Hi Goddesses
One of the things I've been meaning to do for a LONG time is a red holo comparison. It's one of my holy polish grails, and I've amassed quite a few on my search. 6 in fact. Each time I buy a new one, it's because another blogger has pronounced it "the perfect red holo" and used words like "finally" or "at long last". So, let's find out shall we ?
Of the 6 polishes I've got, I decided not to swatch Glitter Gal Red Sparkle, mainly because it's pretty much a spot on dupe for Ozotic 621. Of the 5 you're going to see, one is a coarse grain holo, and the other 4 are as smooth as a baby's bottom. Our contenders are -
* Ozotic 621 and 518
* Jade Vermelho Surreal (the latest kid on the blog)
* Glitter Gal Red
* HITS Ares
Now, I'm going to do something different. I'm not going to tell you which polish is on which finger, as I'm a big believer that this sort of information can skew our senses. Instead we're going to call them 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, with 1 being the thumb, 2 the index finger, all the way round to 5 for the pinkie. With me ? Let's go ....
The first thing to notice is that Number 1 (the thumb) is the odd one out. This one is the course grain holo, so has a totally different appearance to the other 4. For me, it's also the truest red. This is the one that is spectacular. It may not be the smoothest holo, but wow does it pack a punch.
The next thing for me is that 4 and 5 (ring and little) are almost dupes. They share the same slightly pink-tinged red tone and have the same holographic distribution. Tip - you only need to own 1 of these.
The next difference for me is 3,the middle finger. It has by far the widest holographic bend, and has a less scattered appearance than the others. This holographic intensity also gives it a more muted hue - that extra bit of dazzle dust just knocks some cherry out of the red, and in comparison to the others, it has a warmer tone.
Then there's 2, the index finger. Probably the subtlest of all of them, this has the most scattered holo distribution. Again, it's not a "pure" red, but it is less pink than 4 and 5. For me, this is a poppy red, and just as delicate.
So which one is which and which one is the best? Well, I personally would recommend 1 coarse and 1 fine holo. The coarse one in this photo is Ozotic 621 which I posted here - the light was PERFECT that day, and it's possibly still my single finest polish photograph.
4 and 5 are Aussie cousins - 4 is Ozotic 518, and 5 is Glitter Gal Red. You only need one of these. Just like their coarse counterparts, these 2 brands are dead on dupes of each other.
So that leaves 2 and 3. One of them is the Jade, the other is HITS Ares. Are you ready to guess which is which ? The middle finger is the Jade, and Ares is on my index finger. I wore Jade the other day and could not get enough of it, but here, side by side, I'm also liking the subtlety of Ares. I'm pretty confident I can justify owning both :)
There is one more red holo that I've owned that isn't here - OPI DS Ruby. It's swatched on the blog if you want to search for it, but it was a MAJOR disappointment. Very insipid, barely red at all - avoid.
So, which ones do you own ? And which is your favourite ?
Enjoy xx :)