Chanel Rouge Fatal Le Vernis Review, Photos, Swatches
Friday, September 10th, 2010

Chanel Rouge Fatal Le Vernis (Natural Light)
The Femme Fatale of Red
Chanel Rouge Fatal Le Vernis ($25.00 for 0.4 fl. oz.) is one of those OMGSEXY reds, and of course, limited edition. I’m actually very rarely tempted by red creams; they’re never bad and certainly aren’t disliked by me, but I never crave a creamy red. (I do, however, have a total love for shimmered/glittered reds, though.) Rouge Fatal (which I actually want to call Rouge Fatale!) is a deepened scarlet red with such richness. It’s darkened slightly by brown, which makes this a nice red on both cooler and warmer skin tones.
It’s still a bit glossy without a top coat, though I topped all of these with Zoya’s top coat (and used Zoya’s base coat underneath). This is incredibly pigmented, and I really debated just using one coat, but I went with two just in case. Now knowing that one coat is almost enough, I might try doing just one thicker coat and calling it a day; but if you’re short on time, two thinner coats would work, too, and I always find thinner coats dry faster.
Application is smooth and even; not a single issue when I applied this shade at all. It actually felt like the perfect consistency–not too thick, not too thin–as Chanel polishes sometimes feel rather thick (and though not problematic overall, may be harder to control, especially for those with smaller nail beds).
I’m contemplating doing a full manicure of this shade, just so I can hear my Dad crack, “Why are your nails bleeding?” Gotta love him — ironically, he reads Temptalia almost every day! My Mom heard my voice (coming from my dad’s office) at midnight the other week, and she raced out of bed figuring I was in a crisis, only to find him watching one of my YouTube videos, LOL.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 30/30
- Value: 6/10
- Ease of Use: 5/5
- Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: If you like high-end polishes and don’t mind the price, this is an excellent shade of red for fall.
AVAILABILITY: Chanel
See more photos & swatches!

Chanel Rouge Fatal Le Vernis

Chanel Rouge Fatal Le Vernis (Natural Light)

Chanel Rouge Fatal Le Vernis (Natural Light)

Chanel Rouge Fatal Le Vernis (Natural Light)

Chanel Rouge Fatal Le Vernis (Natural Light)

Chanel Rouge Fatal Le Vernis (Flash)
Disclosure
This review contains a sample product sent for consideration by the brand or its PR firm. Our priority is to you, and we honor that commitment by being honest! We don't do paid reviews or guarantee reviews. We're going to give you the truth and nothing but! For more information, please read our editorial/review policies.
Just purchased Rouge Fatal from my Macys... I am in love. It is so stunning. Thanks for doing a review on it. Love your website btw.
Hello Christine, the shade is beautiful - hands down. I've bought it as soon as I saw it, and I'm very happy I did. You just can't go wrong with a Chanel red. Question - what Chanel lipstick (especially from the COCO line) would you pair with it? I know they used Rivoli for the show, but it seemed blue-based when I swatched it myself. Any hints/ideas? I would really appreciate it. Thank you in advance!
Wow this colour is gorgeous. I want to get it but before I do (if available in Canada) I would like your opinion on whether this is the same shade as 'Dragon' and 'Gondola'? What are your thoughts?
I don't have either of those shades to compare :( I googled a bit, and Gondola seems berry while Dragon doesn't seem very brown.
I generally hate Chanel's polishes: The shades are fantastic but the brush and the texture of the polish are way off: Would you say that this one is very different to the others?
That is SO cute about your Dad Christine :) Lovin' this nail color - may even part with the $25 to get it - hmmm
That is a beautiful red, I always love to crack out the scarlet colours come fall. I am wearing MAC Concubine right now and love love love it.
Christine- I freaked for a second when you mentioned how it seems like it should be "fatale" and then I remembered rouge is masculine. Yes, I am a language nerd. Let's blame it on the gorgeousness of this color, d'accord?
The story about your Dad is the cutest thing ever! My Dad would never do that, but only because he doesn't even know how to turn on a computer, haha!
I've never looked at a bottle of nail polish and gone "OH.MY.GOD" before. This feels so classy and quintessentially Chanel. I have to have it. Throwing away my budget for VV for this.
Ooh I've never owned a red nail polish, but now, this one is going to be a member of my nail polish family.
I love this colour! I'm wearing it on my toes right now heh... It looks almost like a brownish deep red on me which I LOVE.
That's totally something my dad would say...and my bf's dad...LOL. Just dad jokes all around. I love this red! I don't buy a lot of Chanel polishes--I think I own three--but I might cave on this one. :)
I LOVE this. Can you think of any dupes though? I just shouldn't spend that much on one freaking nail polish. I saw an OPI shade called Prune Danish that looked similar but I don't think it's available any more. Also, what lipsticks would you say are this similar shade of browned red?
I looked around but couldn't really find anything that seemed quite right. If any brand had a dupe, it'd probably be OPI, though - with as many reds as they put out!
I can't think of a dupe. Another reader suggested Limited Addiction by Essie, which is in the same vein, but it's darker and not as red!
Sally Hansen complete manicure in Red Zin is nearly identical! Just needs an extra coat to be as opaque. Much closer than limited addicted, I compared the three on my toes this weekend :)
I love it - it's a proper 80's power red. On short nails it looks really modern though. I bet it would also look smashing as a pedi.
looks awesome! are there two chanel LE collections out at the same time? (ie this and the khakis?) your p's sound so cute!
This is an amazing color, and I'm telling myself I can wait until next week to buy it. I don't think it will work. LOL Love that your dad reads your blog all the time. That's awesome!
OMG Christine! When I skimmed the title I read Rouge FatalE (in my head) and it wasn't until I read that you wanted to call it Rouge Fatale that I realized that I read it wrong ! LOL
Yes!!! I will DEFINITELY be buying this. Reminds me of Sephora by OPI's Personal Shopper(: but I might have to have this one too...(:
I own ZERO chanel varnishes, but this one is beautiful. Maybe this will be my splurge for this paycheck. Thanks you Christine!!!

Discussion and debate are highly encouraged, and we expect community members to participate respectfully. When asking a question, please check the FAQ section (above) for information about purchasing, price, dupes, and the like. If you have general feedback or need technical support, please contact us.
Comments that include advertisements, self-promotion, insults, etc. may be in violation of our comment policy and subject to deletion. Please see our comment policy for more information.