I never had the original, discontinued Blue pigment, but I just bought the 'new' Blue released with Rebel Rock. It does take at least 2 swipes to get an intense wash of colour, but in my opinion, I kind of like that about it because I can build the colour without worrying about putting too much on with the first swipe. That's just me though, since I'm just starting to experiment with bright, bold colours so I'm not that flashy (yet!) Regardless, it's still a beautiful colour to have in any collection...