The Nubar Jeans collection is finally on sale and I’m sure, like me, you are curious about how this collection compares to the now sold out Chanel Les Jeans de Chanel collection so I put together a quick video for you while I work on proper comparison swatches. Enjoy!

The Nubar Jeans collection is available now online at ByNubar.com. The set of three nail polishes retail for $19.99.

What are your initial thoughts on the two collections? If you splurged on the Chanel Les Jeans polishes do you feel they are worth it? If you held out, do you plan to pick up the Nubar set?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by Nubar and Chanel. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

This Chanel Shade Parade video has been getting quite a bit of buzz and couldn’t resist sharing. It’s so quirky and unexpected for Chanel that I can’t help but love it.

What’s interesting is a contestant in the Sally Hansen PopTent Video Contest that I judged submitted their version of a Sally Hansen Salon Effects commercial with walking fingers, only they were strutting a catwalk, not kicking up their heels in dance.

At the end the “credits” list the 18 Chanel Le Vernis nail polish colors used in the video and I actually have a lot of them, 14 to be exact. How many do you own?

On September 8th, CHANEL will debut its preview of Les Jeans De CHANEL, the highly-anticipated nail collection created exclusively by Peter Philips, Creative Director of CHANEL Makeup, at Fashion’s Night Out events across the country and on chanel.com.

Fashion’s Night Out is less than three weeks away and as news of the various FNO events start to trickle out, I’ve been waiting with anticipation to see how Chanel would top their last two FNO collections: Chanel Jade Nail & Les Khakis de Chanel. Les Jeans de Chanel certainly has me excited and I’ll definitely be stopping by one of the NYC boutiques on September 8th.

I’ve mentioned a few times recently how I’m all about blues for fall and clearly Peter Philips is on the same wavelength. When I spoke with Chanel Celebrity MAN-icurist Tom Bachik a few weeks ago he alluded to some cool nail colors coming our way and he was right. I can’t WAIT to get my paws on these.

Always creating trends that others follow, Peter has developed a trio of blue lacquers, inspired by quintessence of casual chic: denim. A gradation of three shades, the colours range from deep to medium to very pale blue, evocative of the different styles and shades of one of the world’s largest wardrobe staples.

LE VERNIS: Blue Rebel, Blue Boy and Coco Blue.

LES JEANS DE CHANEL will be sold exclusively in CHANEL boutiques and on chanel.com September 8th, 2011 through the end of the month.

So are you into Chanel’s take on denim blues? Are you planning to attend any FNO events?

365 of Untrieds is my personal challenge to weed through the polishes in the ALU stash that I’ve been wanting to try but just haven’t gotten around to. Even though Chanel Graphite is the Fall Chanel color that caused me to swoon, it’s Chanel Peridot that is getting all the buzz. I even saw Bobbie Thomas mention it on her Today Show “Minute Buzz” segment along with LCN Magnetic Polish (yay!). Now you know I’m all about the greens but I haven’t exactly been champing at the bit to wear Peridot. Yellow greens are just not my thing. They remind me of cat’s eyes which, as much as I love my furballs, are a creepy color. I did a nail wheel swatch of Peridot when it arrived and felt pretty “meh” but I’m finally taking the plunge since so many of you have asked about it.

Formula & Application: Chanel nail polish is 4-Free (includes formaldehyde resin) plus there’s no camphor, which can be an irritant. The signature square glass bottles are topped with a black square outer cap that is removed to reveal a stubby, round, ribbed inner cap. The brush is round, medium in length and width and reminds me of the old OPI/new SOPI brushes. It easily fans out and covers the nail without much resistance.

Peridot is a metallic so expect to see some brush strokes, which is why I’m not typically a fan of that finish. The bonus is that it applies nice and thin so if you have a good technique, you can get it on with minimal brush marks in two coats. Application tip: Wait until the first coat is dry. Applying a second layer of metallic over wet polish will amplify the problem.

