Pretty Summer Coral Polishes – Featuring Lunasol, Chanel, Laura Mercier and Dior

Those who have been following ought to know by now that I have been on a coral nail polish kick lately. We have seen a number of very sweet corals in the last few Spring and Summer collections and today I’ll be comparing four of my favourites.

Laura Mercier’s Cabana was one I was pretty excited about when I first saw it. The formula is a little tricky as it is rather thin but the colour is really pretty. I have to use at least 3 coats to achieve opacity. As the square cap can’t be removed, applying the polish feels a little clumsy because it is not easy to control or hold.

Dior Vernis in Bikini from the Summer Croisette Collection is a huge favourite of mine. I don’t have issues with most of Dior’s formula and actually appreciate the wide brush with a tapered end. Application is a breeze and like most Dior polishes I have tried, Bikini dries fairly quickly too. I just need 2 coats to achieve opacity. The coral is slightly muted by the dusty quality and it is a really lovely shade.

Chanel’s Distraction was released in Malaysia early last month and I immediately pounced on it the moment it came out. What can I say about Chanel polishes that haven’t been said? The formula is smooth and creamy, and application is quite faultless. All it takes is 2 coats to achieve full opacity. Similar to the rest of the corals I have tried, Distraction has enough pink undertones that I think would go well with most skin tones. It is not too warm or cool. Just a perfect coral-ly balance!

I actually purchased Lunasol’s EX40 much earlier than the rest of the corals in this line up and it just took me a while to get around to using it. This was from their Spring 2012 collection. I have tried a couple of Lunasol polishes in the past and application proved to be a wee bit tricky at times. But EX40 applies really smooth, so I don’t have much trouble there. It has a jelly-creme finish and usually will require 3 coats (or more) to achieve full opacity. I like that it has a bit more pink to it and it is such a pretty colour.

Now here comes the kicker… Can you tell which is which from the photo? I painted two coats of each shade on the four fingers. I am seriously having trouble telling the difference on camera and even in person, so you probably can’t tell them apart.

How about when taken with flash? Can you spot the difference yet? No? Yeah, so the moral of the story is, if you already have one coral polish from any of the above mentioned, you probably don’t need another. Save the money and get yourself a coral lipstick instead.

Okay, here are the answers to put you out of your misery

Out of the four, the one that is a little bit different (and only when scrutinizing up close) is Dior’s as it has a slightly more orange undertone and a dustier finish. The Lunasol coral could probably do with another coat. Chanel’s had the smoothest application and Laura Mercier’s was the trickiest although it does level out.

* Twilight Zone effect… creepy corally fingers sticking out of nowhere *

If I were to recommend one coral out of the lot, it would have to be Chanel. I really like the formula and the coral-pink is one of the nicest released this season. But if you’re comparing colours alone, they all do look very similar.

So, do tell… Have you been bitten by the coral bug yet? Which out of the ones shown is your preferred choice? Or do you honestly not care because they look the same to you? Do share your thoughts and let me know what colours have been catching your eye this hot season.
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