What? More Vamps? Kinda!

A few years ago I purchased Essie Pama on eBay. I really wasn't sure what the back story was, but later discovered it was a co-branding arrangement with a maker of a pomegranate liqueur of the same name.

I love pomegranates! They are like little balls of sweetness. A ripe pom takes a while to peel, but the results make it worth it. My method is to wash the seeds as they emerge, just drop into a bowl of water, to remove any residue from the bitter flesh that protects the translucent, delicate fruit.

Meanwhilst (thank you Life of Brian tape recording from the 80's) I should really talk about nail polish.

I felt like Pama was a super dupe-y.

Maybe. Maybe not!

Here are three polishes that felt close, but perhaps I was just swatching away, grabbed it and kept grabbing colors.

Here is a set of four, including Pama, that felt like they were related.

Sally Hansen Crimson Creme

Perhaps a little dark, but still in that realm. Ok, I'll admit it was a bit closer in the bottle. I have a comparison of all four colors so I'll discuss more later.

This is an older Sally Hansen, vintage bottle with a taller handle. I found this at that first blush of "Great Dollar Tree Swag" and I must say it's hard to dislike the color, but the formula was a bit of a challenge, and I felt it was kind of messy. Of course that could have been me. Ahem.

Three coats, no top coat. Glossy! Would benefit being thinned into a jelly, to be honest. And wouldn't you know I have two bottles. Loose formulas and deep shades make my world go around, letmetellyou.

Sally Hansen Tenacious Ruby

This is one of the Sally Hansen 10 Day No Chip polishes that were, again, at the Dollar Tree.

I have to admit that these need a good base coat and they don't actually seem to chip. I had one chip and blame a bad base coat/top coat combo. This is not too bad, but a bit slow to dry. The bottles are rectangular with gold caps, with a bold declaration of 10 Day No Chip(!), which is so unrealistic of a claim. Bold or fool-hearty? Well it was at the Dollar Tree. That tells the tale.

Three coats, no top coat. Extremely glossy.

Essie Fishnet Stockings

A brighter candidate for being similar. Not a favorite of mine.
Blogged here, and I will say that Maybelline Crimson is a nice Pama sibling, so peek at that better lit shot of this one and the Maybelline there.

Three coats, no top coat. Very glossy, not as sheer as the last outing, which is nice.

Found at Ross.

Essie Pama

Pama is decidedly a nicer polish than I thought. It's got a dusty feel, but not a muddy one.

Considerably warmer than what I think of when I think of either the outside or inside of pomegrantes, but a very rich color.

As my hand goes into shadow along the top, you can see that it turns a bit dark. Below in the horizontal shot there is implication of darkness, but still the color doesn't got black.

Odd. I've looked at this photo quite a bit, fearing somehow in editing I mistook the comp shot, but the edges, quirks, dabs, and blobs that occurred when I painted are consistent and the comp shot below is different.

Rich, dense, and luxe are three words that come to mind when I look at this shade. The finish, glossy, looks also velvety.

Three coats, no top coat. 

Honestly? Reminds me of the au currant trend of oxblood shades that are all the rage right now, not so much the pinky undertone of a pomegranate, or the magenta pink innards of the fruit. 

Finally a comparison:

Same order:

Sally Hansen Crimson Creme

Sally Hansen Tenacious Ruby

Essie Fishnet Stockings

Essie Pama

Personally I love the richness of Pama, but I do like Tenacious Ruby a lot, too.

Crimson Creme is a bit dark - the only real vamp of the lot.

Fishnet Stockings was less defined as Pama, and falling off my list of likes.  

Conclusions?

In the end, nothing falls close enough to call it a dupe.

I also will comment on photos. I feel my photos lack enough light, and I will admit I've rearrange things and lost a bit of my lighting set up. So, I want to apologize in advance for the dim feel. I know my light casts a green tint, but when I remove it in Photoshop Elements, I got too much pinkness in my skin tone. 

Back to working on lighting!

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

Thanks so much for reading my little nail polish journal!