Reader Request- Rescue Beauty Lounge Comps, Dupes, and Alternatives

Tamika requested a comparison of Rescue Beauty Lounge Diddy Mow and Essie Sew Psyched to help her plan for the Rescue Beauty Lounge 50% off sale on Nov. 1st.  So, I'm going to post her request along with some other RBL polishes and their dupes or close alternatives. Hopefully this will help you guys out when it comes time to pick your polishes for the sale. I admit I went a little nuts with the comparisons but I thought that ruling out possible dupes was just as important as posting actual dupes. 

I'll start with Tamika's request.

Diddy Mow:

 This polish is a dead on, exact duplicate to Essie's Sew Psyched.

Here is the bottle comparison. After sitting they even separate the exact same way.

Diddy Mow VS. Essie Sew Psyched.

As you can see by the photo it's impossible to tell these apart. The RBL applies a bit more opaque but even the formula is almost identical. If you can find the Essie on sale (less than $8) or already own it I would skip Diddy Mow for sure, but if not then I would Definitely pay the extra $1 and get the RBL at the sale!

Dead Calm:

*sigh* 

I thought I nailed a dead on dupe for this one until I saw the pics, but I did find a few kinda close alternatives.

Here are the blues I had in my stash that I thought came close based on the bottle color.

Dead Calm VS. Sephora by OPI Blue Grotto.

This is in the same category and is pretty close but by no means can it replace DC.  If you just want something close and close is good enough then this might be for you, BUT during the sale this polish is the exact same price as the RBL! So the RBL wins! 

Dead Calm VS. Nina Ultra Pro Sailor.

In the bottle, holding it in my hands I thought I had found and exact dupe for DC and I literally jumped for joy! Even in dim lighting on my nails it looked exact! But alas my friends, no impostor can hide from the camera flash! But I'll say it again, if close is good enough you can get this polish at Sally Beauty Supply for under $4.

Dead Calm VS. China Glaze Bermuda Breakaway.

Another kinda close blue that falls in the same category in my opinion. Not a dupe but it is an alternative if you need to be ultra picky or are on a limited budget, you can get it for $3 at the etailers.

Dead Calm VS. Misa On the Edge.

This one is the furthest away out of the 3 I posted but I still wanted to post the comparison for those that can't compare them on their own and have to rely on online swatches.

In my honest opinion even if there were an exact dupe to Dead Calm I would still buy it at the sale. To me it is a MUST HAVE, NO EXCEPTIONS polish for any stash no matter how big or small.

 

Grunge:

I think this one is going to be "undupeable" because of it's subtle shimmer. I personally don't like the shimmer and I found a dupe for it minus the shimmer. So if you don't care for the shimmer either, listen up!

Grunge VS. Orly Country club Khaki. 

An exact dupe of the base color of Grunge. EXACT. Another awesome tidbit is that CCK is a solid 2 coater just like Grunge.

Grunge VS. OPI Tickle my France-y.

Also close minus the shimmer.

Grunge VS. Essie Jazz. 

A distant third runner up, but still good enough to pass on Grunge if neutrals are not your thing or if you have any of the above.

While all three of these are close enough in color for me personally to pass on Grunge keep in mind that Grunge is a two coater and Both the OPI and Essie are 3+ coaters.

Atame:

 I had a pile of about 15 dark red jellies piled up anticipating finding SEVERAL alternatives to this polish but I only found 2 that I think are worth passing for.

Crappy bottle photo I know, and I'm sorry. 

Atame VS. Avon Tweed. 

Dudes, I would take the Avon over the RBL in this case no question. It applies better, is more opaque and the brush is heaven! Also it is cheap!

Atame VS. Essie Berry Hard

This is another almost exact dupe. If you have this already then pass on the RBL, if not it's worth the extra $1 to pick up the RBL instead of the Essie. These were the same amount of coats and opacity.

Orbis Non Sufficit:

I apologize for the terrible bottle photo! I took so many and somehow not even one came out well. 

Blech.  Both of these polishes are hideous in the bottle! They both separate so bad, it looks so icky!!!

