The last time Dior put up a nail-lip matchy-matchy show, they kept the colours pretty close. In the same family at least. So, when I saw that the Grand Bal Christmas collection had a Diorific lipstick named Diva and a nail colour named Diva, I expected them to be in the same colour family.
Uh… not quite the same huh?
The Diorific Diva lipstick is a lovely rosy pinky shade (I’ve already swatched and reviewed it here) but the Diorific Vernis in Diva #901 is a whole different story altogether. Now this, THIS is what I’d call a Diva sort of shade for the Christmas season – bold, brash and out there.
The packaging is cute too of course ;)
The Diorific Vernis has to be one of the most adorable nail polish bottles I’ve ever come across.
Look at it! It looks just like a Christmas bauble doesn’t it? If there were awards being handed out for best Christmas packaging, Dior will win hands down for their vernis.
Not being familiar with Dior nail polishes, I do not know if this is a reworking of an old classic like the Diorific lipsticks. If anyone knows, please share!
The bottle is about the size of a normal nail polish bottle, but I love the round glass base. It looks so adorable! Yes, there’s that word again :P A pain in the butt to store of course, if you are picky about having everything neat and tidy.
Colourwise, Diorific Diva Vernis in the bottle is a deep black-brown shot through with golden-pink shimmer. You can just about see the shimmer in the bottle as the light hits it, which is really pretty. I however find that when applied on nails, the colour becomes a bit flat. Its like the shimmer doesn’t quite manage to come through, which is a pity because it is really beautiful in the bottle.
You need about 3 layers to achieve true opacity and this is how it looks in natural light. You might notice how the colour looks lovely and sparkly in the bottle, but that brilliance doesn’t quite translate when painted on the nails.
On nails, in the shade, you get a shiny black. If you peer closely and angle it to catch the light, you will see the sparkles come through in quite a restrained manner. Not quite the Diva-esque attitude I expected from a polish with that name. I’d have preferred something bling and out there and brash, the way a diva should be :)
I have to mention the brush, because Dior nail polishes have a very good brush included, that makes applying polish very easy. You can view their regular brush here. But the brush in the Grand Bal Diorific polishes are your regular polish brushes.
I find that these brushes usually splay too much and do not deposit polish as well on the nail. Also, call me picky, but I personally find the cap part hard to hold when applying the polish. I prefer something with more grip to it. As it is, I have to make sure I hold the cap properly at the two sides where it flattens, in order to get a good grip. Not quite a fan of the packaging for this reason.
Application wise, I found that Diva went on pretty smoothly and by the third coat, looks as smooth as it gets. I think the consistency is pretty good too and despite the brush, is quite easy to control. It must be borne in mind I am no nail afficionado so just painting in the lines is a great achievement for me already :P A layer of top coat seals the colour in better and does make it a bit more shiny, I find.
In a nutshell
Dior Diorific Vernis in Diva #901 is a limited edition nail colour for the Christmas 2012 collection. The packaging is absolutely adorable and makes it look like a Christmas tree bauble. Diva in the bottle is a deep black-brown colour with gold-pink shimmer. I find that that shimmer does not quite translate onto my nails so it is a lot less bright and shimmery on nails than it looks in the bottle. In the shade, it looks almost a flat black, but when the light hits and you look closely, you get a hint of shimmer. Texture wise, I find it is quite even in its consistency and although the brush isn’t the regular easy to use flat Dior Vernis brush, it wasn’t too hard to handle. The cap though, is a bit hard to manage. I think ultimately, this is one for the collectors.
Pros: Unusual colour for the Christmas season, Shimmer is understated so anyone can wear it to any occasion without looking too bling, Relatively easy to apply evenly on nails
Cons: The polish isn’t as shimmery on nail as it looks in the bottle, Cap is a bit hard to hold due to its design
Who will like this: Anyone who loves collecting unusual nail polish bottles, Anyone who wants a deep coloured nail polish with very understated shimmer
If you are looking for a colour that has lots of bling to it for the holidays, I don’t think Diva quite fits the bill. It is an elegant sort of colour with all that hidden shimmer that you can keep as a guilty pleasure to yourself, or flash it when the light hits properly. But if you are the more diva-esque type and need more bling, you may have to try something else.
Is Diorific Vernis in Diva your sort of nail colour? Do you like wearing black or deep colours on your nails?
I like wearing black or deep colours on my nails. I always feel that I am prone to making less mistakes when I apply a deep polish as when I apply a light coloured one. Plus, I like how people will look at my nails if I have a deep colour on as opposed to when I have a more normal red, pink or nude shade ;) Its very Diva of me LOL!
Paris B
Dior Diorific Vernis for the Grand Bal collection comes in 4 shades – Lady (pearly white), Marilyn (red), Diva (shimmer black) and Diorling (shimmer gold) Price: RM79 Availability: Dior counters Limited Edition: Yes, Grand Bal Christmas Collection 2012
This is the nail polish in the collection I like the most! A bit bummed out about how the glossiness and shimmer don’t translate so well onto nails, but still it’s an interesting color! I like strange colors when it comes to nail polishes, so Diva is really my thing :)
Diva is a gorgeous colour, just underwhelming because of the shimmer bit. I like my shimmer to really come through in a polish (its not so easy to make mistakes with shimmer polish! hah!)
It’s pretty, but I’m so bad at applying polish so this looks like an accident waiting to happen for me haha! I’d be dropping it all over the place the nail klutz that I am!
Which is why I paint my nails sitting on the floor so I’m closer to the ground LOL!
Hmmm… if only one could hang them on a Christmas tree! HAH HAH HAH! Eeeeps the color is so pretteh! If I got my hands on it, methinks I’ll just stare at my finger nails the whole day, wee~!
