Where do you even begin to review such a cult classic. Which even came first? Pulp Fiction, or Rouge Noir? I genuinely don’t know! I know we’ve just had 
OPI Burlesque, Shrek & Alice In Wonderland, but whenever I think of nail varnish in the movies, this is automatically the first one I think of.
This was the first ever Chanel polish I tried, and bizarrely acquired it from a good friend of mine who bought it and realised she was allergic to the formula. Ever happy to help out a friend, I removed the offending article and was happy to see that it worked for me.
And it does work. This is the original polish that spawned a billion copies (many of which I own) but if I want that classic red-black look, it makes sense to reach for the Chanel. It makes me feel grown up and properly polished.
Application was good. Maybe Chanel does get better over time, but I have to say that this went on far better than Paradoxal, Particuliere, or any of Chanel’s more recent releases that I have. It can veer to the slightly streaky but three coats was absolutely perfect. Longish drying time but some topcoat sorted that out.
I wore this over Christmas and decided to keep it on as long as I could bear. I’ve mentioned before that I’m not overly keen on how Chanel chips on me, but this was better than average. 15 chips in 48 hours of wear. Still not ideal th0ugh, but better than Paradoxal, which didn’t even make it to 24 hours.
Is it deserving of the cult status? Yes, I think it is. It’s much imitated and you can pick up a dupe for pennies these days. But any self respecting polish lover needs this one in their collection. It’s part of cult history, after all.
Helen
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