Chanel Azuré #657 Le Vernis ($27, new and limited-edition, Nordstrom.com) is this season’s prettiest metallic teal for nails. It’s one of three nail polishes from the summer collection called L’ÉTÉ PAPILLON DE CHANEL. Sorry for the brief interruption in the Armani features, but this one just couldn’t wait. Quick swatches to show the chameleon-like features of Azuré. Sometimes it’s more teal, other times it’s more of a deep blue. It applied quite smoothly for a metallic, I was afraid it would be streaky but was happy to find it applied quite well.
Quick set of closer comparisons. I don’t own anything like it and Dior’s Samba duo is similar but still different enough to justify owning both.
Chanel Azuré #657 Le Vernis retails for $27 is currently listed as limited-edition and available now in stores. It’s also online now at Nordstrom.com and Chanel.com and should be showing up at more retail locations very soon.
Teal, emerald, green and aqua seem to be the focus for nails in several collections this season. There are a number of gorgeous new green nail polishes – all of which I was unable to resist. Some are more subtle and subdued while others are bright and electric. The new shades this season inspired me to pull out my other greens for comparison. I’m currently running a top coat experiment so I won’t be able to swatch these on the nails just yet, hopefully these photos will help give you an idea in the meantime.
The inspiration: new shades for summer from Dior, Chanel, YSL, MAC and Deborah Lippmann (spotted near me in stores now at Macy’s, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom):
Dior’s Samba Duo ($29, spotted instore at Macys, Nordstrom and Nordstrom.com)
YSL Vert D’Orient #36 ($25 instores and here at Nordstrom.com)
MAC Mineralize Lip Balm in Glacé ($20 here at Nordstrom.com)
Deborah Lippmann Rockin’ Robin ($19 at in store and online at Nordstrom.com)
All the nail colors in greens, teals, aquas: OPI Thanks a Windmillion, YSL Jade Imperial (limited from spring 2013), Dior Waterlily (limited from spring 2012), Dior Samba Duo (summer 2013), Chanel Azure (summer 2013), Deborah Lippmann Mermaid’s Dream, Rescue Beauty Lounge Jack (limited), JINsoon Charade (at Sephora), JINsoon Metaphor (at Sephora), Chanel Black Pearl, YSL Vert d’Orient, Deborah Lippmann Rockin’ Robin (spring 2013):
For quick reference here’s one more shot of the bottom wheel at a different angle so you can see the difference in undertone between Chanel Azure and Dior Samba:
I love how vibrant and bright the shades are this season although I do wonder if I will be brave enough to pull them off on the fingers for everyday wear at the office. I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to wear them on the toes. Teal/Emerald as a small accessory or accent piece? Even a blouse? Definitely yes, but on the fingers, I’ll have to experiment to see. More detailed swatches and reviews to come in the next few days as soon I possibly can.
What’s your favorite teal, green or emerald shade for nails? Are you picking up any of the new greens this spring/summer?
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Dior has released a Sephora-exclusive nail polish called Lilac Colorvision #398 ($24, limited on Sephora.comand in stores). It’s a new shade to the US, but actually a repromote of a Japan Exclusive Frou Frou #398 (see review on Ala Peach). It’s currently sold out online but the Find In Store feature shows that physical stores should still have it in stock. I found mine in-store several weeks ago.
Lilac Colorvision #398 is a lovely cream light lilac nail color. Many lilacs are either too pink or pale and end up clashing with my skintone but the Dior #398 has enough color to not look chalky. It has a very fresh youthful look that’s lovely for spring. The application was smooth and flawless with two coats – Dior keeps getting better and better.
Swatches below with two coats, no top coat, I was happy to find it dried to a glossy finish very quickly:
I don’t own many lilac shades to compare, but I pulled a few purples from Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana and OPI to compare (each photo has the same set, just different lighting):
Bottom line gorgeous. If you’re interested I suggest you try to track it down at your local Sephora store soon, I don’t know if it will be restocked at Sephora.com. Did you try Dior’s Lilac Colorvision? What’s your favorite lilac shade for nails?
Dior’s Sparkling Shine collection brings some beautiful shimmering colors for spring. I fell in love with each of the new nail colors released and loved that Dior also brought us matching lipstick and lipgloss shades.I spent quite a bit of time at Nordstrom swatching and testing. I was particularly smitten with Spring Ball 343 a gorgeous peachy pink shimmer which comes in multiple forms:
Nail Lacquer ($24) is the perfect shimmery coral with gold, peach and silver flecks of sparkle infused throughout. I love that this has a hint of pink in it and multi-colored shimmer. This prevents it from looking too orange. The color is highly pigmented but still slightly transparent with two coats. It applied smoothly and flawlessly.
