Dior Nail Polish - Café Makeup

Dior Summer 2013 Summer Nails: Princess, Spring Ball, Delice, Diablotine Review

Apr 072013

Dior Spring 2013 Nail composite

Dior’s new Summer 2013 nail polish collection is phenomenal. Dior has included four shades: Dior Princess, Spring Ball, Delice and Diablotine ($24 each). The colors have a stunning shimmer fleck, a gorgeous formula, and saturated yet sophisticated color. In addition, Dior has developed a new formula Dior Gel Coat topcoat ($24) that gives a glossy, plushy shine that is intended to evoke the look of a gel manicure with far easier removal and no special light required. The combination is gorgeous, as the topcoat brings out the shine and color of this new Dior collection beautifully. The gel topcoat was used on all of these images. Without the gel, the polishes have a satin finish.

Dior Spring 2013 Nail Polish03a

My favorite is Dior Diablotine, a deep red with fuchsia pink tones and a dash of coral orange. This is complicated and amazing. Summer 2013, I’m ready! The glass fleck is visible in both indoor and outdoor light, when the light hits. This is a shockingly beautiful, saturated red, it makes me happy just to look down at my nails and see this color. Love. I ordered a second one yesterday because this one is a “good to the last bit” sort of color for me. This is almost a one-coat wonder, but looks richer with two. The formula is smooth and perfect.

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Dior Delice is a bright shimmery coral. This is a beautiful color to wear with summer colors that include blues, yellows, peaches.

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Dior Delice looks like a juicy tangerine:

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Dior Spring Ball is a beautiful soft warm pink coral with a beautiful shimmer:

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Spring Ball is such a soft color, it’s perfect for a pretty everyday color. Applied:

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Dior Princess is a soft cool pink. This is aptly named, the rich shimmer gives a beautiful rich shimmer to this very soft flattering pink:

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Dior Princess applied:

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The Dior Gel Coat works on any nail polish, and gives a hard, glossy shine. It’s certainly held up beautifully over the past few days. It’s a great topcoat, and I’m glad that Dior has invested in this often-overlooked basic. Excellent.

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Although this will do better for longevity than a standard top coat, it will not give the recommended two weeks that is expected by at-home light-baked gels. However, there is no acetone or special treatment needed for removal. I used Zoya Remove+, and found that the Dior Gel Coat removes as easily as an Essie, Seche Vite, and other standard topcoats on the market.

The formula and dry time on all of these was excellent. I’m so happy that Dior released this beautiful set.

Dior Summer 2013 nail polishes are available at Nordstrom.com (the gel topcoat is here), Sephora.com, and other Dior counters and sources everywhere.

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Dior Vernis Cruise 2013: Mango, Pasteque, and Lime

Dior, Nail Polish 18 Responses »

Nov 232012

For a touch of tropical in this chilly holiday season, Dior has released the Cruise 2013 nail collection of three gorgeous colors: Mango, Pasteque, and Lime ($23 each). I purchased these online at Dior.com.

The formula on these is excellent, shiny and smooth. The hot pink Pasteque, which I would say is probably the most duplicatable color of the three, is in fact a one-coat wonder with a beautifully shiny finish. For that reason, I suspect that I’ll use Pasteque the most. For those looking for something entirely unique, both Lime and Mango are refreshing looks that remind me of palm trees and salty margaritas. However, both Mango and Lime did require 2-3 coats to reach full opacity.

Get it: Mango and Pasteque.

Try it: Lime (this color won’t appeal to everyone).

Dior Waterlily Nail Polish

Dior, Nail Polish 8 Responses »

Jan 042012

Dior Spring 2012 brings Dior Vernis Garden Party nail polish in Waterily ($23 #504). This is a soft green with microshimmer that reminds me of some of Chanel’s more unique polish shades. As always, the bottle has that wonderful Dior brush that–although it seems to have a mind of its own–certainly knows what it’s doing.

