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Nail Polish

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Chanel Jade Rose Le Vernis Nail Colour

June 12, 2010
Chanel Jade Rose was released as part of a limited edition collection last September. Luckily for those who missed out the first time, Jade Rose will be re-released with the upcoming fall collection, so those trying to find it will have another chance to buy it. I wrote about it when I received my order last fall and did a few photo comparisons (see here, Chanel Jade Rose Nail Polish) but realized I never featured it swatched on a full manicure, so here it is.

Jade Rose is a creamy nude pink with slight iridescence in the bottle. You can barely see the shimmer-glow once it’s applied on the nails though, unless you are in direct sunlight. The result is a creamy nude pink on me. I gave a bottle to one of my friends for Christmas – she loves this (more so than me), but she is fairer in skintone (probably the equivalent of a MAC NC15) so it looks more peachy on her.





When I first received this, I was less than thrilled. Even for a neutral-lover like me, it was just another boring shade of neutral pink. However, the more I wear it, the more it grows on me. It’s a demure shade of pink that gives a nice classic polished look to the hands without drawing too much attention to them. This required three coats though. Two coats left a streaky finish, even by a professional. I personally could not find a dupe for this.

Compared to my other soft shades from Chanel & Dior, left to right:
Chanel Jasmine, Chanel Lily Beige, Chanel Pink Satin,
Chanel Jade Rose, Dior Porcelain and Chanel Ballerina

Today’s mani + pedi combination:


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Beauty Investigation: Is There a Dupe for Chanel Riviera?

June 9, 2010
I recently received an e-mail from one of my readers asking if I knew of a dupe for Chanel Riviera. She had decided to wait a bit to think about purchasing it and by the time she decided to purchase it, the color was sold out everywhere online and at all the stores and counters near her. Knowing that “oh no it’s sold out” feeling all too well, I was more than happy to help. I called & visited a number of local stores (about a dozen) but I too was unable to locate the nail polish – so began my quest to find the perfect dupe.
I narrowed down my search to brands that had testers available thus eliminating brands without testers such as Zoya, China Glaze, Essie and all drugstore brands. I swatched about a dozen hot pinks in my notebook and then went back to each counter/store to swatch the four closest matches on my fingers. I have to admit I was a bit nervous swatching so many shades in my notebook – but the Chanel reps were so sweet at each store. They even chimed in with their input about which ones they thought looked the most similar to the Riviera shade.

For some reason the fuschia undertones of some of the shades were throwing off my camera flash, so it was hard to get an accurate picture. Here are two views (to the best of my ability).

  • Thumb: Sephora by OPI It’s All About Me – about 2 shades darker and brighter and a smidge cooler toned

  • Index: NARS Schiap – same intensity, one shade bluer, looks more magenta

  • Middle: MAC Steamy – closest dupe in my opinion, just a bit more intense/sharper looking

  • Ring: Chanel Riviera

  • Pinkie: OPI Strawberry Margarita – second closest dupe, slightly lighter (only a touch)

So, which are the closest dupes? The verdict: MAC Steamy and OPI Strawberry Margarita. From an arms distance glance – you can barely tell the difference. Here they are photographed next to Chanel Riviera. Note that while they look slightly different in the bottles, on the fingers the difference is not noticeable. Are the exact dupes? No.

I was also asked how it compared to Lancome’s Miss Perfectly Pink and Illamasqua Collide – Lancome’s is significantly cooler toned and Illamasqua is a hot electric neon pink. So if you missed out on Chanel Riviera, not to worry – no need to shell out extra money for the shade on ebay. You can definitely find a similar shade! Not an exact dupe, but yes, similar. (Here’s one more shot with the Lancome – can’t swatch it b/c it’s a present.)


In terms of pigment, I actually found all the dupes to be pretty smooth and nicely pigmented. The Chanel did apply the best IMHO, but after 2 coats, you get the same result.

Note that this is by no means the most comprehensive list – just the ones I found 🙂 I hope this helps some! All work is copyrighted. Please do not republish these photos.

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Paul & Joe Nail Enamel Oasis 006

June 8, 2010
I’m not much for blues but one swatch of Paul & Joe’s summer blue nail polish in Oasis 006 and I was sold. It’s a lovely shade of soft iridescent blue and if you like Chanel’s Nouvelle Vague you will like this one too. I purchased this at the Paul & Joe boutique on Robertson Blvd and it was wrapped in a pretty white bag with ribbon.




