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Tom Ford Shameless Nail Lacquer Comparisons

November 21, 2013

Today I bring you a delayed comparison post for Tom Ford Shameless (reviewed here). You can definitely find colors similar since classic reds are very popular and done in almost every nail polish brand. I still find Tom Ford Shameless a gorgeous red cream that brightens the hands. My thoughts:
  • Chanel Dragon is the closest to Tom Ford Shameless. The Chanel is slightly cooler while the Tom Ford is warmer with a brighter quality.
  • Chanel Rouge Fatal is significantly darker than Shameless.
  • Chanel Rouge Rubis (reviewed here) looks electric next to any other reds I own.
  • Dior Marilyn (from the 2012 holiday set) is also very close in color, but more blue-based with a wine colored finish.

Tom Ford Shameless swatched below:

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Tom Ford Toasted Sugar Nail Lacquer

November 17, 2013

Tom Ford Toasted Sugar Nail Lacquer ($32 for .41 fl oz/12 ml) is a permanent shade from Tom Ford Beauty and re-promoted this holiday. It’s a creamy nude with a bit of warm peach making it the perfect nude nail polish for me. It applies smoothly with two coats although I prefer three for more coverage. I’ve had this color for almost a year now and worn this many times – I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed it yet. If you’re looking for a nice subtle nude that doesn’t look like death on the hands, you may want to check out Toasted Sugar.

With three coats:

Without any flash in late afternoon (cloudy weather):

More swatches:

Comparing Tom Ford Toasted Sugar to a few other nudes shows there is a slight difference in undertone. You can definitely get a similar effect from other colors. Below is Chanel Emprise is a lot peachier (reviewed here),  JinSoon Nostalgia is lighter (swatched here), Dior Grege is more tan (swatched here), YSL Beige Leger is almost pink by comparison, Deborah Lippmann Naked is lighter and more flesh colored (swatched here).

One last shot of Tom Ford Toasted Sugar:

I really love this color even though the price is ridiculously expensive. Most nudes tend to be on the sheer side requiring three coats which can make the color look thick on the nails. Tom Ford Toasted Sugar works well with both two or three coats without looking thick. I’m only on day two of my manicure for this review, but on past wears Toasted Sugar seemed to last better than most Tom Ford creams wearing well through day 4.
You can find Tom Ford Toasted Sugar at all Tom Ford Beauty counters. Online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdales.
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Diorific Nail Lacquer Frimas #318 | Holiday 2013

November 11, 2013

Diorific Nail Lacquer Frimas #318 ($26 for 12 ml/0.40 fl oz, limited-edition) is a new shade for the holiday. It’s a cocoa-mauve nude-pink infused with gold and silver shimmers making it somewhat complex and a bit difficult to photograph. In the bottle it appears to be a light mauve pink. On my olive skin it turns more cocoa and darkens. From what I’ve seen, it looks different on everyone making it unique.

The complex shimmers glow in the sun:

Dior Frimas is a pigmented shade. The shimmers/tiny glitters apply smoothly and evenly although they are on the large side making the contrast with the gold and the mauve visible. I applied it with two coats:

More swatches show how it looks mauve in some photos but brown in others:

I couldn’t find anything quite like it. I envisioned it being similar to Rescue Beauty Lounge Grunge, but it turned out to be very different. Here it is compared to RBL Grunge, Chanel Rose Cache, Deborah Lippmann Modern Love and Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire:

Overall Dior Frimas is a lovely unique mauve-cocoa. I think it would flatter a number of skintones for those looking for a neutral but different nude-mauve kind of shade. The color is limited-edition. For holidays Dior seems to be releasing certain shades at select counters. I couldn’t find Frimas at many counters so I’m not sure if it’s exclusive to some stores. I bought mine from Nordstrom. You can find it online now at Nordstrom, Neimans and Saks.
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Diorific Vernis Minuit #995 | Holiday 2013

November 4, 2013
Dior’s holiday 2013 collection brings new nail lacquers in the special round packaging. Diorific Vernis Minuit #995 ($26 for 12 ml/0.40 fl oz, limited-edition) is a stunning vamp-plum mixed with red and gold shimmers. I thought this would be just another standard shimmery plum but Minuit really stands out with a beautiful rich glossy finish. The red and gold flecks are visible but the color is still dark enough to be vampy. In the sunlight this color glows.

Close up of the shimmers:

Swatched with two colors results in a slightly jelly finish. It has smooth coverage but is slightly transparent making the color look more red than plum. I prefer this with three coats for full coverage. The application was smooth and easy to apply.

In indirect sunlight the color is less red and more plum:
I pulled Dior Shadow #783 (discontinued, swatched here), Dior Liquorice #972 (discontinued), Dior Galaxie #992 (reviewed here), Chanel Taboo #583 (swatched here) to compare. Dior Minuit for holiday is closest to Liquorice but Minuit is darker and more dramatic. Compared to the others below you can see how the gold flecks in Minuit make it stand out compared to other shimmers.

