Dior Review #1 Rock Coat

Dior Rock Coat Nail Polish, available for between £14-£18 for 10ml

My friend Makeda sent this to me a few of weeks ago to test out and review for this 'ere blog. I was pretty chuffed to get this really, as much as I have always loved nail varnish I don't really branch out to high end brands like Dior etc because I would normally choose to spend the money on makeup from brands such as these. However, chuffed to have this in my collection!

Rock Coat is a top coat to be used on the shade of your choice, though I imagine this would work best on darker shades- a smokey nude nail doesn't seem very appealing! Dior claim that Rock Coat 'sets and speed dries' nail varnish, that it 'coats the varnish with a veil of smoky lacquer extending wear and increasing shine' for a 'sensual and enigmatic' finish, - 'citing! 

The image below shows the Rock Coat used on a clear basecoat;

I chose to use Rimmel London Professional Finish nail varnish in 420 Aqua Cool as my 'underneath' colour because I find it a bit too pastel/bright for this time of year when I prefer deeper colours on my nails. While I'm on the subject I'll say that I really think these Rimmel Pro Finish varnishes are amazing for the price; both formula and the application brush. They apply evenly and don't take long to dry at all, plus they come in quite good colours. This is the colour on my nails;

 I applied two coats of Aqua Cool (only takes two coats to create a completely opaque finish) and then put one coat of Rock Coat on top. The Dior brush is great, it's quite large, flat with firm fibres that allow precise application. There's a slight angle point at the end to help getting into any hard to reach corners, two brushstrokes and the nail is covered- dreamy.

I love the results, I was pleasently surprised because I wasn't expecting much of a change really! It dries within a minute or two and the finish is so smooth and so glossy. It has achieved the 'smokey' look it was meant to, but it has also added depth, almost a 3d finish and looks so unique and gorgeous.

 All in all, I'm really pleased I now have this in my collection, I think I have been converted to higher end nail varnish (great news for my future bank balance) because the experience using it was so much more enjoyable than with cheaper brands; a perfect smooth finish and dries quickly (and properly!). With cheaper polishes I have at times sat there for far too long, applying layers and waiting for them to dry inbetween only to pick something up half an hour later and smudging occurring. Not with Dior Rock Coat, oh no. I'm looking forward to trying this on more colours and to using it more, painting my nails was becoming such an inconvenience for me, but this only took about 5 minutes altogether, which is a bit better ;-)

Do you like the effect Rock Coat gives? What other high end varnishes have impressed you?