I’ve been putting the Louboutin Rouge Nail Colour ($50 for 0.4 fl oz/13 ml) to the test for the past month on multiple occasions (tips and toes). The bottle is a remarkable work of art made with an extremely sturdy glass bottle and spike handle. My inbox was flooded months ago with e-mails about this polish from readers who had seen it in Europe before we received this in the US. I wasn’t going to purchase one due to the price, but there was so much excitement from some of my readers and after seeing swatches I caved and ordered one. The Louboutin Rouge has sold out multiple times in stores and online. Some of the sites have restocked while others have this on back order. My local stores did not receive any of the polishes so if you’re like me you might have to do a bit of research to track one down.
Louboutin Rouge is a deep rich red that matches the soles of the covetable Louboutin shoes exactly. I’ve found quite a few reds that come close or look pretty similar from arm’s length, but nothing I’ve tried matches it exactly. The formula is very fluid with super opaque coverage. You do need two coats though. With my first few tries I found the brush to be a bit challenging to work with. It’s a longer skinny brush which I found needed a bit of wiggling and angling to control. It is a softer brush which allows you to control it more. I’m used to the dense thick chiseled brushes that are goof-proof, so this one took a few tries but it does apply flawlessly on the nails. (I tend to be challenged when it comes to getting even application around the cuticles).
The bottles are very study and the design is amazing. The bottles have a unique multi-faceted shape. They stand up quite tall (approximately 8 inches tall). Each polish comes with the base encased in a box with a removable cap. There is a circular cut out on the top for the spike.
In terms of lasting power I’ve had phenomenal results. As mentioned in my hand and nail care essentials post, lasting power of a nail lacquer will depend on your nail care, length, daily or weekly activities. Shorter nails will have less contact with hard surfaces (such as keyboards if you type a lot). Also the angle in which you hold your fingers will also determine how much contact the tips have with any given surface.
(the second bottle is a gift I purchased for a friend)
In testing the Louboutin Rouge nail polish, I found without any base or top coat, the nail polish had significant tip wear and chipping on the third day. By itself I found the polish looked amazing but lasting power wasn’t so great by itself, however I do believe this is the case with most polishes I’ve tried. Louboutin does have a Manicure Care Kit with a base and top coat available but I haven’t tested it (not sure if I want to splurge on this). I tested the polish with a few other brands of base/top coat. I really liked it with the Creative Nail Design Sticky Base Coat and Formula X Top Coat. With this combination I was able to get 7 Days of polish wear, no chipping and tip wear didn’t start to appear very slightly until Day 6 on a few fingers.
Swatches with two coats of Louboutin Rouge and the Formula X Top Coat:
I tried to photograph some comparisons but I found the reds very difficult to capture accurately on camera. I have two very close dupes which have a slight difference in real life. I’ll add descriptions as a substitute to help you gauge the difference. I recommend googling reviews to see what others have compared as well.
- Guerlain Rouge D’Enfer 121 is almost identical in undertone, intensity and pigment, the Guerlain has a more of an orange undertone though
- Dior Captain is brighter with a jelly finish, it’s almost orange-looking next to all the other reds
- Chanel Enthusiast (d/c) is 2-3 shades lighter and clearly more orange (although it looks close in the photo)
- Rescue Beauty Lounge Gondoliere is brighter, more orange, more transparent
- Chanel Pirate is deeper and has a lot more blue/cool tones
- Chanel Rouge Rubis is pretty close but slightly lighter in color, the Chanel also has a sheerer finish
- Chanel Dragon is darker and has more brown
One last photo:
Updated 9/14/2014: Ingredients from bottom of the box label
I’m really pleased with the quality, color and lasting power. I’ve accumulated several Louboutin nail polishes so far (Lady Twist swatched here, some nudes and pops coming soon) and the colors I’ve tested so far are really lovely. The pigment is excellent and smooth. Before I tried the Louboutin Rouge I was worried I wouldn’t like it, but so many of my readers put me at complete ease – I’ve received so many emails and comments from others who have splurged and absolutely adore theirs.
I didn’t want to spend $50 per bottle and I didn’t want to fall in love but I have. I don’t know that I can say these were worth every penny, these are more of a splurge than a necessity, even for the die-hard nail polish collector. The price is extremely high for a nail polish but it is something specially created by a luxury designer. These are a luxurious splurge, but I’m very pleased.
Due to the popularity of this color, you might need to wait a bit to find one since it has been selling very quickly. My local stores did not have this so I ordered online. It’s available at Christian Louboutin, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Sephora.
Did you purchase any of the Louboutin nail colors? Which ones?
GAH! I was sooooo hoping it wasn't love. I'm a sucker for an amazing shade of red.
