Reader comparison: Essie Bouncer, It's Me! vs. Revlon Royal

When I posted pics of the new Essie Summer 2013 Neons a little while ago, a few of you asked if the blue shade, Bouncer, It's Me! might be a dupe for the Revlon Top Speed shade Royal. As luck would have it, the other day PolishPundit on Instagram said that she had just purchased Bouncer, It's Me, so I asked her if she thought it was similar to Revlon Royal. She then did a comparison for us (yay!) and was nice enough to share the following info and pics:

 image used with permission from @polishpundit

Revlon Royal vs. Essie Bouncer, It's Me!

Keep reading for swatches and info...

 image used with permission from @polishpundit

@olishpundit writes:

Comparison of Essie Bouncer, It's Me! to Revlon Royal. The main similarity between these two is the very sheer jelly formula. Essie suggests using these neons over a white polish and I definitely agree. Not only will that make the color more vibrant, but will also eliminate the visible nail line. Differences are clear in that BIM is lighter and brighter and Royal is darker and borders on navy blue when next to BIM. The formula of Royal is also easier to work with in that BIM is quite patchy and somewhat difficult to work with (which is characteristic of neons). Side by side, these definitely aren't dupes, which works for a blue polish fanatic like me. Both swatches are two coats over base coat and with a coat of Seche Vite on top. 

 image used with permission from @polishpundit

The verdict is in: Not dupes!

Thanks so very much, @polishpundit, for taking the time to do this comparison for us. It's very good to know that the Essie Summer Neons probably work best with a coat of white underneath, and it's also great to know that if you already own Revlon Royal, you won't be getting a dupe if you buy Bouncer, It's Me!