I’m sure one could – drill a little hole in the cap, tie a bit of string and hang it on the tree! Then after Christmas, use the polish LOL!
looks like the holiday polishes aren’t the best formula compared to the usual. i have problem holding the round cap too
Oh, good to know I’m not the only one who finds it awkward. I think the normal polishes are still better
I love darker nail colours and I’ve been eyeing this. The light pearl one (Lady) streaks like crazy… now that I’ve seen your swatch, I think I have something similar from OPI so I’ll pass. That one applies beautifully :-) I have to agree on the packaging. Cute and pretty!
I’ve seen the swatches for Lady and I’m glad I didn’t end up with it, because I’d probably have really slammed that one LOL Looks like a tricky formula. I have found a similar polish for Diva though, and a prettier more sparkly one so I’ll have to feature that one soon ;)
That’s a really nice colour, and what a great looking bottle!
I have to hand it to Dior for packaging. Hands down winners!
I LOVE that colour and the packaging but Dior nail polishes have never worked on me so I’ll pass on this – not willing to risk it!
This reminds me of OPI My Private Jet. I might bring that out tonight! :D
Dior hit it out of the park with the packaging. But formula wise, I didn’t think this one as good as their regular ones which do work well enough on me, considering I can’t keep polish on for more than 3 days :D
That’s one of the BEST nail polish packaging I’ve seen but I worry that its difficult to use especially if you plan to do nail art (ahem..ME) the handle is quite short and difficult to navigate..oh well! If you have that cute bottle of nail polish, who says you need nail art? I can just hold it close to my face and act “cute” LOL
Haha yes, not one for the nail artists! The packaging is absolutely gorgeous though and as you said, you can always just act cute with it LOL!
I love the packaging for these nail polishes! It’s too bad the shimmer doesn’t come through on the nail – too restrained.
I like bold colors on nails – so fun! But it’s a bit hard to wear at work around here :/ So I keep my toes boldly colored.
I thought it was a bit too restrained too. Something a bit more blingy would be more fun and I think make the polish stand out better :) I sometimes paint my nails but I tend not to wear open toed shoes so I’ve stopped.
that’s really too bad about the sparkle. It looks so vibrant in the bottle — it sucks that that doesn’t translate so well on the nails.
You’re right about the packaging, though — SUPER cute! <3
Dior wins hands down just for packaging! Who needs to know how the colour looks right? LOL ;)
Love the bottle! And the shade is very intriguing too, but it’s a shame the shimmers don’t translate that well on the nails.
I think colour wise, there are better colours out there, but so far, nothing has come close to beating Dior for packaging :D
Oh I love the packaging! It is very unique, but I also prefer its color on the bottle than on the nails…
Seems like that’s the most common reaction – pretty bottle, but erm… not so pretty polish LOL!
Yes, bauble!! I KNEW it reminded me of something lol. I think this looks gorgeous on the nail, although I do agree that the bottle color is just…beyond gorgeous. Definitely adding this to my holiday wishlist :D
Maybe you could get it to work, better than I can MM! :D This holiday is churning out so many pretties, my wallet cannot keep up! :P
I like the brush and formula of Dior Le Vernis, but chose to skip this Christmas Diorling ones. Have never been a big fan of holiday makeup because they are way too bling and cool.
I like shiny black too! But I already have a decent one from Sephora, and don’t wear black often, so this has to pass.
But I got a lipstick from the regular Diorling line though! So pretty.
Ah which lipstick did you get, Jyoan? :) I really like Dior’s lipsticks maybe because they are one of the few unscented ones out there
That will be Diorific 023 Rose Diabolo. I actually wanted the limited edition Rose one, but it was sold out at my nearest counter, and I thought it was not all that special enough for me to hunt down that one. So I ventured into the regular collection and found this.
When I picked this, the SA told me my choice is similar to the LE one, but no, haha, I do not agree. I still think the LE one is a little bit better.
So for people who got the Rose LE one, I’d say great choice! =D
I love black and dark golden brown for nail polish! its so sexy
It is! And somehow, not many people like wearing dark colours on nails, I’ve noticed so it really stands out when you do :D
Right now I have my eyes on that beautiful lipstick color. I already have the Dior Rouge Dior Nude Lip Blush and love it. This color is pretty also.
Ooh the Rouge Dior Nude lipsticks are very lovely! The texture of the Diorific Diva is lovely too but take a sniff in case the scent is too strong for you :)
i liked the color though like you said, the color was better in the bottle!!! packaging is very cute but i thought it wasn’t really handy!!! many times fancy packaging is not pragmatic for me.
That’s true, Swati. I think its a balance between practicality and beauty and sometimes one has to give :) A slightly longer handle would have been better but perhaps less cute :)
Dark nail polish is nice but it needs sturdy hands. That’s why I am lazy to use dark colours.
Ah I’m the opposite. I find dark colours easier to apply as I am less prone to making mistakes (or maybe mistakes can’t be seen) while light colours need my hands to be really steady. Then again, maybe I don’t practice enough :D
The bottle design is really quite original and pretty! Diva looks amazing in the bottle, but like you said, I wished the glitters were a bit more apparent on the nails. Still, this is a gorgeous classy nail polish to me, love it!
Maybe Dior intended for the colour to be more understated, and less blingy. Something that everyone can wear perhaps? Still, I would like something more blingy ;)
What a lovely review! I would just buy it for the bottle. Let it sit and prettify my dressing table. Would be happier if it was a bit more opaque and with coarser glitter though.
LOL it would be an expensive dressing table accessory! ;)