Recently when I reviewed Topshop Gone Fishing, one of my readers (Alex), asked if I could do aΒ Minty Green Nail-Polish ComparisonΒ post with specific hues.
Since I was also curious about how different or similar the shades were (as well as a couple of others), I was happy to oblige. Hope that you’ll find this mint green nail-polish comparison helpful!
The nail polishes I compared were Topshop Gone Fishing, Duri Summer Rain, China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint, Essie Mint Candy Apple, OPI Gargantuan Green Grape, and China Glaze For Audrey. (I’ve reviewed some of those polishes in-depth in separate posts. Find links later in this post.)
If you would like me to do more comparison posts like this in the future, please let me know specifically which polishes you’re interested in seeing.
I can’t promise that I’ll fulfill all reader requests. It depends on if I already have the polishes and if I have time. (I work very hard on my blog after my full-time job and on the weekends, so time can be really tight, especially when I squeeze blogging inbetween my social life and freelance-work schedules.)
That being said, I will pick a few requests to do! I have a pack of blank nail wheels that I haven’t been using much. It’s time to put them to work! *Cracks whip* π
P.S.Β You may remember that I’ve said before how I don’t swatch nail polish on my nails. It’s not my style. I wear full manicures and then take photos while I’m wearing them. This is how I really enjoy polish. I only use the term ‘swatch’ because it’s the familiar lingo. Well, the only time I’m comfortable with actual swatching is on nail wheels for comparison posts like this or to show you layering experiments. I hope that you’ll understand my reasoning. I love polish, and if I ever start swatching on my own nails, it may kill my enthusiasm. I don’t want that to happen!)
Minty Green Nail-Polish Comparison Photos
Here are the mint green nail polishes I compared in this post.
Click on any of the below links to see my separate posts with in-depth reviews and photos.
- Topshop Gone FishingΒ (Provided by PR)
- OPI Gargantuan Green Grape
- Essie Mint Candy Apple
- China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint
- China Glaze For Audrey
- Duri Summer Rain
Natural Light Photo
Flash Photo
When I initially did the comparison, I didn’t think to include Duri Summer Rain. But then as I was putting everything away, I saw it in my Helmer and thought somebody may want to see how it compares to the others.
So I’ve also included the group shots before I introduced Duri Summer Rain into the mix. π (Same order, just without Duri.)
Natural Light Photo
Flash Photo
Minty Green Nail-Polish ComparisonΒ Swatches
All swatches have 2 coats of each colour and no top coat.
The colour order is the same in this entire post.
Left-Right:Β Topshop Gone Fishing, OPI Gargantuan Green Grape, Essie Mint Candy Apple, China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint,Β China Glaze For Audrey, andΒ Duri Summer Rain
Natural Light Photos
Photo without Duri Summer Rain
Flash Photos
Photo without Duri Summer Rain
My Observations
For a nailphile like me who collects (and wears) lacquers, you could justify owning each of these colours because none of them are dupes. However, if you’re the average consumer, you probably don’t need them all.
Duri Summer Rain was the odd one out. Even though it is indeed a minty green, it definitely has a neon-ish personality. The finish gave away this neon nature because it didn’t dry as shiny as the others. (But that shouldn’t deter you since neons always pop with a good, shiny top coat!)
Essie Mint Candy Apple and China Glaze For Audrey seemed to have an aqua undertone, while the rest had more green undertones.
Except for Duri Summer Rain, which had a duller finish due to its slightly neon nature, the other colours were equally shiny and looked creamy.
OPI Gargantuan Green Grape and China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint were close in that out of all the shades, these two had a paler appearance. They aren’t dupes. Gargantuan Green Grape is a more-saturated green than Re-Fresh Mint.
Depending on your skin tone, some of these greens can really bring out the Lobster Hand Effect.
For instance, I can’t wear China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint properly. It is too light for me and makes my hands look awkwardly red. The shades that offer more saturation (like Duri Summer Rain, China Glaze For Audrey, and Topshop Gone Fishing) were much more flattering on me.
Hope that this little comparison post was helpful!
