Nails

Luxe vs. Less Nail Polish

Chanel Blue Satin or other nail trends out of your budget? Fool everyone with these look-alikes

March 14, 2008 | 68 COMMENTS

Rose

You really can't go wrong with a romantic rose polish. The classic Lancome Le Vernis in Beige Elegance (left), $18, looks a hint more brown than Zoya Professional Lacquer in Penelope, $6, but the miniscule difference is well worth a savings of $12.

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products mentioned

Nars Nail Polish

7.8

Bobbi Brown Nail

8.5

Lippmann Collection Nail Lacquer

8.6

CND Creative Nail Design Nail Colour

9.3

Yves Saint Laurent Beauty Nail Touch Lacquer Pen Brush

6.0

Sally Hansen Color Quick Fast Dry Nail Color Pen

6.2

Estee Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer

7.5

L'Oréal Paris Pro Manicure Nail Polish

5.6

Lancome Le Vernis Nail Polish

7.0

Zoya Nail Polish

8.6

Shu Uemura Nail Enamel Supplement Mineral

0.0

OPI India Collection

10.0

MAC Nail Lacquer

8.2

Sephora Nail Polish

7.6

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour

8.0

Dior Vernis Long-Wearing Nail Lacquer

8.0

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Beautiful colors, but I balk at paying a small fortune for nail polish. I think it should remain an affordable splurge for all!

by GigiSD Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 02:10PM Report as inappropriate

sometimes the difference in price reflects in the difference in quality

by AstridB Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 12:32PM Report as inappropriate

Very nice colors but there's definitely cheaper ones that challenge the expensive brands!

by darkangel81 Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 08:08AM Report as inappropriate

nice. i dare you to find even cheaper replacements ;).

by venenumletalis Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 06:37PM Report as inappropriate

very beautiful

by LittleBunny Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 09:48PM Report as inappropriate

Nice

by EricaF123 Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 11:52AM Report as inappropriate

These are pretty colors.

by NillaButterfly Sunday, December 23, 2012 at 04:10PM Report as inappropriate

All very pretty colors

by kimihavens Friday, November 9, 2012 at 03:15PM Report as inappropriate

None of the colors were very good dupes of each other, but I definitely saw some new nail polishes I want now!

by Chris213 Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at 07:36AM Report as inappropriate

Clarins 230 will always always be on my wishlist...

by Karica4 Friday, September 28, 2012 at 11:20PM Report as inappropriate

Loved that last blue! So sad it doesn't come in a cheaper version.

by schien Sunday, September 2, 2012 at 06:00PM Report as inappropriate

Loved this article

by milenaa87 Friday, August 3, 2012 at 07:51AM Report as inappropriate

Excellent article. I could not imagine paying $20 for a bottle of nail polish when there are products that are just as good for a fraction of the price.

by tonyadiamond Monday, July 9, 2012 at 10:52PM Report as inappropriate

oooo, i bet big brands hate articles like these! But we sure love them!

by luxylexi Monday, May 14, 2012 at 04:41PM Report as inappropriate

I mix high and low end polishes, you can find great color/quality in both.

by AmandaAmanda Saturday, May 5, 2012 at 08:58PM Report as inappropriate

This article was amazing! I'm kind of on a budget right now so thank you for publishing it. I'm sure to visit my local drug store sometime soon.

by dorothy_chu Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 08:22AM Report as inappropriate

Nail polish is just all around amazing.

by eatinglipstick Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at 07:57PM Report as inappropriate

I just bought a few new Loreal nail polishes that I haven't had the chance to try yet. The colors looked so beautiful I couldn't resist.

by beautybody Thursday, March 29, 2012 at 11:34AM Report as inappropriate

so many great brands out there now and every price point so everyone can afford to indulge

by msrayz10 Monday, March 26, 2012 at 02:38PM Report as inappropriate

OOoh. That Lippman pink color is gorgeous, and I'm not a huge pink fan. Don't think I'll ever be able to afford nail polish that expensive though. I do hope to own at least one Lippman eventually.

by catalinahx Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 11:55AM Report as inappropriate

I LOVE CHEAP POLISH ITS CUTE N CHIC N CAN LAST A REALLY LONG TIME

by jasmine_garner Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 06:28PM Report as inappropriate

I always go for the walmart brand. :P

by yestfl Friday, February 24, 2012 at 01:39PM Report as inappropriate

of Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Blue Satin, OPI Nail Lacquer in Russian Navy, Dior Vernis in Poison Blue. I liked all three of these :P

by kez_shay Friday, February 10, 2012 at 10:10AM Report as inappropriate

M.A.C., Chanel, Dior and OPI are my favorite polish brands! I love nail polish so any brand that's got a pretty color I like is going to be the one I get.

by LMarie27 Monday, February 6, 2012 at 02:50PM Report as inappropriate

Great article! It is always a bonus to get the same awesome nail looks as the expensive polishes for half the price or even less. Im a nail polish junkie and its articles like these that let me and my daughter keep our nail polish habit going without breaking us!!!!

by jslate304 Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 11:37PM Report as inappropriate

Fairly helpful. I would like to have seen more colors.

by Jewelrydesigner Monday, January 9, 2012 at 12:48PM Report as inappropriate

i love the cooper color amazing

by Nicole2814 Sunday, January 8, 2012 at 10:55AM Report as inappropriate

I wear all kinds and since I started using Orly Bonder as my base, they all last. Cheap or pricey they all look good. But I like the copies as sometimes you just can't find the hot polish. Although if it looks pretty close, why spend the money. Just getting read to try my first bottle of Nails,Inc's Magnetic Polish.

