Chanel in #473 Coromandel + Comparisons

Direct sunlight

Chanel in #473 Coromandel was released with the Winter 2009 "Rouge Allure Laque" collection. As an aside, the Rouge Allure Laques have unfortunately been discontinued, but if you get the chance to pick one up, take it! I own all of them and they are fantastic. UPDATE: Coromandel has been re-released (limited-edition) for Fall 2012 with the relaunch of Rouge Allure lipsticks and is available now.

Coromandel is much warmer toned than Dragon; it also has shimmer. The shimmer isn't as complex as is typical of Chanel's subtle shimmers. It is also not as hidden as in many of Chanel's polishes, but it is still shimmer in a creme base and not visible in all lights. The shimmer is a pink-red that flashes gold in a tomato-red creme base. This is definitely a warm-leaning polish. I have olive skin and for me this is a summer-only polish - it makes me look horrifically sallow in the winter when I am pale. It doesn't look super warm by itself, but you can see in the comparison pictures how much warmer it is than some other true reds.

The formula on Cormandel is perfect - not too thick or thin - an easy 1-coater even with thin coats. I did two coats, because I was doing my nails quickly and messed up my application at the cuticles a bit (you can see I didn't do any clean up and it isn't as neat as I would normally have it looking). In addition to going fast, my application isn't as nice as I like because the brush I got was a bit different from any of the other Chanel brushes I have. It was a bit bushier at the tip and had one stray bristle that stuck out a bit awkwardly. It wasn't a bad brush, just not what I'm used to, and I'm certain most people won't find their brush is like mine.

These pictures are after one day of wear, so there is some visible wear and my Seche Vite shows a bit of scratching. This color is unique in my collection. Worn July 31 - August 5, 2012.

Direct sunlight

Direct sunlight

Direct sunlight

Indirect natural light

Diffused flash, indirect natural light

Diffused flash, indirect natural light

Indirect natural light

Indirect natural light

Diffused flash

Diffused flash

Diffused flash

I'm not happy with my comparison pictures, but I included them to give you some idea of how Coromandel differs from other reds in my collection. My camera had a hard time capturing the true colors of all these reds when they were lined up together.

Left to right: OPI in Red My Fortune Cookie, American Apparel in Poppy, Illamasqua in Alarm, Chanel in #473 Coromandel, Orly in Poison Apple, Shades by Barielle in Pin Up, Sally Hansen HD in Zip

My first comparison is between the most similar polishes to Coromandel. All these polishes are even more different than my pictures captured. All were taken with a diffused flash. Illamasqua Alarm is an almost-neon red creme. It is much lighter than Coromandel, which appears almost brick red in comparison. American Apparel in Poppy is similar to Alarm, but lighter, less neon, and with a bit more coral in it. OPI in Red My Fortune Cookie, which is still a warm red creme, appears almost true red compared to these first three colors. It is a bit deeper than Alarm and Poppy, with a bit more pink in it and it still makes Coromandel look brick red in comparison. Orly in Poison Apple is a brick red creme, and it is the most similar to Coromandel. It is a bit darker and more dusty with no shimmer. Even though these two are similar, they give a very different look overall - Coromandel is a year-round classic (depending on your skin tone), whereas Poison Apple is autumnal and reads older to me. Shades by Barielle in Pin Up is different tonally, since it is a true red, but it is similar since it is a creme with shimmer, although the shimmer is more obvious in Pin Up. Sally Hansen HD in Zip is a true red shimmer - almost metallic - with gold shimmer that warms it up. Aside from the finish, it is darker and more blue-toned.

Left to right: Chanel in #207 Barcelona Red, Chanel in #475 Dragon, Chanel in #473 Coromandel, Chanel in #08 Pirate, Chanel in #587 Rouge Carat, Chanel in #455 Lotus Rouge

The second comparison shows how different Coromandel is with some of my other Chanel reds. Barcelona Red (my first Chanel, and one of the only polishes I have a back up of) is warm toned, but leans a bit more toward true red than Coromandel. It is much deeper, but has the same shimmer in a creme formula (red and gold shimmer), although the shimmer is more visible in Barcelona Red. Dragon is a true red creme - deeper and cooler, but not blue-toned, than Coromandel. If you like reds, then Dragon is a fabulous red to own - the formula is impeccable. Pirate is a close-to-true red that leans a bit cool. I think it is still a universally flattering color. It is a jelly with no shimmer and a bit deeper than Dragon. Rouge Carat is slightly cool-leaning red with pink red shimmer. It is a true shimmer polish. Lotus Rouge is the deepest of these reds. It is a red creme that leans a bit brown with undertones of purple as well.

Swatches of Coromandel are scarce (I've found more through Google, but most of them are color-inaccurate), but can be found at The Beauty Look Book (warning feet here, comparisons here), Short 'n Chic, and Audreyeleven's Flickr. NailGal also has some good pictures.

Which reds are your favorite? Can you only wear certain types of red? And would you pick Coromandel as one of the reds to add to your collection?