This Is The Most Popular Dark Red Nail Polish In The World!

Chanel Rouge Noir is the most popular red nail polish in the world and Chanel’s best-selling beauty product. Naturally, as soon I discovered this fact I was intrigued to try and investigate more about this lacquer.

A bit of history…. This famous colour was created in 1994 by Dominique Moncourtois, Chanel’s director of makeup specifically for the 1995 Spring/Summer Chanel Ready-to-Wear show. After it’s introduction at the show, the colour “dominated the imagination of the masses” in 1994, according to the New York Times, and sold extremely well, with nationwide shortages for months after its launch. In the same year, Uma Thurman famously wore Rouge Noir (called Vamp back then) in Pulp Fiction cementing the lacquer’s image as the femme fatale nail colour of choice.

In addition to becoming the symbol of femme fatale beauty look, Chanel Rouge Noir has also changed the industry forever. It has been credited with bringing non-traditional polish colors into the mainstream of late twentieth century cosmetics. Before Chanel introduced Rouge Noir, dark and non-traditional polish colors were shunned by mainstream beauty companies. Rouge Noir was responsible for setting a widespread trend that made nail polish in virtually any color acceptable. According to some sources, Chanel’s introduction of Rouge Noir has inspired the foundation of new edgy cosmetics lines, including Urban Decay and Hard Candy.

 So there you go, with such rich history Chanel Rouge Noir is so much more than just a nail colour!

Now let’s investigate whether Rouge Noir‘s formula possesses any magical properties… read my full review below to find out!

REVIEW:

Formula: Chanel Rouge Noir has the new generation Chanel Gel polish formula which is very glossy, fast drying and long-lasting. It’s 5-free and cruelty free. The polish is pigmented. You can easily get away with 2 thin coats. I applied 3 layers, however, just to see how dark it gets.

Application: It’s relatively easy to apply, the formulation is perfect. It does not differ much from other Chanel cremes, maybe a bit thinner than usual. The nail polish dries very quickly and yields in a perfectly smooth coverage. However, the narrow brush makes it a bit difficult to apply such dark and highly pigmented polish without mistakes.*

Finish/Colour: Chanel Rouge Noir is a very deep dark red in a jelly-creme finish. When you apply first coat it’s bright raspberry red but becomes progressively darker with each coat yielding in almost black in 3 coat of polish.

Nail Art: This polish is very pigmented and is suitable for any kind of nail art. You’ll see one next week!

Wearability: Very long-lasting, it lasted 9 days with a top coat.

Extra Notes: *all dark nail polishes look their best when applied flawlessly, so make sure to clean up any application mistakes with an angled brush dipped in acetone. I’d recommend 04 Slayer, because it’s very sharp and can get in (and clean up!) even under cuticles.

Dupes: There are no dupes for Rouge Noir in Chanel range or any other brands, you may find some very similar colours but I guarantee it’s not 100% the same. The closest colour in my collection is Essie Wicked, but Chanel Rouge Noir is a touch darker and deeper than Wicked.

Overall Impression: Chanel Rouge Noir is a stunning red nail polish and I can see why it’s so phenomenally popular. However, these days there are so many dark reds out there – in every shade and finish, that quite frankly, with it’s high price Rouge Noir does not have the same appeal as it had in the late 90-s. Though, if you’re a Chanel’s fan or hard core polish collector this dark red classic is a must have!

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Where to buy Chanel Rouge Noir: available now – USD $28 here; £22.00 – here, AUD $41 – here.

Now, over to you!

Do you own Chanel Rouge Noir? What’s your favorite dark red nail polish?