I wish there was a nail polish equivalent for Spanx.
I mean, I wouldn’t want it for making my nails look less muffin-toppy, because yeah, that would be kind of dumb. 🙂 More for smoothing everything out, so colors like Dior’s new Vernis Nail Lacquer in Bar ($25) wouldn’t have so many lumps and bumps.
While totally fierce, Bar, a jet-black with hints of blue and secret shimmer, emphasizes every imperfection on my nails, be they ridges, chipped tips or application mistakes. It’s just so, so dark.
Not dark as in a depressing Cure song, but dark in an elegant way, like something a modern Holly Golightly might wear while drinking Starbucks and gnawing on a chocolate croissant in front of the Tiffany’s windows one day.
I bet that Holly G. would dig Bar. Maybe she’d even want to stop by the Dior counter to check it out, along with the rest of the 5 Couleurs Fall 2014 collection.
Unexpectedness plays a big part in the collection, as illustrated by Bar’s secret shimmer.
It’s hardly noticeable in most lighting, where it usually looks like a basic black cream, but head outside to walk your cat or pick tomatoes, and sparkles!
It’s a nice touch. I like. 🙂
I just wish Bar was easier to use. I applied a base coat, a top coat and two layers of Bar. Then I painted my nails s-l-o-w-l-y, with a steady hand, and I still ended up with lots of excess polish at the edges.
I think it’s because of the brush, which doesn’t create a crisp edge, coupled with the depth of the color.
I spent a good 15 minutes cleaning up the edges of my polish job with a tiny brush and nail polish remover, and still, I feel like the results could have been neater.
So, yeah…if you’re a polish perfectionist, marshal your patience when working with Bar.
PRICE: $25
AVAILABILITY: Limited edition and available now at Dior counters and online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Carolyn @ The Makeup Writeup says
Yikes! That’s too bad that Bar’s formula is so difficult to work with. I recently purchased Dior Pandore nail polish and love it — it may be the best nail polish formula I’ve ever worked with! While I don’t think I’ll be able to summon up the courage to wear black polish, I do like vampy colors for fall — excited to sport those soon!
Karen says
Hi Carolyn,
Hmm…I wouldn’t necessarily call it difficult; you just need a lot of patience. The formula is smooth; it’s just very dark, so you have to be more careful.
Glad you’re liking Pandore. 🙂
Lancy says
That’s a classy dark black shade and suits you very well Karen! Heard so much about these Dior nail colors. Will check them out.
Ankita@corallista says
I don’t have so much patience with my nails usually so I’d skip! Maybe if the sparkle was a little more obvious, it would have tempted me a little 😛 Btw that necklace is stunning – both on you and Tabs!
Kim says
Oh, I adore it but you know I’m way too lazy to deal with a challenging polish (or really an easy one for that matter!). And no love for the Cure? I’m so disappointed. 🙁
fancie says
It’s too bad the formula isn’t all that great. The color is stunning on you!
Icequeen81 says
Droooling black nailpolish, my fav color all my life
Sylirael says
I need to finally get a good black nail polish! I love that this one has the kind of ‘stealth shimmer’ thing going on, and I don’t mind a bit of extra patience with application, but I feel like I should explore the black nail polish world a little more before committing, you know? 😉
The dosh says
Best black nail polish for me is still american apparel after all these years…