All the Paul & Joe Sahara Collection Summer Nail Polishes, l to r:
Marrakesh 004, Mirage 005, Oasis 006
(see swatches of Marrakesh/Mirage here)

Comparisons to a few other blues, l to r:
Chanel Azur, Chanel Nouvelle Vague, Paul & Joe Oasis, Chanel Blue Wish

Paul & Joe Oasis vs. Chanel Nouvelle Vague
(the other 2 are really sheer and show up basically clear)



Paul & Joe nail polishes usually retail for $14 each, however I think the one I purchased was priced slightly higher for some reason. I am trying to find my receipt to find the exact price – will update when I find it!

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Paul & Joe Summer Creation 2010: Sahara Collection

June 3, 2010
Have any of you checked out the new Summer Sahara Collection from Paul & Joe yet? The standout for me is the lovely packaging in a turquoise, cream, orange and brown colored floral almost fan-like print. I had ordered a few lipsticks from BG during their last GWP event but at that time they didn’t have the nail polishes in. I recently saw that Beautyhabit was also doing a promotion and was ecstatic to find they received the nail polishes just last week. I haven’t been able to see the entire line in person yet (hopefully soon). But here are my picks plus the gifts from both Bergdorfs and Beautyhabit. My gloss and lipliner picks from the summer release was reviewed a few days ago here.

Lipstick S in Caravan 001 (sheer light pink shimmer)
Lipstick S in Morocco 003 (sheer bronzey pink brown)


Nail Enamel in Marrakesh 004 (coral-red with gold shimmer)
Nail Enamel in Mirage 005 (shimmery beige gold with silver sparkles)


The Gift With Purchase Makeup Bags
(Left from Beautyhabit, Right from Bergdorfs)

Lipstick Size Comparisons (seasonal v regular)

Nail Polish Comparisons, Close Ups and Swatches






Again, the packaging is the best part of this collection. I’ve only tried the sheer pink lipstick and it has a sheer glossy finish with noticeable shimmer (not frost though). I plan on trying out the bronzey one in the next few days. I absolutely love the Mirage 005 Nail Polish. It’s similar to P&J Gilded 27 except the new Mirage 005 is more beigey. The coral Marrakesh 004 Nail Polish is lovely too, but I’m not used to coral-orangey reds. Perhaps it will look better on the toes.
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Zoya Sabrina + Rococo Metal Jacket

May 25, 2010
As soon as I found out there was a nail polish with my name, I knew I had to get it since it’s not that often that I find things with my own personal name. Today’s mani + pedi is Zoya Sabrina on fingers + Rococo Nail Apparel Metal Jacket on toes.

Zoya Sabrina is a sheer pale cream off-white-pinkish color. I think it’s a nice classic cream color for the nails. The color is rather sheer, so the manicure has 3 coats for a more opaque look. It actually looked a lot better with a more natural finish with 2 coats, but my manicurist thought it could use one more coat. Next time I’ll just ask for 2 coats for a more natural look. Otherwise, it just feels a tad too contrasted with my skin.

Rococo Metal Jacket is a complex mixture of taupe-brown-silver. This one is an odd one for me. When I tested it at Space NK, it was clearly brown, much like you see on Vampy Varnish’s review. However, the one I received from my online order pulls more silver-taupe on me. If you haven’t read the first article I wrote about Rococo Nail Apparel (here), to recap, I’ve experienced some inconsistencies with the colors – which seem to differ slightly based on which batch the product was made from. Which may explain why Metal Jacket looks brown on others and looked brown from the tester I saw in the store, but looks more silvery taupe in the bottle I received. (More explanation in the original post.) The pigment is amazing though and didn’t really need more than just 1 coat, however 2 coats were applied at the nail salon.


Zoya Sabrina:

Rococo Metal Jacket:


Zoya Sabrina:

Zoya Metal Jacket:


Zoya Sabrina looks really similar to OPI Bubble Bath and Chanel Allegoria in the bottles – but I haven’t swatched them on the nails to see the actual difference. I don’t have a dupe for the Rococo, but then I don’t have many taupey sparkles for nail polishes. Overall, I have to say I’m not completely in love with either shade. My nails look nice and polished, but the colors on me just feel a bit bland.