Chanel Peridot is a duo-chrome, meaning it flashes two colors, that looks more gold than green. You can see traces of a mossy hue at the edges and at certain angles but from straight on this is a tarnished gold.

I’ve heard that a European Sephora nail polish called Diving in Malaysia is a pretty close dupe to Peridot but no twins exist in my stash. I’m sure part of it is that I’m not a fan of these types of colors. Like I never jumped on China Glaze Cat’s Eye. In my collection, the only colors I own that even come close are Nubar Wildlife (a bronze green duo-chrome), China Glaze Peace on Earth, Quirius Cresskill Eye and OPI Simply Smashing but none of them are a match.

Peace on Earth is way too green with no duo-chrome effect and Cresskill Eye is muted, as though there is a teal film on the surface. Peridot is definitely a stand out shade.

Bottom Line: I’m torn. Peridot is definitely a unique shade and a Chanel duo-chrome is something worth getting excited about plus its relatively low brush stroke tendency is a bonus.  If this color is in your wheelhouse, I have no doubt you’ll adore it however, on my nails I’m not like ready to do a Jersey Shore fist-pump over it.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: Hmm, I honestly don’t know. I feel like I should STASH it because it’s unique and I don’t have anything like it but that seems like such a Hoarders-esque rationale. What do you all think? STASH or SHARE? And WHY?

Chanel Peridot is a limited edition shade and it’s available now at Chanel counters nationwide and online at Chanel.com and department store websites like Nordstrom.com. Chanel nail polish retails for $25/ea for a .4oz bottle.

Thoughts on Peridot? If you haven’t yet purchased it, do you plan to? Are you a fan of the gold-greens? Can you think of any US nail colors that might be similar?

Disclosure: A product sample was provided by Chanel. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

365 of Untrieds is my personal challenge to weed through the polishes in the ALU stash that I’ve been wanting to try but just haven’t gotten around to. My friend Nancy from Beauty 411 is what you might call a Chanel connoisseur. She knows the makeup line inside and out and every season she is first in line to take home her favorite pieces from the collection, especially the nail colors. When pictures first surfaced of a silver metallic Chanel nail polish from backstage at Paris Fashion Week, Nance was the first person to ask me about it on Twitter. At the time, the images I saw didn’t wow me. Another foil metallic, how original. I told her I didn’t expect Chanel Graphite to be anything special and even after I could see it in person I was feeling kind of “meh” about it. Well, now you get to watch me eat my words.

Formula & Application: Chanel nail polish is 4-Free (includes formaldehyde resin) plus there’s no camphor, which can be an irritant. The signature square glass bottles are topped with a black square outer cap that is removed to reveal a stubby, round, ribbed inner cap. The brush is round, medium in length and width and reminds me of the old OPI/new SOPI brushes. It easily fans out and covers the nail without much resistance.

Like most foil metallics this polish flows easily on the nail. It levels itself well and even though the first coat goes on somewhat sheer, it builds up fast. I ended up using three coats because I thought my I could still see my nail through the polish but a third coat ended up being more than enough. I could have gotten away with only two.

Chanel Graphite is a light charcoal foil glitter that has been warmed up with small gold flakes. The gold makes this color somewhat chameleon-esque in that it looks quite warm from one angle and a cool silver from another. Something about it is vaguely reminiscent of NYC Molten Metal, a limited edition foil glitter that I just loved. I snapped a ton of shots of this one trying to give you an accurate look at the color. At the end of the day I couldn’t decide which picture I liked better so I posted both.

When I previewed this collection I mentioned that Graphite looked like a mix of OPI Your Royal Shine-ness and Brand New Skates. Turns out BNS doesn’t even live in the same neighborhood as Graphite so I decided to replace it with Chanel Kaleidoscope for this comparison. As you can see, Graphite is much darker than both colors and warmer than YRS-ness. Kaleidoscope looks practically champagne in comparison.

