Just when I thought summer bright streak was slowing down, I catch wind of this. Chanel, in celebration of their new boutique on Robertson Boulevard in LA, is releasing a set of four limited edition polishes designed by Peter Philips.
MELROSE - A fun, hot pink destined to become spring’s must-have pedicure
SUNRISE - A primary yellow as bright and cheerful as its name
L.A. SUNSET - A warm tangerine — just the thing for an afternoon shopping splurge
RODEO DRIVE - A purple splash: girl power meets the power lunch L.A.
Is Chanel going pop art on us? I have to say that just seeing the product image has me excited. Such a bold nail color statement seems out of character for the brand but I'm loving it. Who would have thought that such crazy shades would make it to high end chic? Maybe it means I'll stop getting stares or comments when I have bright green or yellow on my tips.
The lacquers will be available exclusively in-store at the Robertson Boulevard Chanel Boutique beginning May 30th and on Chanel.com in July 2008. Price: $25.00
Chanel Preview - Robertson Boulevard Collection
Chanel Fall Sneek Peek
The big beauty story in today's Women's Wear Daily is about Chanel's fall collection. It's the first collection for the new creative director of makeup Peter Philips and he's taking Chanel GOLD!
The collection's nail colour, Gold Fiction, will be quite a departure from what we've been seeing from Chanel. There's no "satin" in the name, the packaging will be opaque and the price tag has significantly incresed; $30! No that's not a misprint, the lacquer will retail for $30 due to the high-end pigments used to create the shade and the opaque gold case.
Christine Dagousset executive vice president of Fragrance and Beauté for Chanel describes Gold Fiction as "...a soft honey gold, not a sparkling bright gold. It’s very wearable and very modern."
What do you think? Is Gold the next big nail polish color? What about the hefty price tag? Justified? Too high?
Chanel Summer 2008
This summer, go on safari with Chanel. Khaki gets an upscale makeover in this collection inspired by the hues of the Serengeti. As one of the few high end beauty brands to acknowledge the importance of incorporating nails into an overall look, the line includes nail polish shades for both the warm and cool toned.
I tested both lacquers with three very thin coats and found that they applied smoothly with adequate pigmentation.
Straight up, I flipped for Flamingo. I think my pal Nikki's undying love for all things pink is starting to rub off on me because I felt a bit giddy just applying the shade. I haven't been feeling pink polishes much for the past year or so but this one really got to me.
In person this bubblegum girly confection has a sparkly finish that leaves one word swirling through my head, "encrusted." It's like there is a layer of silver and pink micro-gems sprinkled atop my nails. In all honesty, I just couldn't capture Flamingo's magic in an image so I dare you to test this at a Chanel counter and leave empty handed. For pink girls, it won't be easy.
Oh how I wish I could gush over Antilope but it's just not a winner for me. I know it has its fans, including The Daily Obsession, I'm just not one of them. While it has some of the same sparkle as Flamingo, Antilope has a metallic finish that causes brush strokes I just can't overlook. To quote Cher from Clueless the finish is, "a full-on Monet. From far away, it's OK, but up close, it's a big old mess." To be fair, the golden beige shade is chic and wearable and I know my mother will LOVE taking it off my hands.
Chanel's Summer 2008 Collection is on counters now and available online at Macys.com and Nordstrom.com
Win Chanel's Spring Collection
The January edition of Glamour arrived in my mailbox yesterday and what stood out to me? Not all the great Do's and Don'ts (which I love). Or the fab nail art featured in the piece on jewelry. No, it was reading about their Chanel Contest. So I had to share.
One lucky winner will receive a Chanel set, which includes nail colours, lip products, powders, eye palettes, and a mascara from their new spring collection. It's a $879 value.
Click the link below to enter!
http://www.glamour.com/magazine/sweeps/chanel/entry/long/
The Next Big Thing - Chanel Blue Satin
Get ready for the next big polish craze. Chanel Blue Satin is going to fly off the shelves, I guarantee it.
Designed by Directors of Makeup Creation Dominique Montcourtois and Heidi Morawetz, Chanel's Spring 2008 Makeup Collection is inspired by the clean, airy colours of fresh starts and new horizons: a springtime spectrum of blues, soft pinks, and opalescent whites. From the innocence of palest robin’s egg to the drama of deep indigo, blues make a perfect companion to a flawless complexion.
The Nail Colour lineup includes Blue Satin, Rose Satin, White Satin and Azur.
A shimmering inky blue, Blue Satin, is a highly pigmented lacquer that flows evenly on the nail. I know Chanel is big on the whole "Satin" naming thing but if it were up to me, I'd name this one Blue Velvet because that's what it reminds me of in the bottle, a snuggly blue velveteen blanket. On the nail this blackened navy is very dark and only shows it's true shimmering brilliance when well lit but that's true of most dark polishes. And in a true moment of serendipity I looked out my window to see sun, actual sun, so I went a little overboard on the swatch pics for you.
