Saturday, November 9, 2013

LVX Comparison Post! Taupe and Blue

*press samples

Happy Caturday, guys and gals :) I had a couple requests for comparisons of a couple LVX colors from yesterday's post, so I thought I'd just get on it, lol.  The last time I did a post like this was two weeks after I started this thing so fortunately, I've learned a thing or two about presentation but this is still highly experimental.

Okay, first up, as the request of Lacqueerisa, is a comparison of taupes.

LVX, OPI, Sinful Colors taupe comparison

I tried to do some staging, lol, so I strategically placed some lapis earrings in with the bottle shot.  I don't think it works but I'm too lazy to go take another photo without.  So left to right we've got Sinful Colors Graine de Poivre, LVX Relique, and OPI You Don't Know Jacques.  They all look pretty different in the bottle.


LVX, OPI, Sinful Colors taupe comparison

On index-- Sinful Colors Graine de Poivre; middle and pinky-- LVX Relique; ring-- OPI You Don't Know Jacques.
The idea of a taupe polish is clearly a popular one but each of these companies has a different take on it.  Graine de Poivre is closest to LVX Relique in terms of color family.  They look like light and dark versions of each other.  GdP is warmer, though, and seems to have more red, making it almost mauvey, while Relique has more blue and is more of a true taupe.  OPI You Don't Know Jacques is obviously brown leaning, and reads mushroom rather than taupe.
Formula wise, the Sinful and the LVX are both winners.  They went on easily, evenly, and streak free in two coats.  The OPI is a little on the thin side and needed three coats.
Price breakdown-- Sinful Colors Graine de Poivre retails for $1.99 for 15ml; OPI You Don't Know Jacques is $9 for 15ml; LVX Relique is $16 for 15ml.

These are all so different, it's almost not a comparison; if you like the look of Relique, though, I think you'd be satisfied all around with Graine de Poivre for the price.

Next, from the suggestion of Emily, is a comparison of dark/navy blues.

LVX, Sinful Colors, Zoya, Julep blue comparison
I decided to lose the props for this one. ;) Left to right-- Sinful Colors Mesmerize, LVX Azzurrum, Zoya Sailor.  Front-- Julep Eloise.
Dark blues have been prevalent all year long, prompting a few folks to wonder how this isn't Pantone's color of the year, as opposed to the oddly inconspicuous emerald green.  There are more similarities n this family, though, at least in my stash.

LVX, Sinful Colors, Zoya, Julep blue comparison

On index-- Sinful Colors Mesmerize; middle-- LVX Azzurrum; ring-- Zoya Sailor; pinky-- Julep Eloise.

Color wise, Mesmerize and Sailor are almost identical, with Sailor being a touch bluer.  These two are more indigo than true blue.  There's not a touch of dustiness in either.  Eloise is pretty obviously the most different of these four-- maybe it's a touch of yellow in the formula, but it reads as a midnight blue to me.  It's also the only one of these with that dusty quality.  Azzurrum is just as LVX claims-- a true navy blue, with minimal red and zero dustiness.  Nothing in my stash compares to it.
The formula on all of these is actually pretty great, even the Julep, whom I seldom have very nice things to say about.  Again, application was easy and even, and all four are opaque in two coats.  I almost got away with one this time with Azzurum.
Price breakdown-- Sinful Colors Mesmerize retails for $1.99 for 15ml; Zoya Sailor is $8 for 15ml; LVX Azzurrum is $16 for 15ml; Julep Eloise is $14 for 8ml.

It's all about your own personal taste regarding these blues.  Azzurrum didn't look to me to be particularly unique at first, but as it turns out, it kind of is and if you're looking for a true navy, neither dusty, nor teal, nor indigo leaning, this might be it.  If you're simply wanting an on trend dark blue with a great price point and a great formula, Sinful Colors Mesmerize is perfect.

I hope I covered everything!  Any feedback is welcome, if there's something I didn't address, please don't hesitate to let me know :)

And, because it is Caturday, here's a parting shot of my baby Beau.  He wishes I would put him down.


I hope you're having an awesome weekend!  Thank you for reading. ♥♥
*press samples

14 comments:

  1. Great comparisons. Comparison posts play a big part in why I started blogging in the first place. They are so helpful and it shows that one can never have every color. I hate to say this, but I think Sinful Colors Mesmerize is my favorite!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They're pretty fun to do, too, and it's nice to be able to share a lower cost alternative to the spendier stuff. And don't hate to say it, Sinfuls are fabulous and Mesmerize is an awesome shade! I like the LVXs the best but the Sinfuls are both second.

      Delete
  2. Thank you once again for these comparisons. I couldn't agree more with Essie Rae just how helpful comparison posts are! :) Kinda sad none of those two came close, though OPI and Sinful Colors were closer to each other (what a bonus to know Sinful has better formula)! But its great to know Relique is indeed quite a unique shade - great job to LVX for creating a gorgeous colour. ;)

    I obviously wasn't paying attention to navies, but your post definitely drew my attention to it. Lol! (Addictive polish world XD) Love the colours! And from this comparison, I'm really loving both LVX Azzurrum and Julep's Eloise.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're most welcome!! :) And I know, as much as I wanted the LVXs to be unique, I was hoping I'd be able to show a good, lower cost alternate. Yep, kudos to LVX!
      I'm with you on the blues-- the navy/midnight shades definitely speak more to me, though the indigos definitely have their place.

      Delete
  3. BUY ALL THE SINFUL COLORS!! Oops!! Did I actually let that slip out?? What has happened to us? :P The is a fantastic comparison post! I'm loving both the taupe and blue SC ones...as far as the taupes go, I shall be honest here and say that if anybody can sell a crazy weird taupe, it's you, because I want all three of them. And although I love the SC blue, I'm going with Azzurrum as my fave. <3 But Beau trumps them all...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And the nice thing is, you actually can without breaking the bank!!! Or making the DH mad, lol. As soon as I said that to you I felt this compulsion to go out and try more, and then it was all over. Well, there are worse brands to be addicted to, lol. Azzurrum's my favorite, too, but yes, my baby Beau ♥♥ I wish his little eyes actually showed up in this pic, he's got the funniest look in them.

      Delete
  4. Hi Liesl - oh baby Beau is a cutie pie :-)!!! Great comparison post - I just love them and it is so helpful to see all of those beauties next to each other!!! And while all of them are awesome, in both comparisons I like the LVX best.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lol :) :) The LVXs are my favorites, too, and while it would have been nice to find a reasonable alternate, I'm kind of pleased that they're unique.

      Delete
    2. Agreed - and how awesome to once find unique creams, a rare thing these days :-)

      Delete
  5. There seems to be so many dupes out there, but when you put them side-by-side not so much...great post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you!! :) And it's true-- it seems that creating an exact duplication of a paint mix is a rare thing to achieve. That's why it's so interesting when it actually happens, right?

      Delete
  6. Great post! And your baby Beau.. His little legs sticking up.. I die!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you!! :) And I KNOW, lol. He seriously just sits around, in the funniest positions ♥

      Delete

Please be respectful and refrain from using profanity or including links in your comments. Posts containing either will be deleted. If you have a blog you'd like me to check out, shoot me a message and your link by using my Contact Me form.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...