A reader asked how Graphite compares to Color Club Snakeskin and while they have similar base colors, the finishes are very different. Snakeskin is a pewter shimmer with a small amount of gold micro-glitter thrown into the mix and compared to Graphite, it looks very flat. The other request I saw was for OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous. I wasn’t able to swatch them side-by-side but take my word for it, they are not dupes. Lucerne’s graphite base has a blue cast to it and it’s not as blingtastic. Plus it’s missing the gold foil glitter of Graphite.

Bottom Line: I was having this anti-foil moment for a while and clearly that is gone because I’m loving Graphite. The gold particles give it a tarnished look and I love the smoky, urban base color. It feels very industrial yet the glitz of the finish makes it chic. Is it a must-have? Not necessarily, but if your budget allows you to pick this one up I say go for it.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: Any guesses? Yep, I’m STASHing it.

Chanel Graphite and the rest of the Illusions d’Ombre de Chanel nail polishes are available now at Chanel counters nationwide and online a Chanel.com. Chanel nail polishes retail for $25/ea for a .5oz bottle.

Are you feeling Graphite? Do you plan to pick up a bottle? Do you find it to be unique enough to own?

Disclosure: A product sample was provided by Chanel. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

Last winter we got a peek at one of the Chanel Fall 2011 nail polishes when Chanel Graphite hit the runway but it’s Chanel Peridot that seems to be getting all the buzz. Is it green? Is it yellow? Are we talking Chanel duo-chrome?

Inspired by the heritage and savoir faire of the artisanal craftsmanship of the House of Chanel, Peter Philips, Creative Director of Chanel Makeup, introduces new textures and makeup effects in a radiant Fall 2011 Collection, ILLUSIONS D’OMBRES DE CHANEL.

At the heart of this captivating colour story: Shimmering bronze, gold and platinum are the perfect complements to plum, khaki and copper shades on eyes and lips. Unique reflections of metallic green, silver and beige on nails provide the ideal counterpoint.

“Illusion d’Ombre is a new and exciting product, that’s easy to apply,” says Peter Philips. “I would suggest finger application. The texture is unique and has a very pleasant touch.”

Chanel Peridot – Green-Gold, Chanel Graphite – Metallic Silver, Chanel Quartz – Silver Beige

As you can see, Chanel Peridot reads very gold. It shows it’s green base on the edges and at certain angles so it’s definitely a duo-chrome but don’t go expecting an overly green look.

Chanel Graphite has little gold flecks and to my eye it falls somewhere between OPI Your Royal Shine-ness and OPI Brand New Skates though I’ll have to see all three on the nail to know for sure.

Chanel Quartz is unique in that typically when brands use the term it’s in conjunction with pink. Based on the nail art swatch I”m not loving it and questioning whether it will clash with my skin tone but I’m going to keep an open mind until I wear it.

The Chanel Illusions d’Ombres de Chanel Fall 2011 collection is available now at Chanel counters nationwide and online at Chanel.com. Chanel nail polishes retail for $25/ea for a .4oz bottle. Both Peridot and Graphite are listed as Limited Edition colors.

What are your initial thoughts on the Fall collection colors? Will you be running out to scoop up any of these colors? Which of the three do you think will be the big hit? Are you into a green-gold duo-chrome?

Disclosure: I purchased these nail polishes. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

365 of Untrieds is my personal challenge to weed through the polishes in the ALU stash that I’ve been wanting to try but just haven’t gotten around to. As much as I believe that you never get the whole nail polish story until you see the juice on the nail, I love looking at bottle images. One of my favorite things about scrolling through Tumblr posts is when I stumble across a great bottle shot. So I started photographing my collection, in bottles, by brand, with the intention of eventually posting them in my gallery. FYI, my gallery hasn’t allowed me to upload photos for a year and that’s why it isn’t updated. I haven’t found a fix or a better gallery solution which is why it remains unchanged since April 2010. It’s not that I’m neglecting it. Anyway, I decided to start with Chanel, going color drawer by color drawer though my Helmers. I’ll be posting the pics on my Tumblr in the meantime so if you want to follow along, subscribe to my account over there. I started with my white, black, gray and silver drawers and that inspired me to finally try Chanel Pearl Drop. Pearl Drop seemed to be the forgotten child in the Spring 2011 collection as Black Pearl garnered all the buzz so I was curious to see if it would end up being a sleeper hit.