by Agrimony Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 12:03PM Report as inappropriate

I go for the sephora nail polish. I need more red!

by andyv1217 Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 08:57PM Report as inappropriate

Cheap vs. $$$$ doesn't matter most of the time as long as you have a good base coat, and top coat. Plus try to price compare at several places and even online to get the best deal.

by melissa_thiemann Friday, October 28, 2011 at 07:37PM Report as inappropriate

ive bought expensive designer polish and cheap a$$ wet and wild polish... the difference? nothing! they ALL start to chip after 3 days!

by breakitdwn2420 Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 10:26PM Report as inappropriate

The Zoya and MAC polishes are gorgeous!!!

by vfalkow Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 03:42PM Report as inappropriate

love sephora nail polish!

by Bon_Bon Monday, August 15, 2011 at 12:25AM Report as inappropriate

I love nail polish so much!

by oOoMadelineoOo Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 04:50PM Report as inappropriate

good to know

by porsha_coleman_mcdaniels Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 09:58PM Report as inappropriate

I love Sally Hansen!

by WiccanLady Saturday, July 16, 2011 at 01:38PM Report as inappropriate

OPI is the best!

by tennischic10 Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 03:02PM Report as inappropriate

I love nail polish

by aguifra14 Monday, July 4, 2011 at 12:53PM Report as inappropriate

I love to buy nail polish, its always good to shop around though. i hardly ever get the expensive ones because in the end you youve got to toss them out anyways. So play with colors just get a really good top coat.

by gaej19 Thursday, June 2, 2011 at 01:46PM Report as inappropriate

I love Zoya polish, any color you could ever want, they have.

by BellezzaBeauty Monday, May 30, 2011 at 06:26AM Report as inappropriate

I found on that matches Chanel Le Vernis Nail color in Blue Satin $19. It's Sally Hansen in Insta-Dri Blazing Blue $8.50. It's not a limited edition ether!

by Candacecypert Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 04:16PM Report as inappropriate

Good to know, especially since nail polish always looks dif in the botle.

by MissPurple Friday, May 6, 2011 at 11:45AM Report as inappropriate

Nice dupes, but most people would really like to know about the ones that are around $4 instead of $10. But still thanks for these.

by ChandraCarver Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 10:38AM Report as inappropriate

i found the perfect blue at half the price of Chanel or Dior. Sally Hansen INSTA-DRI polish in Co-Bolt Blue; 7 Bucks!

by MsDivineDeb Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 05:57PM Report as inappropriate

too expensive for my budget but really pretti

by azngrl25 Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 04:13PM Report as inappropriate

Less :)

by be_yourself Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 09:12AM Report as inappropriate

Even though I'm kind of underwhelmed by some of the shades, I like this article for having dupes of expensive polishes.

by LipglossandSpandex Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 10:08PM Report as inappropriate

Some of these colors are really pretty, I'm kind of mad I missed some of the seasonal collections!

by volta Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 12:55AM Report as inappropriate

smarts. (:

by yckitsmary Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 04:07PM Report as inappropriate

I've been in a lavender mood so I'm sticking with my Sally Hansen Lively Lilac....

by keatonkat Monday, March 28, 2011 at 10:26AM Report as inappropriate

Nice alternatives to the pricey polishes. Thanks!

by Jewelrydesigner Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 08:03AM Report as inappropriate

OPI is the best

by ArmenianGal Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 02:54PM Report as inappropriate

elf smokey brown is a perfect look alike to paradoxal.. just a little less purply

by lelalu100 Friday, March 18, 2011 at 07:23PM Report as inappropriate

i get drugstore brands and my nails still look awesome

by naughtnone Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 01:35PM Report as inappropriate

I've found that no matter how much you spend on polish you can still end up with awful looking nails, when it comes to polish, it's the drugs store for me.

by Bon_Bon Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 06:41PM Report as inappropriate

You can always find alternative for higher end nail polish. Love china glaze and cheaper brands.

by msSaroun Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 07:47PM Report as inappropriate

China Glaze is the best nail polish EVER. That stuff sticks to my nails for around 2 months. On my toes it lasts just about forever. And the color selection is just amazing!

by pynkNymphette Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 06:39AM Report as inappropriate

expensive nail polish is silly

by LittleBunny Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 04:54PM Report as inappropriate

Where's the gunmetal or grape colors?

by kayla_d_moore Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 05:30AM Report as inappropriate

Fun Colors...I love the suggestions

by nani Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 09:10PM Report as inappropriate

reali love love love the "Curry dont be late"...opi!

by prcdtons2 Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 06:14PM Report as inappropriate

Is "China Glaze" a color or brand??

by prcdtons2 Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 06:12PM Report as inappropriate

I buy which ever colour I like regardless of the brand, but I do enjoy more "luxe" brands like OPI, MAC and Essie. China Glaze is a fave too.

by all_the_words Saturday, January 22, 2011 at 04:20PM Report as inappropriate

Chanel Black Satin is my one and only

by CliniqueLover Sunday, January 16, 2011 at 08:53AM Report as inappropriate

essie and OPI are the best nail polishes!

by kenya Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 01:21PM Report as inappropriate

The colors in both the luxe v less are incredible! I'm a medium skin tone gal and all of the bright colors that were shown look great! I can have great nails without having to pay an arm and a leg!

by grilo Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at 09:35AM Report as inappropriate

I am in my twenties and am not necessarily concerned about conditioners as much as I am lookp to date look on a budget.

by BunnyGirl Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at 01:43PM Report as inappropriate

Good comparisons Some of the "luxe" are worth the higher price because of the lip conditioning however, overall its not always worth the higher price.

by dtkornfeind Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at 12:22PM Report as inappropriate

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