How ironic that I picked up a polish named Frozen Solid while we’re in the middle of a cold snap. It was part of my ongoing search to find a duplicate of a limited edition polish that Chanel released last year called Sky Line.
Since Chanel is not in my budget ($30 a bottle for LE shades!) I’ve been on the hunt for an inexpensive duplicate. Oh, sure, I have a couple that are close, but Zoya’s Jo is too dark and Essie’s Blue Rhapsody is closer but still a bit too silvery and streaky.
So the last time I was at the drugstore I picked up Frozen Solid from the Hard As Nails line from Sally Hansen ($1.99 for 0.45 oz./13.3 ml). It looked like the right shade but a different finish.
Alas, it’s much, much too sheer. But then I thought perhaps I could layer it with another polish. Frozen Solid is a very sheer light blue with ultrafine silver flakes. Application was good and the finish is very smooth with no visible brushstrokes.
In this photo I have one coat of Frozen Solid on my little finger to show you how sheer it really is, and four coats of it on my ring finger but you can still see my nail line. Definitely not a polish to wear on its own if you want full coverage. On my index finger (far left) I have two coats of Blue Rhapsody and on my middle finger I have one coat of Frozen Solid over two coats of Blue Rhapsody.
Ding ding ding! We have a winner! The top coat makes Blue Rhapsody just a tad more blue and also disguises the brushstrokes that come with the chrome/frost finish. What do you think? I think it’s pretty darn close to the Chanel. As close as I’m going to get, that is.
Oh, my. So wierd to read your article about the Sally Hansen’s Frozen Solid color because I had purchased it at Walgreens a few weeks ago, but was thinking about returning it this weekend for something else because it was not covering. Well, now I’m keeping it, even though I don’t have the Essie Blue Rhapsody, but now I’ll have to find that one. So, this may be a good time to tell you that I already got my 3 polishes from Zoya on Friday, which I was thinking was fast delivery, but I’ve never ordered from them before, so I didn’t know how long it took anyway. I had to put all three polishes on my fingernails, just to see how they looked, then I decided on wearing the Happi first.,since it was the one I seemed the most unsure of. It was lighter than I thought, and I guess I was expecting more of a glittery finish even though the description didn’t say so. I never had a polish with that metallic look. Well after putting on the 2nd coat, I loved it so, so much. The Aurora is just gorgeous, very excited about that one. And, the Zuza is a wild color for me, and I can’t wait to try that one. What’s interesting for me, is reading the descriptions of so many colors, and now I’m understanding the terminology more. Words like shimmer, metallic, duochrome, glitter, holographic. It’s nice that Zoya describes them so well, and the reviews are helpful too. Now, even though I love the Happi, I still now want Izzy, but also want in addition a polish that is the most hot pink, but with some sort of shimmer or glitter finish. Any, suggestions for that one? Oh, and thinking about ordering Piaf too(well, when I can come up with the money). What? A yellow polish. Yes, I want it. Thanks for listening.
I’ve found that when Zoya sends a very small package, three polishes or less, it comes quickly by first class mail. Larger packages travel differently and take longer unless you pay for expedited shipping. Just FYI.
Glad you like Happi. It was one of my first Zoya polishes and also my first duochrome. I think the gold is so pretty — it kind of sneaks up on you.
Here’s a very good visual dictionary of different kinds of finishes: http://www.lacquerized.com/2010/04/finish-it-up.html
If you want a very bright glittery hot pink, may I suggest Gilda: http://thesilvernail.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/a-flashy-showgirl/ I think the Sparkle Collection was one of Zoya’s brightest!
Keep on having fun!
Thank you so much for your response. The dictionary link was wonderful. Just what I needed. And, you have helped me choose a hot sparkly pink, and I appreciate that because I kept going over the same pink shades, with Gilda being one of them.Thanks also for the tip on how much faster the shipping is ordering just 3 polishes, which would be the most I could afford at one time anyway. It came in a cute little box, and fit nicely in my mailbox. I have another question. I know, I always have questions. I was still considering Izzy. in addition to Gilda, but didn’t know if they were that similar. Sometimes for me it’s hard to see from the pictures.How similar or different are the 2 polishes, Izzy and Gilda from each other? They also sent me one of those color charts, which my grandaughters and I are enjoying. Thanks, Susan. Your the best.
Thank YOU! I just now posted comparisons on my Pinterest board “Polish dupes or not?” http://pinterest.com/TheSilverNail/polish-dupes-or-not/
Izzy and Gilda are very similar. Now I wonder why I have both! LOL I’d say Gilda is more glittery and Izzy is more foil-like but the colors are very close. I think Gilda is a hair lighter but that might just be all the light reflecting off the glitter. Great question!
Hi. Thanks for the color comparisons. I went to your Pinterest and I think I will go with Gilda since it’s seems so similar, but it’s a bit more sparkly. I don’t usually go on Pinterest, not really familiar with this site, but I know it’s very popular. See posts all the time about Pinterest.on Facebook. I’m still also looking at Piaf because I want to try a yellow, but I also saw on your Pinterest one called Apple, and I wanted a green, so thinking about that one. So, thanks again.
$30?! Are they nuts?
Non, ils sont Chanel !
I read a (fictional) book about the affair between Coco and Stravinsky. It was very interesting. I still won’t spend $30 on nail polish. I have a hard time spending $10!
Me too! I’ve noticed a wave of price increases lately, some brands going up about a dollar, like Butter London from $14 to $15. Getting too pricey for me. Fortunately we still have lots of alternatives.
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