Formula & Application: Chanel nail polish is 4-Free (includes formaldehyde resin) plus there’s no camphor, which can be an irritant. The signature square glass bottles are topped with a black square outer cap that is removed to reveal a stubby, round, ribbed inner cap. The brush is round, medium in length and width and reminds me of the old OPI/new SOPI brushes. It easily fans out and covers the nail without much resistance.

Pearl Drop’s names foreshadows a bad finish. “Pearl” makes me think of “metallic” which leads me to the dreaded word “frost” and that can only mean one thing, BRUSH STROKES. I applied this polish with the precision of a surgeon and brush strokes were unavoidable. Now I concede that light colors cause a constant struggle for manufacturers as it’s hard to achieve that perfect blend of pigmentation and smooth viscosity. Chanel certainly put forth a good effort here though I still needed three coats to get it opaque. It did flow on the nail quite well and dried pretty fast but brush strokes are like nails on a chalkboard to me, or French pedicures. Painful!

Chanel Pearl Drop grabbed me right away as I applied it in the bright afternoon light of my polish room. The soft white base filled with glimmering gold pearl looked magical, like a sun shower. Think of it as a more opaque, shimmery version of China Glaze White Cap. I was smitten. Now if only the story ended there.

Tonight I went to a fabulous wine & cheese dinner that left my head feeling a bit fuzzy and the dim, soft light turned this beautiful creation into something kind of wretched. The term “grandma” was definitely thrown around the table and suddenly I felt like I was wearing a 70s era Sally Hansen frost that my mother probably bought in multiples. That’s not a slam on my mom, we just have different tastes and she just loves herself some frosts.

My point is, what may look fantastic in one light can look devastatingly bad in another. I mean who hasn’t left the makeup counter with a bag full of things that made your face look amazingly natural under that odd fluorescent store lighting, only to look in the mirror later and feel like a contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race?

Bottom Line: What I anticipated being a rave review when I left for dinner tonight ended up being a “meh.” If you’re into frosts, and more power to you if you are, snap this one up. If brush strokes make you verklempt, run in the opposite direction when you see this one at the Chanel counter. The formula is good and the pigmentation is decent for a light color, it’s just not my thing. If I could guarantee I would always be in daylight, I would totally rock it.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: SHARE, ’nuff said

Chanel Pearl Drop is available now as part of the Spring 2011 collection at Chanel counters nationwide and online at Chanel.com. I believe this is included in the perm Chanel collection as the website gives you the “replenish” option and that doesn’t appear with LE shades. Chanel nail polish retails for $25/ea for a .4oz bottle.

Thoughts on Pearl Drop? Have you ever worn a color that looked great in daylight and turned fug at night or indoors? What is your favorite white nail polish? I still haven’t found one I love as much as China Glaze White Kwik Silvr, aka my holy grail of white.

Disclosure: A product sample was provided by Chanel. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

365 of Untrieds is my personal challenge to weed through the polishes in the ALU stash that I’ve been wanting to try but just haven’t gotten around to. “I wore a pink and I liked i-it! I hope my polish friends don’t mind it.” I’ve been blasting Katy Perry in my polish room all day so while I was applying today’s 365 of Untrieds color, my altered version of that lyric created an earworm that I can’t seem to get rid of. The point is, I am wearing pink nail polish today and I don’t hate it. SPOILER ALERT - I’m actually kind of in love with it.  I suppose that ruins the whole stash/share verdict for today but I hope you’ll keep reading to see why I’m so smitten with Chanel Morning Rose.

Formula & Application: Chanel nail polish is 4-Free (includes formaldehyde resin) plus there’s no camphor, which can be an irritant. The signature square glass bottles are topped with a black square outer cap that is removed to reveal a stubby, round, ribbed inner cap. The brush is round, medium in length and width and reminds me of the old OPI/new SOPI brushes. It easily fans out and covers the nail without much resistance.