Please leave a comment below if you like these kind of posts and want to see more. And if you would like to submit a request, please state specific polishes (not just the colour family). As I said before, I’ll pick a few to do. π
Which minty green was your favourite from this comparison post?Β
Edit:Β Yay! NailPolishCanada retweeted my tweet about this blog post. How flattering! π
Thanks! I do love comparison posts. I think I like Essie Mint Candy Apple the best of these but they’re all lovely and I have none of them, lol. OPI Gargantuan Green Grape and China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint do look a lot alike.
Karrie recently posted: Orly Hawaiian Punched with Glitz
Hey Karrie!
Glad that you found this type of post useful. I think I’ll try to do more of these based on the positive responses I’ve received so far. π Thanks for your feedback!
so many mints
Hey Icequeen81!
Cool, isn’t it? (Hehehe, pun intended!) π
thanks i really needed this comparision ! π
do u own OPI “Thanks a Windmillion” or Essie “Where’s my Chauffeur?” ? if yes, what do u think about them ?
Randi recently posted: Challenge in Planung: Bitte helft mir !!!!! :S
Hey Randi!
It was my pleasure! π Glad I could help out.
Nope, I unfortunately I don’t own either the OPI or Essie polish you mention. Why, were those on your list of colours to buy or consider?
I am very curious as to what the “lobster hand” effect is?
Neelie Z recently posted: Nail Mail – Color Club Halo Hues 2013 from Enospring
Hey Neelie Z!
Haha, the Lobster Hand Effect is when a polish brings out the redness in your skin and makes your hands look red like a lobster. π I find that a lot of very pale mint greens give me Lobster Hands.
Interesting! I’m not sure I have experienced that before…I’ll have to be more observant from now on. Thanks for the reply~
Neelie Z recently posted: NOTD – Green Dot Flowers
Some people have skin tones that just don’t create the Lobster Hand Effect…hehe, so they’re lucky! But I do have some redness, so I have to be careful.
hehehehe It tickles me how different they all are. π
Lizzy recently posted: Pure Ice Chinese New Year Mani!
Hey Lizzy!
Hehe, yeah, to a normal consumer, they might think we’re all crazy (and maybe we are…), but to a nailphile, these are pretty different. π
Wow! Thank you SO much. I really appreciate the detailed comparison, and you may have introduced me to a polish that I now NEED to own – OPI Gargantuan Green Grape. CG Re-Fresh Mint disappointed me big time in how pale it is – OPI GGG looks like it has the saturated light green shade I had been hoping for w/ CG RFM.
Thanks again!! This here is why beauty bloggers are the BEST resource for beauty product info. π
Hey Alex!
You’re most welcome! Thank you for the suggestion. Based on the responses I’ve received on this post, it looks like there were many others who also found this useful! I may not have done this comparison if you hadn’t asked for it, so yay! π
Yay for collaboration and the awesomeness of beauty blogs in general. π
Totally! π
Would you post swatches of the two glitters from the oz collection?
Hey Sam!
There were actually 3 glitter polishes in the Oz Collection. I’ve reviewed Lights of Emerald City already. Did you want a comparison for the other two? I can definitely do that if you want, but please clarify and then I’ll work on it. π
Yes please! I think the other two glitters were called Which is Which and When Monkeys Fly!
Earlier today, I took a bunch of photos. Now I just need to upload them, crop them, and then put it all together in a post. Expect it shortly. π
I did a mint comparison a few years ago with a few different shades. My winner was Re-Fresh Mint! My skin is super white so it’s perfect for me!
Olivia recently posted: Essie Secret Affair
Hey Olivia!
Lucky! I really love the way China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint looks, but I just couldn’t pull it off without looking like a lobster. π
I love these types of post, thank you! Please keep doing them. I don’t have any specific suggestions though.
Rose @ The Cosy Dragon recently posted: Jean Haus – In the Band
Hey Rose!
Thanks for your feedback – I’m glad that readers like you have left a comment to let me know. I definitely can do more of these type of posts in the future! π
I love comparison posts because they really help me know which polishes I can justify buying and which I can pass for dupes. The duri one was my favorite color overall with OPI gargantuan green grape being second.
Hey Tam!
The Duri is really fun and bright. With a top coat, it’s a total POW polish! π
Thank you for your feedback on these type of posts. I’ll try to do this again since readers like you find it helpful.
Loved this comparison, I must go and get more minty shades for spring! Thanks for the time you took to make this. π
Gelic’ nail art recently posted: Blue nails with burgundy dots and yellow glitter
Hey Gelic’ Nail Art!
