Dior ‘Mitzah’ Collection – Le Vernis #622 Camel and #912 Ebony (swatches, review & comparisons)

Mitzah Bricard. Even the name sounds exotic, eccentrically chic, timeless…but who was she? When M. Dior arrived in Paris, he would come to meet this incredibly alluring and sensual woman who loved to wear turbans, pearls and above all, leopard print: Mitzah Bricard. She would later go on to be more than his muse, inspiring him to ever new heights and ultimately be sought after for her invaluable style advice by celebrities and sophisticates alike. In honour of this legendary lady of style, the House of Dior has released a small and quite limited edition collection of products, two of which I’m showcasing today: Le Vernis in #622 ‘Camel’ and #912 ‘Ebony’, along with some comparisons.

Mitzah Bricard and her famous triad: turbans, pearls and leopard print – refined opulence.

Of course, this review would not be complete without a look at the spectacular animal that was behind Mitzah’s inspiration, and as though channeling the lady herself, observe the studied, but casually elegant “modelesque” pose….simply glorious, dah-ling!

Le Vernis #622 ‘Camel’ is a warm toned caramel hue, with definite yellow leanings that give it a nice twist and keep it from appearing too flesh-like. What’s not as readily apparent to the naked eye, is the ultra fine shimmer dancing in its depths that peeks out in certain lighting, lending this shade an unusual glow. The formula was wonderful, flowing easily and smoothly across the nail without any brush strokes at all, and achieved complete opacity with just two coats. The following swatches are withDeborah Lippmann’s 2 Second Nail Primer as well as the Re-Hydrating Base Coat, two coats of lacquer, and Dior’s Glossy Top Coat from the Electric Tropics Catwalk Duo (previously reviewed here).

On my wish list: this chicly elegant Burberry trench coat, so perfectly encapsulating the very essence that is “camel”.

In sunlight, the lovely warmth of ‘Camel’ is at its absolute finest, looking like melted caramel draped along the nails with the shimmer a subtle secret within.

The only time this shade can look slightly cool-toned, is when viewed in indirect light, with the muted yellowish undertone creating a slight taupe-y feel.

In this backlit/shaded view, ‘Camel’s’ full deep tan colour appears at its truest, while the gloss is absolutely mirror-like.

A final view taken with flash is the best way to enjoy this shade’s inner shimmer, and the utter creaminess of this colour.

Looking through my range of like colours, the closest I found to ‘Camel’ was MAC’s ‘Brown Bag’ from the Spring 2010 Pret-A-Papier Collection. While the bottle photo shows the MAC to seem more orange leaning, the difference in hue became minimized once applied. Another feature that both polishes share, is that inner shimmer, although ‘Brown Bag’s’ sparkle is definitely more densely packed, with a slightly thinner formula, and using a much thinner brush. The following swatches are: index and ring fingers – ‘Camel’, middle and pinkie fingers – ‘Brown Bag’, using Deborah Lippmann’s 2 Second Nail Primer as well as the Re-Hydrating Base Coat, two coats of lacquer, and Dior’s Glossy Top Coat.

When seen in sunlight, the slight variances in hue become clearly seen, with ‘Brown Bag’s’ slight reddish hints deepening its tone just a touch.

I found it interesting to note that the shimmer in both was at its most visible when seen in indirect light, with ‘Camel’ now appearing much lighter toned.

A backlit/shaded view, closes the tonal gap between the two, making them appear quite similar, as well as so warm and cozy looking.

A final view taken with flash highlights how much more subtle ‘Camel’s’ shimmer is, as well as displaying its truer tan-like nature.

Believing that Essie’s ‘Case Study’ (reviewed here) from the Fall 2011 Collection was practically identical to ‘Camel’, I was surprised by how off I was! Placed side by side, their differences become glaringly apparent, with ‘Case Study’ looking like a café latté next to the butterscotch warmth of ‘Camel’.

The other two possible contenders flanking ‘Camel’, were BB Couture’s ‘Uranus’ and ‘Hades’ (both previously reviewed here) from the Spring/Summer 2011 “A Touch Of Greece” Collection, and while each had elements of ‘Camel’, they could in no way be considered duplicates – unless the two were to be mixed together. The following swatches were done with Deborah Lippmann’s 2 Second Nail Primer as well as the Re-Hydrating Base Coat, two coats of each lacquer, and Dior’s Glossy Top Coat from the Electric Tropics Catwalk Duo.

