L'Oréal Collection Privée (Official TIFF Festival Collection) - Colour Riche Nail Polishes

The Toronto International Film Festival is almost upon us (runs September 5th to 15th, for my fellow film buffs), and with it comes this incredibly classic, and yet totally modern collection of stellar nudes for lips and nails.

The L'Oréal Collection Privée is the official TIFF collection, and features matched pairs of lipsticks and nail polishes that are meant to evoke the particular essence of the following ladies: Eva Longoria, Doutzen Kroes, Freida Pinto and Jennifer Lopez.

Left to right: Eva's Nude, Doutzen's Nude, Freida's Nude, J. Lo's Nude

Left to right: Eva's Nude, Doutzen's Nude, Freida's Nude, J. Lo's Nude

I'll have swatches and reviews for the lipsticks up shortly, but I wanted to start with the nail polishes. As you may have noticed, these come in the smaller-sized bottle, similar to the very limited topcoats that were available earlier this summer. If you go through nail polish like crazy, or if you fall in love with a particular shade, that might be an issue. On the other hand it's nice to have a polish size that you are actually likely to finish.

These also feature the same style of rounded but flat brush that is found in all the L'Oreal Colour Riche nail polishes. (Which I happen to love for my nail size and shape.)

Eva's Nude (Barely Golden): This is a rich, inky burgundy with an warm undertone of brown. It looks glossy even without a topcoat, and applies smoothly for such a vampy shade. It self-levels, and you could probably get away with one coat if you go a little thicker from the outset. I prefer two, however, for that saturated look. This was two coats.

Doutzen's Nude (Barely Pink): Surprisingly, this is my favourite out of the four! It's a pale, milky ballerina pink, with a fine shimmer throughout. Not quite as self-leveling as the other shades, and I had a small amount of streaking, but this was overall a lot easier to apply than many shades of this type. I think this looks best when worn opaque rather than sheer, two coats at least. This was three coats.

Freida's Nude (Barely Parma): One of those strange morphing shades that reads plum, mauve or brownish-taupe, depending on your light. It even has tones of slate in some lights. The lighting in this picture is a mix of daylight and artificial light, and it's closest to the way it usually looks. However, I am wearing it in this video, where it pulls much more taupe/grey. It's a stunner, self-leveling, and opaque at one coat. This is two, and the second was entirely unnecessary.

J. Lo's Nude (Barely Greige): One of those putty shades that is cool and effortlessly chic. And this one is truly effortless - it applies like a dream and really only needs one coat, though I did my usual two. This is the slim white t-shirt of nail polish shades - easy, flattering and best when not fussed with too much.

I think this is a well-edited collection, with a "nude" likely to appeal to you, no matter what your tastes. Again, I was surprised that the frothy, girly Doutzen shade is the one that stood out for me, despite Freida's being the sort that I'm usually drawn to.

Availability: Out now in Canada, and very limited. At most drugstores, including Jean Coutu and Pharmaprix/SDM. Price is 3.99$ CAD.

Pros: All but the pink shade were self-leveling and wearable with only one coat. Formula was creamy and easy to apply, and all the shades are distinct and flattering.

Cons: The bottle size might be too small if you discover a favourite. Doutzen is a bit streaky if you want to wear it sheer.

(These items were provided by the brand/PR to be considered for review. This post is not sponsored or compensated.)