Hallo!
This entry consists of the complete swatches of the 10 Guerlain Le Vernis Maxi Shine, and also my review of the polishes including the base coat & gel effect top coat.
For an introduction to the Guerlain Le Vernis collection, please click on this introduction entry previously posted here.
Close up of the polish packaing -
Each of these polishes comes in rather thick glass bottle - there is a certain weight & elegance to the nailpolish overall.
The caps (both the outer and inner ones) come with the signature Guerlain 'g' embossing.
The names of the polishes can only be found on the box packaing, and not on the actual bottle - which only comes with the numbering system.
Here you can see how thick the glass bottle is. I like the shape, and the overall feel of the packaging. These make my Chanel ones seem *gasp* almost cheap by comparison. But let's also look at the product itself, okay? Hehe. :)
Some close ups of the shades:
The brush is another impressive quality of the polishes - if Dior & YSL polish brushes come together and make a hybrid this would be it. The Guerlain brush has the 'thickness' of the Dior ones, and the paddle shape of the YSL one. Together this means that it is very easy for you to create a very neat line at the base of your nail bed, the thickness of the brush which spreads and fans out nicely across your nail also make for a less streaky application.
For me, I just need to paint the polish once and it can cover my nail surface - that means, faster painting too!
Review of the basecoat and Gel Effect topcoat:
The basecoat provides a smooth base prior to color application. It gives a healthy sheen to your nails, though I cannot really tell for sure if it does help in promoting the wear time of the polishes. But to be honest, you probably won't purchase a $33 base coat, unless you want to go all brand matchy in your nailpolish (you know same brand base+color+topcoat). So while it is quite nice, I don't really think this is a must have.
The Gel Effect topcoat surprisingly impressed me. It is really mega shiny, and the dry time isn't too long - I would say after 5 mins your nails feel dry to the touch, and within the hour, completely dry. I normally paint my nails at night, and for this, I waited about ten minutes before I went to bed. There were slight marks on a couple of my nails where the topcoat didn't manage to completely dry in time, but the next morning I woke up with very glossy super shiny smooth nails.
The Gel Effect topcoat also protects the nail polish color, and I wore the bright red color for several days. The shine remains just as brilliant without fading, and dare I even say, prevented the dreaded red/ dark nail polish skid marks - you know what I mean - the little strokes of nailpolish color left on your papers while you are at work. This is a great plus for me, because I really cannot stand nailpolish skidmarks.
Some of you are also asking me for comparisons of the Dior Gel Effect topcoat to the Guerlain one, well, I think that without a doubt the Guerlain one is the clear winner - both in terms of dry top, and the ultra shiny effect.
Here are a couple of pictures when I was wearing the Guerlain base+color+topcoat
The pictures are taken with my iphone under an artficial light, but I think you can see how glassy and glossy the topcoat looks. The colors themselves already look rich and intense, and the topcoat really enhances the formula even further.
121 - Rouge d'Enfer [true neutral intense red]
125 - Vega [deep blacken red]
The polishes generally lasted a good 4-5 days without chipping and tipwear. I change my colors very often anyway, so I can't comment if the color will last more than a week (but why wear the same color for a week, unless you are rocking gelish nails).
The rest of my swatches are taken in natural day - and I was so clever that day, I forgot to bring out the base and topcoat with me during this mega swatching session, so you are really seeing just the polish swatches on their own.
Also note that I tried to show the color as true as possible to how they look IRL... and if they don't really turn up, I will explain - my brief color descriptions can be found in my introduction entry (link here).
In all colors, I applied two coats of polish only.
00 - Lingerie [sheer palest pink]
Not streaky in my experience.
Very pretty and elegant sheer pink.
260 - Jardins de Bagatelle [sheer warm pink with fine shimmery glittery bits]
64 - Gemma [pale rose pink with satin sheen]
463 - La Petite Robe Noire [pinky nude with satin sheen]
263 - A la Parisienne [brilliant creamy coral]
It is looking more red in my pictures.
143 - Nahema [brilliant creamy orange red]
121 - Rouge d'Enfer [true neutral intense red]
MY ABSOLUTE FAVE.
The shade of red is just perfect and looks fantastic on all skintones. TRIED AND TESTED! :)
165 - Champs-Elysees [bright rich pink]
168 L'Heure Bleue [deep cool red]
125 - Vega [deep blacken red]
my top picks of the collection:
125 - Vega
121 - Rouge d'Enfer
165 - Champs-Elysees
168 L'Heure Bleue
The bolder and deeper shades really caught my attention - they aren't unique, but truly impressive in terms of the intense formula and really look beautiful on not just myself but also friends I have tried out on.
Hope this overview has been helpful, and thank you for reading!
Close ups: 
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