In January, Dior released their limited edition Gris City Collection. This fall, Dior brings us another limited edition nail polish trio in a red theme called Les Rouges. The three new shades are called Trafalgar 747, Gruau G 837 and Icône 862 ($21 each). Fashion Polish gave us an amazing sneak peek last month. I wasn’t expecting these to arrive instore/online until September, but many thanks to a few who let me know these arrived early at the Dior Boutique in Las Vegas! I suspect they will be online at Dior.com soon, store availability will most likely be exclusive to select Dior Boutiques if these are like the Gris City collection. According to Dior:
“Trafalgar 747 A bright luminous poppy red with a hint of orange. A dynamic echo of the spectacular red designs that Christian Dior liked to send out right in the middle of his shows to catch the audience’s attention.
Gruau G 837 Flamboyant and seductive, a sophisticated tribute to the radiant red of Gruau’s illustrations. The eternal passionate red of a chic Parisian. A red celebrated in a blaze at thelatest Spring-Summer 2011 Haute-Couture show, inspired by Gruau G*.
Icône 862 A dense and enchanting subtly pearly red brown, recalling Rouge icône, created by Christian Dior to light up the mythical Spring-Summer 1955 “Atout Coeur” dress. Today the House of Dior still pays symbolic tribute to this refined red with lavish dresses in every show.“
When these arrived at my door, my heart sank a little bit as they looked a bit too basic in the bottle but I knew I had to see them on the fingers to get a better idea of how they would look on me. Two coats each on three fingers resulted in absolute red perfection. They are so much better on the hands than what you see in the bottle (although the color in the bottles is still very pretty).
With a high flash:
In direct sunlight:
Dior’s descriptions are spot on and Fashion Polish had swatches and photographs that are gorgeously accurate. Trafalgar is a vibrant coral red poppy creme with the slightest hint of sparkle. The shimmer is barely detectable but I believe it gives this hot red a bit of depth to prevent it from being flat and shocking from the brightness. Gruau G is a vibrant brick red creme, also has the same finish with a tiny bit of microsparkle. Icône is a deep burgandy brownish shimmer. This one has visible shimmer but the color is dark so unless you look at the nail closely, what you see looks like a cream.
The formula is impeccable. Rich, opaque, smooth, glossy and quick-drying although Icône is a bit thicker and needs 2 full coats to get a smooth application (first coat is slightly blotchy). All swatches are without a topcoat.
Are they must-haves or unique? I would say they are not the most unique and if you have reds in your collection these are not must-haves. Still, once on the fingers, these look rich and classic and the formula is amazing. My comparisons (some are really really close in color):
L to R – Dior Trafalgar, Chanel Enthusiast, Chanel Dragon, Dior Gruau G, MAC Rouge Marie, Dior Icône, Chanel Vamp, Chanel Cosmic Violine
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To those inquiring, yes, I am still on a blogging break. These were just TOO amazing to wait until July to write about and as Chanel fall arrives instores, I suspect I will not be able to contain my excitement either.
