Fancy Friday: Dior #886 New World Purple

(Note: OK, I forgot to post this yesterday because I was so busy changing polishes and photographing them, so pretend this is Friday...)

Dior's New World Purple is what was formerly called Aztec Chocolate and I can't really understand the reasoning for the rename because it's definitely more of a chocolatey color, with only the slightest purple highlights visible in very strong light. Had they not changed the name, the mixup that resulted in my getting it might not have happened. Polish companies — Y U Do This?

#886 New World Purple

I had seen the new collection reviewed a few months ago on Fashion Polish with a note that it would be available worldwide at the end of the month (which I assumed meant February.) I really wanted to get #783 Shadow but had foolishly not written down the name or number. I happened to be at Nordstrom shortly after the review so I checked out their Dior counter, not really expecting it to be there yet. The saleswoman assured me that it was ("We're Nordstrom — of course we get it early!") and since all I could really remember was that it was the shimmery one of the collection, as this one was, I went ahead and got it, all excited to go home and try it out.

First of all, I have to note how awful the brush was on this — shocking on a $24 bottle of polish. Seriously, I could have made a better brush if I'd combed my cat and taped the hairs to a manicure stick. The bristles were stiff and splayed out so much that if I'd purchased it online instead of at the Dior counter of Nordstrom I'd have immediately assumed I'd been ripped off with a fake. At least the formula was such that it flowed together well enough but it needed some serious clean-up afterward. I'm hoping that this was an anomaly because I haven't read of this being an issue with the line; in fact several blogs have commented on how good their brushes are.

The color is a warm, metallic chocolate-y color (as in Aztec Chocolate, not as in New World Purple!) but if you are in a blue room or happen to be wearing a blue top, you will see the faintest purple-y tone to the shimmers. The application was easy enough, although the brush strokes are fairly obvious (I blame that mutant brush for this.) It dried fairly quickly, and I used my usual top coat of Seche Vite.

You can see the first chip at the lower end of my ring finger.

On top of it all, it started to chip within hours. Hours! Again, at this price I would expect better quality and it's got me reconsidering even bothering to go back for the Shadow color I had wanted in the first place. For a splurge, this was a huge disappointment; I had not expected a premium polish like Dior to perform less well than a cheap drugstore polish. If Shadow becomes as popular as is being predicted I think I may prefer to wait for Revlon to come up with a dupe, although they seem to dupe Chanel more than Dior. At the very least I will go to Nordstrom with bare nails and try out the demo first, then wander around a bit to see how it holds up. Once burned, twice shy...