Chanel Particuliere Dupes: Do They Exist? Comparison Swatches

Friday, April 23, 2010

12 comments
I never bought Chanel's famed nail polish, Particuliere. I just couldn't imagine spending 16GBP on a polish, especially when Orlys, Nubars, OPI, and China Glazes go for less. But I was curious to know if there was a dupe, and to see for myself if any of the other taupe-brown-purple polishes were close enough. So I borrowed my friend's bottle of Particuliere, and made a few swatches. Mind you, these are very messy swatches, because I wanted to return Particuliere to her immediately (I'd feel bad hogging a 16GBP bottle of polish!), so I didn't really have time to be as neat as I wanted to be, and we all know haste makes a mess of nails!

First up of course, are bottle pictures.

Asos Paints by Ciate Sienna, Rimmel Steel Grey, Nails Inc Jermyn Street, Chanel Particuliere, Essie Mink Muffs

L-R: Asos Paints by Ciate Sienna, Rimmel Steel Grey, Nails Inc Jermyn Street, Chanel Particuliere, Essie Mink Muffs.

Nothing seems to be an outright dupe for Particuliere. Essie Mink Muffs does look similar, although deeper, in the bottle.

And here's how they fared in swatches. Once again, please excuse the terrible state of cuticles and my messy swatches. Like I said, they were done in a hurry because I wanted to return Particuliere ASAP. The swatches show two coats of each:

Essie Mink Muffs, Chanel Particuliere, Nails Inc Jermyn Street, Rimmel Steel Grey, Asos Paints by Ciate Sienna

L-R (Thumb to Pinky): Essie Mink Muffs, Chanel Particuliere, Nails Inc Jermyn Street, Rimmel Steel Grey, Asos Paints by Ciate Sienna

Application-wise, I had no complaints about any of the colours. They all applied like butter, although the Nails Inc, Essie, and Chanel were better than the other two. And as you can see, nothing is quite a dupe for anything else.

I know Essie Mink Muffs and Chanel Particuliere look like dupes for each other in this photo, but in reality they aren't that close. The Essie is a little darker, and a little more brown than the Chanel. I don't think most people would notice, but if you're a nail fanatic like me, if it's not an exact dupe, it isn't a dupe! :P

Here's a photo that exaggerates the differences between the two. Essie Mink Muffs is on my thumb, while Chanel Particuliere is on my pointer finger. The differences aren't as massive as they are in this photo (stupid camera), but you get the idea:

Essie Mink Muffs, Chanel Particuliere

L-R: Chanel Particuliere, Essie Mink Muffs

And I remembered reading somewhere that Essie Mink Muffs is a dupe for Chanel Particuliere, if you lighten it by wearing it over white. So of course I HAD to try that. So I applied Essie Mink Muffs over GOSH Snow (a sheer white), and here are the results:

Chanel Particuliere Essie Mink Muffs

L-R: Chanel Particuliere, 1 Coat Essie Mink Muffs over 1 Coat GOSH Snow, Essie Mink Muffs

Similar, but no dice. It's a tad lighter than Particuliere. The purple in Mink Muffs really shows up when you layer it over white. It's really cool.

So, I added on another thin coat of Mink Muffs on top of GOSH Snow, and the results were better:

Chanel Particuliere Essie Mink Muffs

L-R: Chanel Particuliere, 2 Coats Essie Mink Muffs over 1 Coat GOSH Snow, Essie Mink Muffs

As you can see, it's close, but not identical. Mink Muffs is now the same depth of colour, but just a tad browner than Chanel Particuliere, while Particuliere is a hair more grey than it's Essie counterpart. I think someone might be able to franken a dupe of Particuliere using Mink Muffs, white, and something to make it more grey.

So, which of these should you choose, if you only had to go for one of them? All the colours applied well, so your choice would depend on your colour preferences, and your skin undertones. Although all these colours are pretty neutral, in general, colours with a stronger purple/grey tinge to them look better on cooler skintones, while colours with more brown tend to look better on warmer skintones. And it also depends on your preference - do you want more grey, brown or purple in your colour? If you want more brown, Essie Mink Muffs or Chanel Particuliere are good choices. If you want something that's more grey, Rimmel Steel Grey is a good choice. And if you want something that leans more purple, Nails Inc Jermyn Street and Asos by Ciate Sienna are your best bets.

12 comments:

  1. Brilliant idea for a post thank you. Only shame is the watermark makes it a bit difficult to see...if only people wouldn't steal others images then you wouldn't have to resort to this I guess.

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  2. I love your posts about dupes! Thanks so much for comparing Chanel Particuliere, I love that color so much but can't justify the expense!

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  3. Thank you for your comment on my blog!
    I am your #562 follower:)

    http://jayannecosmetics.blogspot.com/

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  4. Hey! I nominated you for the Beautiful Blogger award =) Have a great weekend!

    -Tiffany

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  5. Pretty swatches! And I don't mind the mess at all as your fingers are so beautiful. Haven't tried that taupe-brown-purple shade yet. I only wear bright red nail polish both on my nails and toes. I think it's high time for me to experiment with other shades.

    Lots of love,

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  6. any ideas for the Chanel Jade Rose polish? :D
    great post!
    xx

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  7. I love your blog,
    You've given me so many ideas and tips.

    Emilia Marie:
    www.emiliamarie.wordpress.com

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  8. @Anonymous: I'm sorry about the watermarks! You're right, it's mostly to prevent picture theft. For some reason, people especially like targeting nail swatches :X

    @Margaret: I don't have Jade Rose, so I wouldn't be able to say for sure! But if it helps, Jade Rose isn't as unique as Particuliere...it kind of looks like a pinky-peach nude creme to me. You could probably find a similar colour (although maybe not a dupe) in other brand lines. If I discover anything, I'll let you know!

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  9. i never knew this colour was so popular! i have essie mink muffs and i'm not too fond of the colour but maybe its just me! kind of drains the colour out of my skin colour!

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  10. Thanks for your comment :) Mink muffs actually looks like a really close dupe! I do think particulaire is a little prettier, but for the price its definitely essie for me haha xx

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