COMP-POST: Essie Navigate Her vs. CQ Mint Green - Part Two

Navigate Her (2 coats) ~ Mint Green (3 coats)

Well, the verdict is in and as you can see, there's no dupe here.  I would even say that if you like one, you may not like the other - that's how different they look on the hand.


The picture to the left is showing, on alternating fingers,  Essie Navigate Her (index and middle) and CQ Mint Green (middle and pinky).


Color Description: Navigate Her is a warm-tone creme that has yellow undertones and I would definitely describe it as a pistachio or celery green, whereas, Mint Green is cool-toned with more of a pastel green and is a bit lighter and airier, which I prefer.  Personally, I think Mint Green is prettier.


Application: Navigate Her was almost opaque in one coat with the application being easy and pretty much flawless with little effort.  Even though I prefer the look of Mint Green, it was thin and watery and a challenge to apply.  The question is which one did I choose to wear out the door?


This Look: As you can see in the picture to the right, I chose to wear Essie's Navigate Her for the ease of application with two coats, and one coat of Nutra Nail Ultra Shine topcoat.


Price Point/Availability: I found both Navigate Her and Mint Green at Rite Aid for $2.99 and $8.00, respectively. If only CQ's application was as good as the price we would have a winner!  But as it is, it's just gonna take a little more time and forethought before applying.


Hope you enjoyed this comparison post and that it will help you in your selection process. :)

Zoya - Cynthia and Comps (08/28/2011)

Zoya Cynthia is from the Fall 2011 Smoke Collection, of which, I purchased two: Cynthia and Dree.  I now see that I can't resist a green in any form from dark to light from teal to olive, greens are great!


Color Description: Zoya describes Cynthia as "a smoky, blackened peacock teal with soft warm undertones. A very uncommon shade of blue for a subtle but funky look."  It also is a creme with the slightest hint of shimmer, so slight it's not a secret it's just abut non-existent.  And, it is true you don't find this shade of teal very often but I now have at least four versions of this color in my collection, wanna see?


Similar To: Cynthia is extremely dupish to two, if not three shades that I own: L'Oreal Mystery, Jessica Frost At All Cost and CQ Slate.  Of these the least similar is Slate (a bit more green than blue) but to the "normal" eye they are all pretty much the same. (see pic directly below - can you tell the difference?)

Slate (index), Frost At All Cost (middle),
Mystery (ring), and Cynthia (pinky)

This Look: One coat of Starting Over After Artificials, two coats each of the above four shades and then topped off the final look (first picture) with Zoya Cynthia; used Sally Hansen Mega Shine as the topcoat.


Price Point/Availability: The most difficult of the four to get your hands on would be Jessica Frost At All Cost because it's not as widely available as the others.  The easiest would be CQ Slate from you local Rite Aid (or drugstore) and L'Oreal Mystery, although Limited Edition, can still be found at many drugstores including Bed, Bath and Beyond.  Zoya Cynthia can be found online at Zoya.com for $8.


Hope this helps when deciding which deep teal lacquer to purchase next.  Have a great Sunday, y'all!

Slate, Frost At All Cost, Mystery, Cynthia

CQ - Shimmering Bark (11/23/2010)

Color Description:  What's the 411? CQ's Shimmering Bark (SB) #411 is, to be exact! A beautiful mauve with a delicate dusty rose shimmer, SB is a very subdued and classic nail lacquer.  This color has been compared to Chanel's Paradoxal, and although they are in the same family (in the bottle), they are not even close when it comes to depth or color or application. Chanel is one coat to CQ's 3 or 4, with the Chanel being much, much darker on the nail.

Price Point:  This is a drugstore brand readily found at Rite Aid and can be purchased for a whopping $2.99.  Well worth the price!