Chanel in #427 Diabolic + Comparisons

Direct sunlight

This mani was my pre-first day of school "I don't want to go back to school" protest mani. A gorgeous polish, fitting for a dark mood and beautiful enough to pull me out of it!

Chanel in #427 Diabolic was released with the Winter 2009 "Noirs Obscurs" collection, which also included #437 Forbidden and a re-released #483 Vendetta. I know you Chanel poo-poo-ers will roll your eyes when I say this, but the feeling you get when wearing a Chanel vampy is unparalleled. And Diabolic might top #18 Rouge Noir for my favorite vampy from Chanel. Wearing this polish seriously gives me a confidence boost.

Diabolic is a deep almost-black red thats can't be classified as berry because it has a touch of brown in it. In lower light it sometimes looks black, but it is less harsh against my skin tone than a black would look. In most lights, it is apparent that it's not black (unlike black-with-shimmers like Vendetta or #461 Blue Satin).

The formula on Diabolic is very opaque - you could use 1 thicker medium coat, but I used 2 thin coats. It's a bit thinner than perfect, but that's normal with vampies, since part of what makes them special is that deep gloss that you get from having a little sheerness to the formula. I topped it with an aging bottle of Seche Vite, so there are a few bubbles from my top coat. Worn September 3 - 5, 2012.

Indirect sunlight

Indirect sunlight

Indirect sunlight

Indirect sunlight

Indirect sunlight

Direct sunlight

Direct sunlight

Direct sunlight

Indirect natural light

Indirect natural light

Direct sunlight

Direct sunlight - sunset

Direct sunlight - sunset

Direct sunlight - sunset

Direct sunlight - sunset

I compared Diabolic with quite a few colors and none of them were a match. I apologize that these aren't the prettiest comparison pictures and that there are fingerprints and dust on some of my swatch sticks - kind of gross, I know!

Left to right: Chanel in #469 Imperial, Chanel in #437 Forbidden, Chanel in #427 Diabolic, Chanel in #18 Rouge Noir

You can see that Diabolic and Rouge Noir are most similar, but Rouge Noir is more of a pure vampy berry, whereas Diabolic has a hint of brown. I wear Diabolic when I have more of a tan and Rouge Noir when I'm paler. Diabolic is also more opaque.

Left to right: Deborah Lippmann in Maneater, Chanel in #427 Diabolic, Chanel in #437 Forbidden, Chanel in #469 Imperial

This is a comparison with my most similar brown vampies. None of them are extremely similar. Deborah Lippmann in Maneater (a gorgeous polish) looks very similar in low light, but most of the time they are clearly different, and Maneater is a jelly formula.

Left to right: Zoya in Casey, Chanel in #427 Diabolic, Orgasm in Indecent Proposal

These are my most similar purple-based vampies. Zoya in Casey is similar, but darker, and it has much more purple. It also has a sheerer formula. Orgasm in Indecent Proposal (I know about the brand name - blame Scrangie's swatches for making me want them!) has a purple base, but it's much closer to Diabolic; It also has red shimmer, so they're not really comparable.

Left to right: OPI in Royal Rajah Ruby, Revlon Streetwear in #15 Blood, Chanel in #427 Diabolic, Diamond Cosmetics in #342 Cherry Tobacco, Chanel in #18 Rouge Noir, Nicole by OPI in Smile for the Glam-era

These are my similar red-based vampies. If you wanted a shimmer-based vampy similar in tone to Diabolic, OPI in Royal Rajah Ruby or Revlon Streetwear in #15 Blood would probably be your closest bet. They have a similar red-brown base (without any purple like Diabolic has), but the addition of vibrant red shimmer. They are very similar to each other, but Royal Rajah Ruby is more shimmery. Diamond Cosmetics in #342 Cherry Tobacco has a black base with red shimmer. Rouge Noir is a bit sheerer and more red/berry-based. Nicole by OPI in Smile for the Glam-era has a very similar base to Diabolic, but the purple and red shimmer give it a different overall look.

This paper swatch shows the differences amongst those polishes I found most similar to Diabolic. Maneater is clearly a dark chocolate brown and you can see how jelly the formula is. Casey has the next sheerest formula (3 coats necessary for opacity) and a purpler base. Rouge Noir has a slightly more opaque formula than Casey (but I still use 3 coats) and it is more red-based. Diabolic is the most opaque (I really had to wipe off the brush to get it this sheer) and is kind of a mix of all three of the other polish colors.

So do you love vampies as much as me - and, like me, do you wear them no matter the season? Have you ever tried a Chanel vampy? And what's your favorite vampy ever?

Other swatches of Diabolic are scarce. The former blogger Nail of the Week, has a swatch on Nailgal, The Beauty Look Book has a comparison post, and Temptalia has a quick-and-dirty thumb swatch.