The polish is labeled as “scented.” When the polish is wet the scent is that of….nail polish. However, when it dries down there is a faint, pleasant floral scent that evokes roses and perhaps lilies as well. To me, the scent is not strong and the sillage does not travel far. I catch the scent as I take a sip of water or use the phone, but I cannot when my hands are on my keyboard. Application was smooth and opaque in two coats.

Here, I’ve swatched two (2) coats of Dior Waterlily together with three (3) coats each of Chanel Jade, Chanel Nouvelle Vague and Chanel Riva. No topcoat or base.

Dior’s formula is more pigmented than any of the Chanel. Although it is close to Chanel Jade in color, Dior Waterlily is deeper in tone and slightly less yellow. Both have very subtle microshimmer. If you like a high-shine look, you’ll want to add a topcoat–on its own, the polish dries down to a satiny texture. One more.

I don’t know whether Dior Waterlily will sell out as fast as Chanel Jade did, but the Dior will sell out. It’s an unusual, high-fashion color that’s going to look interesting and trendy during Spring. It’s delicate and pretty in two coats, and it unquestionably makes a statement. I love the color, and think it will look beautiful with creams, peaches and pinks as the weather warms.

Au Revoir Dior Icone Nail Polish

Chanel, Dior, Nail Polish, Rescue Beauty Lounge 3 Responses »

Aug 022011

It always saddens me to post a review of an ephemeral product that sells out before I can do the review. In this case, it is my sad duty to report that Dior Icone ($21 / #862) appears to have disappeared from the U.S. site. Part of a three-red set called Les Rouges, Icone was the most complex and interesting. I’m going to post this nonetheless because I suspect that there may be a few bottles still in some boutiques and international locations. It is my understanding that Dior Icone was not distributed through U.S. department stores or Sephora.

Dior Icone is a chameleon shade, meaning that it changes dramatically under different light. A traditional indoor light or outdoors in shade reveals a rich, deep vampy red. But in full sunlight, multicolored sparkles of red and violet begin to dance in a red jelly finish. In other words, Dior Icone is enchanted. Here it is in full sun with flash:

Here, you can see that the nails that are falling into shade are beginning to look quite dark.

Here are some comparisons of Dior Icone with Zoya Blair, Rescue Beauty Lounge Film Noir, Rescue Beauty Lounge Au Chocolate, Chanel Feu de Russie, Chanel Madness, Chanel Metal Garnet, Chanel Strong, Chanel Rouge Noir (euro), Chanel Vertigo and OPI Bogota Blackberry with flash (click to enlarge):

Another, outside with flash (click to enlarge):

Overall, a very unusual and pretty shade. As with many of the speciality releases, it was gone before we could blink. You can see The Beauty Look’s reviews of all three Dior Les Rouges here.

Dior Vernis Tuxedo Nail Polish, Swatches and Comparisons

Dior, Nail Polish 14 Responses »

Jul 212011

One of the few items that I picked up from Dior’s Blue Tie Collection for Fall 2011 is Dior Vernis Haute Couleur in Tuxedo ($21 #908). This polish is deep blue with a metallic sparkle, and a hint of deep violet/periwinkle around the edges. This is applied using CND Stickey basecoat and a Poshe topcoat.

Dior Blue Tie is similar in quality to the others in the line–it applies smoothly and requires only two coats to get to a satisfying opacity. Love.

Here is some comparisons with Dior’s Tuxedo, from left to right: Butter London’s Big Smoke (reviewed here), Chanel Nuit de Russie, Chanel Blue Satin, Le Metier de Beaute’s Midnight Rendevous (reviewed here), and Lancome Indigo Paris (former limited edition/no longer available). Click to enlarge:

Overall, Dior Tuxedo is most similar to Lancome Indigo Paris. Dior Tuxedo swatches brighter and more blue than Lancome Indigo Paris. Also, there is a very subtle violet/periwinkle in Tuxedo that is unlike the true French blue of Indigo Paris. These are taken in sun with flash. Click to enlarge:

Dior Tuxedo is a gorgeous color, with a great formula. And yes, I may have enough shimmering blue nail polishes now that my Dior has arrived.

