So this will be a bit of a rambling of sorts. I haven't posted in over a week and feel the need to ramble.
First off, where are they now?
Now I'm sure a lot of people know that Mossimo partnered up with Target to save his company. I believe Isaac Mizrahi did the same as well. Many brands that start out as department store brands find their way to online and drug stores even if they had a great run. Here are a few of the better known companies that have become drug store staples.
1. Hard Candy: Remember going into department stores and seeing a table full of pastel colored nail polish with cheap plastic rings on the cap? I do! And while I never remembered if they ever had counterspace like Urban Decay or Make Up Forever, I remember grabbing at the displays and looking at all the pretty and glittery liners and shadows.
Nowadays you won't find them at Macy's or Nordstrom but at Walmart. I couldn't be happier because their product line is huge in comparison of what it was. And while the packaging isn't as fancy as it was, they still have those cheap rings on the nail polish caps.
2. Demeter: Remember seeing such novel scents as Dirt or Freshly Mowed Lawn? Remember coveting a small travel spray of Sex on the Beach? They had a scent library that would put most to shame. The design was clean and simple, yet each bottle was identifiable (is that a word?) due to color coding. The scent were authentic for the most part and had people looking at fragrance in a whole new way.
Why don't you see them in department stores or Sephora anymore? My guess, and this is because it's true for me, is that you had way too many choices and with a $20 per ounce price tag it was only a matter of time before the market they were after would run out of money and interest. The smaller sizes came too late, plus the scent never lasted on me. Now they are still around, and I totally want that Hello Kitty collection, but they aren't nearly as widespread as they were. However, if you think that your only chance to get them is online, then there's hope. They also sell some fragrances at Rite-Aid
Here's a couple of displays I saw while looking around their vast cosmetics section.
3. Princess Borghese: I used to love their skincare products and still use Fango on a regular basis. But this brand is no longer at department store counters and that makes me sad. I really don't know what happened here since they seemed to do well ever since I was a child. I suppose the economy has been tough on everyone.
Their nail polishes can be found at drug stores and while they retail for $8 a bottle, the formula is good and the brush is great. You can still get skincare online, but I haven't found a non-outlet store source for their Fango mud or Tono lotion.
Now for a couple of nail polish dupes!
Nail polish is getting huge, it's obvious with how many collections are being put out. It's an affordable luxury most of the time, but there are only so many colors out there and a lot are similar. Here's a couple of similar colors to try out.
1. Color: Pop Beauty Violetta $10
Dupe: Sinful Colors Dream On $1.99
(sorry no photo)
The only difference is the formula. While Violetta dries to a satin finish, Dream On dries semi matte. If you use a topcoat then you really have no need to worry.
2. Color: OPI Mermaid Tears $9.50
Dupe: Sinful Colors Open Seas $1.99
It seems that Sinful Colors likes to dupe OPI collections. For all of those wanting Mermaid Tears but didn't want to pay the price for it, you now have a second chance. The formula on this Sinful Color is great and it dries shiny just like the OPI. only difference I see in color is that the Sinful Color is slightly more yellow than the OPI.
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| Can you tell? The Sinful Colors is the left one and the OPI is the right one. |
Still a great dupe.
3. Color: Orly Space Cadet $10
Dupe: Hard Candy Beetle $5
(sorry no photo)
Now it's true that the Hard Candy is a smaller size, but how much Space Cadet will you ever need? Another plus is that the Hard Candy formula seemes to cover better than the Orly one so I can get away with using 2 coats instead of 3. Other than that, they are the exact same finish and color.
4. Color: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Ice Queen $1.99
Dupe: NYC Long Wearing Nail Enamel in Starry Silver $0.99
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| Blurry cell phone pic, but you can still see they're exactly the same. |
This is exactly the same thing. From the glitter sizes to the glitter colors. More than coincidence to me. And although it's not super expensive for the Sally Hansen, you are still paying double the price. Forget the Sally Hansen and get 2 NYC polishes.
Now for something sweet and cool!
I made these for a friend who loves chocolate and mint. I had extra mint batter so I decided on making these.
Mint Cupcakes with Mint Ganache Frosting
These are super minty, to the point of me almost getting a tummy ache. But they are so good! And the ganache is so yummy, I find myself spreading it on everything like a person would with Nutella.
