The blue is certainly less navy and more gray/aqua but that works great with my room.  The pink is less purple than it appears on screen, but I also loved that.  The rug is pretty thin, which helps with vacuuming up dog hair. I did buy a rug pad and certainly glad I did, it makes it cozy to be on the floor.  I didn't experience any bad smells when I opened it. Overall, this is a great rug for the price and I'm thrilled with it.