We all know that the price we pay for cosmetics items is marked up way over the cost of manufacturing. That's fine. That's the way it works. We also often suspect that prestige and luxury brands are also probably not that much better than the cheapie stuff... that is, proportional to the price differential.
So it's incredibly funny to me that my love of "cheap thrills" could have been my love of expensive polish in this one case: Priti. Priti markets itself as an "organic" cosmetics line (and I wonder if that's just supposed to mean "B3F") and their polishes are often sold at higher end spas and healthy alternative living stores for at least $12 each. (They're $12.50 on the Priti website.)
$12.50 is a lot to pay for a polish.
But $2.00 isn't. And what company makes awesome polishes for $2?
Diamond Cosmetics. My favorite cheap thrill. :D
When All Lacquered Up posted about Priti's teal-colored Tulip Tree polish, someone on NB commented that it looked a heck of a lot like Diamond Cosmetics' Don't Teal My Heart Away. Same color, same shaped bottle. Combined with someone's recent experience going into Henri Bendel's and being led to a display of overpriced "organic" polishes, only to find one called Never So Ever-Green, it didn't take long to develop the opinion that Diamond furnishes Priti's private label polishes. Even little polish dollops on the Priti website look identical to the little polish dollops on the Diamond website. Check out the Tulip Tree dollop and the Don't Teal My Heart Away dollop. The Bluestar dollop and the Oh Tiff! dollop. The Lambstail Cactus dollop and the Chainmail Charm dollop.
So for anyone who sees a Priti polish that they REALLY REALLY want, here is a handy dandy little conversion chart based on matching the dollops to help you save money. ;) (There are more but I got tired of looking at dollops and some of the Priti polishes are missing dollops.)
| Priti | Diamond |
| A Times Rose | Warm Coral |
| Aureola | Honey Glace |
| Baby Toes Cactus | Lemon Yellow Zest |
| Bachelor's Buttons | Not Just Your Hum Drum Plum |
| Bella Donna Lily | Pink Starburst |
| Blue Moon Clematis | Iced Plum |
| Blue Parrot Tulip | Very Berry Smoothie |
| Blue Poppy | Blue Diamonds |
| Bluestar | Oh Tiff! |
| Bristol Beauty | Twilight Violet |
| Cambridge Scarlett | Smokey Rose |
| Chelsea Star | Midnight Passion |
| Cherry Ripe | Mulberry Mayhem |
| Chilean Bamboo | Cafe au Lait |
| Chocolate Cosmos | Cherry Tobacco |
| Constant Nymph | Mystical Nights |
| Cornflower | Metallic Blue |
| Crown Imperial | French Beige |
| Dandy Dahlia | Tropical Dreams |
| Darjeeling | Mauve |
| Dreamland Tulip | Sun-Kissed Coral |
| Fireglow | Orange You Sexy |
| Flamingo Flower | Romance |
| Floral Dance Matte | Matte Burgundy |
| Goldilocks | 18K Gold |
| Great Maiden's Blush | Iced Pink Parfait |
| Hardy Water Lily | Party Hearty |
| Iberica Iris | Decadence |
| Iced Maiden Violet | Lavender |
| Japonica | Raspberry Ice |
| King Protea | Bubbly |
| Lady Derby Hyacinth | Rose Suede |
| Lady Killer Crocus | Joust for Kicks |
| Lambstail Cactus | Chainmail Charm |
| Lucida Waterlily | Fuchsia Flash |
| Magic Pink LIly | Pink Ribbons |
| Mountain Laurel | Playful |
| New Dawn Rose | Golden Beige |
| Nigra | I'm Raven About You |
| Old Man Cactus | Silver Brocade |
| Oleaster | Matte Smoke |
| Paperbark Maple | Nice N Naked |
| Peekaboo Rose | Baby Bloom |
| Purpurea | Hue Are You |
| Queen of the Pink Hyacinth | Velvet Rose |
| Queen Victoria | Rubies & Diamonds |
| Ruby Giant | Matte Mulberry |
| Ruffled Velvet Iris | Monarch Masquerade |
| Schwarkopf | Midnight Blue |
| Sexy Rexy Rose | Tickled Pink |
| Silver King | Glitter Silver |
| Snapdragon | Raging Orange |
| Spring Song | Tira-mi-su |
| St Catherine's Lace | Roasty Toasty Taupe |
| Stemless Gentian | Crushed Velvet |
| Sugar Daddy | Amethyst & Diamonds |
| Sugar Daddy Petunia | Sparkling Sherry |
| Sunrise | Olivia Orchid |
| Super Purple Daylily | Darkest Desire |
| Susan Azalea | Twinkle Twinkle |
| Tulip Tree | Don't Teal My Heart Away |
| Water Hyacinth | Canyon Sunrise |
| Water Poppy | Life's a Beach |
| Widow Iris | Mudd |
| Zoja Violet | Free N Easy |
