*Warning* This is going to be a massive post. I have 5 different comparisons with a bajillion pictures. You have been warned. If you want to jump straight to the pictures, click Read More.
So as most of you know, Sally Hansen recently reformulated one of their cult classics: Pacific Blue. They changed a beautiful cornflower blue creme polish into a weird, slightly darker version that is less "creamy" and has some shimmer to it. For the record, I DO NOT OWN the 2014 version; however, I have seen several swatches and read a few blog reviews about it.
The original version quickly flew off the shelves and interestingly enough, I cannot find the reformulated version. There isn't even a space for it on the shelves. Did Sally Hansen hear our cries?! Possibly, but that is not what this post is about. Instead of hunting around for a polish that may not exist anymore or paying exorbitant prices on evilbay to obtain this legend, I'm going to give you some comparisons so that you can happily move on with your life!
This polish has been in my collection for around 4 years now. I used it a handful of times before this recent scandal. Up until recently, I didn't fully appreciate a good creme polish. At the beginning of my polish
I was picking up a few things at the store when I saw some new colors in Sally Hansen X-treme Wear Line. Royal Rage caught my eye because it looked similar to Pacific Blue. I knew it couldn't be an exact dupe (why would SH do that?) but I had an inkling it would be sorta close. I also decided to pick up In Prompt Blue from their Insta-Dri Line. Sally Hansen informed us that In Prompt Blue was close to Pacific Blue when everyone started complaining.
First I'm going to show you swatches of these 3 polishes on their own. Then I will show you side-by-side comparisons.
Pacific Blue
Pacific Blue in 2 coats + top coat. An awesome blue creme polish. Smooth formula, applies very easily. For some reason it looks very saturated under my lamp. It's not quite this bright in natural lighting.
In Prompt Blue
In Prompt Blue in 2 coats + top coat. This is also a blue creme polish, smooth formula and applies easily. This line has a bigger brush which I'm not a fan of but I didn't have any major issues during application.
Royal Rage
Royal Rage in 4 coats + top coat. This is a jelly leaning crelly (creamy jelly) that builds nicely. It applied smoothly.
Comparison 1
Here I have for you a side-by-side comparison of Sally Hansen Pacific Blue, In Prompt Blue, and Royal Rage.
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| Artificial Light |
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| Natural Light |
Verdict: NOT Dupes, but similar. As you can see, besides being a different formula, Royal Rage is several shades darker than Pacific Blue and In Prompt Blue. IPB is definitely close to PB but not an exact dupe. IPB is ever so slightly darker and a tad more purple. Almost an indigo color. To normal people, they are the exact same. To us crazies, they're not dupes. But if you're really jonesing for Pacific Blue, In Prompt Blue is a good replacement.
Comparison 2
After my first comparison, I decided to take it a little further and compare a few more polishes from my stash. The next comparison is Pacific Blue, In Prompt Blue, and Sinful Colors Endless Blue.
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| Artificial Light |
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| Artificial Light |
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| Sunlight |
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| Shaded Natural Light |
Verdict: DUPES. Sinful Colors Endless Blue is almost an exact dupe for SH IPB. They are both a touch darker than Pacific Blue. They are all gorgeous. Do you need all 3 of them? Only if you're a crazy person like me! Otherwise, no you do not need all 3 of these polishes. If I didn't own Pacific Blue, I would be happy owning In Prompt Blue or Endless Blue.
Comparison 3
Last, I compared Sally Hansen Royal Rage to Revlon Royal. Revlon Royal is another cult classic that has been discontinued (why do they keep doing this to us?!) Royal is a deep royal blue jelly. The comparison is 3 coats of Royal and 4 coats of Royal Rage with top coat over both.
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| Artificial Light |
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| Artificial Light |
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| Shaded Natural Light |
Verdict: NOT Dupes. Revlon Royal is a few shades darker than Sally Hansen Royal Rage. Royal Rage also takes more coats to achieve the opacity that I prefer, but I actually like the color of Royal Rage better than Revlon Royal. Are you guys confused yet....? So if you've been searching for a gorgeous royal blue jelly - definitely check out Sally Hansen Royal Rage. I picked it up at Walmart for $2.48 - so it was basically free!
Guys, that's a lot of blue! Who really needs that many blue polishes? Ummm....let's not answer that, ok? I hope this post was helpful for anyone who has been curious about Sally Hansen Pacific Blue and any possible dupes. Maybe we will start seeing the original back on the shelves if Sally Hansen actually listens to its customers!
Do you own any of these polishes? What's your favorite royal blue? Thanks for stopping by, 'til next time!
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