While I was applying this color I couldn’t help but thinking the formula is so “Manicures for Dummies” in that it’s pretty goof proof for novice at-home manicurists. It’s not that this polish specifically is better than others but this type of formula, squishy, jelly-ish, light colored, is great for beginners. You can pretty much slap it on and have it look good since it levels out easily, doesn’t show unevenness in application around the cuticle and is barely visible on the skin should you make a mistake. Morning Rose ended up needing three coats but it applied phenomenally well and dried nice and glossy, like a jelly.

Chanel Morning Rose is just as the name implies, a warm rosy pink with gold, flaky micro-glitter that reflects the light the way morning rays of sun would. I’ve always tended to lean towards warmer pinks and when I was in my pink heyday circa 2005 I was all about Essie Ball-timore, a rosy pink shimmer. Morning Rose reminds me of that old favorite.

Okay so a while back I saw a manicurist (either Kimmie Kyees or Sophy Robson) tweet about buying 14K gold Chanel logo decals online and I just HAD to get them. I know, I know logos can be tacky, like people dripping in Louis Vuitton Monogram, but I figure I get a pass if I’m wearing it on Chanel polish. I’m at least not trying to fake it, right?

The decals come flat so I suggest waiting for your polish to dry, sans top coat, so you can lightly bend the decal to fit the curve of your nail without messing up your mani. Place the decal with a toothpick and lightly press in place.  Add a layer of top coat and you should be good to go.  If you are concerned about losing it, you can use a bit of nail glue on the decal but I don’t find it necessary.

To give you an idea of how Morning Rose compares to some past Chanel pinks, I’m showing it next to Mica Rose, Mistral, Ming and Flamingo.

While Mistral is probably the closest in terms of texture and finish, it’s much cooler toned than Morning Rose.  Ming has the most similar base color though it’s not as pigmented and has shimmer rather than micro-glitter.  Mica Rose and Flamingo are both way off but thought they might be a good reference point for those who own them.

Bottom Line: I love everything about Morning Rose. The color is my ideal shade of pink. Not too light, not too bright, just warm enough to complement my skin tone. And the gold flecks actually show up unlike the Chanel that stole Morning Rose’s thunder (I’m looking at YOU Mimosa). As far as the Chanel Summer Collection is concerned, this is the true nail polish winner. Don’t waste your dinero on Mimosa, spend it on Morning Rose instead.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: Surprise, surprise I’m STASHing it.

Chanel Morning Rose is available at Chanel counters nationwide and online at Chanel.com. Chanel nail polish retails for $25/ea for a .4oz bottle. Chanel 14K nail decals can be purchased from Esther’s Nail Center for $3.75 for 48 decals.

Okay what’s your verdict on my Chanel decals? Are they are win or fail? Thoughts on Morning Rose? How many of you bypassed the much ballyhooed Mimosa for Morning Rose? Yes, I used “ballyhooed” in a sentence. I’m old!

Disclosure: I purchased Morning Rose and the Chanel decals. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

I thought 2009 was the year of Mimosa. At least according to Pantone it was. Yet here we are, two years later, with yellow nail polishes making a splash again.  What’s funny is that so many Fanatics think yellow looks bad on them yet still go gaga when a new one hits the market. Of course, when Chanel makes a yellow, everyone’s eyes light up.  Remember the craze that Chanel L.A. Sunrise created in 2008 when the Robertson Boulevard collection launched?  This time around the buzz has been building over Chanel Mimosa from the Summer 2011 Les Fleurs d’Ete de Chanel collection. Les Fleurs d’Ete or Flowers of Summer makes me say, in my best Miranda Priestly impression, “Florals? For spring? Ground breaking.” Yes, we’re talking summer and not spring but still.  Haven’t we beaten that horse to the point that PETA is about to step in?  Then again, there must be a reason florals keep coming back. Let’s see if Chanel can prove why.

