On my nails right now: OPI Wonderous Star from the holiday OPI + Mariah Carey collaboration. I just checked out the collection at my local Ulta even though the collection was released several months ago (see swatches on Beauty Geeks and Makeup and Beauty Blog). Wonderous Star is a glorious champagne gold sparkle infused with chunks of black glitter. The base is clear making the finish slightly transparent. I applied it with two coats and was impressed that the finish was very smooth even though it was loaded with glitters and sparkle. I haven’t seen anything like it. It’s definitely one of a kind.
Swatched with two coats:
I definitely recommend checking it out sooner than later before it’s gone. What do you have on your nails right now?
Chanel spring brings us two new Le Vernis shades in Charivari #603 and Tapage #605 ($27 each). Both are rich vibrant creams without any shimmer. If you didn’t like the dusty/muted effect of Paradoxal (swatched here) or Elixir (review here), you may find the colors from the spring collection will suit your taste better. They are sharp and rich in color.
Charivari #603 is a dark purple cream. It applied smoothly with two coats. I found it to be an exact dupe for Rescue Beauty Lounge Recherché (sold out). If you already own that shade you do not need both.
Comparisons to Rescue Beauty Lounge Recherche, JinSoon Debonair (swatched here), Chanel Paradoxal (here) and Dior Purple Mix (discontinued):
Tapage #605 is a rich bright red pink. This one was a bit difficult to photograph. It has an incredibly bright base. In all my photos it looks like a straight red. It’s actually a pink-red in real life. In the bottle I assumed it was a straight pink, but after comparing it to other pinks, I found this one to be more red. I like this color because it has the holiday new-year’s feel without being the traditional red or pink, it’s somewhere in between.
Comparisons to Chanel Rose Exhuberant, Lilis (swatch here), Fracas (swatch here), Elixir (swatch here) and Pulsion (swatch here).
The quality, coverage and pigment of both shades are excellent. The colors are safe classics and similar to many other rich pink-reds or purples, but I’m particularly smitten with Tapage. If you’re looking for something new and unique you may want to wait for other collections to arrive in the next month.
Chanel Charivari #603 and Tapage #605 Le Vernis both retail for $27 each. You should be able to find the collection at your counters now. I found mine at Nordstrom.
Burberry Oxblood No. 303 Nail Polish ($21 for 8ml/.27 fl oz) is one of the eighteen nail polishes just released by Burberry Beauty. It’s a stunning dark red wine shade with a sheerish jelly base. There is a lot of red in the base which prevents it from being too dark. Still it’s dark enough to be vampy. I found it applied well with two coats although a third coat made it look best.
Removeable cap:
Wide and flat brush:
There have been mixed feelings about the formula. I tested this with two different applications. The first was with a professional manicure – my manicurist noted that the brush on this nail polish was poorly designed with rough bristles making it hard to get an accurate finish by the cuticles. Still application was pure perfection with two coats. She expressed her strong dislike for the formula and the design. I tried a second time on my own (photos with own application shown below) and found it slightly more difficult to work with compared to Chanel, Dior and Tom Ford but was still able to get a decent application. Lasting power was quite good. I used my usual go-to’s Deborah Lippmann’s Rehydrating Base Coat and Chanel’s Top Coat – the manicure lasted well over 5 days.
I give Burberry Oxblood a thumbs up for lasting power and color. The brush could use some improvement for easier application. I did have to be more careful to not over-apply the color to the nail and get an even application. It’s currently sold out online but on backorder for another week. You might want to check your Burberry counters to see if they have stock in stores.
You can find Burberry Oxblood Nail polish online at Nordstrom. If you’re a fan of the oxblood-colored theme, check out the other variations of the Lip Mist, Lip Cover and Lip Glow. (I bought all three.)
Chanel just released their Nuit Magique shades in the US in Cosmic and Magic ($27 each, limited-edition at Macys.com and Chanel.com). I found mine in store at Macy’s this past weekend. Both shades apply smoothly and flawlessly with two coats. The colors are very similar to past releases, but are still a bit different. Scroll down for comparisons.
Cosmic is a black infused with silver sparkles. It’s very sheer on the first coat but smooths out perfectly with the second. The silver shimmer is nearly invisible on the nails. I can only see them in direct sunlight or with a high flash. Even though the sparkle doesn’t show up I do think it prevents the color from being too harsh or flat-looking.
For comparisons I pulled Steel (limited from 2010), Black Satin, Noir Ceramic (discontinued). Cosmic is like a cross between Black Satin and Noir Ceramic.
Magic is a dark blue cream with a hint of teal. It’s a lovely striking shade on the nails. Magic is very similar to the Blue Rebel that was released a few years ago but there is a noticeable difference (scroll down for swatches). Magic is shown with 2 coats.
