Saturday, December 15, 2012

NARS Versailles nail polish review + swatches


          NARS Versailles is a nail polish with regal inspiration. Its namesake palace is famed as one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. However, if you'll indulge me in a brief bit of history, Versailles was not always the paragon of grandiosity it is today. It was a small village located on the outskirts of Paris. Louis XIII, who was pleased with the location as a hunting ground, ordered the construction of a hunting lodge in 1624. The Château de Versailles became the center of French politics in 1682 when Louis XIV (The Sun King) moved his court from Paris and subsequently expanded the lodge into a palace. It was inhabited by the royal family until 1789 when ill-fated Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were forced to return to Paris at the start of the French revolution.

Me and my bro, circa the 1990s.
          I had the good fortune to visit Versailles back in the 1990s on a family vacation. If there's one central theme to the Château de Versailles, it's gold. Gold trim graces all aspects of the palatial detailing, transforming the palace into a fiery golden mirage underneath the midday sun. You might be able to appreciate this striking effect from the photo above of me and my brother. My childhood memories of Versailles have long since faded like the aged mirrors of the Galerie des Glaces, but golden flashes still emerge through the silvered fog like the stallions leaping through the fountain's spray in the Basin d'Apollon. Although nothing can compare with the palace in its full midsummer glory, NARS Versailles retains the spark of golden splendor that makes Versailles so memorable.

           NARS Versailles nail polish looks like an alchemical amalgamation of gold with pearls (if that were at all possible). It's a unique golden champagne with a pearl finish; the color is not as metallic or 18K toned like many gold nail lacquers, nor is it as rosy as most champagnes. Although NARS Versailles is described as a sheer  formula color, I found that it becomes opaque with two coats.


          I've compared NARS Versailles to swatches of other colors in my collection above. Versailles lacks the rosiness and metallic finish of SpaRitual Sun Salutation. It's significantly more gold. SpaRitual Cassiterite (reviewed here) is a platinum gold glitter polish that is lighter, cooler, and less yellow than Versailles. I've swatched two beige nail colors of similar intensity to better demonstrate undertones. The warm beige of Sephora by OPI Going Nude Eh? more closely matches the undertone of Versailles. OPI Did you 'ear about Van Gogh (reviewed here) has a cooler tone.

            NARS Versailles truly bottles the golden glow of the palace in my childhood memories. This post highlights the reason I've been long enamored with NARS; the brand creates impeccably nuanced colors that are drawn from worldly inspiration. As you might know, I love beauty that has been 'Inspired By' art, life, and travel! Thanks for reading! Have you tried NARS Versailles or any other shades of NARS nail polish? What is your go-to gold nail polish? What brands inspire you?

Love, Dovey.

P.S. For more on NARS + French inspirations, check out this blush post.

26 comments:

  1. What a great picture! A trip to France is still on my bucket list!
    Versailles is a gorgeous polish but I know it will be too warm/yellow against my skin. I will just enjoy pics from afar!

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    1. Hi Kristi, Thanks for the comment! I'm hoping to go again one day too! I'm glad you were able to enjoy the polish through the pictures :-)

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  2. love the picture! :D
    i like your description on the color. it does remind me of a golden pearl.
    i haven't tried NARS polishes since the notorious ZULU. ;)

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    1. Hi Lena, Thank you! I'm glad the gold + pearl makes sense! I do not have Zulu in my collection, but what a dramatic green...!

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  3. i have been looking for gold for holidays that is not too loud.
    i must say Versailles is a quite an unexpected gold and it is so beautiful.

    i love your "Inspired by" posts and adorable pictures.
    thanks for sharing.

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    1. Hi Anonymous, Thanks for the comment! I think your description is spot on :-)

      I hope to have another 'Inspired By' post soon, perhaps even this week!

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  4. Is this one new? I've just recently got really into NARS polishes and makeup (starting with Storm Bird, in fact) and I just love them. I've never heard of Versailles. Also, I didn't know the building was originally a hunting lodge. Thanks for sharing the photo of you and your brother, too :) Awesome post!

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    1. Hi Liesl, Thank you so much for the kind comment! Oooh, I really like Storm Bird too. Versailles is an older color from Spring 2010, but it's still available online/instores. The hunting lodge part is cool, although I suppose a king's hunting lodge would still be of mansion proportions! :-P

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  5. Very, very lovely. I think my go-to gold is Revlon Gold Coin, but this is very different, and I like it! Room enough for all of them, right? :D

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    1. Hi Larie, I've tried Gold Coin too and it's a very very pretty gold! There's def. room for all :-)

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  6. that pic is so lovely!thanks for the review!

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  7. Wow what a holiday appropriate color! I wonder how this looks compared to Chanel Gold fingers. I have yet to try Nars Nail Polish. What red color would you recommend?

    xx Meryl?

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    1. Hi Meryl, thanks for the comment! I love NARS Reds!! I actually have a comparison post planned soon (whenever I can get the lighting to cooperate). In the meantime, I think Jungle Red is the classic NARS Red, though I like Chinatown a lot too :)

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  8. the picture of your brother and you is so cute!
    as for the nail polish this is a really nice color, I think it great for the holiday season but for summer also.

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    1. Hi Astrid, Thanks for the nice comment! You bring up a good point, after all Versailles was released as a summer color :)

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  9. Hey gorgeous, I really love how you describes all the colours.
    It is just makes me feel want to get all.
    Thank you for the review, I think I know which colour that I want more :D

    Xoxo,
    Ladies Home Journal

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    1. Hi Fenny, Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it :)

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  10. This swatch is so much prettier than I thought the polish would be! I've seen the bottle and thought it might be a dupeable gold, but it looks really unique. Thanks for the swatch and comparison!

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    1. Hi Sarah, Thank you for the nice comment :) I'm so glad the comparisons were helpful!

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  11. What a nice neutral shade, it looks way more interesting once applied! Your shade description is amazing, and that picture is beautiful. / Claire

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    1. Hi Claire, thank you so much for the encouraging words!

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  12. I remember when Nars first released this shade, and I was obsessed with it! Anyway, I love your description of it and the picture of you when you visited Versailles! I've always wanted to go! Also, I just read the book Love & Louis XIV and that was really interesting too... Great post! :)

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    1. Hi Joyce, It's awesome that you remember when it came out! Thank you so much for the compliment---- I had not heard of Love & Louis XIV, but I'll have to google that now!

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  13. I just audibly "awwww"ed at the pic of you & the bro. :) Lovely memories!

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