Dupesday

So it's Tuesday and I said I would try to do it every week. So far it works. Let's see for how long ;-)
Today I have some yellows for you. I really love yellow and I haven't found my most perfect yellow polish just yet, but there are some close enough. Today's shade is the light banana ice cream yellow and I have 3 different but same polishes: Illamasqua - Blow, Nails Inc - Sumner Place and Models Own - Lemon Meringue. 

In the wheel shots I used Sally Hansen's Mellow Yellow as some sort of reference point.

As you can see, the two in the middle - Illamasqua and Nails Inc are pretty much dupes, while Models Own is a tiny bit lighter. Let's see how they look on the nails.

Illamasqua Blow and Nails Inc Sumner Place are practically dupes. I can say their formula is very much the same, they both need 2 or better yet 3 coats for full opacity and they are both a little on the thick side. The funny thing is they are both UK brands and more or less cost the same. So if you have one - you definitely don't need the other.

Models Own Lemon Meringue is from the Ice Cream Sundae box set and is one degree lighter then the others. It also has a slight milkier shade. As for the formula - I think Lemon Meringue wins this game. It is a lot more opaque and if applied carefully, you can get away with one coat. I did two because I used very thin coats. The polish's consistency is also a little bit on the thick side but being so opaque to begin with, it was much easier to apply.

As for drying time they are all pretty much the same. As you can see - I managed to smear my pinky, which tells you it doesn't dry too fast.  All three have pretty much the same glossy finish. None of the pictures show any top coat. The gloss is from the polish only.
If you compare these in the price field, Models Own Lemon Meringue wins once again as it is slight cheaper then the other two. So all in all if you want to have one but have your doubts - go for Models Own Lemon Meringue. It will give you the best value for your money. You can find it either in Models Own website or at retailers like Ninja Polish or Harlow & Co, all of them ship internationally.
If you insist after all, Illamasqua website also ships internationally. Nails Inc website however - does not.

	Lemon Meringue	Blow	Sumner Place
Brand	Models Own	Illamasqua	Nails Inc.
Collection	Ice Cream Sundae Box	Pastels	Sunshine Collection, Summer 2011
Description		Lemon sorbet, gloss finish	a delicate lemon sorbet shade
Formula	A little bit thick but levels itself eventually	On the thick side but self- levels.	A little bit thick and gloopy
Brush	Soft and fanned nicely	A little too thin but fanned ok	A little bit too thin but fanned ok
Opacity	1-2 coats	2-3 coats	2-3 coats
Finish	Glossy Crème	Glossy Crème	Glossy Crème
Drying Time	Reasonable	Reasonable	Reasonable
Remove	Easy with no stains	Easy with no stains	Easy with no stains
Extra Info	$8 - $10	$12- $15	$10-$15