Dior Les Violets Hypnotiques: Orchid, Shadow, Poison Vernis

Dior has released its Les Violets Hypnotiques nail polish collection (previously exclusive outside the U.S. and to select Dior boutiques in the U.S.) for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2012.  Historically, I have not been into Dior nail polishes but when I saw these beauties as I was perusing the sale, I was stopped in my tracks!

Dior Les Violets Hypnotiques: (L to R) Orchid, Shadow, Poison

More details and swatches after the jump!



Orchid is a rich purple-wine with barely visible shimmer.  The shimmer is really only visible in direct sunlight.  I have been looking for this color for ages!  It's a nice balance between purple and wine; not to blue, not too, brown, not too red.  The formula is smooth, although the first coat goes on a bit patchy.  Two coats are ok, but I prefer three for the best opacity and depth of color.

Dior Orchid Le Vernis

The direct sunlight in the above photo makes the color appear lighter than it is in reality, but it shows the tone of the color nicely.  The first photo with all three polishes shows the depth and richness of the color more accurately than this one.

Shadow has a blued purple base and is heavily infused with violet, bronze, and copper shimmer.  The result is magnificent.  Two coats was great for this color.  It applies more smoothly and evenly than Orchid.

Dior Shadow Le Vernis

I love the way the shimmer plays with the light and adds depth to this color.  Pictures really cannot do it justice ... you need to see it for yourself.  As with Orchid, the top photo on this page is more accurate in terms of the darkness and depth of the color.  The above photo shows more of the tones the color contains.

Poison is a deep, dark blue-purple cream, but I do detect a hint of shimmer in the strong sunlight.  It's all but imperceptible on the nail though.  Poison is purple, but where Orchid has red and wine tones in it, Poison has more blue.  Poison is also darker than Orchid; Poison is a few shades away from black.  I used three coats for this color, because the formula was similar to Orchid in that it was a little patchy to start but by the third coat it was perfect.

Dior Poison Le Vernis

As with the others, look to the photo at the top of the page for the true darkness and depth of the color.  The photo above merely shows the tones.

L to R: Orchid, Shadow, Poison

In the swatch photo above you can see the shimmer in Orchid and even in Poison.  It's definitely there, just very minimal.  Orchid photographed more red/wine and less violet in this picture than it actually is; I couldn't get the color right in any of the swatch photos.   Trust me, Orchid is visibly more purple in person.

I looked at most of the beauty offerings from Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale, and I did purchase a few.  These polishes, however, are my absolute favorite things from the Sale.  I tried to pick one or two, but I couldn't.  These deep, gorgeous shades will be lovely for fall.  As a purple fiend, I love them.  They are all must-haves for me.  If I had to pick just one though, I would say that Shadow is the most unique so I would go with that if I really had to cut it down.

You can still find Dior Les Violets Hypnotiques online at Nordstrom, and probably in your local store.