Thumb – Dior ‘Camel’
Index – MAC ‘Brown Bag’
Middle – BB Couture ‘Uranus’
Ring – BB Couture ‘Hades’
Pinkie – Essie ‘Case Study’

The differences and similarities between them are listed as follows:

The closest in colour: MAC ‘Brown Bag’, with points going to BB Couture’s ‘Hades’
Thinnest formula: MAC ‘Brown Bag’ and Essie ‘Case Study’
Thickest formula: BB Couture ‘Uranus’ and ‘Hades’

In sunlight.

Seen in indirect light.

In backlit/shaded light.

With flash.

Le Vernis #912 ‘Ebony’, is an incredibly luscious, melted-dark-chocolate shade, also bearing that ultra-fine shimmer deep inside. The formula was a perfect consistency, being neither too thick nor thin, and with the first coat’s application, you can see that there is a definite olive-green tint to the base, giving this shade a unique cool cast to what would normally be a warm hue. Wonderfully opaque at two coats, it levelled out exceptionally well, maintained a high gloss shine and dried relatively fast. Another perk, was that there was absolutely no staining of the nail bed upon removal. The following swatches are with Deborah Lippmann’s 2 Second Nail Primer as well as the Re-Hydrating Base Coat, two coats of lacquer, and Dior’s Glossy Top coat.

The musician in me cannot help but instantly picture my beloved keyboard whenever I hear the word “ebony”, with its 36 darkly glistening keys (the other 52 are the “ivory” – or white, for a total of 88).

When seen in sunlight, ‘Ebony’ appears to take on a more sable-brown hue, yet the shimmer saves it from appearing too deep or drab.

This indirect light view, seems to absorb any hint of the shimmer, and significantly cools down this shade, casting a slight greyish pall over it.

This first shaded view displays the intense saturation found in ‘Ebony’, while exemplifying its amazing gloss factor.

This second backlit/shaded view, gives this shade its deepest tone yet, bringing it to the edge of black while still maintaining hints of chestnut.

A final view taken with flash lends a touch of burnt umber to ‘Ebony’, while spotlighting the wonderful masses of its hidden shimmer.

As soon as I laid eyes on ‘Ebony’, I was almost certain that it was a twin to Dior’s ‘Underground’ (previously reviewed here) from the Spring 2011 “Rock Your Nails” Collection, and while at first glance it might appear that way, there are still some slight differences between the two, with ‘Ebony’ appearing to have some olive green in its base as compared to the more plum-like undertones of ‘Underground’. The following swatches are index & ring fingers – ‘Ebony’, middle and pinkie fingers – ‘Underground’, using Deborah Lippmann’s 2 Second Nail Primer as well as the Re-Hydrating Base Coat, two coats of lacquer, and Dior’s Glossy Top Coat.

Seen in sunlight, ‘Ebony’ appears as a true Crayola-brown hue, next to the more prune-like tone of ‘Underground’, with their shimmer shyly peeking through.

This indirect lighting view appears to bring the two to an almost identical level, and you would have to look quite hard to see their inherent differences.

This first view seen in shaded light now appears to have swallowed up the fine shimmer found in both, as well as giving each a near-black semblance.

This second backlit/shaded light view, once more displays the impossibly brilliant gloss of both lacquers, but keeps the tone broodingly deep.

This final view taken with flash is not only the best indicator of their differences, but serves to show how well the shimmer compliments each shade.

A lovely image courtesy of Dior International, that shows beauty’s “spots” – the ‘Camel’ and ‘Ebony’ version!

Final thoughts: I continue to be impressed with Dior’s lacquer formulation; it’s the brush I’m ambivalent about. When I initially begin to use it, I feel ridiculously clumsy, but by the third swipe, I’m loving it. It’s a shape that takes getting used to and the only drawback I could find, is that those with daintier and/or smaller nails, may find it a bit of a challenge to apply. The polishes themselves bear that ever so subtle inner shimmer that, while not readily apparent, seems to just add a realistic depth to each shade and even without a top coat, their natural glossy shine was absolutely superb. These varnishes were not made in large amounts and are part of a very limited collection, therefore I wouldn’t delay in picking them up…especially if they called to your inner animal, as they did to mine!