Comparisons show Magic is slightly deeper and more teal compared to the Blue Rebel from a few years ago. Below: Blue Satin, Blue Rebel (no longer available), and Blue Boy (no longer for sale).
I love both and think they are both worth having even though there are similar shades in previous releases. If you want to avoid dupes you can skip these though. Do keep in mind they are limited-edition.
The Nuit Magique shades can be found at Macy’s and Macys.com as well as various Chanel Boutiques and Chanel.com.
Saks has released an exclusive nail trio this year, the Diorific Vernis Gold Coffret ($70, limited-edition). The colors in this set include Almee #291 a sheer sparkly gold with tiny micro glitters, Aladin #668 a warm metallic copper, and Apparat #871 a shimmery red infused with gold. It’s a repeat of last year’s Printemps Christmas 2012 set released in
limited quantities and stores. It also contains Apparat, a repeat from
holiday 2011.
Each shade comes packaged in the beautiful holiday bottles with the gold twist off caps. Everything from the gold box to the packaging and colors is exquisite. Dior really created lovely nail colors for the holiday.
Almee #291 is a sheer sparkly gold. I suspect this will be a better top coat on warm colors to add shimmer and sparkle. The shimmer is infused with tiny clear glitters. It’s beautiful in the bottle and on the nails (even though it’s very very sheer). Here it is with three coats:
Aladin #668 is a beautiful warm coppery gold metallic shade. The metallic quality makes it apply slightly lighter on the nails compared to what you see in the bottle. I was impressed with this and how it applied pretty much streak-free (considering it’s a metallic). I didn’t have time to photograph swatch comparisons next to other Dior or Chanel golds, but Aladin is softer and lighter with a more refined shimmer giving it a softer look. Two coats below.
Apparat #871 is a repeat from holiday 2011 in special packaging. It’s a lovely neutral-cool red with gold shimmer. The pigment is incredibly rich and applies smoothly. I don’t think I ever swatched this one on the nails on this blog but it’s a lovely metallic red. (Nail wheel swatch here.)
Dior’s Diorific Vernis Gold Coffret Trio is a luxurious boxed set. The colors are lovely – especially for the holiday and I think it would make a lovely gift for the holidays. Even though I already own Apparat in the regular bottle I still think this is worth purchasing just for the packaging alone. It’s limited-edition and available in stores at Saks and online at Saks.com.
My latest from Marc Jacobs Beauty is the Nail Lacquer in Daisy #102 ($18 for 13 ml/0.43 fl oz). It’s been on my radar for months and I finally caved and purchased it. Daisy is a pearly ivory pink. It’s a shimmery color that is slightly transparent for a soft pearly finish. The formula requires two coats. The first coat will apply a bit streaky but it evens out with the second. Note you need to let the first one dry completely before applying the second. The result is a pearly color that brightens the skin. Lasting power is extremely impressive with this color. I saw no chips, tip wear or peeling by day 5 and only removed it to play with other shades. I give this polish a huge thumbs up for quality, wear and price.
The bottles have a removeable cap:
Closeups to show the soft pearlescent quality:
Here it is swatched with two coats, in sunlight it glows:
I pulled Chanel Island (discontinued), Chanel Django (discontinued), Rescue Beauty Lounge Pink Shimmer and Deborah Lippmann Sarah Smile to compare. All shades with two coats except for the Deborah Lippmann which has 4 coats to achieve full coverage.
In low light the colors look very similar so I hope these descriptions will help highlight the differences. Chanel Django is more beige/yellow. Rescue Beauty Pink Shimmer is more beige. Deborah Lippmann requires at least 4 coats to get the same coverage as 2 coats of the Marc Jacobs.
You can find Marc Jacobs Daisy online at Sephora and Marc Jacobs (also in stores). I’m really impressed with this color. It’s polished, demure, feminine and subtle enough for everyday wear but contrasts with the skin enough to be visible on the hands. It gives a lovely polished look. For other features on Marc Jacobs Nail Lacquers you can see the posts from August for Petra here, Gatsby here, and Le Charm here.
Have you tried Marc Jacobs beauty yet? What are your favorite nail colors? I’m still eyeing a few more colors! Any rants or raves on any of the other products? I just bought my first lip gel (still testing) but haven’t bought anything else yet.
Due to the shimmer and neon quality of the pinks in these colors I found it a bit difficult to photograph accurately. I found Tom Ford Trophy Wife to be most similar to Chanel Rouge Carat. The difference is very slight from arm’s length. The Tom Ford is more pink. Chanel is more red and more frosted.
