Revlon Perplex

Revlon Perplex is a muted grey purple with violet iridescence. Many bloggers have already done side by side comparisons with this and Chanel's Paradoxal.

In the haste of traveling, I didn't have time to dig out my Paradoxal bottle to do a side by side swatch, but from looking at the bottles, Paradoxal seems to have slightly more pink iridescence. Perplex is a little more purple with less shimmer. But would the average person be able to see a difference, probably not. The real question is would you know?

I wore this over Thanksgiving weekend, and I was quite impressed with the durability. Four days with very minimal tippage (this is with packing, unpacking and general traveling roughness). I liked the application, and for a fifth of the price of the Chanel... why wouldn't you get this?

Chanel Paradoxal on the Index and Middle.

Castledew 9289 (a Korean brand) on Ring and Pinkie.

This photo is in sunlight.

Perplex came with its own display, but it's unclear whether it will be readily available in coming months and part of Revlon's permanent nail color offerings. I bought it at my local CVS for $4.99.

Do dupes just make you lust further for the more expensive version? Or are you happy to save some $ when possible?

Chanel Paradoxal (Index and Middle), Castledew 9289 (Ring and Pinkie)

I know that everyone is always looking to dupe Chanel. For $23-25 per bottle (at retail), you could be getting 4 or more other polishes for the same price. Castledew is a Korean brand. They don't have a website that sells in the states, but I found a counter at a Korean supermarket in LA and thru third party sellers associated with Ebay. I paid $6 per bottle, but I'm sure it's less in Asia. 9289 is described on Castledew's site as "Galaxy Charcoal Brown." I could see that as accurate. It is slightly more shimmery than Paradoxal, but I found in opacity and application to be a very good dupe. The question is what's easier to find? For those in the states, the answer might be the Chanel

Perplexing... Paradoxical.... Revlon Perplex vs. Chanel Paradoxal

Chanel Paradoxal vs. Castledew 9289