Dior · Diorific Vernis Splendor, Cosmic & Nova – Holiday Splendor 2016 Collection

Drawing inspiration from exquisite haute couture detailing, Dior has just launched the Splendor 2016 Collection for the holidays, filled with timeless & classic colours such as the nail shades shown here … then added a festive little twist to keep things unique. As in past holiday collections, these Diorific Vernis hues come housed in round retro-glam bottles with gold packaging, details that are totally not lost on a beauty obsessive such as myself.

I’ll be posting the rest of the collection in upcoming reviews — stay tuned as you won’t want to miss seeing any of it, believe me! For more behind-the-scenes-peeks, I welcome you to join me @ommorphia on any (or all!) of my other platforms: Instagram & InstaStories, Snapchat, Facebook, Pinterest & Twitter.

∗Note that there are 2 more shades — 328 Golden and a pink hue that I believe won’t be released in Canada.

Dior · Diorific Vernis, Holiday Splendor 2016 Collection

001 Nova, limited edition (CAN $34.00) | Described as a “broken mirror top coat”, this little beauty is definitely the heart & star attraction of the three. Bearing a clear base, it’s filled with irregularly shaped iridescent shards. The formula leans on the thick side but is easy to apply and has the added advantage of not needing any fishing to get enough of the shimmery bits per brushful, although you may need to nudge a few strays in place (any that might stick out along the free nail edge or along the sides). Brilliantly reflective, you can wear Nova on its own or layered over EVERYTHING (seriously) and if you’re really looking to bring out its prismatic effect (especially with a darker colour underneath), try adding a matte top coat and then sit back to watch the magic happen. Relatively smooth to the touch, it becomes even more so with a regular top coat added.

Coats: 2, plus top coat

Dior · 001 Nova Diorific Vernis

Dior · 001 Nova Diorific Vernis swatches

850 Splendor, limited edition (CAN $34.00) | A rich deep garnet (red velvet?) hue filled with Dior’s iconic ultra fine shimmer in gold & red hues. Slightly cooler leaning due to the blue undertones in the base, Splendor is super colour-saturated — almost a one-coat-wonder. The shimmer is apparent regardless of lighting, and while more vivid in direct light, it still manages to provide a lush depth of tone to this colour even when seen indoors. Self-levelling with an excellent flow & opacity, and ultra glossy at the finish, it’s also relatively non-staining provided you apply base coat first.

Coats: 2, plus top coat (1 coat of Nova added then mattified in the last two swatches)

Dior · 850 Splendor Diorific Vernis

Dior · 850 Splendor Diorific Vernis swatch

Dior · 850 Splendor Diorific Vernis swatches, with 001 Nova (left) & mattified (right)

899 Cosmic, limited edition (CAN $34.00) | As someone who’s a huge fan of brooding darkling shades, Cosmic sits right in the heart of my colour wheelhouse. This is a blackened violet hue with grape undertones and chock-full of ultrafine shimmer in bronze and burgundy hues, of the type that Dior does so well. With an effortless application, the formula is smoothly laying and comes to a natural high-gloss finish — along with being relatively stain-free, provided you first add a base coat. Just when I thought it couldn’t get better, I threw on a layer of Nova then took things to the next level by mattifying it all up, and I ended up with a major OMG moment. Just look at it; seriously frame-worthy.

Coats: 2, plus top coat (1 coat of Nova added then mattified in the last three swatches)

Dior · 899 Cosmic Diorific Vernis

Dior · 899 Cosmic Diorific Vernis swatches, with 001 Nova (right)

Dior · 899 Cosmic Diorific Vernis swatches with 001 Nova magnified (direct sunlight, right)

Dior · Diorific Vernis, Holiday Splendor 2016 Collection

You’ve probably heard me say this several times before, but Dior makes one of my favourite nail polish formulas and that also includes the three holiday versions shown here. The bottles are absolutely adorable and almost begged to be displayed (but a total pain to hold while trying to photograph them), with the brush being the only departure from that of the regular range, both in size/length of the wand and shape. Nevertheless, it still splays effortlessly along the nail and I actually think the shorter size makes it almost easier to maneuver — but I still prefer the usual format just the same. If you get nothing else (although good luck in picking just one), make sure you don’t miss out on Nova — I’m definitely planning on a back up.

Available at The Bay & select Dior counters nationwide