It's love but you can definitely dupe it, or at least have on something that looks identical from a few feet away. My husband said he thought it looked nice but that he wouldn't recognize it as a Louboutin red and I have to say I agree.
Thank you for the review! I believe that only this shade has the ombre bottle – is that right? And is it the same size bottle & spike handle as the other shades? I'd love to see this one side by side with one of the colored ones if you get a chance 🙂
Hi Emi, you're correct the red is the only one with an Ombre bottle and yes, all the bottles of all colored polishes are the same size/amount. The red spike is a little over an inch taller than the other bottles. I'll try to do a side by side in my next post.
I'm not sure about the treatment base/top coat though, I haven't seen them in person or checked on product amounts.
This definitely mimics the sole of the shoes perfectly! I've never seen a polish so glossy.
nueyork.blogspot.com
Like you I was hoping not to love these, but I completely do. I have since ordered and received Miss Loubi and Tres Décolleté, both so pretty. I ordered (not yet arrived) the Sevillana and Zermadam, maybe not totally unique colors, but the chip resistance and wear time is so great I imagine I will reach for these over the similar colors I own. Great review and photos as always!
Oooh, I have Miss Loubi and love it!!! Tres Décolleté is also gorgeous!
I don't think I could ever justify spending that much on a bottle of nail polish. $50 in my local currency is about RM165-ish, add in the taxes, it would sum up to a month of fuel for my car.
Gas or polish? But they are oh-so-pretty….
shamelesslypolished.blogspot.com
Simply perfect!
Lots of love, xx
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so beautiful
The bottle is simply beautiful, even if it seems quite uncomfortable to use. I don't know if I'll buy it, anyway, because it's too expensive. No nail polish is worthy all the money and I also would like to know if these nail polishes contains toxic ingredients.
Post has been updated with a snapshot of the ingredients label from bottom of the box.
I love Rouge Louboutin even more than my holy grail Chanel London Bus Red. I have no issue splurging on something so beautiful and it's performance (I top it with Dior Gel Coat) makes it worth the money on a practical level too. Today I have on Loubi 'Very Privé', I've bought Pluminette, Bengali, Miss Loubi, La Favourita, and next week I will order Sevillana, Khol, Madame Est. The only colour that I have been disappointed in was Batignolles which was much darker than all the photos. I sent that one back. I agree with two coats for optimum but the first time I did get away with one. I have them displayed on a glass box, out of their box, on my dressing table. They look soooo pretty that even my husband commented. No going back now…….they are a permanent feature of my beauty armoury and I probably will buy most of the first 30 over the next few months. Xx
Love the tip on using it with the Dior Gel top coat, that is one I had not yet tried. I love the collection you have!
I bought Batignolles which I adore, although I find it applies darker on the nails than what it looks like in the bottle. I also agree it looks deeper in real life compared to online photos. I still adore it.
This is amazing! Ive always wanted a pair of louboutins! x
BerrieBlogs {beauty blog}
I splurged on this as well when it was released here August 1st – even though it wound up costing me a hefty CAN $66.00 with all taxes in! You're so right when you talk about what an amazing formula it has, although I found it to be quite staining unless I doubled up on base coat first. Still, seeing your last post on Lady Twist convinced me to check out a few more colours from this line (I may have indulged some more, thanks to you!) Lovely swatches as always, Sabrina – PS: are the Loubs new, or do you have some protective coating on the soles to keep them looking so pristine? I hate it when mine get scuff marks, lol!
Hi, my nude Louboutins are sorta/kinda new. I bought them back in May but haven't had an occasion to wear them yet (crazy I know). Plus with the hot summer heat I've been living in sandals or open toed shoes.
What a beautiful red. I am certainly more tempted to splurge on this after reading your post — your photos are gorgeous!
Thank you! If you end up spluring I'll be really anxious to read your post on it 🙂
I absolutely love the packaging and presentation of this collection, but I wouldn't buy the nail polish.
I completely understand, it took me a lot of thinking before I caved and bought it.
Amazing swatches! I've really been on the fence about these polishes. If I were to splurge I have my eye on a couple in the Noirs collection but if I were to spend that much money it should on the iconic red..too many decisions.
LOL, I think if you were to splurge, go with something more unique from the noirs. The red can be easily duped and there are tons of classic reds that are beautiful from other lines. I do think it is iconic as you said though, so yes, I'm with you on the too many to choose from mindeset 🙂
OMG, not only nail polish is perfect, but also shape of it… I really can't wait while I will buy smth simmilar :))
Amazing! The packaging is what makes me buy it even with the price point. I think it would look fantastic on the vanity.
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