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Chanel Le Vernis Summer 2013: Lilis #647, Azuré #657 and Bel-Argus #667

April 28, 2013
This summer’s L’Été Papillon de Chanel collection brings three vibrant options for the nails: Lilis #647, Azuré #657 and Bel-Argus #667 ($27 each, all limited-edition). The color theme of this collection is very different from what Chanel typically designs. As a die-hard Chanel fan I wasn’t sure if I would be able to pull off such bold colors for nails but after testing am happy to report that while the colors are edgy they are still wearable.
Lilis 647 is a beautiful peach coral red. It’s a mix between Holiday and Distraction making it the perfect blend of coral and pink. It’s different enough from other corals from both Dior and Chanel to justify owning.

This one was a bit difficult to photograph for comparisons, I’ve included two views since the white background + sunlight skews the colors a bit.

Chanel Azuré 657 is a stunning mermaid-like teal. I featured it a few days ago so I won’t repost the photos, but you can see it here.

Chanel Bel-Argus 667 is an electric metallic blue. It applied smoothly with minimal visible brush strokes. I was afraid this would be too over the top for me, but was surprised that it’s actually wearable.

I don’t own anything like it but here are some blues next to Bel-Argus.

I surprised myself by only picking up the three nail polishes from Chanel’s summer collection. I might go back for the glossimers. Did you pick up anything from the summer set?
All shades retail for $27 each, all limited-edition. They are at counters now in store and also online at Nordstrom.com as well as Chanel.com.

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Chanel Azuré #657 Le Vernis

April 25, 2013

Chanel Azuré #657 Le Vernis ($27, new and limited-edition, Nordstrom.com) is this season’s prettiest metallic teal for nails. It’s one of three nail polishes from the summer collection called L’ÉTÉ PAPILLON DE CHANEL. Sorry for the brief interruption in the Armani features, but this one just couldn’t wait. Quick swatches to show the chameleon-like features of Azuré. Sometimes it’s more teal, other times it’s more of a deep blue. It applied quite smoothly for a metallic, I was afraid it would be streaky but was happy to find it applied quite well.

Quick set of closer comparisons. I don’t own anything like it and Dior’s Samba duo is similar but still different enough to justify owning both.

Chanel Azuré #657 Le Vernis retails for $27 is currently listed as limited-edition and available now in stores. It’s also online now at Nordstrom.com and Chanel.com and should be showing up at more retail locations very soon.
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Color Focus: Emerald, Aqua, Green and Teal

April 20, 2013
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Teal, emerald, green and aqua seem to be the focus for nails in several collections this season. There are a number of gorgeous new green nail polishes – all of which I was unable to resist. Some are more subtle and subdued while others are bright and electric. The new shades this season inspired me to pull out my other greens for comparison. I’m currently running a top coat experiment so I won’t be able to swatch these on the nails just yet, hopefully these photos will help give you an idea in the meantime.

The inspiration: new shades for summer from Dior, Chanel, YSL, MAC and Deborah Lippmann (spotted near me in stores now at Macy’s, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom):

  • Dior’s Samba Duo ($29, spotted instore at Macys, Nordstrom and Nordstrom.com)
  • Chanel’s Azure ($27, now on Chanel.com)
  • YSL Vert D’Orient #36 ($25 instores and here at Nordstrom.com)
  • MAC Mineralize Lip Balm in Glacé ($20 here at Nordstrom.com)
  • Deborah Lippmann Rockin’ Robin ($19 at in store and online at Nordstrom.com)

All the nail colors in greens, teals, aquas: OPI Thanks a Windmillion, YSL Jade Imperial (limited from spring 2013), Dior Waterlily (limited from spring 2012), Dior Samba Duo (summer 2013), Chanel Azure (summer 2013), Deborah Lippmann Mermaid’s Dream, Rescue Beauty Lounge Jack (limited), JINsoon Charade (at Sephora), JINsoon Metaphor (at Sephora), Chanel Black Pearl, YSL Vert d’Orient, Deborah Lippmann Rockin’ Robin (spring 2013):

For quick reference here’s one more shot of the bottom wheel at a different angle so you can see the difference in undertone between Chanel Azure and Dior Samba:

I love how vibrant and bright the shades are this season although I do wonder if I will be brave enough to pull them off on the fingers for everyday wear at the office. I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to wear them on the toes. Teal/Emerald as a small accessory or accent piece? Even a blouse? Definitely yes, but on the fingers, I’ll have to experiment to see. More detailed swatches and reviews to come in the next few days as soon I possibly can.

What’s your favorite teal, green or emerald shade for nails? Are you picking up any of the new greens this spring/summer?

This post contains affiliate links, for more info see the About/FAQ section.
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Chanel Ocean Shimmer, Seashell, Rose Sauvage and Daydream Glossimers

April 12, 2013
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This spring season has brought us a wide selection of new lipgloss formulas and colors. Many lines are expanding their color options or developing new-improved formulas through mini-extension releases. The Revelation de Chanel collection focuses mainly on Glossimers ($29.50 each, Nordstrom.com) with some new colors mixed in with some repromotes. I purchased mine almost a month ago and have been using Rose Sauvage non-stop. The shades I bought:
  • Ocean Shimmer 171 is a clear gloss with delicate tiny sparkles suspended
  • Seashell 87 (repurchase) is a pale shimmery champagne pink
  • Rose Sauvage 172 is a soft rose pink shimmer
  • Daydream 174 is a rosey pink with metallic fuschia sparkle particles

The colors are typical of Chanel glossimers: naturally gorgeous, delicate with high shine. Daydream’s shimmer is borderline glittery but the color blends out evenly and smoothly on the lips. Those who love Chanel Glossimers will love Rose Sauvage and Daydream. Seashell is a good natural staple I think is universally flattering on all skintones. Ocean Shimmer is definitely a pass for those who have clear gloss in their makeup wardrobe (I still caved).

