Chanel Le Vernis #38 Rouge Flamboyant, #71 Laque Rouge, #19 Rouge No 19 for Les Rouges Culte Collection, Review, Swatch & Comparison

Chanel made a smart move that makes a nail polish collector's heart skip a beat. They remade three of their cult reds from 1980s. How cool is that?

By the time I knew what fashion is and that I could dress up appropriately, 80s were already over. I was more interested in music and my fashion sense followed along when I was a teen at 90s. I loved 60s, early 70s, the music, hippies, all the ideologies they believed whole heartedly but I was never into 80s. I remember my mom having to remove the shoulder pads from my shirts when I was a little girl because I wouldn't wear anything which had them. My childhood passed by as I was hoping 80s would be over and I was all ready when 90s arrived.

Today when we think of all the brands jumping in the bandwagon with their newly curated make-up lines, it is not hard to step back and see the history behind a long established brand such as Chanel. It tells why it is still the hottest discussion on beauty forums when photos of new Chanel nail polishes are revealed for the next season. Most of us can remember our mothers even our grandmothers loving a particular Chanel shade. We share memories, Chanel is a part of us.

A history back in time. Year 1980, some carry over thoughts from 70s dominate the fashion industry. Colors are subdued, so are the accessories. Chanel Le Vernis #38 Rouge Flamboyant, "a fiery red to cheerfully welcome a new decade" is released. Chanel being always ahead of the time, slowly makes the fashion world warm up with the idea of "brighter" colors for the second half of the decade.

Year 1981, Chanel reveals their new nail polish, an elegant deep red with a touch of berry, Le Vernis #71 Laque Rouge. Is it one of the pioneers before it all started to get deeper with Vamp? It is hard to pinpoint, all that can be said is that it is lovely on the fingertips and toes alike.

1980s are almost over, just three more years to go and there comes my favorite of the bunch, playful, feminine yet classic. Chanel Le Vernis #19 Rouge No 19 was released in 1987. If you are not into reds, you may like this one. It is a blue toned pink, with almost fuchsia undertones. The new version has fuchsia hidden shimmer, which makes it appear even more pink than it was with the first release back than.

Chanel Le Vernis #19 Rouge No 19's new version has wonderful consistency and formula. It is opaque with two coats. The hidden shimmer reveals itself quietly once the right amount of light falls on the nails, making it very unique.

I was so obsessed with that fuchsia red, I had to hunt the old version from 1987 down a few years ago. I am glad to be able to compare these two for you, as you see the new version has more of Chanel's hidden shimmer and as a result it appears cooler, with more pink on the nails. I was told that the matching lipstick of Rouge No 19 has also shimmer, so I imagine that they decided to vamp up this shade to a degree they were not able to do back then. All in all I am loving the both versions but new one even more!

Do you know Chahevu? She has the biggest Chanel nail polish collection that I know of and has a lovely blog in German. The photos speak for themselves even if you don't translate the text. Check her posts about: Le Vernis #38 Rouge Flamboyant and comparison to two older versions, Rouge No. 19 and comparisons to two older versions, #71 Laque Rouge and comparison to an older version.

Final thoughts: All thumbs up for Chanel to bring back these lovely reds for us. I hope they consider to bring back some other cult shades such as Night Sky, Jade and Facettes Collection.

Availability/Price: These three reds are now available at Chanel.com and they keep popping around world at many Chanel counters. I got mine from Stuttgart Breuninger last week. They are prices the same as permanent shades.