Orbis Non Sufficit VS. Avon Olive Green.

Another exact duplicate! The Avon even applies just as well as the RBL in every way, plus the Avon brush is better. You can get Avons easily for about $5 and you can find them for $2-3 with a bit more effort at flea markets and swap meets.

Teal:

I took a bottle comp photo for this but it was so terrible I can't bear to post it even if it makes this the only polish in the post with no bottle photo. I don't care, it's just too horrible. Maybe I'll go back and take another one to add later. I had really stank luck with bottle pics today!

RBL Teal VS. OPI Ski Teal We Drop.

Honestly I kept hearing that these were exact dupes left and right but IMO the OPI is a tad lighter. As far as choosing one the RBL is a true one coat wonder and dries faster than the OPI. This one also comes down to a $1 difference for the RBL. I would go for Teal hands down.

Glamourpuss:

This one has 2 dupey polishes that are good alternatives if you can get them cheap.

They don't look all that close in the bottle but in this case it's all smoke n' mirrors man.  Also, Let me go ahead pre-apologize for all the visible nail line I'm about to bombard you with! Red Jellies, 2 coat swatches, and flash photography don't mix man!

Glamourpuss VS. Misa Cherry Topping

CT is a tad lighter but is a close, much cheaper alternative.  

Glamourpuss VS. Essie Bold and Beautiful.

These are almost too close to tell apart for me. Once again the RBL is only $1 more during the sale so if you don't have the Essie or the next dupe get the RBL!

Glamourpuss VS. China Glaze Ravishing, Dahling.

DUPES DUDES! This one is a no brainer for me since you can get this China Glaze for $3 at most etailers!

Recycle:

 Ok, so I went a little nuts with the pics on this one. I just felt like unless you own all these greens and can see them personally you might mistake them as dupes for Recycle based on online swatch pics. So I wanted to basically rule most of them out as dupes more than actually find a dupe, which I might add seems like an impossible task for this polish!!! 

Here is the line-up of all the greens I thought might be in the running based on online swatches. I went ahead and compared them all to Recycle even though there was not a possible dupe in sight. 

 Recycle VS. New York summer Amaranth.

 Recycle VS. Orly Enchanted Forest.

This is sorta kinda a little bit close... maybe?

Recycle VS. American Apparel Hunter.

Recycle VS. Claire's Kelly Green.

  Recycle VS. Orly Wandering Vine.

Recycle VS. Nubar Forest.

I think Recycle is another must have RBL polish. It's such a unique green!  Hopefully these green comps can settle some questions some of you might have had about Recycle's dupeability, if not at least they're fun to look at. LOL!

So ladies don't forget the 50% off Rescue Beauty Lounge sale is on Nov. 1st. Happy shopping!!!

Love, MM

Aqua Baby

Every time I see this polish it reminds me of this one time my step chitlins were dragging me around a gigantic, upscale and crowded mall desperately looking for the perfect items that would make them too cool for school.  Along the treterous journey we passed a kiosk that encircled an infant getting it's ears pierced. 

Of course you could barely tell what the mound of red flesh and clothing WAS, because the child's face was so contorted with agony and confusion it was nearly impossible to tell what this woman in the kiosk was holding. Unless of course you walked up and got uncomfortably close to the action.  This little bunda was merely weeks old as anyone could tell. The proof was in the size of the GATHERING of onlookers that had formed around the event.  A glorious heard of horrified people stood and stared, mouths agape, as the young mother clasped the arm of a jewelry clad toddler with one claw, still managing to hold the squirming, SCREAMING infant getting pierced with the other.  I myself was a few yards away holding on to one of those huge ceramic pots they use as trash cans to be more presentable,  bent over at the waist exploding in waves of uncontrollable laughter.

Anyway the reason this polish reminds me of that scene which I of course will remind you I found totally hilarious, was that I have never seen so much liquid come of out a child in my life. Hence, Aqua Baby by China Glaze.

