H&M's Wicked Purple bottle

Isn't this excessively retro bottle the cutest you have seen this side of new year's? It sure lured me to pick it up at my local H&M.


It has been laying (yes, it is too tall to stand up in a Helmer drawer) in my untrieds drawer for a long time now, maybe for as long as six months. While the bottle is overwhelmingly pretty, the color didn't really speak to me, at least it didn't say "Hey, try me on immediately!". But what better than having an almost-4-year old girl at home, obsessed with all things girly? Yesterday she had a sudden return of the will to have her nails painted, and she gladly spent minutes (one minute is a long time for a little person that age, any mother can tell you) with me in my stash closet, to pick out colors for all her twenty nails, and my ten tips. The only word she was chanting was "josa!" [rosa], pink in Swedish. Since I'm a tough mama, I refused to wear pink, so we had a hard time agreeing on what color I should wear. Every bottle she picked, I said no to, and every one I picked, she said no to- until she found the bottle with Hello Kitty on. Hello Kitty is very acceptable in her world, no matter what color, and since it wasn't pink or red, I agreed. The cute Hello Kitty bottle it was.

And man, was I in for a surprise or two! I happily discovered the formula was awesome, as well as the coverage. I needed two coats, and I can't see through my nails even if I hold them up against the window. Also, very shiny one, this. If I hadn't been a topcoat junkie, I would have skipped it. Because, this polish also dried fast. A joy. Pure joy.



Now, these photos have been slightly color corrected, since I am one happy (or not) owner of one of the infamous cameras that refuses to capture purples correctly. The first photo shows the smooth, fine magenta shimmer that gives this color its distinct look, and the second photo is just... pretty.

The thing is, I thought this purple was very meh when I saw the bottle. I expected a very standard color. However, I fell for it. Completely. I'm in love with it. It is sooo purrty!

I promised Ange-Marie I would find her a dupe. I had one in mind I thought would be almost identical.

Essie Sexy Divide.

However, I was wrong. Look:


These photos have not been color corrected, but the difference is the same. It has to be that beautiful magenta flash of the H&M that doesn't translate on camera that gives it that same reddish purple tone Sexy Divide has. I honestly thought they would be much closer than this...


Although, maybe it's not that bad after all? Who the eff is walking around with a constant flash light over their nails anyway?


You can also compare Wicked Purple to my other purple shimmers here.

Swedish expression of the day:
nära skjuter ingen hare from nära close, skjuter shooting, ingen no, noone, hare hare
Because you can put the pieces together yourselves, right?