Tag: Nail Polish Comparison

Dare to Compare | Milani Color Statement Red Label vs KBShimmer Chilly Pepper

Happy Monday! Today I have a nail polish comparison for you, and I’m excited to share the results. I’ve never been a big fan of the classic red nail polish, but every once in a while I find a shade of red that does work with my fair skin tone. In late 2015 I received KBShimmer’s Chilly Pepper for review and immediately knew this was a red made for me. As it turns out, I also own Milani Color Statement in Red Label, a shade that looks nearly identical to Chilly Pepper in the bottle. Now, I knew I would keep Chilly Pepper because it is one of my most used nail polishes, but I wanted to see if these polishes were dupes. Let me share the results with you!

Milani Color Statement – Red Label Milani Color Statement – Red LabelFirst up is Milani Color Statement Red Label. This is a true red nail polish with a creme formula. Red Label has a great formula that is opaque in two coats. My only issue with the formula is that it is just a touch watery, but that is me nitpicking this polish. Red Label is an amazing red, and it’s a fabulous and affordable polish.

KBShimmer – Chilly Pepper KBShimmer – Chilly PepperKBShimmer Chilly Pepper is also a bright red creme polish, but it does feel more like a ‘crelly,’ or creme and jelly formula. Chilly Pepper has a perfect formula. It applies with ease, looks beautiful in two opaque coats, and dries to a glossy finish with no top coat needed. I’ve used this polish so much since I received it, and you can tell by the messy state of the bottle. This is one loved polish!

Milani Color Statement Red Label vs KBShimmer Chilly Pepper IMG_3665Here is a look at Red Label and Chilly Pepper side-by-side. Red Label is on my pinky and ring fingers with Chilly Pepper on my middle and pointer fingers. Can you tell a difference between the two? It is very, very slight, but Red Label is a tad brighter. However, there is no reason for me to own both of these polishes. I knew I’d be keeping Chilly Pepper, so I’m saying goodbye to Red Label.

All in all, I’m glad I swatched these side-by-side so I could alert you to this dupe! I know KBShimmer is a higher end brand, and that Milani is more accessible for many of you at your local drugstore. If you can get your hands on Chilly Pepper, I highly recommend picking it up on Amazon HERE. That being said, I also recommend Red Label. It’s all up to how much you want to spend! Definitely let me know in the comments what your favorite red nail polish is. I would love to know!

The products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. This post includes an affiliate link. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Dare to Compare | Milani Scarlet Ibis vs Milani Color Statement Mango Tango

Happy Monday! Today I have another nail polish comparison post to share, and this time the polishes are from the same brand! I own two red-orange polishes from Milani that look extremely similar in the bottle, and I had to test them out to see if they are duplicates. I did want to mention that these polishes are from two different Milani collections, so it’s understandable that the shades are so similar. Let’s take a look at Scarlet Ibis and Mango Tango individually and side-by-side.

Milani – Scarlet Ibis Milani – Scarlet IbisFirst up is Scarlet Ibis, a red orange polish with a very slight shimmer. This polish is from the limited edition Fantastical Plumage Collection, which is one of my all-time favorite Milani collections (review HERE). Scarlet Ibis has a great formula that is opaque in two coats. It’s a tad bit watery, so I used thin coats and really liked the end result. The shimmer is just enough to add some dimension, but not make my manicure glittery. I really like Scarlet Ibis!

Milani Color Statement – Mango TangoMilani Color Statement – Mango Tango
Next up is Mango Tango from the currently-in-stores Color Statement line. This is a red-orange creme polish with a rich pigmentation. Mango Tango has a good formula that is opaque in two coats. I really like the brush in this new Color Statement line from Milani, so that made the application process a bit better than it was with Scarlet Ibis. That’s definitely something I keep in mind when deciding whether or not to destash a polish.

Scarlet Ibis vs Mango Tango Scarlet Ibis vs Mango Tango

Here are Scarlet Ibis and Mango Tango side-by-side. I have Scarlet Ibis on my pinky and ring fingers, and Mango Tango on my middle and pointer fingers. There is definitely a slight difference between these two polishes, so I wouldn’t call them exact dupes. That being said, there is no reason for me to keep both of these in my collection. While I like the brush and formula of Mango Tango a bit more, I’ve decided to keep Scarlet Ibis. I prefer the shade and slight shimmer, and I know I’ll never be able to buy it again. This was a tough decision!

All in all, I always find it interesting when brands release polishes that are so similar there is no need to own both. I absolutely love Milani nail polishes, and think it’s great the brand is constantly evolving. Definitely let me know in the comments if you prefer Milani’s older collections, or the new Color Statement line. I would also like to know your favorite red-orange nail polish!

The products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Dare to Compare | Milani Canary vs Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Traffic

Happy Friday! The second round of my nail polish declutter project has officially begun. I’m now going through each color family and seeing if I have any duplicates of the same shade. I decided to go through my yellows first because that is the color family from which I own the least amount of polishes. I noticed that Milani Canary and Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Traffic looked quite similar in the bottle, so I decided to put them to a swatch test! Let’s take a look at each polish individually, and then side-by-side.

Milani – Canary Milani – Canary

First up is Milani Canary, a yellow mustard nail polish with a creme formula. Canary has a good formula, but it was a bit on the streaky side. I applied two coats to achieve opacity, and I do like the result. Canary is a discontinued polish, so you can’t purchase it in-store any longer. I definitely keep that in mind before decluttering a polish!

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics – Traffic Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics – TrafficNext up is Traffic from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. This is also a yellow mustard creme polish. I purchased it at Sephora a few years ago because I wanted to try this vegan and cruelty free brand. Unfortunately, the formula on Traffic isn’t that great. It is pretty watery, and a bit streakier than Canary, but still workable. I did some research and it seems like this polish is also discontinued, but it’s still available from third-party sellers on Amazon HERE.

Milani Canary vs Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Traffic Milani Canary vs Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics TrafficHere is a side-by-side look of Canary and Traffic. I’m wearing Canary on my pinky and ring fingers and Traffic on my middle and pointer fingers. While I could tell a very slight difference between these polishes in person, you can see from the photographs that they are virtually the same in shade. When I went into this comparison, I thought I would keep one of these polishes in my stash. As it turns out, I’m going to declutter both of them! While I do like this shade of polish for the fall, I have a deeper toned mustard polish with an excellent formula that I would reach for over either one of these. Thus, both of these polishes are going to be destashed!

All in all, I’m glad I tested out these polishes together. I discovered that they are dupes for one another, so if you own both of these feel free to declutter one! Make sure to let me know in the comments if you have a favorite yellow mustard nail polish. My go to is LVX Citrine, which is a deeper color than the polishes shown today. Stay tuned to the blog for more Dare to Compare posts soon!

The products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. This post contains an affiliate link. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.