Formula & Application: Chanel nail polish is 4-Free (includes formaldehyde resin) plus there’s no camphor, which can be an irritant.  The signature square glass bottles are topped with a black square outer cap that is removed to reveal a stubby, round, ribbed inner cap.  The brush is round, medium in length and width and reminds me of the old OPI/new SOPI brushes.  It easily fans out and covers the nail without much resistance.

Yellow polishes are a pain.  PERIOD.  Doesn’t matter who is making it or what shade of yellow it is.  They are either thin and sheer or thick and streaky.  If the brand is going for opaque, as Chanel is with Mimosa, the polish is going to be streaky.  You have to be willing to accept that with a yellow polish.  There are rare breeds out there that get it right but they are few and far between.  Mimosa was a pain to apply, as was L.A. Sunrise, so be prepared.  It took me three solid coats to get Mimosa opaque and I still wasn’t entirely pleased with how it looked.  This is not a self-leveling dream so make sure you are cautious in your placement.

Chanel Mimosa is a bright lemon yellow sprinkled with micro-glitter.  It’s not overly apparent glitter as it actually shows up more in the bottle than on the nail.  In fact, I tried over and over to capture the glitter, as you’ll see below, and it REALLY likes to hide.  It’s more like a subtle sparkle, like how we think of the Chanel shimmer as “subtle shimmer.”

I went looking for a comparable color and came up short.  I have quite a few yellows but nothing that matches dead on.  All you frankeners out there may be able to dupe the base color by mixing OPI Banana Bandana and China Glaze Happy Go Lucky. In terms of how Mimosa relates to Chanel L.A. Sunrise, it would say they are related but definitely different.  L.A. Sunrise is more mellow and buttery

Bottom Line: I can’t say I’m a fan.  If the promise of glittery goodness you see in the bottle had translated to the nail, I would have been all in.  Being that it doesn’t deliver, I’m out.  I much prefer L.A. Sunrise to Mimosa plus I have other lemon yellows in my arsenal that get the job done.  If the formula had been a dream, which is asking a lot of a yellow, I could have even overlooked the lack of glitz.

Chanel Mimosa is available now at Chanel counters nationwide and online at Chanel.com.  Chanel nail polishes retail for $25/ea for a .4oz bottle.

Thoughts on Mimosa?  Which do you prefer Mimosa or L.A. Sunrise?  If you own L.A. Sunrise do you plan to pick up Mimosa as well?  What’s your favorite yellow nail polish?

Disclosure: I purchased Chanel Mimosa. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

My Fedex guy is a champ but he always comes so late in the day. I’ve been stalking my door waiting for this lovely package to arrive and when it finally did, there was not a flicker of daylight to be found. Regardless, I couldn’t wait to play with the new Chanel Spring 2011 polishes, especially Black Pearl.  Even though I had to resort to using artificial lighting, I figured since the collection went on sale this week you’d appreciate a quick peek before it sells out.  Not to worry a full review of the collection will be up once I have some decent light.

In the bottle I could see little flecks of green shimmer peeking out at me creating exquisite oil slick ribbons in the graphite base. On the nail Black Pearl certainly doesn’t disappoint. It feels like Vert Sacrilege’s murkier sister though it isn’t plagued with VS’s opacity issues. What you see below is two medium coats of polish and it completely covered the nail which makes me wonder what the manicurist at the Spring 2011 collection show was doing to result is such a poor looking manicure.

Overall I’m pretty jazzed with the color based on what it looks like at night. I can’t WAIT to see it in the daylight tomorrow and see if it holds its luster. I think Black Pearl may have completely wiped out my nail polish depression. Way to go Chanel!

Chanel Black Pearl and the rest of the Spring 2011 makeup collection is on sale now at Chanel.com and should be at Chanel counters soon if it isn’t out already. The Spring Chanel nail polishes retail for $23/ea for a .4oz bottle.

Early thoughts on Black Pearl? Any comparison ideas you want to throw out? Who already bought the Spring colors? Did you get them all or just Black Pearl?

Disclosure: A product sample was provided by Chanel. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.