How come these two nail shades have the same number, but different names? What’s the story behind them? And where can one buy them?

Chanel Le Vernis 18 Vamp (yes, Vamp came first) was created back in 1994, when the models were about to get on the runway with no nail polish on their nails, and the stylist quickly painted their nails with a black marker to create ‘dried blood effect’. This dark dark red nail polish shade was revolutionary for that time, as women didn’t use to wear something that dark on their nails. For that reason everyone paid attention to this nail shade. There was so much fuss over it, that Chanel decided to release and market this ever so dark red nail polish – Chanel Le Vernis 18 Vamp. This shade went wild popular and then even wilder, when Uma Thurman wore it in ‘Pulp Fiction’. It was being sold out in stores at an incredible speed. Vamp got to be the turning point shade triggering dozens of clones from other brands and promoting darker shades in everyday life manicure.

We often tend to forget, what’s so special about those iconic fashion houses, but that’s what it is, in my opinion. They were the first to create things, that we now consider common. They set the trends brining new things into our life.

Nowadays there are two shades existing with number 18 – Rouge Noir and Vamp. Rouge Noir is marketed in Europe and is this dried blood red shade, no shimmer. Vamp is marketed in US and is the same kind of shade, maybe, a touch more purple, and with some shimmer in it. I l think, Rouge Noir is closer to the original shade that got to be so iconic in Chanel history. But the two 18 shades are very close.

This dark ominous red shade still looks so chic, so womanly and so elegant. Hot. Especially on one’s toes.

I love it and find myself using it every now and again. By the way, the shade that’s very close to it, was released by Dior in their holiday 2014 Golden shock collection. It‘s called Smoky and it has shimmer in it.