I’ve been craving something red especially after having a lengthy discussion with Jonesy this weekend about finding the perfect red nail polish. She had recently found her holy grail red (she has promised a post on this soon) and had to call me asap because she knew I would understand her excitement =) I, on the other hand, have about a dozen “perfect reds.” My favorite is still Chanel Dragon, but I’m always open to trying something new. After a 9 to 1 vote on Twitter for bright red cremes (versus dark red shimmer), I put on Le Métier de Beauté Ken Downing’s Kontagious Koral (exclusive to Neiman Marcus & Bergdorf Goodman) & Chanel Coromandel #473 (discontinued).
Le Métier de Beauté Kontagious Koral is a limited edition shade created by Neiman Marcus Fashion Director Ken Downing. It’s a hot vibrant warm red coral that I believe is universally flattering. (Proof can be seen on The Ultimate Makeup, Perilously Pale & Pink Sith to name a few.) It’s one of the brightest reds I own but still very wearable. To those who wanted a red version Dior’s Aloha, this will be the answer to your prayers. It applied beautifully with just one coat but I almost always prefer at least two. The finish is smooth, even and rich.
Chanel Coromandel is an old favorite. It’s a warm coral red with a hint of shimmer in the bottle. On the nails the shimmer does not really show up though. Compared to LMdB’s Kontagious Koral, it’s a deeper almost more mature kind of warm red. I believe it’s been discontinued now. This is a classic shade I wish they would bring back.
Here I’ve tried to show the difference (Chanel has a bit of shimmer):
I couldn’t get a good shot showing them on the fingers and toes side by side. The cloudy weather made the colors look the same with my camera. I did try a swatch comparison with a few other colors. No luck here either. For comparison purposes, you can see Dior Trafalgar is more orangey than Le Métier de Beauté Kontagious Koral. I’ve compared it to Chanel Rouge Fatal a deeper red to show the brightness of the other shades.
They are both fairly similar but not exact dupes. Bottom line is that I can’t stop staring at my nails. The Kontagious Koral is listed as limited edition but you can still get it online at Neimanmarcus.com. What are your favorite bright reds?