Now you know that I am the last person to tell you to run out and plunk down more than $10 on a polish but I can honestly say that, for me, this one is worth it. But please don't buy it just to have it. If you're not a lover of blue polishes, this one won't magically change that. And for all you bargain shoppers, I'm going to work up some comparisons.
The official Chanel release is scheduled for January 2008 but I would get on a waiting list now. As of today you can pre-order Blue Satin on the Neiman Marcus website with an anticipated ship date of December 14th.
So who's giving in to this one? Who's abstaining? Will anyone be checking out the other shades?
Coming Soon - Chanel Blue Satin
There's been much buzz about the next great Chanel polish, Blue Satin, and Style Today has an exclusive first look. Check out their site for additional bottle pics and swatches.
I don't have an official release date yet but I've heard late December or January. I'm sure if you call your local Chanel counter a sales associate can put you on a wait list. I have a feeling this one will sell out fast.
Chanel Holiday 2007
The Chanel holiday collection is soft and pretty filled with pink, rose, silver, bronze, gold and one traffic stopping red lip color and nail lacquer combo. Both named Dazzling, they certainly stand out. The other polish is Delice, a soft sparkling pink.
I had the pleasure of testing out the Le Vernis Nail Colour in Dazzling which Chanel describes as a true red. To me it leans more towards being an orange based tomato red even though it looks very brick red in the bottle. I found it to be glossy, easy to apply and flattering to my skin tone.
I have to admit, even though I'm not a pink polish girl, I'm still interested in checking out Delice. Anything described as "sparkling" is worth a look see.
Chanel's Holiday collection hits stores in October.
Chanel Fall 2007
I finally got a chance to test out a couple of the shades from the Chanel Fall campaign. They've been sitting in my "to review" bin for way too long. The collection includes four nail lacquers (three are limited edition):
Lotus Rouge (pink plum)
Lily Beige (soft beige) - limited edition
Magnolia Rose (soft rose) - limited edition
Tulipe Noire (deep plum) - limited edition
When I first took Magnolia Rose out of the box, my eyes were attracted to the silver bits of glitter sparkling back at me. The baby pink shade is highly pigmented and I found the formula to be on the thicker side, similar to a Zoya creme or the new OPI formula.
One thing I learned is that I need to wait longer in between coats with this color because the drying time is a bit slower. I ended up with drag marks near my cuticles when I applied a second coat. Overall it's a pretty shade and the glitz factor is subdued on the nail, it's just not very me. Though I'm sure there are a few pink lovers I know that would be more than willing to take it off my hands.
I've been hearing so much hype about Tulipe Noire that I just had to see what the fuss was about. Like Black Satin, this one sold out fast and I can see why. It's the epitome of fall color; rich rusty burgundy with flecks of gold shimmer. And as I was told before seeing it in person, it's beauty really doesn't translate to photos. It's a knockout. To top it off, the formula is so smooth and easy to apply. Though I couldn't expect anything less than flawless from Chanel.
When Tulipe Noire released, there was also a fall polish collection by FingerPaints that showed up at Sally Beauty Supply. Included in the collection is a shade called Cranberry Beauty. The ever so brilliant MUA Nail Board quickly discovered it's similarity to Tulipe Noire. So ladies, even if you didn't get your hands on the Chanel, there's a chance you can still find it's less expensive cousin. In my opinion Cranberry Beauty is bit more browned than Tulipe Noire but the difference is slight.
The Black Polish Trend
I wouldn't be a true polish fanatic if I didn't pay homage to the biggest trend to hit the polish world since Uma Thurman donned Chanel Vamp in Pulp Fiction. Chanel's introduction of Black Satin caused a frenzy like I have never seen. The insane eBay prices, the story about Sarah Michelle Gellar stealing one from a party, the waiting lists at Chanel counters for a re-release, it's madness. Pure madness. And with the release of Chanel's new black for spring, Noir Ceramic, the craze continues.
(l-to-r) Misa Stiletto, Milani Black Cherry, Zoya Yasmeen, OPI Lincoln Park At Midnight, OPI Black Tie Optional (DC'd)
(l-to-r) Revlon Dark Pleasures Talk Dirty, Creative NFS, Creative Blue Blood (DC'd), Misa Blueberry Glaze, China Glaze Up All Night, Revlon Dark Pleasures Midnight Affair
(l-to-r) OPI Espresso Your Style, Orly Talk Dirty, Creative Fedora, Sinful Colors Black on Black, Zoya Raven, Orly Goth, Misa Wishing On A Star