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Chanel Le Vernis Black Velvet, Gold Lame & Illusion D’Or

May 2, 2010
I promised myself I would never buy anything I thought I’d never wear but have broken this promise several times this past year with Chanel Jade, Chanel Nouvelle Vague, MAC Birds & Berries and now the Chanel Shanghai-Paris limited edition nail polishes. Combine the words “exclusive” and “limited-edition” and I’m sold. Add “Chanel” to that mix and it triggers that need-to-have-it-now syndrome. So of course, I caved with the three newest exclusive limited edition shades from Chanel launched in honor of their Shanghai-Paris runway show. Here are my photos, swatches + comparisons to other shades.

L to R: Dior Black Sequins, Chanel Black Satin,
Chanel Noir Ceramic, Chanel Black Velvet


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L to R: Chanel Antilope, Chanel Golden Sand,
Chanel Gold Lame, D&G Desert


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L to R: NARS Adelita, Chanel Beige D’Or,
Chanel Illusion D’Or, Chanel Galactic Touch


Overall thoughts: Hmmm . . . not so sure about these. I normally love everything Chanel releases but I’m not crazy about these. I was well aware that these were released because of their runway show, so I knew ahead of time that these would indeed be “trendy.” I like the other blacks and golds in my current collection a lot better than these new Chanel colors. I love the concept of Illusion D’Or, but the gold is too bling-tastic for my taste. That being said, I would absolutely DIE if they released a pink version in this formula. Any shade of pink ranging from light pink to golden-pink to bright pink.

These are lovely, but for nails I try to be more conservative. Up until I started blogging, I only wore colors on my toes but have tried to go out of my comfort zone and wear color on fingers. Black Velvet is intriguing because the finish is so different from other shades, but just not practical for an every-day type of manicure. Gold Lame and Illusion D’Or are just too flashy for my taste, although I’m sure I’ll find some occasion to wear them in the future.

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A Few Reader Requests

May 1, 2010
Some of you have requested info, photos and swatches on a few items in the past few weeks. I apologize for the delay, I have not forgotten – here are the swatches and info you have requested. For reference, I am a Chanel Shell 1.5 in Teint Innocence (the liquid version). To see what other foundation shades I am, check out the sidebar – there’s a link to my foundation shades.

1) Can you swatch Edward Bess Bare Rose on your lips alone? Here it is by itself, please excuse the skin I don’t have any foundation or powder on:

2) Please swatch Paul & Joe 06 Nail Polish! I like this better in the bottle. On my fingers, I feel it’s a bit muddy looking. I’ve seen it on my tan friends (who are the equivalent to NC40 and a bit darker) and it looks gorgeous on them though. Here it is (2 coats):


3) How does NARS Love Devotion compare to last year’s Outsider? Love Devotion is brighter and sheerer. Here they are also compared to Beautiful Liar:

4) Can you swatch Shu IR Brown 850 compared to Shu ME 850? Sure, I’ll do one better. Here it is next to the other Shu Uemura taupes that I have. I find it fascinating how the base pulls out different undertones in each taupey color. These are swatched over a moisturized arm:

5) Can you write a post on how you pick out your makeup-of-the-day/look-of-the-day? There’s not much to write about this one. I pick out my clothes first and this is based on my mood. Makeup looks are picked out depending how much time I have and the colors I’m wearing for clothes. Sometimes, I’ll pick one product and create a look around that color. I’d like to say it’s more planned out through a more creative process, but it’s really just based on whatever works.

6) Will you show stash/closet pics? Most likely not. It might seem like I’m organized, but I am far from it. Just ask my husband. Granted, I do keep an organized mess – everything has their own section/pile – but it’s still very chaotic. I will share an old photo of my purse organization (this is an older photo from long before I started blogging, before I started my MBA, back when I was much more organized):


7) Did you purchase the new Chanel Shanghai-Paris Nail Polishes? What are your thoughts? But of course! How could I resist? I wasn’t going to write about these because so many other bloggers did, but since I’ve received several requests, I will. This one will be a bit more comprehensive, so I will do a separate post on this topic in a few days or so.

8) Will you be swatching NARS Versailles? Here’s a swatch, but I plan on this being my next manicure, so stay tuned for more pics! (FYI, I’ve seen this swatched on other blogs and it looked very streaky, I had to apply with a really steady hand to get an unstreaky result on my finger.)


9) Is there a dupe for Rescue Beauty Lounge Pink Shimmer? Yes – I’ve found 2 dupes, Chanel Le Perle (long discontinued) and China Glaze Heaven. They look really different in the bottles, but on the nails, the result is strikingly similar. If you look close you can see the difference in finish and opacity, but’s not really noticable from afar.


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