Ginger + Liz and Diamond Cosmetics Comparison for dupes

I placed a ten piece order with Flossie Diamond Cosmetics.  I've seen lots of reviews of their polish, and the price is a bit hard to ignore.  While adding my choices into the cart,  I decided to test the "dupe" quotient of two polishes for myself, so I now own Don't Teal My Heart Away (listed as a possible dupe to Ginger + Liz's "New Money" on several sites) and Not So Evergreen (listed as a possible dupe to Ginger + Liz's "Tough Luxe" on several sites).  I own both of these Ginger + Liz polishes, and I purchased the two directly from their website shortly after they went online.

I swatched each of these color sets side by side, photographed them outside, and ran a smear on paper.

The most obvious differences in the bottles have to do with 1) the logos - the logo appears to be silkscreened on the Ginger + Liz (G+L) bottle but the Diamond Cosmetics (DC) logo is a the peel and stick label, and 2) the brushes.  The Ginger+Liz brushes are wider and apply wider swipes of polish than the Diamond Cosmetics brushes.

 

This brush comparison photo was taken indoors and lightened.

The G+L shaft is ovoid and grasps the fibers in an ovoid shape.  The fiber count in the G+L brush is higher than the DC brush.

The DC shaft is circular and the fibers are held in a circular shape.




Here are my swatching results:



Ginger + Liz "New Money" and Diamond Cosmetics "Don't Teal My Heart Away"

The above photos are taken outside and were both two coats of the respective polish above a single base coat.  I could not tell a difference between them visually after application.  Diamond Cosmetics "Don't Teal My Heart Away" is an excellent dupe for Ginger + Liz "New Money."





Ginger + Liz "Tough Luxe" and Diamond Cosmetics "Never So Evergreen"

The above photos are taken outside and were both two coats of the respective polish above a single base coat.  I could not tell a difference between them visually after application.  Diamond Cosmetics "Never So Evergreen" is an excellent dupe for Ginger + Liz "Tough Luxe."

The above photo is the two polishes side by side on the same finger, my thumb.  I cannot remember which is which, but the bald spot at the upper side leads me to believe that is the DC side.


The formula between the two polishes did apply differently, but I do not yet know if that is chemistry or the physics of the brush.  Both polishes dried quickly and gave fairly good coverage in two coats.  The DC polishes were a little more prone to balding.  I think this could be due to the smaller brush and the higher number of strokes required per nail for full coverage. 

A third coat may have covered all visible balding spots, but I prefer to use two coats for quicker drying speed.

Unless otherwise indicated, all photos are untouched but for cropping and adding text.


UPDATE -
Flossie's Diamond Cosmetics Ingredients list was obtained by emailing the company.  Ginger+Liz Ingredients list was obtained in the first order from packaging material.

As the ingredients lists match up very closely, I must assume that the different feel of the lacquers was due to the brush differences.


Diamond Cosmetics Ingredients
Butyl Acetate; Ethyl Acetate; Nitrocellulose; Acetyl Tributyl Citrate; Phthalic Anhydride/Trimellitic Anhydride/Glycols Copolymer; Isopropyl Alcohol; Stearalkonium Hectorite; Adipic Acid/Fumaric Acid/Phthalic Acid/Tricyclodecane Dimethanol Copolymer; Citric Acid; colorants; Polyethylene Terephthalate; Calcium Sodium Borosilicate; Titanium Dioxide; Tin Oxides Silica; Aluminum Powder; Iron Oxides; Aluminum Powder; Fragrance 


Ginger+Liz Ingredients
Butyl Acetate; Ethyl Acetate; Nitrocellulose; Acetyl Tributyl Citrate; Phthalic Anhydride/Trimellitic Anydride/Glycols Copolymer; Isopropyl Alcohol; Stearalkonium Hectorite; Adipic Acid/Fumaric Acid/Phthalic Acid/Tricyclodecane Dimethanol Copolymer; Citric Acid; colors; Polytheylene Terepthalate; Calcium Sodium Borosilicate; Titanium Dioxide; Tin Oxides Silica; Aluminum Powder; Iron Oxides; Aluminum Powder; Fragrance