Monday, December 24, 2012

My NARS Red Nail polish collection review + comparison swatches (Chinatown, Jungle Red, Rouge Andalou, and Dovima)


            Red is the classic color. It was the first color known to be used in art, used in cave paintings during the Paleolithic age over 15,000 years ago. Since then it's been used to represent life, power, beauty, and luck amongst other things. This time of year however, it's mainly the color of the holidays! I've found that red is an over-represented color in my nail polish collection, since I'm always on the search for the perfect red. At first glance, many reds seem to be interchangeable, however because they are such powerful statement colors, even the delicate nuances that separate a classic rouge from a seasonal red can make or break a look. In my opinion, NARS has the best classic reds, hands down. Today I'm sharing my NARS red nail polish collection, which includes Chinatown, Jungle Red, Rouge Andalou, and Dovima.

          NARS Chinatown is a dark vampy red that is the most unique out of today's NARS lineup. It's hard to find a neutral blackened red. Often, dark reds tend to lean either too purple or too brown for my liking. Revlon Vixen, of Chanel Rouge Noir / Vamp 'dupe' fame, is very similar to NARS Chinatown, but has a pinch more purple tone to it. China Glaze Prey Tell (reviewed here) is significantly darker and more purple as well. Sephora by OPI Rock His World is a little lighter and more brown.

          NARS Jungle Red is a classic dark red. It's a straightforward neutral red that is lighter than NARS Chinatown and Essie Bordeaux. Jungle Red looks a bit light in my nail wheel below; check out the swatches further below for a more accurate look.


         NARS Rouge Andalou nail polish is a shimmery candy apple red. SpaRitual Stiletto is a darker and a more blue-based red. Revlon Blackberry is brick red with a warm glow.

        NARS Dovima is a primary (a.k.a. stop sign) red. It's red with great strength and neutrality. SpaRitual Hunk of Burnin' Love is also a nice and balanced red. It's very similar to Dovima; it's just a hair lighter. Essie Really Red is a slightly lighter and pinker than Dovima. Sephora by OPI Fiercely Fabulous is an orange red. L'Oreal Apple of my eye is a jelly red that is lighter and more pink toned than Dovima. If you're thinking all these reds look pretty similar, you'd be right. However, as I mentioned above, small nuances in red make a big difference.

         In my search for the perfect reds, I've amassed quite a collection. However the buck stops here; after acquiring all four NARS reds, I no longer feel the need to find new and better reds. While I am a NARS enthusiast, it's not the name that draws me in; the colors catch my eye even in an unlabeled nail wheel (and I've noticed they catch readers' notice when used in comparison swatches). They also pass the ultimate test; I find myself reaching for and wearing these staple colors more often than any of the other reds in my collection.



           NARS Chinatown, Jungle Red, Rouge Andalou, and Dovima are classic, neutral, and timeless interpretations of red. The execution of color is truly masterful; I remain convinced that NARS has an unrivaled eye for color. All four colors here are favorite-worthy polishes in my collection. I'm wearing them this holiday season, and will likely continue to do so year round. Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays! Which NARS color catches your eye? What are your favorite red nail polishes? What colors have you worn this holiday season?

Love, Dovey.

15 comments:

  1. These are such pretty reds! Jungle Red is the shade that first caught my eye, but I love them all! One of my favorite reds this season is Dior's "Marilyn" :)

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  2. These are all gorgeous! I have Rouge Andalou and Jungle Red (they're my only two NARS polishes) and I think Rouge Andalou might be one of my favorite polishes in my entire collection. I really want Chinatown now, too! Your swatch of it is gorgeous.

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  3. Ooh these are all gorgeous! I love reds for the holidays, but I've been wearing gold on my nails.

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  4. Wow the swatches are SO gorgeous! This is incredibly helpful :) It's so interesting to see how close in color many shades are. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

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  5. Wow this is a helpful post for me to decide which one suits best for me. I like Jungle Red and Dovima :)

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  6. Chinatown is my favorite out of the four! I chose a england Beauty Never Fails to be my Christmas manicure. It's a blackened forest green with a lot of golden flakes. Pretty Christmas-y I suppose! Merry Christmas Dovey!

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  7. OMG.
    This post just made me realize that I do not own any true red nail polish.
    I guess I have been avoiding the reds because it is really hard to find the right one.
    Thanks for the swatches.

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  8. Great collection of reds, Dovey! I am actually wearing Essie's Bordeaux right now (with some Milani gold glitter polish on accent nails). I haven't tried any of Nars' polishes but a few have caught my eye so I probably will do so eventually

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  9. Fantastic post Dovey! I think it just proves you can never have too many reds really ;) My favourites are Chinatown and Rouge Andalou!

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  10. I really love Andalou! How festive!

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  11. Nails Inc has a really beautiful red called Tate

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  12. Nails Inc has a really rich red called Tate. My absolute favorite!

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  13. the lineup is such a beautiful red color palette...! as usual, i love the pictures on your blog posts (have been reading your blog quite a while but not commenting much XD)!

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  14. I've been on a red blush hunt and it's true - there are so many reds! Either too pink or too orange or too brown. But all enjoyable in their own way. Dovima is my fave from this lot. :)

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  15. Love your blog.

    Nikki (nikkibstylesolutions)

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