Addict Lipstick ($31) is a very natural light sheer peach shimmer. The shimmer is very natural on the lips. The texture is smooth and moisturizing. I couldn’t detect any scent. It matches my natural lip color closely but still has enough pigment to cover the lips fully and smooths them out with a lovely natural sheen. If you’re looking for something with more pigment this one might not be your cup of tea. I think you can get a similar result with something like MAC’s Ramblin Rose. (Note there is an Addict Extreme version of Spring Ball as well, I swiped it briefly, it was brighter and more pigmented without shimmer.)
Addict Gloss ($29.50) is also very natural and sheer. Spring Ball 343 gloss gives a high shine with beautiful soft sparkle. Layering this gloss over the lipstick lightens the overall look. I didn’t have time to compare but the gloss reminds me of MAC’s lustreglass in Love Nectar.
Swatches below, the nail polish is more vibrant than the lipstick/gloss, although the gloss and lipstick are lovely I wish they matched the brightness and pigment of the nail polish:
Spring Ball 343 Nail Polish:
Spring Ball 343 Addict Lipstick and Lipgloss:
Overall I’m quite pleased with Dior’s Spring Ball lineup for the Nail Lacquer, Addict Lipgloss and Addict Lipstick. The nail polish is a definitely must-have for me. The lipstick and gloss are not quite as unique compared to other colors and they are borderline too natural. Still these are perfect for lazy makeup days. They make the perfect swipe-and-go duo and are easy to apply or touch up without a mirror. The lipstick feels extremely luxurious and smooth on the lips (very lightweight). I like that the gloss is shiny but not sticky. I purchased all my items at Nordstrom.
Did you pick up any of the nail polishes, new addict lipsticks or glosses? Which is your favorite shade?
Dior has released several new shades for spring-summer this month. I am currently testing some new nail products so won’t have time to do a comprehensive detailed review since I’m reserving my fingers for testing. I did want to share a few swatches to help. There are several shades exclusive to certain locations in the US and therefore rather limited, you might want to order sooner than later so you don’t miss out. All retail for $24 each.
Sparkling Shine Collection, available at all Dior counters and online locations consists of:
Princess 553 is a sparkling light baby pink
Spring Ball 343 is a high shimmer baby peach
Délice 433 is a gorgeous medium peach-orange shimmer
Diablotine 643 (reviewed here) is a bright coral red shimmer
Two shades from the Asia Exclusive DiorSnow collection have been launched in the US at Saks Stores, Saks.com and the Dior Palazzo Boutique in Las Vegas (ask for Massiel at (702) 734-1102 she’s amazing).
Nymphea 307 is a pale baby blue with a slight hint of aqua (see it on AudreyEleven and comparisons on Kais Obsessions)
Crystal 205 is a transparent frosted snow-white sparkle (see it on AudreyEleven)
Sephora has launched a series of Color Vision collections focused around color themes. They have released an exclusive lilac shade which is a repromote of a Japan exclusive.
I’ve acquired all except the lilac shade (not sure about pale lavendars, seems a bit too pastel, will have to test in person). For now, here are the live bottle photos and swatches on a nail wheel. I hope this helps!
Shades swatched in outdoor lighting:
Did you pick up any of the spring shades from Dior? If you tried (or bought) the lilac one, what did you think?
There are a series of mini-releases coming out from Chanel this spring-to-summer. One is called Revelation de Chanel which features several glossimers and a new nail polish called Taboo #583 ($27 for 13 ml/0.4 fl oz, made in France). I found Taboo Le Vernis in Beverly Hills this past weekend at Neiman Marcus (although they did not have testers).
Taboo #583 is a glorious vibrant purple metallic. There is a rich deep purple base that is infused with an iridescent red plum sheen loaded with micro sparkles of silver, blue and purple. Taboo’s shimmer actually shows up on the nails (yay!) but it’s not over-the-top. In the sunlight you can see flashes of plum-red in the bottle. On the nails it’s pure purple, the red isn’t visible but it does prevent this from looking too dark. It’s that red iridescence and sparkle that brings this shade to life even though it is a darker shade. The complexity of this shade made it a bit difficult to photograph, here are several shots to give you a better idea.
Coverage is rich and smooth. Application was flawless with two coats. I used with Deborah Lippmann’s Rehydrating Base Coat and the Dior’s new Gel Top Coat. I did see a tiny bit of shrinkage on three fingers (but not all) with the top coat.
