Chanel Morning Rose

Happy Hump Day!  As you're reading this I am probably knocked out at Georgetown Hospital for super fun tests.  I mentioned previously that I went on a Chanel binge and decided to give the brand another shot.  At $25 a pop, it was a big shot.  For this week's Pink Wednesday I have Chanel Morning Rose.  Part of me wishes that we had Purple or Blue Wednesdays, because I seriously can't capture pinks with my lighting/camera set up.  Morning rose is a pale peachy pink jelly/creme with a peachy microshimmer running throughout.  It comes in the signature rectangular prism with the pop off top that reveals a ribbed application grip topped with the signature double Cs.  The bottles are generally easy to hold and have a nice brush length to grip ratio.  I am happy to report that the brush on this Chanel polish is less flimsy than the other colors I have tried thus far.  This applied easily and was opaque in 2-ish coats. 

2.5 coats Morning Rose + Seche Vite, artificial light

If you haven't gathered from my recent posts, I am thinking I may be alright with Chanel polishes again.  I may take advantage of some sales coming up to grab their base and top coat to see if my wear issues are remedied by taking that route.  That's some expensive stuff though.

Do any of my fellow polish addicts have any other Chanel polishes I should try?  Please, let me know!

~Shbecky

Chanel Peridot

Hey everyone!  Just wanted to give you guys a quick polish post before I went to bed.  Chanel Graphite wasn't my only recent Chanel cave.  I also grabbed Peridot, which is also from the fall collection, and Morning Rose, one of the summer colors.  Graphite was a partial let down, as the thumb nail chipped off in a huge chunk similar to Paradoxal.  Peridot seems to me a totally different beast from Graphite and Paradoxal.  This is a metallic bright green/bronzey tan duochrome.  Like the other polishes this is 3 Free and comes in the rectangular bottle that has the pop off top revealing a ridged cap topped with the famous double Cs.  This brush seems thick and sort of flimsy like the other brushes, but it is well suited to the polish. 

2 coats Peridot + Seche Vite, artificial light

 Peridot paints on really smoothly and is almost a one coater.  This type of finish is generally prone to brush stroke marks, but those were minimal here.  In fact, they are only really visible in this macro shot, and not IRL. 

2 coats Peridot + Seche Vite, artificial light

I honestly expected to hate this polish.  I don't normally like yellow leaning greens, but I really LOVE this polish.  I hope it lasts, because I can see this being a Fall go-to for me.  I am definitely stashing this. 

On an unrelated note, I have yet to hear back from follower Nita Marie, our giveaway winner.  If you are out there, please get back to me in the next day and a half! 

~Shbecky

Chanel: Graphite

Hey everyone!  I'm back!  I arrived back last night to some awesome nail mail.  Nothing beats it!  Tonight I have for you Chanel Graphite, one of the new Fall '11 colors.  Like all Chanel polishes this is 3 Free and comes in the signature rectangular bottle donned with the famous double Cs.  The top pops off to reveal a ribbed cap for application and a long thin (almost too thin) brush.  The brush is REALLY flimsy.  I had no problem with application but I was annoyed pretty much the entire time.  Graphite is a dark charcoal foil finish polish that is easily opaque in 2 coats.  I didn't need any clean up, which you all know makes me a happy camper :)

2 coats Graphite + Seche Vite, artificial light

2 coats Graphite + Seche Vite, artificial light

Now I know I was pretty fed up after my last Chanel experience BUT the swatches were just so pretty.  I only hope that this time Chanel does me right and lasts through at least a day of work.  I shall let you all know. 

I have some school related stuff to handle this weekend, but expect an announcement on the giveaway early next week!

~Shbecky

Chanel: Paradoxal

Hey everyone!  SonyT was right.  I do love Chicago, BUT I don't know how I feel about the bone chilling cold wind.  Oh wait, yes I do - I hate it haha.  At least the bf surprised me with a room at the Ritz.  It's like sleeping in heaven.  We're heading to get brunch and a CUBS game later today.  I inadvertently ended up with a CUBS-esque manicure which I'll try to show you later.  Apparently the sun never shines in this windy city.  Today I have Chanel Paradoxal for everyone.  I mentioned that I had grabbed it at the mall on the way home and I'm pretty sure it was about $26 after tax.  This is the most I have ever spent on a polish at its natural price, so I had really high hopes. 

2 coats Paradoxal + 1 coat OPI top coat, artificial light

As you can see, it is really a beautiful color.  It's a taupe-y creme with a violet dense shimmer that shows up in natural light (of which I had no opportunity to capture).  The polish is 3 Free and comes in a very distinct bottle that is pictured below.  The black cap pops off to reveal a Butter London-esque ribbed top.  The brush is relatively short and thin, but pretty firm.  Application was not difficult at all.  I think this was actually a rare no-clean-up for me. 

There's the sneaky purple shimmer

Application and gorgeous color are about wear my glowing review must stop.  I painted this on Wednesday night as a work manicure.  I started with a coat of Seche Vite Crystal Base Coat and topped it with OPI's standard top-coat.   Everything dried and looked great.  When I woke up in the morning I noticed nothing strange, but after my shower I noticed that my right hand had chipped A LOT.  It looked like a week old mani.  No tip wear, but huge chips.  By that night things had gotten much worse.  When I reached into my wallet to grab my ID, an entire nail of polish just popped off like I had cheap stick on nails.  These things definitely do happen with polishes.  However, I really am disappointed that after spending so much money, I can't manage to keep the manicure pretty for 10 hours before it gets that trashy chipped look. 

Classy bottle shot

The infamous Chanel Logo

Verdict? I'm going to go into Macy's, next to the hotel, and complain/ask what the deal is.  I suspect they will try to sell me their top coat brand, and I will get upset and decline.  WAY TOO EXPENSIVE.  I'm not planning on giving this away yet, but I will need to do further testing.  It may just piss me off if I see it in my stash.

Has anyone else had this problem with Chanel?  Is it just the color?  Or do you have any suggestions for different base coat/top coat?


-Shbecky