Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 Splurge vs Steal: Chanel and Milani
One thing I've learned from Beauty Blogging is there's always a dupe or substitute somewhere around the corner. You may not be able to find it now, but don't worry; just when you're about to hit the bid now button on a ridiculously overpriced ebay auction, a company like Milani comes around and gives us not one, but FIVE reasonably priced alternatives!
Before we get this showdown on its way, let's talk about the difference between each brands formula. Hands down Chanel walks away with first prize for best application, which should be expected at $23 a pop, right? Since Milani's wasn't nearly as pigmented, you may need an additional coat to equal the higher end color.
Are you ready to get this rumble started?
Besides Jade, a popular dupe request that I receive on a daily basis is for Chanel's Particuliere. It has just a touch of gray that sets it apart from similar colors. And trust me, I've came across more than a few to compare. In the end it's the same old story, just a microscopic difference.
The same goes with Milani's Teddy Bare. It's just a pinch darker with a Chanel-worthy kind of application. Perfect!
It's hard to tell by the swatch, but I was expecting Jade Rose to be a lot closer judging from the bottle pics. While Milani's Bare in Mind has the same pink shimmer, it lacks the beige base color compared to Chanel's and is more pink.
Fashion Design falls somewhere between L.A. Sunset and Orange Fizz. As you can see it's not exactly a dead on dupe for either color, but yet a "deeper" alternative to Orange Fizz.
One of my favorite steals from Milani, Dressmaker. If you missed the original dupe alert post, click here for a recap.
The Milani nail polishes are available at MilaniCosmetics.com and retails for $4.49/ea.
Now that you've seen the comparisons, will you be running out to get the next best thing or sticking to the original? Have a wonderful morning!
Posted by Steph at 04:00:am
views / 19 comments
(19) Comments
Regina said on Sep 1st, 2010 4:22 am
Great post! It's very helpful. I already have the Jordana (which is the same as the Milani Dressmaker) so I don't need the Chanel which is impossible to get a hand on.
Thank you so much for this comparison!
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Bethany said on Sep 1st, 2010 5:00 am
STEPH, can I tell you how much I missed your blogging!!!! For real, I am so HAPPY you're blogging again you totally made my day with this post!! and OMG everyone make sure you check out the Photo Gallery, I can't believe i never knew about it!!
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Xay said on Sep 1st, 2010 5:02 am
I've never tried Milani, but I'm adoring Dressmaker. I think I need go to find a Milani retailer! :D Thanks!!
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aaminahs mom said on Sep 1st, 2010 7:29 am
great post !!!great idea .this should be a regualr part of your updates(magazines do it) but its more vitual onscreen.wow so much money saved and availible for other colors--again FN great post!
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Dee said on Sep 1st, 2010 7:44 am
Those are great dupes! I've always had good results from Milani, so I think I'll be looking for Dressmaker. I don't own any Chanel, and don't expect to either.
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Carol said on Sep 1st, 2010 11:13 pm
Hi Steph,
Thank you for the dupes. I want to get Dressmaker. I can't justify spending the price for Chanel.
FYI Milani is sold at CVS stores around here.
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auroragyps said on Sep 1st, 2010 11:19 pm
Managed to find not one, but TWO, bottles of Dressmaker for the green polish lover in me. Wouldn't have known it was a dupe if it wasn't for your post about it though, so thanks so much.
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Deniz said on Sep 2nd, 2010 1:49 am
milani did a great job! =) thanks for this wonderful post! =)
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Jackie S. said on Sep 2nd, 2010 6:23 pm
I have dressmaker, but I will definitely be running out and grabbing Teddy Bare! Great post!
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rmcandlelight said on Sep 3rd, 2010 5:13 pm
Steph,
I have Confetti Heartthrob I'm wondering is it a close dupe of Chanel Jade Rose. If you have the confetti will you pls do a comparison? Thank you :)
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Savannah said on Sep 4th, 2010 3:49 pm
Wow! Those are great dupes, I will have to find Dressmaker after I finish up my project 10 pan!
xx
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Mary said on Sep 4th, 2010 5:35 pm
I really appreciate you taking the time to swatch these comparisons. It's great that the nail-polish community tries to help each other find economical dupes.
It's too bad that I don't have access to many Milani products at my local Canadian drugstores. I'll keep looking.
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Shelly said on Sep 5th, 2010 11:18 pm
love the post, i missed your posts too Steph. Can i still get teddy bare? i checked walgreens and cvs and could not find it. oh and Bethany thanks mentioning the gallery, i never noticed it! good job steph the gallery is great.
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jellynat said on Sep 6th, 2010 5:45 pm
Excellent article, Steph. Thank you for this. I realize I have all the dupes except for the orange and I don't own any of those Chanel. Maybe am I cheap after all.
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applepark said on Sep 7th, 2010 12:29 am
Great comps!! Thanks for posting!
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GwenSA said on Sep 7th, 2010 6:53 pm
Thanks for all your hard work showing these comparisons. I'd like to tell those eBay price gougers to take a hike, but I'm sure they wouldn't care. Milani isn't available around here so I order directly from their website.
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Stephanie said on Sep 18th, 2010 7:36 am
lol, I had no idea Teddy Bare was a dupe! I was never into the famous P but when I saw Teddy Bare I really liked it. I ended up getting Milani Dressmaker and Bare it all because I wanted to see if it would dupe my Jade Rose. You're right, it doesn't. I've used almost a third of my bottle already and I think I need a backup! I love jade rose so much! :D I also picked up Paradoxal and I'd love to see Milani do a dupe for that (As a backup) crossing my fingers hehe.
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mariposa said on Oct 15th, 2010 10:58 am
Thx for sharing this not every one can buy channel
xoxo
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Lori said on Jan 12th, 2011 8:09 pm
Will you be updating this page with more of the most recent colors?
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