Swatches with any kind of lighting brightens the effect of the shimmer. Taboo’s shimmer is visible, but it’s still a dark purple on the nails without any visible red metallic flashes (except with a flash or in direct sunlight).
In direct sunlight:
Under artificial light:
Another shot with flash, you can see the complex rich sparkles:
Under artificial light:
I couldn’t find a dupe from Chanel or Dior, although I suspect there might be some OPI shades that are similar (I didn’t pull any to compare). Taboo has a beautiful rich sparkle that I find unique. Here is Taboo next to Vendetta and Strong:
Three sets of nail swatches, all the same order and shades, just different lighting to show you the various undertones, shimmers and colors: Chanel Provocation (reviewed here), Chanel Strong, Chanel Vendetta, Dior Licorice (reviewed here), Tom Ford Dominatrix (reviewed here).
I adore Taboo. It’s a beautiful vibrant yet deep purple
that glows without looking fluorescent. It does have a fall-ish feel
(rather than spring or summer) but I still love it. I am dying to check
out the glossimers in the Revelation de Chanel collection. Hopefully
this week!
Dior’s nail polishes seem to keep getting better and better with each release. For spring they have released some killer shades for lips and nails this spring with their Sparking Shine collection. There are new shades of lipstick, a new revamped version of their addict gloss and new items for nails. The new nail items include Princess, Délice, Diablotine and Spring Ball ($24 each). In addition, Dior has released a new Gel Top Coat ($24). I didn’t plan on purchasing the Gel Top Coat, but my Dior rep insisted that it was the most amazing thing ever, so it came home with me from Nordstrom. I decided to try Dior Diablotine 643 first along with the Gel Top Coat.
Dior Diablotine 643 is a bright coral pink loaded with highly-shine shimmer. I love that the shimmer is visible. The sparkling quality reminds me of those super shimmery Celestial Lights glossimers Chanel released years ago (some are still available I think, you can see them here, my first post ever!). The pigment of Diablotine is incredible with full coverage with two coats. I swatched all briefly before applying Diablotine on all nails and found the finish wasn’t quite as shiny as most Dior nail polishes. It’s still covers the nail fully with smooth finish, but dries down to a satin like sheen (not high gloss). You definitely need to add a top coat for a good shiny finish. In terms of dupes, I would say there’s no exact dupe, I’d say it’s a cross between Dior Riviera & Lucky, but loaded with bright shimmers.
Dior’s Gel Top Coat is really amazing. I’ve never had a gel manicure so I can’t compare this to the real thing. I tried the Dior top coats that came with the Catwalk summer trios from 2011 and wasn’t a huge fan. I thought they were just ok so I was skeptical of the Gel version. After putting it to the test, I can say hands down, the Gel version is a million times better. This applied effortlessly, smoothly and gave a ultra-high shine with that cushy glossy finish. I applied this on my latest manicure using Deborah Lippmann’s Hydrating Base Coat, two coats of Diablotine (let this dry for 3 minutes) and then one coat of the Gel Top Coat. Drying time seemed to be faster than most, but since I tend to be on the careful side, let the nails dry for 15 minutes before touching anything. On Day 1, the finish was ultra glossy. On Day 2, there was still a high shine but not quite as glossy as the first day. By the end of Day 5, my manicure is still as fresh-looking as the first day without any tip wear, chipping or peeling. When it comes to top coats, I’m super picky about any type of shrinkage, I’m pleased to report there was no shrinkage with the Gel Top Coat although I haven’t tested it with other brands or Dior cream shades. I don’t think I’ve ever had a top coat extend the life of a manicure this long.
Some more photos of Diablotine:
Dior Diablotine (2 coats) with Gel Top Coat (1 coat):
A few comparisons to: Tom Ford Ginger Fire, Chanel Holiday, Chanel Dragon, Dior Psychadelic Orange, Dior Plaza and Chanel Fracas. (Note, I didn’t include Lucky or Riviera, they wouldn’t photograph accurately this time for some reason, Diablotine is like Lucky+Riviera mixed, but frosted with multidimensional shimmer.)
Dior’s Sparkling Shine collection is available now at Dior counters and boutiques. I purchased my items from Nordstrom. If you have a wishlist developing you might want to take advantage of Nordstrom’s Triple Points next week – many counters will be having gifts with purchases in store (I’m not sure what it is this time). I recommend calling your local counter to find out. Another good place to order is the Dior Boutique at the Palazzo in Vegas they have Iridescent Leather quint (yes it’s back!) along with some other new exclusive nail shades in Nymphea/Cristal and eye singles.
Did you pick up Dior Diablotine? Or the new Gel Top Coat?
