Nail Polish Swatches Purples

My nail polish collection is large. Polishes kept in good condition (away from heat or light) can last a long time, longer than the two years many people quote. A good thinner (I use Seche Vite) can also revive them. I have tossed polishes when thinner cannot save them or they have obviously gone bad, but it is rare. When I started collecting polishes again, I tossed all polishes older than the summer of 2013. To avoid ordering duplicates, I created a spreadsheet. Swatching them with these spoons I purchased from Amazon will help me compare the colors, finishes, and overall quality. All polishes only have one coat, because I wanted to spot the difference between my sheer and opaque polishes. We’ve all seen polishes that look dark in the bottle only to need 3-4 coats for opaqueness. No polishes have base or top coats either, because that can change the way the polish looks.

This will cover purples. These polishes look purple in the bottle or have purple in the polish name. They are not necessarily labeled purple by the polish manufacturer and do not always look purple once they’re swatched. Every time I get a new purple polish, I will edit this to add the new polish in. Of course, the polish will also be featured in the article reviewing the purchase. If you’d like to see any of my other nail polish colors, I also have articles for Corals & Oranges, Yellows & Golds, Browns & Blacks, Blues, Greens, Beiges & Nudes, Coppers and Bronzes, Reds, Sheers & Whites, Salmon & Wines, Grays & Silvers, Pinks, and Nail Treatments, Base Coats, & Top Coats.

I photographed the purples in order from lightest to darkest and used a flash. Of course, the second and third pictures start with the darker purples that did not fit in the first picture. The flash is wonderful at picking up detail and finish. The individual pictures below use natural daylight for a more exact color. When I add new polishes, I will not take group pictures again, but I will place the new individual picture in order of where it lies within the shade meaning every article will have the lightest shade first and the darkest last.

Sinful Colors Sheer Genius is a sheer purple with green and red micro glitter. This looks very purple in the bottle, but the purple is almost non-existent in the swatch. The finish is semi matte and smooth.

Nails Inc Porchester Square looks like a pale light purple in the bottle. It looks almost taupe in person. The finish is semi matte and smooth.

OPI The Taupe of the Iceberg is a taupe that leans purple. The finish is semi matte and smooth.

Julep Shari is a sweet pea creme. It is supposed to be a pink, but I see a hint of purple in the bottle. To view colors similar to Shari, look in pink shades. The finish is semi matte and smooth.

Julep Lulu is a light white-purple. The finish is matte and smooth.

Julep Ramona is a lavender-rose. The finish is semi matte and smooth.

Sephora Pantone Universe Orchid Chrome is a sheer polish with orchid glitter. The finish is semi matte and slightly rough. A top coat can smooth it out.

Julep Queen Anne is a sheer polish with a high concentration of purple and gold glitter. The finish is semi matte and pretty rough. A top coat or two can smooth it out.

Julep Ariana is an enchanted berry iridescent chrome with multi-colored glitter. It is a semi-sheer polish, but color can be built. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Julep Camilla is a grape lollipop jelly. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Ciate Caviar Pearls Cupid’s Arrow is a three-step polish. You lay down a base, add the dry pearls on top, and add a top coat to seal the pearls down. It has a few different colors in the pearls, but purple stands out most. I purposely left the top coat off for the picture to show what the “polish” looks like on its own without assistance from a top coat. Without the top coat, the pearls fall off. They were covered fully when I first did this. The finish is semi matte and very rough. No amount of top coat can smooth this out.

Butter London Lovely Jubbly is a sheer polish with a high concentration of colored glitter. Although it has many colors of glitter, the purple shines through most. The finish is semi matte and pretty rough. A top coat or two can smooth it out.

Julep Kimberly is a pale purple with blue glitter. The finish is matte (which can look slightly glossy when the light hits the glitter) and slightly rough. A top coat can smooth it out. This is my namesake, so while the polish itself is not my favorite, it is the one I love most. See this featured in a pedicure.

Julep Phia is a pale purple polish with purple, red, and green micro glitter. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Julep Farrah is a lilac silk. It has a satin finish enhanced by very fine green and red micro glitter. The finish is glossy and smooth.

Julep Townlie is an iced lilac metallic. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Julep Charlene is a chrome polish with a hint of lavender. In the light, she almost looks duo-chrome, purple and silver. The finish is semi glossy and smooth. This was added after the group shot, so it is not pictured above.

Essie Nothing Else Metals is a metallic lilac purple. While you cannot see your reflection in it, this does look like a purple mirror. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Sephora Pantone Universe Radiant Orchid is a sheer orchid. The finish is semi matte and smooth.

Julep Connie is a hot magenta-plum. To view similar colors to Connie, look in pink shades. The finish is matte and smooth.

Julep Katie is an orchid iridescent chrome with pink micro glitter. The finish is semi glossy and mostly smooth. A top coat will smooth it out.

The middle purple colors are below.

Julep Lainey is a summer berry. It is a pinkish-purple that looks pink sometimes and purple others. This is probably because it is a purple with pink glitter. I see it as a color shifter. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Clinique Hot Date is a purple polish that looks pink in certain light. It is a bit on the sheer side, but the color builds. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Wet n Wild Megalast Through the Grapevine is a purple than resembles a dark orchid more than it does a grape. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Julep Julep is a signature color. It resembles the box colors Julep orders are shipped in. When viewed in the dark, it looks like a pale purple. With light, it looks like a pink-purple. The finish is semi matte and smooth.

