Petites Color Fever in Black DIamond - $3.99 at Rite Aid

I've previously reviewed a Petites Color Fever polish in Vintage Grey, and though i loved the color I was a bit put off at the price based on the small size of the polish and pretty much vowed never to buy another of them again, but here I am. Black Diamond is in the same family as Diamond Cosmetics Chainmail Charm, OPI My Private Jet, and Color Club Revvvolution, and though I own all of those, I leaped at this bottle like the nail junkie I am. I was happy to find that it was a bit different from all the others in some way. It's not quite a jelly base like Chainmail Charm, or even MPJ and it's also not as dense and small-particled as Revvvolution. The particles of holo remind me more of the China Glaze Kaleidoscopes; sort of larger and shard-like. This holo is liner and scattered at the same time. You get that clean line of rainbow color but because the shards of holo are a little larger you get random rainbow flakes popping up all over the nail sort of outside that linear holo line. This is the most complex of the charcoal holo choices out there, and it's a big favorite for me, though the mother in me can't just choose one. They're all wonderful.

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Index to Pinkie (top to bottom): Sally Hansen Wet Cement, Petites Color Fever VIntage Gray, Color Club High Society, Barielle Belly Dance

I wanted to see which polishes were closest to the new Petites Color Fever in Vintage Gray that I got the other day. So I pulled out the closest polishes in my stash, and swatched them together. Hope this helps someone out!

Sally Hansen Wet Cement: This obviously isn't taupe, but I thought it might be similar to Vintage Gray since it's got that white-based grey thing going on. It's on the neutral side when worn alone, but here among taupes it's cool as a cucumber.

Petites Color Fever Vintage Gray: I think this is my favorite of the bunch. It's both grey and taupe, and it's got a very creamy base that makes it delicate and ladylike. I don't like the bottle or the price, but alas...

Color Club High Society: This was my favorite lighter taupe till Vintage Gray, and it still holds a special place in my heart because it's beautiful, applies well, and is cheap and long-wearing. As you can see, it's very similar to Vintage Gray, but darkened slightly. Otherwise the tone and the grey-to-brown ratio is much the same.

Barielle Belly Dance: This is the darkest and warmest of the bunch, and it's got shimmer! It's very pretty, I'll give it that, but the lack of grey makes it appear almost wishy-washy against my skin when compared with the others because it doesn't give as much of a flattering contrast, instead just blending into my skin a bit.

Petites Color Fever in Vintage Gray - $3.99 at Rite Aid

There's a somewhat new range of polishes at my local Rite Aid... Petites, otherwise of Walmart fame, now has a line of more trendy (and more expensive) nail polishes. Among their ranks was this gorgeous shade that leapt into my hand, whoops. I'm a sucker for greys and taupes, and this mixture of both is very ladylike and beautiful. I've got tons o' greys and barrels of taupes, but this one isn't quite like any of the others. The closest polishes in my stash to this one are Color Club High Society and Sally Hansen Wet Cement, but even HIgh Society is darker and with more brown to it than grey and Wet Cement is a bit more white and by comparison almost makes Vintage Gray have a lavender cast. Wet Cement is as close as I have to a dupe overall. Vintage Gray is just how it sounds, a light delicate creamy grey that has been touched with the slightest tinge of sepia to warm it up. It's still a cool-toned color, so warm-toned gals may not love this one. I love that it seems dusky and crisp and clean at the same time.

As far as application, I really didn't have an issue. With the regular Petites polishes found at Walmart, I have horrific application issues, so I wasn't holding my breath for this one. I found, though, that it was very creamy and applied very evenly. I had a couple bald spots but this was user error; I applied it while sitting on the floor reading the Apple WWDC liveblog. Viva la iPhone! It also doesn't wear as well as I'd have liked, but you live and learn. Overall, I do like this polish; it's unique and right up my alley, but I don't like the price for such a small bottle and for such subpar wear. I would recommend this shade, but I can't vouch for the rest of the line. Have you tried any of these yet? What did you think? What's your take on this shade?

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