Dior Vernis St. Tropez Nail Polish Swatches

Dior, Nail Polish 7 Responses »

Jul 182011

Dior

To celebrate opening of Dior’s St. Tropez boutique (pictured above), the line introduced a limited edition nail polish Vernis Saint-Tropez ($21 #401). This polish carries me away to places of warm breezes, sun and a perpetually pleasant summer.

The formula fits well within Dior’s reformulated (read: better!!) polish–two coats gives even coverage, and the brush works like magic. The color has a beachy vibe. Here is a comparison with Chanel Nouvelle Vague at Laquer Wear and China Glazes’s For Audrey from one of the lovely contributors over at the Purse Forum.

This color will look best clasped around a frosty margarita, without a doubt. It’s a bit striking for the office, depending on the formality of your work environment. But what else would we expect from a color that begs for sandals?

Dior Mitzah: Camel and Ebony Nail Polish

Dior, Nail Polish 9 Responses »

Apr 132011

At this post, I introduced two Dior vernis nail colors from the Dior Mitzah Collection– Ebony (#912) and and Camel (#622) (23 euros each), which I found during my recent trip to Paris. As appropriate for a small, boutique collection, these colors are edgy and distinct. You will not see them on everyone. Indeed, I anticipate that many Café Makeup readers may not enjoy them when compared to more traditional nail colors.

Personally, I wore Camel for a few days and it made me supremely happy. It’s a very unusual greyed-down medium tone that’s often overlooked in the makeup world. It’s one of the few yellows that I can wear on my warm skintone. It’s warmer than a Grey Poupon mustard tone, rather it is more like a rich cashmere winter coat. ”Neutral with an edge” is one of my biggest weaknesses and so I’ve fallen hard for Camel.

Here is a swatch of Dior Ebony, a deep brown with a touch of grey. You can see that it is much deeper than Chanel Particuleire (reviewed here) and Chanel Khaki Rose (reviewed here). It lacks the green undertone of Chanel Khaki Brun (reviewed here) and lacks the shimmer and green/gold undertone of Dior Czarina Gold (reviewed here).

Whether you enjoy this color is a matter of your personal preference. The formula is excellent, these are beautifully opaque in two coats. These swatches are made without any topcoat.

Dior Gris City Nail Polish Review and Swatches

Dior, Nail Polish 10 Responses »

Jan 212011

Dior is currently selling a mini-release of three nail polishes, Gris City Vernis ($21 each), in cool shades of gray and blue to celebrate some of its most famous boutiques. The three colors are named for the streets on which those boutiques are located. These are sold exclusively on Dior’s website and a few boutiques, with the exception of Gris Montaigne which is sold as part of the Dior Spring 2011 collection.

Gris Montaigne (#707) is named for Dior’s main Parisian store, located at 30 Avenue Montaigne, a jewel of a street that has the Champs Elysee at one end, and a breathtaking view of the Eiffel Tower over the Seine on the other. It is a short street lined with luxury boutiques, including Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Paul and Joe, Dolce, and several more. Yes, it’s fashion heaven. In Paris.

When I saw Gris Montaigne, I was reminded by the Dior boutique which has, in my mind, a very light, dove-gray appearance:

Inside this large, impeccably presented store have rooms with high ceilings and very soft, light gray elegant tones:

This boutique carries a full line of makeup, shoes, bags, jewelry and couture clothing. It’s beautiful. One afternoon, I watched a ballerina (no, really, I’m serious) get a makeover as I waited for help to pick out some sunglasses for Liz. The artist did a beautiful job–the effect was subtle, and he set off the her features without weighing her down with too much. The end effect was lovely. Sigh….ah, to be in Paris…..

For more about the polishes, read on….