Look I just could not help but to laugh.  It was the onlookers that did it, with their higher than mighty stances and upset faces.  Their stupid fanny packs paired with straw hats and sunglasses on the top.  I had to laugh or I would have combusted under the weight of the rediculousness ok. I dont really give a crap about the baby, yeah its sad and all, but not as sad as a mob of morons taking the time out of their petty little routines to get pissed off at a total stranger.

Love, MM

P.S.- Look, the baby's freakin ears were gonna hurt for like 15 mins at the most so back off. GEEZE.

From across the pond...

Did you guys know I have a nail twin?  Well I do, our nails were separated at birth and given to separate families that moved across the globe, living lonely and very different lives only to be reunited at MUA 25 years later.  She lives all the way in Tasmania which I think is so incredibly cool.  I even felt cool writing out "Tasmania" on the packages I have sent her, because sending a piece of mail with "Tasmania" written on it is as close as this local girl can get to feeling like a world traveler.

We are those type of nail twins that are totally opposite.  Like she is really nice and thoughtful and probably organized and has a GPS, and I am a lame butt hole that says "retard" and offends people with her normal behavior on a regular basis, a total slob, and I never know what direction I am going while driving.  Anyhoo, she sent me some goodies from across the pond that I am in love with.

This gorgeous little number was almost a one coater and nearly applied itself.  I love the color so much, it's not really "blackened" where the edges look black and the center looks glowy. The edges look more of a really dark purple and the whole nail looks glowy.

You see this?  This is THE perfect purple. That is it, this polish sealed the deal and I never have to think about it again. THIS is my favorite purple, ever. It makes my skin even out and look a creamy pale shade instead of all pink and gross, it doesn't look black and it's dry on the first nail you painted by the time you paint the last nail. I LOVE YOU NAIL TWIN!

These two Sugar Baby polishes are really different colors than I would ever choose for myself but somehow you nailed it, you wonderful twin of mine!  I  love them BOTH.  I love the colors, the bottles, I even love the subtle shimmer in Dream Team even though I freakin hate subtle shimmer!  These were both two coaters.  I really like this brand, the bottles are things dreams are made of people. 

Thanks a million Twinny!

Love, MM

Leftovers

I have ended up with some mismatched swatches that don't really go with anything else or can't really be made into a single posts. Either because I forgot to post them or forgot the reason I swatched them. Well they could but I don't feel like doing it. So, I'm just going to cram them all right here and call it a day.  Plus, now I have shorties and I need to get these long nailed photos cleared out because I can't just go around posting all sorts of nail lengths jammed together like it's no big deal, and be all "la te da" about it. Because as we all know I am an organized person and I hold all my nail related matters to the utmost of ridiculously OCD standards. 

This was 2 coats and also my 100th China glaze! Application on this was good, not streaky or gloppy.

Also 2 coats and good application. I wish this was more GREEN and not so pastel, cutesy, and stupid.

Guess how many coats this was dudes? FIVE. I got this in a swap so I really am hoping it was thinned before I received it because that is LAUGHABLE. Pretty polish though.

This is so freakin awesome. I love this polish, but all I can do when I look at this photo is sit here and grimace, cussing out my nails because they are not growing out fast enough.  I miss my long nails SO MUCH.  Oh yeah this was 3 coats, no problems.

Love, MM

560

I just want to SNUGGLE with this polish!  I want to hug it and pet it.  Love it and squeeze it and name it George.

This is 2 coats outdoors in dappled sunlight.

Really.

 Very bright pink creme with purple undertones. This was 2 coats and like most Orly cremes it applied smooth as buttah. 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!! I LOVE THIS!  I thought for sure I would hate it in the bottle, but I had only a few green Orlys so I got it anyway. It is so pretty and unique! Smooth, awesome application, 2 coats, radical color what more could I want? 

What more could I want besides red dots in Nfu-oh 551 of course! DUH!

This is a jelly! YES! I had no idea until I applied it. I was a 3 coater with minimal cuticle drag and I really like the color. 

Deep orange based red creme. This could pass for straight dark orange under some lighting. I don't love it, it's just ok for me. 2 coats.