Nails Inc Devonshire Row is probably a closer match to the signature Julep purple than Julep Julep. It has less pink present, even in light. The finish is semi matte and smooth.

Julep Cally is a fuchsia iridescent chrome with pink glitter. To view colors similar to Cally, look in pink shades. The finish is semi glossy and mostly smooth. A top coat can smooth it out.

SinfulColors Kurtsey is a pale blue that looks completely purple. It is lavender. The finish is semi matte although the very micro fine glitter makes it look glossy from certain angles. This is mostly smooth. A top coat will smooth it out.

Julep Faith is a mauvewood microshimmer. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

elf Purple is from the Holiday 2017 set. It is a creme, but it takes multiple coats to build opacity. The finish is semi matte and smooth.

Formula X Hocus Pocus is a sheer duo chrome. It builds into a beautiful purple. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

elf Lilac is from the Holiday 2017 set. It is a creme, but it needs multiple coats for full opacity. The finish is semi matte and smooth.

Julep Taurus is a jeweled lilac duo metallic with matching micro glitter. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Ulta Cosmic Swirl is a purple duochrome that looks gray is some light. This shifts with green and blue. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Julep Kristjana is a sweet plum holographic. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Julep Hazel is an iridescent purple with a pink glitter. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Sally Hansen Violet Voltage is a classic violet. It is a rare color that actually shows better with the flash, so view it in the group shot for a more accurate picture. When less light is present, it does look slightly darker. The finish is semi matte and smooth.

Sephora Psychedelic is a violet shade. The finish is matte and smooth.

Butter London Ulta Violet is a medium violet creme. The finish is semi matte and smooth.

JinSoon Voile is a violet creme. The finish is semi matte and smooth.

Julep Denise is a purple crocus crème, a bright purple. It looks a little darker in less light. The finish is semi matte and smooth.

Julep Annalise is a vivid wisteria ghost iridescent. It is a purple with a blue micro glitter. Blue is only visible from certain angles or when the glitter catches the light. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Julep Morgan is a frosty grape purple shimmer. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Julep Omelia is a sparkling sugarplum stardust with pink glitter. The finish is matte (although the glitter can look glossy when it catches the light) and pretty rough. A top coat or two can smooth it out.

Julep Joanne is a smoky plum creme. The finish is semi matte and smooth.

Julep Aubrey is a rosewood shimmer with multi-colored micro glitter. The finish is glossy and smooth.

Urban Decay Naked Hustle is a plum shimmer. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

The dark purple colors are below.

Julep Sherri is an opulent purple stardust with purple glitter. The finish is matte (but it can look glossy when the light catches the glitter) and rough. Two top coats can smooth it out.

Julep Heidi is a purple teal duo chrome with a fine micro purple glitter. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Julep Sagittarius is a generous blue-violet starlit shimmer. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Julep Maggie is a frosty amethyst shimmer with light blue glitter back from the vault. The finish is semi glossy and mostly smooth. A top coat will smooth it out. She was added after the group shot, so she is not pictured above.

Ulta Pro Crown Jewels is purple with very fine purple micro glitter. The finish is semi glossy and smooth. See this polish featured in a manicure.

Julep Mariah is a plum eclipse micro shimmer. It looks more grape colored than plum. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

OPI Lincoln Park at Midnight is a deep purple which can look as dark as night when less light is present. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Urban Decay Vice is a deep purple (even more deep than the OPI above) with a very fine red micro glitter. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Julep Gayle is not as deep as Lincoln Park at Midnight or Vice, but one coat carries more opaqueness. It is as solid on the back as it is on the front, unlike the other two. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Julep Glam Roc is a midnight purple with matte gold stardust glitter. The finish is matte and rough. Two top coats can smooth it out.

Julep Elise is an indigo with purple micro glitter. This is a polish I did not already own, so this is a great addition. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Julep Joss is a ripe fig duo chrome. It looks purple to the natural eye, but only the dark gray with green shift shows any time I try to photograph it. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Julep Blakely is a purple and green molten. It leans more purple, but I can see the green thanks to the glitter. This looks gray at times, too. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Julep Becky is almost the exact same color and finish as Blakely (above). The only difference is Becky is slightly more matte. See this featured in a manicure.

Julep Gabrielle is a smoky mulberry creme with a very fine silver micro glitter. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Julep Fiore is an espresso brown creme. From certain angles, it looks brown, but it almost always looks dark purple. To view similar colors, view brown shades. The finish is semi matte and smooth.

Julep Logan is a sultry aubergine shimmer. It has a very fine micro glitter, but I cannot make out the color, likely silver. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

Julep Sandi is a smoky eggplant creme. This really looks like an eggplant. The finish is semi matte and smooth.

Sephora X Hotter Under the Water is a very deep purple. With two coats, it almost looks black (another reason I do one coat of each). The finish is semi matte and smooth.

Julep Jessie is a deep kalamata crème, which is a berry purple. The finish is semi glossy and smooth.

See all Nail Polish Swatches. View my main page for the guide map to the site and deeper deal exploration.