MUG SHOT: NARS Galion vs. MAC Blue India vs. RBL Stormy vs. RBL Teal vs. Sephora by OPI Dark Room

You already know that I’m in love with NARS Galion, the sexy blue gray cream from the Fall 2011 Collection of NARS.

And I’m not the only one.

My new friend Eugenia said, “This is THE exact shade I’ve been looking for!”

I didn’t realize I was missing this shade until I compared it to the other grays and dusky blues in my collection.

I racked my brain for colors in my collection that might be potential dupes of NARS Galion but every time I pull a bottle out and place it beside Galion, Galion proves me wrong.

But wait, why am I telling you? I should show you.

Here are the colors that I thought might be similar to NARS Galion.

From left: RBL Teal, Sephora by OPI Dark Room, NARS Galion, MAC Blue India, RBL Stormy

Bottle pics are enough to show that these colors aren’t dupes at all but in the interest of being thorough, here are swatches.

NARS Galion vs. MAC Blue India

At first I thought MAC Blue India, one of my all-time favorite bottles, would be similar to Galion. They both have the same dusky quality that I just love in a polish.

But I was wrong. Because Blue India is way lighter. And even if you made it several shades darker, it still wouldn’t end up looking like Galion.

And here’s the crazy thing – I can’t decide which polish I like more. Blue India has held my heart for ages now – but I am leaning towards Galion. I really am so in love with this color.

NARS Galion vs. RBL Stormy

Because Galion has been repeatedly described as a deep gray, I brought out one of my darker grays – RBL Stormy.

They’re both called “stormy gray” but these colors aren’t alike at all.

Galion has way too much blue in it to look like Stormy.

NARS Galion vs. RBL Teal

I brought out Teal, another one of my favorite RBLs, even though I know it’s a long shot.

The shades are both dark and blue but again, they’re not the same at all.

Teal is brighter – it doesn’t have the duskiness of Galion.

They’re both pretty though – and I’m glad I live in the world where I don’t have to choose between these two colors. I can have them both.

NARS Galion vs. Sephora by OPI Dark Room

Here’s where it gets crazy.

Who in their right mind would propose that a green polish might be a dupe for a blue gray shade?

But look.

Indoors, without a ring light, without flash and away from the sun, NARS Galion and Sephora by OPI Dark Room look positively dupe-ish.

But we don’t live in a world without lights. And when you look at the two shades under bright lights, you realize that they are not dupes.

Nope, not at all.

One is green and one is blue.

Formula-wise, they’re not the same either. Galion applies flawlessly in two coats while Dark Room needs three coats for complete opacity.

Here are Galion and Dark Room with flash.

I love that they have the same duskiness. I now think of Dark Room as Galion’s green sister – and now I love it even more.

Two other names have been surfacing as potential dupes for Galion – Dior Bond Street and Dior Perfecto. Both colors have been on my wishlist for ages, I really should pick them up. I’m crossing my fingers that Rustan’s still has stocks of Perfecto. As for Bond Street, I’ve started stalking my favorite online stores in search of it. I have a feeling Perfecto is too gray and Bond Street is too blue to be exact dupes of Galion but it would still be nice to give them a shot.

We’ll see.

NARS Galion is limited edition and will be available in Rustan’s along with the rest of the Fall 2011 Collection in September. Find NARS at Rustan’s Shangri-la, Gateway, Alabang, Cebu, Robinsons Place and Makati. Each bottle is ₱995.