Love, MM

It's Official.

Nfu-oh is officially my new favorite brand of polish.  I am sorry China Glaze.  I will always love you and I hope we can still be friends, just not best friends, and seriously the texts at 2AM have got to stop.  I cannot carry on a healthy relationship with Nfu-oh if you keep filling up my email box, and texting me at all hours of the night.  

I know you have always been there for me China Glaze.  You were so loyal and reliable and were always available when I needed you. We have always had great variety in our relationship but the spark just isn't there anymore.  Nfu-oh is so fresh and young and mysterious.  Let's face it, she has a great bottle.  I know it's painful to hear but I have needs you just can't satisfy anymore.  

This is 2 coats in indirect sunlight.  

Direct sunlight.  This is so gorgeous.  SO GORGEOUS. 

I did a quick comparison between this and Rescue Beauty Lounge Teal in case anyone was interested.

This is 2 coats of each polish.  They certainly aren't dupes.  Thank goodness.  But they are pretty close.

What's for dessert?

I'm having a big fat helping of Rescue Beauty Lounge. 

By the way, It's delicious.

Dark Teal.

Finally!  

 I have been lemming my brains out over this polish!  It is the most gorgeous teal jelly EVER.  Wait no, not EVER, but close.  It's like you're looking straight into mini oceans on your nails.  *gasp*  Omg, I love it!  This completely replaced my love for Lippmann Rehab.  This is 4 coats with no topcoat.

So. Totally. Awesome.

The fountain of youth.

I freaking found it!  Let's just sidestep the fact that I live a mere 10 minutes from the actual fountain of youth and have never visited it.  Look, it's right next to our award winning school for the deaf and the blind and I become gripped with fear every time I get near it.  No, not because I am a total jerk. It's because I'm worried I will be walking past some blind kids with their teacher and make a face or comment about something ELSE and the teacher will think I'm ridiculing the blind children.  Then I will spend the following week reliving it and feeling guilty for being "that horrible woman that laughed at the blind kids" when I was really laughing at some other random thing happening around me, like cops on bicycles. They wear their button up shirts tucked into spandex pants with a BELT people.  A BELT!  I'm sorry but there is no WAY I can resist laughing at a grown man wearing a BELT with spandex pants, whether there are blind kids nearby or not!  So, since there are bike cops EVERYWHERE in that area, visiting the real fountain of youth is just way too risky.

Getting back on task here, the fountain of youth that I have discovered is inside my very own home!  In order to find your own fountain of youth all you need to do is have your significant other leave.  That's right, just have them leave for the weekend.  Then you can do what I did.  Make sure all the laundry and dishes and other horrific tasks are all done by Friday evening so you don't have to do shit all weekend.  Go to the store and buy all the yummy foods you never get to have because of your all American man, like hummus and artichokes and cream cheese.  Then you get yourself a bottle of wine, get this ahead of time and have your man open it for you before he leaves so you don't break a nail, and BAM your own personal fountain of freakin youth!  I swear this feels JUST like I'm in high school and my parents left me home alone for the weekend! 

I have been swatching all day, then giggling and looking out the windows like a teenager looking for her parents car.  This is 2 coats of Nfu-oh 554 by the way.  In a little while I'm going to "steal my parents wine they forgot to take with them" and get cookey.  I might even make a friendship bracelet or two.

I did a good deed today and drove my older neighbor lady to get her glasses fixed.  She paid me TEN BUCKS!  That made me feel even more like a teenager.  So in the spirit of childhood I think im going to go to the Dollar Tree and buy 10 things with it.  Maybe I'll buy 10 pairs of pants and go around handing them out to bicycle cops.  But for real, my neighbor lady is BLIND without her glasses I had to take her to get them fixed for my own personal sanity.

Another measure you should consider taking if you are thinking about recreating your own fountain of youth is aquiring the polish above.  Nfu-oh 570. Apply 2 coats of it and proceed with your friendship bracelet making activities.   

Anybody who's anybody knows you can't make friendship bracelets without Nfu-oh 570.