Dior Spring 2015 | #294 Lady, #660 Glory & Éclosion Blossoming Top Coat

Despite the brutally cold weather we’ve been experiencing lately, a harbinger of the warmer weather ahead, comes in the form of Spring beauty offerings that have just begun trickling onto counters. The Dior Kingdom of Colours Collection Spring 2015 nail lacquers presents an encapsulated version of the collection’s main theme: neutral vs vivid, with a dash of whimsy thrown in via the new Éclosion Blossoming Top Coat.

The two colour shades of this collection are in Dior’s Gel Shine format which is incredibly glossy on its own and really makes adding a top coat superfluous, although I did apply one for my swatch photos here (although it’s totally not needed for a full mani/pedi. Seriously). The brush of Dior lacquers is one of my favourites of all brands – if not THE favourite – with its slightly chiselled and bevelled head of dense hairs, that splay perfectly when placed upon the nail, depositing the colour exactly where you want it to with a minimum amount of effort.

Note that both #294 Lady & #660 Glory bear Dior’s famous ‘secret shimmer’ in the base -incredibly fine particles that are relatively undetectable to the naked eye, but which are seen in direct sunlight or with flash – and definitely add a nice overall depth of tone to each hue.

#294 Lady, limited edition (CAN $28.00) | A filtered nude/petal pink shade that has a softly muted appearance upon the nails, with just enough colour to keep it from coming off as flat or boring. Interestingly enough, nude shades are some of the hardest colours to wear, as the wrong undertone can violently clash with one’s skin tone, but Dior has managed to infuse the right amount of both cool & warm hues into #294 Lady, as to render it wearable by basically everyone. The formula here was another surprise, displaying an amazing pigmentation for a shade in this colour family – laying down easily and in a self-levelling way, with no patchiness in evidence, not even at the first coat. The resulting finish is nothing short of ridiculously glossy and spot-on perfect. Coats applied: 2, plus top coat

Option 2: Two coats of Éclosion Blossoming Top Coat were added over #294 Lady, in order to make all the confetti bits stands out

Option 3: Adding a matte top coat not only makes the pieces of Éclosion Blossoming Top Coat stand out, but gives a more urban feel to this look, adding a crisp edginess.

Dior Kingdom of Colour Spring 2015 | #294 Lady

#001 Éclosion Blossoming Top Coat, limited edition (CAN $29.00) | This is a veritable confetti glitter party, albeit on the more subtle side due to the softer colour of all its pieces. Suspended in a clear base, Éclosion Blossoming Top Coat is composed of: white, lemon yellow, baby blue, blush pink and pale green glitter particles in bar as well as small hexagonal form. Each dip of the brush yields a fair amount of pieces per swipe, although some nudging into place of the bar glitter may be necessary along the nail free edges. I am not usually a fan of glitter, in particular the multi-variety type (yes, I am an unashamedly self-professed colour purist) and may even have done some eye-rolling when I first looked at this shade; however, once applied I was surprised to find that I ∗gasp∗ actually liked it. Adding a matte coat on top, may have even made me love it – and I’m not sure why – but there you go.

Note that the natural finish of Éclosion Blossoming Top Coat is very glossy on its own, but does have a bit of bumpiness due to the glitter pieces – easily remedied with a layer of a thickish top coat to smooth everything down.

Dior Kingdom of Colours Spring 2015 | #294 Lady & #001 Éclosion

Dior Kingdom of Colours Spring 2015 | #294 Lady & #001 Éclosion, matte

#660 Glory, limited edition (CAN $28.00) | A searingly vivid poppy/amaranth hue in a crème/jelly hybrid formula that defines perfection: self-levelling, a mirror-like glossy finish, and such intense colour saturation that you can easily get away with 1 coat for full coverage – especially on shorter nails. Depending on the angle, at times #660 Glory veers close to neon territory, but without quite going over, making it a bright yet sophisticated (read that as: modern) way to wear such a vivid colour. Bonus: non-staining upon removal. Coats applied: 2, plus top coat

Option 2: One Coat of Éclosion Blossoming Top Coat applied on top. Due to the colourful nature of #660 Glory, this is all you need for effect – any more would be overkill.

Option 3: Once again, adding a matte top coat emphasizes every bit of glitter and while interesting, I’m not as drawn to this combo as the previous one ∗shrugs∗ – definitely unique, though.

Dior Kingdom of Colours Spring 2015 | #660 Glory

Dior Kingdom of Colours Spring 2015 | #660 Glory & #001 Éclosion

Even though there are only three nail lacquers in the Kingdom of Colours Collection, there is still enough to appeal to basically everyone: #294 Lady for the neutral lovers, #660 Glory for fans of brighter colour, and Éclosion Blossoming Top Coat for glitter/nail art fiends. I personally love the look of #294 Lady on its own worn as a full mani and will definitely be sporting #660 Glory as a Spring/Summer pedi shade (heat…need some heat), with Éclosion Blossoming Top Coat making an occasional appearance just to keep things interesting (to repeat: I am a colour purist by nature). One last word: if you haven’t tried Dior polishes yet, you are seriously missing out on one of the best formulas & brush out there (still worth it, even with the $1.00 price hike per bottle – don’t think I didn’t notice, Dior).

Launching January 15th on all Dior counters nation-wide. Visit www.dior.com for more brand info.