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?
Delicious and stunning! I am going to change my pedi as soon as I get out of this cast!
Thanks for the great photos and helpful comparisons! I really wanted Dior's Trafalgar, but it was sold out, so I'm happy to have Kontagious Koral as there is not a huge difference — both gorgeous!
Great.
My favorites for the best reds are:
Chanels Rouge Fatal
and
Essie Berry Hard (darker)
Too lightly is not my opinion 😉
Best regards,
Astrid from Germany
I love your nails & toes! Great photos!
As much as I love K.Koral and find that it's the perfect summer red, I can't believe Coromandel has been discontinued! It's one of my favorite red polishes 🙁
Gorgeous! My fav is Rescue Beauty Lounge's Chinoise, perfection!
those are so pretty!! I love the toes 🙂
OPI for Sephora's Fiercely Fabulous is very, very close to Ken's Koral. I'm with Jill – RBL's Chinoise for bright reds all the way!
You said you have about a dozen "perfect reds". Can you please do a post on your favorite reds? 🙂
Dragon is definitely my favorite red! So gorgeous and flattering.
My favorite red was Essie's Macks which I think has been (sadly) discontinued.
After your post I've realized I have in incredibly limited collection of candy reds. The only ones I have is SOPI Fiercely Fabulous and an old L'Oreal in the back of my drawer. It's odd, because I really love candy red. I think it's difficult to find a perfect red that's very shiny, not too pink, and not too orange. Dior Trafalgar is gorgeous and fits the bill. I'm sad that it was such a limited edition!
Thank so much for the mention. I adore Kontagious Koral. I was also stunned by the wear time on it. I had to make myself take it off my toes 😉
Coromandel looks gorgeous. No one does subtle shimmer like Chanel. You're right. They must bring this one back because I need to try it!
Love the Coromandel and trafalgar of Dior..
Coromandel is perfect on your toes! Cute shoes, too 🙂
I just love Coromandel, such a classy colour!
The Dior looks amazing.
Fave true reds:
MAC – Liza (this is very old)
Zoya – Asia
RBL – Chinoise
I think I have about 30 reds or so but the ones above are my faves.
Bastien Gonzalez (one of the most renowned manicurists, famed for his clean cuticle work) makes a shade called "One & Only Red". I've never tried it, but it does look heartstoppingly chic, no?
Thank you for such great reviews and beautiful photos. My local Bloomingdale's Chanel salesperson absolutely loves you, since every time I read your blog, Im out the door to Bloomingdale's. I also wanted to let you know that Chanel's Coromandel is coming back sometime in September. I'm not sure though if it will be permanent or limited edition. Thanks!