There’s so many fall collections coming out now!  The newest is Dior’s Blue Tie Collection, which was just released.  I have swatches and comparisons of all three shades, including the Nordstrom’s exclusive, Blue Denim.

The most highly anticipated of the three polishes is Tuxedo, a deep dark navy blue with lots of blue sparkle, and a hint of purple around the edges. Tuxedo is highly pigmented and took only two coats to be opaque.  The formula on this polish was very nice, and it wasn’t runny or goopy like some heavy shimmers can be.  The shimmer is not as noticeable in indoor or dim lighting, so in those lights Tuxedo can look very dark, almost blackish.  It’s very dramatic and velvety looking, so pretty.

 

 

 

A lot of people have been speculating that it’s very close to Chanel’s Blue Satin, so I pulled it out to compare.  Blue Satin came out in 2008 and was a highly coveted “it” shade at the time, selling out at many stores.  It’s a classic Chanel color that was made part of the permanent lineup (at least for now).  Interestingly, Blue Satin was just used a few weeks ago in Chanel’s Fall-Winter 2011/2012 Haute Couture show, so there seems to be a navy blue moment going on right now-it’s a perfect time to pick up Tuxedo or Blue Satin, or both!

In the picture below, Tuxedo is on my index and middle fingers and Blue Satin is on my ring and pinky.  Blue Satin is a very dark navy, even darker than Tuxedo, with sparser shimmer that’s made up of slightly larger chunks.  It also took only two coats to be opaque, and went on really well.  Tuxedo’s heavier shimmer lightens it quite a bit compared to Blue Satin.

This picture shows the difference in base color well-Blue Satin has a darker base with a hint more black in it.  They do look fairly similar in indoor lighting, but they’re not the same.

 

Next up is Blue Denim.  It’s a dusky yet vibrant medium blue that was one of the Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale exclusives.  I’m not normally a huge blue polish fan, especially when it’s not a grown up dark blue like Tuxedo or Blue Satin, but the Nordstrom’s exclusives can be hard to come by once they sellout.  So I decided to pick it up, and I’m glad that I did!  The formula on this one is also really nice, and it only took two coats to be opaque and shiny.  I like that it’s dusty but not purple, and maintains its clean feel.  It’s not navy at all, which is also interesting.  It’s a good, true blue.  I’m kind of getting a summer time feel from it more than an autumn feel, but that just means that it’s actually good to go right now.

 

Just to give an idea of the intensity of the color, I compared it to Dior’s Bond Street.  Blue Denim is on my index and middle fingers and Bond Street is on my ring and pinky.  I knew they wouldn’t be that close, but I was actually kind of surprised that there’s a slight similarity in tone between them.  Bond Street is really a dark grey with blue undertones, but the dusky blue tone in both comes through when they’re side by side.

The last polish is Safari Beige.  This color had been up on the Dior website for a while and I came close to ordering it a few times, but now that it’s finally at Nordstrom’s it’s gone from the Dior website.  Just another weird Dior polish thing-they can be so elusive.  This is another really nice nude color, a clean beige that’s slightly sheer.  Some people have complained about the sheerness, and it did take three coats for this opacity rather than the two coats that I used for the first two polishes.  But I think that it’s more of a comparison issue-the normal Dior formula is so pigmented and great that it’s only in comparison that this seems a bit sheer.  I still like it-it’s a clean, easy to wear nude that isn’t too peachy or too pink.

 

 

I compared it to Deborah Lippmann’s Naked, which is my current nude polish favorite.  Safari Beige is on my index and middle finger and Naked is on my ring and pinky.  Safari Beige is slightly darker than Naked, and has a bit more of a peach tone.  They are extremely close, and have the same finish at three coats, but Naked is just a little bit more white or pink.  So it’s a bit better match for me.  But Safari Beige is really pretty, and good for a slightly greyer, slightly darker option-I think it will be nice for fall.

 

All of these polishes are really nice-the Dior formula is so easy to work with, and easy to apply with the new Dior brush.  I think the secret to the Dior brush is that it’s cut very precisely.  It’s not just a big flat thing like the wide OPI brush, it’s actually tapered and can be turned to get a finer edge, and the bristles are long enough to hold together and create a smaller edge if you’re careful.

These polishes are all still available at Nordstrom’s at this point.