Shoe and designer obsessed I am, it will come as no surprised to you that at 9.29am on Thursday 14th August, I was second in line to purchase a bottle (or two) of the Rouge Louboutin at Selfridges, Oxford Street. I know, I know, I should have been first (I was waiting for doors to open at 9.10am) but all the staff at Selfridges had a head start. So I did pretty well getting second place, and a snaking queue formed within minutes.
This £36 nail polish, sold in what some would consider to be an utterly ridiculous sized and shaped bottle, or a genius idea and a undoubtedly another masterpiece of Christian Louboutin. This bottle, if you have somehow managed to stay away from the hype and articles of this momentous moment in the beauty world, is 20.5 cms tall, largely made up of a terrifying 'spike' supposed to represent/ echo the Ballerina Ultima Pump designed by Mr Louboutin (which looks more like an instrument of torture than a ballet 'pump'). The bottle is a glorious chiseled glass rock, inspired by classical 18th century European balustrades, and the whole thing looks like it could very easily double up as a weapon of self-defence. Maybe ladies around the globe will be using these pots of Rouge Louboutin to push their way through the unprotected masses when he extends his range with 30 additional nail colours in September.
So what's it like? Is any nail polish worth the £36? Does it last? Firstly, any item by Christian Louboutin selling for £36 is a must-have. Which is why there were queues simultaneously all around the beauty departments of Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, and Harrods at 9.30am. It comes in the most incredible bottle - a centre piece on itself - which I hope to have on my dressing table when I'm an old (and stylish) 80 year old woman.
I was worried that the stark red would look like I'd torn my fingernails off, as usually I go for a more crimson colour with pink hues. The nail paint is identical to the iconic soles of a Louboutin shoe, with a faint hint of pinky red. It looked... Amazing. I read that it took colour technicians over 50 attempts to create the tone absolutely 100% identical to the shoe soles. And congratulations, they absolutely nailed it.
The patented triangular brush has been designed specifically to pick up the precise quantity of polish required for each nail, while short bristles avoid the collection of air bubbles allowing for meticulous application. Whilst I saw no visual difference to the brush (Rimmel is the noticeable one with its wider, flat brush for easy application), there were absolutely no bubbles under the coat of polish, and I couldn't have asked for a smoother application - I put this down to the quality of the paint though. No complaints though - it did the job! The biggest achievement in this bottle of Loubi magic is the paint's drying time. Oh my god! By the time I'd finished one hand, the first few nails were dry and rock solid. Obviously I didn't want to bite my nails to test how 'dry' it was, but I could get on with everyday tasks without streaks of red left on everything.
My verdict? It's everything you could wish for, and more. Its smooth and fast drying application, fantastic colour, and a bottle which will look good as an ornament whether or not you use nail polish make it a must have. The only fault (gasp) is that, like with any nail varnish - including the Chanel Le Vernis that I love and adore - the paint on the tips of my nails had chipped within two days. With the amount of hand washing I do though, it would take a miracle or a polish with superglue as a main ingredient to get a nail paint to stay completely unscathed on my nails for longer than 48 hours. I will add that it chipped a lot less than other brands I've tried (Barry M being the ultimate worst and one I refuse to ever go near).
Buy buy buy! You even get a mini version of the signature Louboutin bag to carry your pot of happiness - you just can't go wrong with this one. Oh Christian, we do love you.
