For Holiday 2011, the house of Dior has gone the traditional route, spreading their cheer in tones of red and gold. One of four limited edition lacquers, ‘Exquis’ (French for “exquisite”) is not only festively appropriate, but somehow transcends the seasons, by virtue of its sophisticated yet so very wearable hue. This is such an intricate shade to describe, as it seems to change and adapt itself chameleon-like, depending on the wearer…made to measure varnish!
The opening photo of ‘Exquis’, displays the myriad gold and bronze-y tones that give this lacquer its utter brilliance, yet one look at the photo directly above, shows off a whole other side to this shade. With subtle undertones of olive, grey and touches of taupe, this colour seems to morph into many other directions when playing with the light, and matches every skin tone. The formula bears a medium viscosity, being neither too thick or thin, flowing exceptionally smoothly across the nails while levelling itself to a brushstroke-free, super glossy finish. Another bonus to this shade, is that its amazingly high pigmentation means that it can almost be a one-coater, if applied thickly enough. The following swatches are all with Deborah Lippmann’s 2-Second Nail Primer and Rehydrating Base Coat, two coats of lacquer and Dior’s Glossy Top Coat (previously reviewed here).
The above two photos taken in full sun, serve to showcase this shade’s incredible duality; the first shot gives a more greyed-out, almost murky tone to ‘Exquis’, as though seen through a misty veil, while the second shot captures the deeply golden undertones that lend this lacquer such depth.
When seen in indirect light, you get a juxtaposition of a more mushroom-y, almost muted grey-taupe base, with the golden shimmer emerging from the heart of the colour.
In this backlit/shaded view, the more bronze-like cast of ‘Exquis’ comes to the fore, and darkens the overall shade with a deep brown cast.
More indicative of how this shade really looks in the shade, the above photo serves to spotlight all of its facets, from the greyish olive/taupe base to the glimmering core of shimmer.
A final view taken with flash does something quite mysterious; while the golden brilliance of ‘Exquis’ is called forth, it also seems to bear an almost paradoxically milky hue, which never seems to detract from the shimmer…so beautifully strange & exotic!
Final thoughts: In my opinion, Dior varnishes continue their winning streak with this shade; not only is it a truly unique colour, but the formula makes this practically goof-proof. From the four varnishes launched, I was most attracted to ‘Exquis’, although my mind is still on a couple more, as well as the eyeshadow compact…a shopping excursion may be in my near future! Available at Dior counters now, remember that this is a limited edition shade so if it’s grabbed your fancy, don’t delay in checking it over. Stay tuned for my upcoming comparison post on this beauty!
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