Put Your Dupes Up: The Greens

 

 

It's time for another edition of Dupes Up! This weeks contenders:

Illamasqua: Viridian

Retail Cost:$14.99

vs.

Ulta: Envy 

Retail Cost: $7.50

vs.

Model's Own: Peacock Green

Retail Cost: £5 (approximately $8) 

I noticed while going through my collection recently, that I have quite a few of these shimmery greenish blue polishes.  Of course they are all gorgeous, but the real question is, are they different? In the bottle they all look very much the same.  The Illamasqua seems to have a bit more shimmer running through it and a bit more of a blue flash to it, but otherwise they seem more or less the same.

So let's check them out on the nail shall we?

L to R: Models Own, Illamasqua, Ulta, Models Own

Pretty much sums it up, no?  The index and little finger in this picture are the Models Own Peacock Green.  It was the only of the three that needed two coats for opacity but I did two coats of all of them anyway.  It's clearly much more blue toned than the other two and surprisingly so since in the bottle it looks VERY green.  It also lost some of it's shimmer when it went onto the nail.  In comparison, the Illamasqua seemed to get MORE shimmery and it's clearly a bit darker and a hair more blue than the Ulta Envy as well.  While it looks teal-ish in the bottle, the Ulta Envy is really more of a true green than the others.

 

 

A full sun picture seals the deal.  Of the three, I think the Illamasqua is my favorite.  It has this really amazing blue flash along with a shimmery greenish tint.  It feels and looks very luxe on the nail.  The shimmer in it was also FAR more apparent in person than with the other two.  Overall though, these all have nice finish and texture to them and even though I forgot to use a basecoat (bad me) none left stains on my nails either.  :)

Verdict: Not even close.

 

Availability: Illamasqua's can be purchased at Sephora.com for $14 each.  Ulta polish is available at Ulta.com and Ulta stores nationwide. Models Own can be purchased at ModelsOwnIt.com.