One last swatch of Dior Minuit:

LOVE. If you’re thinking about this shade I suggest you buy soon. I’m 100% in love with it and think it’s worth every penny. Dior Holiday should be out at your counters now. You can find Minuit #995 online now at Nordstrom and Sephora.
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Tom Ford Shameless and Trophy Wife Nail Lacquers | Jasmin Rouge 2013 Colour Collection

October 31, 2013
Above left: Shameless, Above Right: Trophy Wife

This holiday Tom Ford has released a Jasmin Rouge 2013 Colour Collection (details here) along with various holiday sets that will be coming out over the next few weeks. There are two new nail lacquers with this collection in Shameless and Trophy Wife ($32 each, now at Nordstrom.com). Both are stunning classic colors. Being classics both Shameless and Trophy Wife are probably very similar to other reds and pinks from other lines. I haven’t had time to pull comparisons as these just arrived yesterday. I’ll pull some other shades this weekend.
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Shameless is a deep classic red cream. It has rich smooth coverage. The first coat is slightly transparent but still very opaque. The texture is medium-thin making it easy to apply smoothly. It also dries very quickly. I suspect this is very similar to Chanel Dragon and Pirate (more on this in a few days).

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Trophy Wife is a deep raspberry metallic shade with a hint of fuschia. This is a gorgeous shimmer but the shimmer is very very subtle. On the nails you can see a slight metallic sheen. Due to the red base most of the time it appears to be a red with blue tones. I love that it’s not your traditional metallic fuschia which can sometimes be a bit too bright. This one is brightening but in a classic way.

Here it looks more red if the shimmer doesn’t flash:

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More photos of each shade side by side:

I think both are absolute must-haves. The quality and pigment are really amazing (even if the colors can probably be duped). At this time I’m not sure if they are limited-edition or permanent colors. They should be arriving at Tom Ford Beauty counters very soon. Right now you can find them online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Harvey Nichols. (PS The two new lipsticks with the collection are Vampire Kiss and Rouge Fatal.)

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Rococo Nail Apparel Gothic Lolita

October 30, 2013

Rococo Nail Apparel Gothic Lolita ($16.50 for 14 ml/0.5 fl oz, Space NK Apothecary) is a metallic grey nail lacquer that has a bit of a blue undertone. It’s one of those slightly jelly finish colors but has excellent and pigment. I love that it’s a metallic that virtually brush-stroke free with very smooth coverage. Due to the sheerness it is a two-three coater, but it applies evenly and very easily. What I find unique about Gothic Lolita is that it has a slight hint of blue shimmer infused throughout making this your non-traditional metallic grey. It’s edgy but not over the top. The shimmer is very smooth (versus glitzy microglitter) so those who don’t like extreme shimmers may love this one.

With two coats:

Here it’s more gray if you don’t look at the shimmers directly:

View showing both the blue tinge and grey metallic parts:

I pulled a few colors to compare. I was hoping this would be a dupe for the long discontinued Dior NY57th (reviewed here), but Gothic Lolita is significantly lighter. Also shown below is Dior Silver Lake (also limited from 2011, reviewed here), Rescue Beauty Lounge An Accidental Interloper and Chanel Graphite.

I’ve been a fan of many Rococo Nail Apparel colors (my favorite is Re-Issue, a gorgeous deep raspberry). In the US the brand is limited to SpaceNK making it a bit hard to find. If you can try the brand in person I highly recommend doing so. SpaceNK has so many niche brands which makes it almost like a playground for grown ups.

A few iPhone snapshots of the SpaceNK Apothecary inside Bloomingdales South Coast Plaza:

You can find Rococo Gothic Lolita at Space NK Stores and inside various Bloomingdale locations, also online at us.spacenk.com. I give this color a huge thumbs up for price, application, packaging and color.

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Guerlain Sulfurous #861 Nail Lacquer | Holiday 2013

October 18, 2013

Guerlain has released a new nail lacquer with their Crazy Paris Holiday 2013 Collection called Sulfurous #861 ($23, limited-edition). It’s a blackened-purple smoky shimmery shade with excellent coverage and smooth application. The color looks prettier in the bottle than on my nails but I still think it’s a lovely shade. I couldn’t find any dupes for it. I’ve had great experiences with the other shades in the Guerlain line up in terms of pigment, lasting power and overall wear. I found Sulfurous to have a shorter life-span in terms of lasting power. I had tipwear on the end of the third day of wear, but then I did not use it with the Guerlain base/top coats. Sometimes using the same brands for base, color and top coat results in the best combination – I do plan on trying them soon.

Here it is with two coats:

I pulled a Dior Aztec Chocolate (discontinued), Dior Lemon Balm (discontinued), Dior Silver Purple (discontinued) and Chanel Vertigo to compare. Guerlain Sulfrous proved to be very different.

With the exception of the so-so lasting power (which could have been due to the base/top coats I used) I am overall pleased with the color. Guerlain Sulfurous is a unique smoky color that isn’t quite like your traditional vamp but still on the dark side. It’s limited-edition so I suggest you try to buy sooner than later if you’re interested. The collection should be at counters now. I spotted it at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco last week. It’s also online now at Nordstrom, Saks and Dillards.

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