Chanel 18 Rouge Noir Swatch and Review

For Christmas I was lucky enough to be given possibly the most exquisite nail polish I have ever come across - and with a collection nearing probably 150* polishes (*I actually have no idea about this, I can't bring myself to count them), I don't use the term 'most exquisite' lightly.  That polish is one Chanel Rouge Noir.  This polish is such a cult polish that it even has its own Wiki page detailing its history.  Its cult status was partly to do with it being thought to be the polish that Uma Thurman wore in Pulp Fiction (apparently it actually turned out to be Mavala Las Vegas, but we'll ignore that).

from blueandmore.blogspot.com

Back to my review.  It's the only polish in the last year of being a nail blogger that I have worn repeatedly since receiving it because it is just so stunning.  It goes with absolutely everything and has, I like to think, a real sophistication to it.  (Dark red feels so grown up).  With two coats, at a glance from a distance you would probably think it black - closer up you can see the red tint to it.  (As the name Rouge Noir suggests, it's a red black.  Is black red a different colour?)

As you would expect (and hope) from a Chanel nail polish, it paints smoothly and has great pigment.  With one coat it's a little bit streaky but you can see the red - two coats gives it the blackness and total opacity.  It dries quickly and is so shiny!  The photos below show just two coats, without a top coat.

Have you ever come across Chanel Rouge Noir?  What do you think of it?  Have you got a favourite red you like to wear?