Swatches:

I managed to get in lip swatches of Rose Sauvage and Daydream:

Comparisons to others show that you these are different from other Chanel glosses, however due to the sheerness, you can get a similar effect with other shades:

I love the color of Rose Sauvage. It’s rosy enough to show up on my lips but still very natural. I love it layered over Perle Rouge Coco. Daydream is also lovely although might be too sparkly for some. Given all the new lipgloss offerings this season from Chanel, Dior, Guerlain and Armani you might feel a bit overwhelmed (like me). I am still waiting for Armani’s Flash Lacquers to arrive at counters to test (although I usually do like Armani). I just tested out Guerlain’s today instore briefly but haven’t played extensively. I personally have a soft spot for Chanel and Dior glosses (they are my favorites) so I knew I couldn’t go wrong with either. Those who have been waiting for all to arrive will be happy to know that most new gloss formulas should be available at counters to test now. Based on my testing, I feel all the glosses from Chanel, Dior, Guerlain and Armani are all excellent in quality and pigment. My suggestion is to look at the colors you are drawn to first since the formulas are all very similar (in my opinion).

The full Revelation de Chanel collection is listed:

Check out swatches and reviews on some of the newer shades:

I purchased mine from Nordstrom. The collection is also available on Nordstrom.com and all other Chanel counters and boutiques.

This post contains affiliate links, for more info see the About/FAQ section.
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Chanel Taboo #583 Le Vernis

March 20, 2013


There are a series of mini-releases coming out from Chanel this spring-to-summer. One is called Revelation de Chanel which features several glossimers and a new nail polish called Taboo #583 ($27 for 13 ml/0.4 fl oz, made in France). I found Taboo Le Vernis in Beverly Hills this past weekend at Neiman Marcus (although they did not have testers).

Taboo #583 is a glorious vibrant purple metallic. There is a rich deep purple base that is infused with an iridescent red plum sheen loaded with micro sparkles of silver, blue and purple. Taboo’s shimmer actually shows up on the nails (yay!) but it’s not over-the-top. In the sunlight you can see flashes of plum-red in the bottle. On the nails it’s pure purple, the red isn’t visible but it does prevent this from looking too dark. It’s that red iridescence and sparkle that brings this shade to life even though it is a darker shade. The complexity of this shade made it a bit difficult to photograph, here are several shots to give you a better idea.

Coverage is rich and smooth. Application was flawless with two coats. I used with Deborah Lippmann’s Rehydrating Base Coat and the Dior’s new Gel Top Coat. I did see a tiny bit of shrinkage on three fingers (but not all) with the top coat.

Swatches with any kind of lighting brightens the effect of the shimmer. Taboo’s shimmer is visible, but it’s still a dark purple on the nails without any visible red metallic flashes (except with a flash or in direct sunlight).
In direct sunlight:
Under artificial light:
Another shot with flash, you can see the complex rich sparkles:

Under artificial light:


I couldn’t find a dupe from Chanel or Dior, although I suspect there might be some OPI shades that are similar (I didn’t pull any to compare). Taboo has a beautiful rich sparkle that I find unique. Here is Taboo next to Vendetta and Strong:

Three sets of nail swatches, all the same order and shades, just different lighting to show you the various undertones, shimmers and colors: Chanel Provocation (reviewed here), Chanel Strong, Chanel Vendetta, Dior Licorice (reviewed here), Tom Ford Dominatrix (reviewed here).

I adore Taboo. It’s a beautiful vibrant yet deep purple
that glows without looking fluorescent.  It does have a fall-ish feel
(rather than spring or summer) but I still love it. I am dying to check
out the glossimers in the Revelation de Chanel collection. Hopefully
this week!

Taboo is a limited-edition shade. Available while supplies last at Nordstrom, Saks, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales and Chanel.com.

Will you be picking up Taboo? If you have, did you find any dupes?

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Chanel Western Light Le Vernis

February 18, 2013

Chanel has released a small beauty collection of three limited-edition items to celebrate the opening of a new fashion boutique in Hysan Place in Hong Kong. The three items include a 5-pan eyeshadow palette called Pearl River ($80) and two nail polishes in Eastern Light and Western Light ($30). It’s my understanding these will arrive in most Chanel Boutiques and select Studio Counters (Saks NY, Nordstrom Seattle, boutiques like the Wynn in Vegas). I ordered mine from Saks NY, however last week they did not have Eastern Light.
First up is Western Light Le Vernis, a dark vampy chocolate. Like some other classic Chanel colors, this one has a beautiful complex but subtle shimmer in the bottle. Unfortunately on the nail none of the pretty shimmer shows up. On me it applies like a very dark cream that looks like a pure black. The color has a thin slightly streaky finish with one coat, but with two thin coats transforms into a rich opaque blackened-brown. I have mixed feelings about this one. The quality and finish is stunning, but the color seems unoriginal to me. I can’t say it’s love simply because it’s so so basic for a $30 nail polish.

Close up of the shimmers:

A few more swatches:

In comparison to other vamps, you can see there are a lot of others that are more unique. Below are some Chanel bottles to compare. Further down there are a few more swatches from other brands.

Two wheels, same set of colors, just different lighting. First set is what the colors look like applied, very dark and vampy.

Second set in full sun with full flash to show the undertone a bit better.

I’m still undecided. Perhaps it’s the original Rouge Noir reincarnated? I don’t have the original to compare. But for now, I feel that it would have been so much better had they included some visible sparkle like the gold from Haute Chocolat or the silver from shades like Pink Satin.
Did you pick up anything from the Hong Kong Chanel collection? Thoughts? I’m debating whether or not to track down the white shade.
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