Illamasqua Jo'mina - $14 at sephora.com

Here's an Illamasqua polish I've been debating purchasing for a really long time. I thought that I'd be ok with just Color Club Puccilicious, because in photos they look so similar, but in the end, they're pretty damn different. Jo'mina is lighter, pinker and maybe a bit warmer. It's awesome. It's got a great formula just like all the Illamasqua I've tried. Very pigmented and it takes only two coats for excellent coverage. It will be amazing with a summer tan, I'm telling you! I don't have any other polishes that are dupes, though it's somewhere in between Puccilicious and OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender.

Click for another photo...

Color Club Pucci-licious - $2.50 at transdesign.com

Here's a cheap and gorgeous summer polish by Color Club. I've been dying to try this one, it just seems so different and wonderful but I can't believe I've never seen one just like this after all the purples out there. It's not really a neon, but it's definitely got punch. It applies perfectly, and is really saturated with color. I didn't have the slightest bit of a problem with streaking at all, either. It looks streaky in the flash photo, but in person it looked perfect.  It also dries a bit matte, but not totally. It's sort of like the Orly Plastix because it looks like rubber before you put a topcoat on. I've included a photo of it sans-topcoat after the jump.

Click for a photo without topcoat...

OPI DS Amethyst is really more of a lilac. It would fit in perfectly this Spring with all the lovely lilacs we've seen by everyone from OPI and Essie to China Glaze to Essence. The best thing about this polish is that unless you're in bright light and looking right at it, this polish is super work-friendly. It's a very neutral shade and the holographic shimmer is very delicate and understated. I don't know if this is still available, but it's worth a treasure hunt if you can find it for sale in a salon or beauty supply. It applies beautifully in two coats, which is rare in the world of holographic polishes.

OPI DS Diamond is like the dusty lilac version of DS Fantasy. It's got this weird pseudo-holo. It's like "holo interrupted." There are holographic shimmer pieces sort of camouflaged inside some sort of strange textured pieces inside the lilac base. Like Fantasy, it's pretty opaque, and regardless of the stunted holo effect, it's gorgeous. I love the dusty creamy lilac aspect of it which reminds me of China Glaze Light as Air.  This would make a great office polish for the lacquer head because it's understated and lovely, but still different and fun. Can you see the weird gold discoloration at the base of the bottle? I don't know what's up with it, but the polish doesn't seem to be coming out of the bottle discolored. *Shrug* You got me, I keep my polishes in drawers inside a closet in a temperature-controlled room and obviously away from sunlight, so beats me what's wrong with it. Still works though.