser glitters of the entire range.

Funk 3 is a yellow gold glitter in a clear base. As you can see, this one had less dense glitter than Glitz. This colour is pretty cool though. It's more yellow gold and not orange gold.

Hustle 4 is super super cool. Have you heard of OPI's polish Mad as a Hatter? It was a totally cool bottle of polish, consisting of multicoloured glitter in the bottle, and it looks kind of purple-silver-black on. Well, Hustle is like the eyeliner version of Mad as a Hatter. The swatch doesn't do it justice at all. It looks like a silver, but it's a lot more multi-dimensional than that. Sometimes it looks purple, sometimes silver, sometimes black-ish. It's a beauty.

Le Freak 5 is a turquoise aqua glitter in sheer turqoise gel.

Night Fever 6 is a colbalt blue glitter in a clear gel.

Dancing Queen 8 is a rosy red glitter in a clear gel.

Retro Chic 9 is a gold glitter in a clear gel, but this one is more orange than Funk.

Shake It Up! 11 is a blurple (a mix between blue and purple) in a matching blurple gel base. This one is also pretty cool. It's more purple than Night Fever for sure, and it's a very pretty stunning colour.

Spandex 12 is a yellow green glitter in a clear gel. On closer inspection this one has two kinds of glitter, green and yellow. Or is it my eyes playing tricks on me? It's hard to tell.

So what do you guys think? Is glitter eyeliner cool, or is it a no-no for you?

Collection 2000 Angelic and Poptastic Eye Palettes Swatches!

Not all brands are created equal. Some brands just get more hype than others, and this is pretty obvious if you're a UK brand looking into other countries. Barry M and Sleek get a lot of press among US ladies, but brands like Collection 2000 barely get a peep. Collection 2000 is a UK-based drugstore brand, and it has its own website you can browse at http://www.collection2000.co.uk. They're pretty cheap as far as UK drugstore goes, even cheaper than Barry M. And they've recently released two eye palettes, called Angelic and Poptastic. As you might suspect from the names, the Angelic Eye Palette contains more day-neutral colours, while the Poptastic Eye Palette contains the brights and the neons. These retail for 3.99GBP each.
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How are these palettes faring? Well for one they're scoring on the packaging. It's paper, and it's flimsy, but its cute and pop-artsy. I actually ended up getting the Angelic Eye Palette, because it came free with another purchase. And as you can see, I've also started watermarking my makeup pictures in addition to my nail pictures - I may or may not decide to phase this in and make it a permanent thing, depending on feedback.



This is what the palette looks like inside. There are nine shadows in each palette, arranged in three rows of three:



So far, so good. Not too bad for drugstore. But what kind of beauty blogger would I be if I didn't offer you a swatch? So here you go!

First is the Collection 2000 Angelic Eye Palette, which is supposed to contain neutrals:



Neutrals? Really? I don't know if I'd call pink, blue or yellow neutrals, and this palette, despite being touted as a day palette is definitely not for work. However, it does have a nice range of colours, covering most colour bases, and it doesn't fare too badly given the price. The shadows for the most part are decently pigmented, but some shadows are more pigmented than others. You can see that the last two, the bronzey brown and the golden bronze colour, are a lot more pigmented than the pink that's third from the right. Texture-wise, these were alright - they were smooth enough, although not awesomely fantastic. Some of the shades were a little crumbly. I think they're value-for-money given the price, though.

None of the colours are particularly outstanding or unique, but they're good basics to have. The Angelic Eye Palette has a deep hunter green, a shimmery white, a mid-toned pink, a purple that has a bit of blue in it (probably the most interesting colour in the palette), a navy blue, a bright sky blue, a yellow, a golden bronzey with some orange that has a metallic finish, and a bronzey brown with a metallic finish. If you'd use these colours, I think this palette's worth getting. Although I had to build up the colour in my swatches, in general the shimmers in general tend to have better pigmentation than the mattes.

Next up is the Collection 2000 Poptastic Eye Palette, which is supposed to contain neons and brights.



Most of the colours here are indeed brights, and there is a black colour for accenting and shading. Once again the shimmer shades have better pigmentation than the mattes for some reason. Here we have a matte bright primary canary yellow, a matte plum purple with lots of red in it, a pretty shimmery and glowy aqua blue (one of the standout colours in the palette), a slightly muted neon pink, a matte sky blue, a sheer shimmery slightly lemon yellow, a shimmery but sheer-ish yellowed grass green, a matte colbalt blue, and a matte black. I do have to make a qualification though - although these colours are brights, I don't think they're truly retina-searing neons. They do come up a little bit muted once swatched, but I guess for anyone who's just venturing into brights and doesn't want anything to OTT, this would be worth a try. I think a true in-your-face-neon lover would probably prefer something with a greater intensity of pigmentation. But if you're the occasional neon user, this is probably up your alley - it's got a good selection of neons all in one place.

Overall, I do like these palettes, primarily because they're really good value for the price you pay. They're not as pigmented or as soft as the Sleek palettes (which I've swatched in this post,) but they're a little cheaper, and have a good range of colours. If you're on a shoestring budget, if you're just getting into brights, or if you just want a small palette for the occasional use of bright colours, I think these are worth checking out.