Dupe Alert: Lusting After OPI Rainbow Connection, Buying Sally Hansen Salon Effects Polish Strips in Frock Star

Like Lynnie, Opi's on my mind: the more I see Rainbow Connection, €12.50ish, from the current Muppets collection being blogged, lusted after and (urgh ... can hardly bring myself to type this stupid word) hauled (blee) left, right and centre, the more I want it. I'd say my chances of getting it are fairly slim, though the next time I find myself on Drury Street I'm heading for Sally's to see if they have any left.

Anyway, in the midst of all that oohing and aahing, I knew it was reminding me of something else. Something I'd seen recently, something else that was a new launch ...

Except I couldn't quite pin it down.

Until I did, in one of those eureka moments.

You know, those eureka moments that come to you at 5am when you didn't get to bed till 2am because you were up late working, and then your brain is awake and you can't go back to sleep? Yeah, one of those.

ANYWAY.

At least it was a fruitful eureka moment. The polish it caused synapses to fire and connect the dots together on was in fact Sally Hansen's Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips in Frock Star, €8.95. It's blimmin' identical. They're both multi-coloured confetti finishes with lots of metallic glitter and while Opi has different sized paillettes in there, hell, there's not much in it.

So, if I can't find me a bottle of Rainbow Connection this Christmas I reckon I'll have no problem picking up a pack of Frock Stars. Bonuses? I'll save a few quid, there'll be no zillion year layering process to build up the finish and I'll get a neat, quick result in seconds.

Read our guide to Sally Hansen nail strips application here, and if you're after a few other current polish dupes then Catrice's ace After Eight apes Chanel's Black Pearl rather nicely while Essence is snapping at Deborah Lippmann's heels with copies of Across the Universe (Blue Addicted) and her Shake Your Groove Thing (Make it Golden).