CND vs Illamasqua

Hey guys! It's been a tremendous amount of time since I last posted. I several times made plans to put up a post, but they all fell through for one reason or another. Anyhow, I'm back to do some comparison posts.  Please forgive my fingers, I'm wearing several patches and it's been awhile...

Up on deck today are a pair of CND Vinylux polishes. I first saw these on PeachyPolish and knew I had to try them. Why? Because they reminded me of a few Illamasquas I have, which, if you live in the states, are not easy to come by.

Up first are Fragrant Freesia and Pink Raindrops.  Some of you might know Pink Raindrops is the sister to the original Raindrops.  This has some specks of silvery flakes sprinkled in a light pink creme.  Fragrant Freesia is remarkable similar, with more flakes and perhaps a slight pink iridescent shimmer.  On the nails, they are close.  I do think I prefer the Illamasqua (it's a little bit lighter and brighter) but they are close enough that they're dupes.  The CND has an excellent formula, sheer on the first coat but built up well and was opaque at two.  It does have a lot of flakies, so I needed two coats of top coat, vs only one for the Illamasqua.  The Illamasqua has a comparable formula, with a greater amount of opacity on the first coat, but still needing a second.  

Dupey

Fragrant Freesia

Fragrant Freesia on middle and pinkie, Pink Raindrops on index and ring

The second and final pairing are Wild Moss and Melange.  Immediately, I realized that these were not dupes after Wild Moss arrived in the mail, but I figured I should compare them either way.  The base colors are incredibly similar, but the CND is a bit dirtier looking.  It has it's fair share of fine silver shimmer running throughout, vs the Illamasqua, which has gold and copper shimmer.  The CND formula was good, but sheer and patchy on the first coat.  Two coats are required but it is perfect there.  The Illamasqua has an excellent formula, requiring one to two coats, depending on your application.  It's incredibly opaque and it is extremely beautiful.  I will say that they actually do look quite similar side by side, but I still prefer the Illamasqua as it just has a brighter quality to it and the formula blew me away.  

Not that dupey

Wild Moss

Melange, Wild Moss, Melange, Wild Moss

The CND polishes are an excellent alternative if you can't find these polishes or are just unwilling to pay the exorbitant shipping fees from the UK.   CND is available at many of the popular nail supply sites as well as eBay. They aren't perfect dupes, but they're similar and might at least tide you over until you can get the real deal.