It was my pleasure. Really, I’m thankful that my reader asked me to do this. Now I have some ideas for future comparison posts, too. π
I’ve been in the mood to pick up a minty green shade so this was great π My top two picks from these are the OPI and CG. I’m kind of holding out for the minty green thats in the new CG Avant Garden Collection. BUT I still want that OPI at least!
P.S. I totally understand swatching on a nail wheel, especially doing a comparison with a bunch of colors. I’ve been changing up my method of “swatching” to allow myself to enjoy my polish more. It’s easy to get burnt out if you only swatch and rarely wear a full mani.
Frosso recently posted: OPI DS Signature
Hey Frosso!
Perfect timing! π Glad that I was able to give you some suggestions and narrow down the list.
I think it’s really smart how you’re switching your swatching method. It’s really important to enjoy your manicures. If you just swatch and don’t enjoy it, it becomes all work. And we both know that “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, right?
That being said, I have the utmost respect for bloggers who are able to swatch. That must take a tremendous amount of motivation to continue doing that on a regular basis. Even if I tried, I don’t think I would be a good swatcher. I just have to wear my polishes as full manicures to feel happy.
It is so amazing and beautiful. I extremely love this color. Your article is very amusing. It is very nice to see all these beautiful nails.
I am in a good mood now.
I hope I can collect a lot of mint green nail.
Excuse me. Could you tell me the brand of the first nail?
Thank you very much οΌ)
I can’t wait to own it.
Hey Elaine!
The first polish (from the left) is TopShop Gone Fishing! π Hope that helps!
Love this post! Was very helpful to read whilst choosing the right mint for me… I’ve got For Audrey on its way. Looking forward to trying it out. π
Hey Natasha!
You won’t be disappointed with China Glaze For Audrey! It’s one of my favourite nail polishes of all time, and I’ve never seen anyone NOT rock it. π ENJOY!
I purchased the OPI Gargantuan Green Grape and it didn’t come out looking like that at all. It came out looking white with a hint of teal. I was so excited to get the color too. :/
Hey Katerina!
I heard that there are two different versions circulating. I bought mine years ago, so maybe the new one looks like what you have.
Aww, I’m so sorry yours came out differently. It’s really disappointing when that happens, especially when you’re pumped up to get a colour. I hope you’ll find another shade that will take your mind off that disappointment.
I hope so too! I wish they would just stick with one shade. OPI is my absolute addiction (with the exception of the Color Club Halo Hues) and this was my first let down. Haha. I’ve been looking every where now trying to find the “original” shade and now it seems impossible to find. I never even saw this new shade before until I received it. Blahhh
Yeah, I’ll bet it’s tough to find because it’s not like the original shade is labelled “original”.
If a polish companies changes the shade, they should make it clear that it’s not the same by giving it a new name. Better to do that than to disappoint their fans.
Is there any chance for the comparison between duri and chg highlight of my summer? Even bottle shots or wheel shots please. Or just a description of the difference.
Hey Anusia!
Sure – no problem! I actually took some comparison swatches of them today on a nail wheel in natural light. I’ll post them on Instagram and Twitter either tomorrow or sometime really soon. (With holiday craziness, it’ll probably be much later when I’ll update this post to include the photos, so check out the 2 social-media accounts I mentioned to see it sooner.)
Thanks! I will be checking instagram and this post.
Highlight of my summer is so awesome that I’m really interested if duri can beat that, lol.
After I posted the swatch comparison on Instagram and Twitter, I strained my eyes looking at the swatches in all different lighting conditions, and I couldn’t see much of a difference. Even the finish seems so similar. To me, they’re pretty much dupes!
Thanks for asking me to do this comparison, or I wouldn’t have even know how close they really were!
Thank you so much for the comparison! Duri seems to be a bit warmer maybe. Anyway I managed to find it in the local shop and I’m already waiting for it. I already have chg and I love it!
BTW have you seen isadora marzipan? It maybe non neon duri version.
Hey Anusia!
It’s my pleasure! Hehe, I couldn’t even tell that it was slightly warmer. They both looked the same to me. (Then again, I do wear glasses!) π
That’s so awesome that you were so quick to hunt it down at your local store! π ENJOY!
No, I haven’t seen that shade, but I’ll have to Google it and try to find swatches of it. Thanks for letting me know!