My original plan for today was to show you guys Rescue Beauty Lounge Anne. I'd been wearing it since Monday, waiting for the weather to improve so I could get some decent pictures. But yesterday in CVS, I saw something that I imagined would be of greater interest to some of you (plus it intrigued me), so I scooped it up. Meet Revlon Perplex.
Perplex is a smoky, greyed-out purple creme with a very subtle light violet shimmer.
Sunlight, no flash.
Sunlight, no flash.
Sunlight, no flash.
Sunlight, no flash.
Sunlight, no flash.
Sunlight, no flash.
Sunlight, no flash.
Okay, so clearly, this is supposed to be Revlon's take on Chanel's smash hit Paradoxal. Now, I understand that this is great for all us poor (or stingy) folks who can't (or won't) spend $23 on a polish. I also understand that it behooves Revlon to market Perplex as the second coming of Paradoxal. But at the same time, I have to shake my head a little when one polish company so blatantly mimics another. A similar shade, a similar sounding name with a similar meaning, and even a display that advertises "this season's "IT SHADE" for less" is just so...extra. It really didn't need to be all of that, Revlon.
But that aside, I do like Perplex. It's quite pretty and fall-appropriate, although I wish the shimmer was more apparent. And judging from swatches that I've seen, it does bear a striking resemblance to Paradoxal. I can't say if they're exactly the same, because I don't have Paradoxal to compare, but I can say that any lemming I may have had for Paradoxal is dead and gone. This is close enough for me, and the price is quite right.
On the issue of formula and application, Perplex was actually pretty good.The formula is very well-pigmented, goes on smoothly, and is wearable in one thick coat. For illustrative purposes, this is one thick coat of Perplex, sans topcoat:
See? Nice and opaque.
I ended up going over this with another thin coat of color for security and out of habit, but it wasn't necessary. Dry time was also extremely good. On the other side of the coin, I had a tough time controlling the formula...it seemed runny, which wasn't much fun. But Revlon's brushes tend to be thin, which will help not to get it all over your cuticles and stuff.
So, what do you guys think? Will you be getting Perplex?
