Dior ALOHA 638 Nail Polish Swatches, Review, and Comparison to Essie Meet Me At Sunset

FINALLY it's mine!  Buwahahhaha!!!  I don't even care that it's out of season, I have been DYING for Dior Aloha Nail Vernis.  I can't even deal right now because I'm so excited.

Backing up, when Aloha came out with Electric Tropics in Summer 2011, based off of  the promo pics and swatches, I wasn't getting a strong lemming.  Of course... I'm at Macy's much later after the release and I painted a nail with it.... must have.  Hands down, needed.  Sold out.   Isn't that what ALWAYS happens?!  Long story short, after much searching I couldn't find it anywhere and I was stuck with a major sad face.

Last week, a friend of mine (Hi, Nat!) needed a CP (custom purchase) of some Le Metier de Beaute items and I saw it... right there on the Nordstrom website.  AloooooHA!  Add to cart.  Order.  Mines.

Aloha is such a beautiful shade for Summer.  A hot, neon orange begging to bask in the hot sun.  I'm a huge fan of Dior polishes because (IME) they are the easiest to coat on and have the BEST brush.  I only used 2 coats for the swatch photo.  In real life there is a hint of visible nail line, but it's nothing that looks bad.  I'm rather pale in the swatch photo, and I still think the shade compliments well.  So you don't HAVE to be tan to pull off this shade!

Aloha is paired up in this collection with the Dior Top Coat.  Though I don't like the brush from the top coat, it went on well and dried fairly fast.  It wasn't thick or sticky, and I actually think I like it better than Seche Vite!

This Dior Catwalk Duo Vernis Fluorescent & Top Coat Glossy retails for $26, and were only sold as a set.  I have no idea if you can still snatch this up, but I would recommend calling your local Nordstrom and having them do a computer search.  They can check every store and the website all in one shot. 

Now... on to the comparison!  Is Essie Meet Me At Sunset a dupe for Dior Aloha?  Hmmmm


Before I could find Aloha, I purchased Essie Meet Me At Sunset, hoping against hope it was a dupe.  It looked close enough to me, and really.. beggars can't be choosers.

First... what do you think?

It's looking close! 

Can you tell the Essie from the Dior?  Let me help you out. 
The pointer and ring finger are the Essie, the pinkie and middle finger are the Dior.  Both shades are 2 coats and each has the Dior Top Coat.
Now what do you think?
In person, the Essie has a BIT more red in it.  It's not at 100% for a dupe, but it's at least 99%.  The Dior is limited edition, as is the Essie, but the Essie's are still available and only $8 as compared to $26 for the Dior duo!

Personally, I prefer the brush of the Dior to the Essie, but the wear is similar and if you have the crazy lemming that I had for Aloha, Meet Me At Sunset should help save you, color wise ;)

I hope this helped those with the lemming for Dior Aloha and either couldn't find it or wanted a cheaper alternative!!!  Let me know if you have any other questions!