Rescue Beauty Dead Calm vs China Glaze First Mate

Rescue Beauty Lounge Dead Calm and China Glaze First Mate (looking less navy in the photo than in person)

I love a good navy blue cream. So peaceful and calm, and honestly appropriate for any time of year. My new favorite had been China Glaze's First Mate from the Anchors Away collection, but then I received Dead Calm in a swap and thought the two looked awfully similar. Did I need both, or would they look different on the nail than in the bottle? Would Rescue Beauty's consistently easy formula sway my love for First Mate? Find out after the jump!

Here's a second bottle shot.  Again, these came out looking brighter than they do in person.  Think a little more navy.

Here they are after one coat.  Dead Calm on the left, First Mate on the right.  Right off the bat, I am reminded how much I love Rescue Beauty's formula - nearly opaque in one coat, and substantially more even coverage than the China Glaze polish.  Also, the colors are a little different - First Mate is a little more muted, a little bit lighter while Dead Calm is a deep navy beauty.

One coat again - First Mate on top, Dead Calm on bottom.

One coat, again - different light.

Ok, here we are after two coats (below).  Excuse the messy application for First Mate on the right.  Dead calm is on the left.  Both polishes looking opaque now, and the difference in color is still apparent.  First Mate is a little lighter, a little more grayed.  Dead Calm is deep dark navy blue.

Two coats again, First Mate on top, Dead Calm on bottom.

I still love First Mate, but Dead Calm is definitely the truer navy polish and it's hard to beat the formula.  Luckily, I can justify having both in my collection!  The colors really aren't that similar when paired side by side.