Funky Fingers Icicle Lights vs. OPI Mad as a Hatter

             For today, I've got a comparison between Funky Fingers Icicle Lights and OPI Mad as a Hatter. All nails are fully dried with no basecoat, four coats of polish, and one layer of topcoat. And I left them gigantic, so if you do not fear my cuticles, feel free to click through.  

Sunlight, no flash.

L-R: Icicle Lights, Mad as a Hatter, Icicle Lights, Mad as a Hatter

Sunlight, no flash.

L-R: Icicle Lights, Mad as a Hatter, Icicle Lights, Mad as a Hatter

Sunlight, no flash.

L-R: Icicle Lights, Mad as a Hatter, Icicle Lights, Mad as a Hatter

  And some closer shots:

Sunlight, no flash.

L-R: Mad as a Hatter, Icicle Lights

Natural light, no flash.

L-R: Mad as a Hatter, Icicle Lights

Sunlight, no flash.

L-R: Mad as a Hatter, Icicle Lights

I blurred this picture to show the difference between sparkliness.

       The bad news is that Mad as a Hatter and Icicle Lights are not dupes.  Mad as a Hatter's glitter is multi-sized and features many colors, which Icicle Lights' glitter is all one size and only comes in two colors. Because of this, Mad as a Hatter appears darker, more opulent, more dynamic, and deeper overall than Icicle Lights. 

     Additionally, Mad as a Hatter is super blingtastic, while Icicle Lights can barely muster a sparkle. To me, this is a huge difference, because the sparkle along with the variations in color is what gives Mad as a Hatter that...manic look that endears it to me. Since Icicle Lights is missing that, it becomes easy to tell which fingers have which, particularly in sunlight. The Icicle Lights fingers are the ones where a band of silver sheen moves from one side of my nail to the other. And Mad as a Hatter fingers are the ones where every individual color of glitter catches the light at the same time and sets my nails on like...rainbow fire. The picture isn't very good, but I hope the last photo showed some of what I mean. 

    But the good news is that these guys are fairly similar, in that both are a silver-based, multi-colored glitter with the same dark cast to them. When I'm indoors and I hold my hand all the way out and let my eyes lose focus, they look the same. So if you don't look too much at the details, Icicle Lights could possibly act as a placeholder for Mad as a Hatter until you can locate the real thing. In any case, I'd really advise against purchasing Icicle Lights (especially off eBay) thinking that it will be a Mad as a Hatter clone, because you will be sorely disappointed. Icicle Lights is like...Mad as a Hatter sans its muchness. 

   If you've made it this far, then not only do I shake you warmly by the hand, but you also get a chance to win a little something something. I have another brand new bottle of Icicle Lights, and it could be yours if you want it. All you have to do is be a Phalanges Friend (I prefer not to call people followers), and leave a comment with your name and email address. If you were already one before this post went live, you get one extra entry. Anyone in the world can enter until 11:59 pm January 30, 2011 EST, and I'll be picking a winner on February 1, 2011. Yay! n_n