Chanel Vertigo #563 Le Vernis – Fall 2012

Chanel Vertigo #563 is a dark murky color that I find a bit hard to describe. In the bottle the base is a blackened-brown-grey-plum. The color is infused with that signature Chanel subtle shimmer which is visible in the bottle but not so apparent on the nail. Holding the bottle at an angle to the light shows flashes of red, plum and gold in the frost. Due to the complex nature of this shade, sometimes the bottle will look like a dusty faded plum-brown, others a rich dark plum with red shimmer, and other times a flat cool grey-brown with blue tones.

When news first surfaced that Chanel would release a nail color called “Vertigo” this fall, many of us wondered if it would be a re-promote of an older Chanel shade. Good news to long-time collectors: this season’s Vertigo is completely different. See the original Chanel Vertigo on Cafe Makeup (scroll to the bottom) and Caramel Frappe. (I still wish I could get my hands on the original!)

Coverage on Vertigo #563 is rich and smooth. Application is nearly flawless with two thin coats. This gives a high shine finish which doesn’t really a top coat (in my opinion). More close ups below.

Close up of the shimmers:

Below swatches in different lighting show this sometimes looks flat, other times looks warm, and yet other times looks cool-toned.

At first glance, I thought this looked identical to Dior’s Underground and Rescue Beauty Lounge’s Recherche. Comparing them on the nails proved they are different. Chanel has mixed up a color that I find truly unique and different, even if there are other colors that are similar in the same color family. In seeing the photos above it might have you wondering: Is Vertigo plum? Brown? Gray? Black? I hope the two sets of comparisons below help answer this question. My answer is that it’s a mix of all of the above.