Showing posts with label Max Factor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Max Factor. Show all posts

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Max Factor Fantasy Fire Comparison

Max Factor is no longer sold in the United States, but even when they were, their nail polish was never all that exciting, so I never paid much attention to it. However, Max Factor is still sold across the pond, and they have just released this insanely amazing new polish called Fantasy Fire, which I wouldn't have even known about if it wasn't for the amazing Amy. Thank you, Amy, for making this post possible. You are golden.

Anyway, the reason Fantasy Fire is so amazing is because it's very similar to some of the most rare and sought-after discontinued polishes: Clarins 230 and Urban Decay Toxin. I pulled out all the similar polishes in my stash and did a little side-by-side to see how close they are.

Max Factor Fantasy Fire - Urban Decay Toxin - Nfu Oh 51 - Clarins 230 - Versace V2077-W
(natural light and flash)


Unfortunately, my bottle of Clarins 230 has faded significantly over the years and lost almost all of its purple tint, leaving only the red/orange/green multichrome sparkle in a murky, barely-purple base, so it's no longer a perfect representation of the original color.

Max Factor Fantasy Fire - Clarins 230 - Urban Decay Toxin
Fantasy Fire is closest to Toxin, then to Nfu Oh 51 (sans-flakes), and then only somewhat similar to 230.


Left to right (pinkie to index finger):
Nfu Oh 51 (three coats)
Clarins 230 (three coats)
Urban Decay Toxin (three coats)
Max Factor Fantasy Fire (three coats)

The verdict? No dupes here. None of them match each other exactly, but they all share that same special, rare type of fiery multichrome shimmer. Out of all of them, I'd have to say that the new Max Factor is the most dramatic in terms of shimmer, color shift and vibrancy. I love all of these, but Fantasy Fire has now officially become my favorite.