It was opaque in two coats, and it dried down to a naturally shiny finish. The consistency was great; really well-balanced so it applied beautifully and easily without streaking, bubbling, or pooling along the edges. This was my favorite shade of the three for summer, because the application was outstanding–and this is how a $27 polish should apply and look. Chanel’s formula wears a week with minor tip wear but no chipping in my experience.
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Chanel Bel-Argus (667) Le Vernis Nail Colour ($27.00 for 0.40 fl. oz.) is described as a “metallic blue.” It’s a rich, medium-dark blue with a metallic finish. It has a lot of dimension and gets lighter and darker depending on the angle you hold your nails and what kind of lighting there is. I could only come up with one shade that was similar, but it is surprisingly similar: China Glaze Blue Bells, which ends up having a more foil-like finish, while Bel-Argus is very metallic.
It was opaque in two coats, and unlike my experience with Azure, brush strokes were subtle and tended to fade away from sight when the light hit the polish. This is more of that brushed metal finish, rather than just a streaky finish, and they were fairly controllable so they follow in a straight line. The consistency wasn’t too thick or too thin, so the polish flowed well across the nail. I normally get about a week of wear with Chanel’s formula with minor tip wear but no chipping.
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Chanel Azure (657) Le Vernis Nail Colour ($27.00 for 0.40 fl. oz.) is described as a “metallic blue green.” It’s a brightened, bluish-teal with a metallic finish. It seems to shift a bit from blue to teal to green, depending on the angle and how the light hits the color. The color itself is interesting and complex. I’ll be reviewing it soon, but Dior’s Samba isn’t an exact dupe for this–it is more of a true teal with less shift and more warmth. China Glaze Deviantly Daring is similar when Azure is in its blue stages, but it doesn’t have the same green-teal shift. Zoya Charla has a very different finish (more glitter/sparkle) and is a darker, bluer polish overall.
It’s fully opaque in two coats, and the drying time is about average, but it’s important to wait for each coat to dry before applying another as it will pull/drag if not fully dry. There are also a lot of noticeable brush strokes to the finish, even after it has dried down (sometimes they fade and blend away once the polish is dry, but not in this case). I wish this was slightly less metallic or wasn’t as prone to showing the brush strokes, because I think it takes away from the application and end result. The consistency was slightly thin but was fine to work with. I typically get a week of wear out of Chanel’s formula with minor tip wear but no chipping.
I wish this was slightly less metallic or wasn't as prone to showing the brush strokes, because I think it takes away from the application and end result.
Product
8/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
8/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
3.5/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Chanel Taboo Le Vernis ($30.00 for 0.40 fl. oz.) is described as a “violine with red iridescence.” They should call it “Galaxy in a Bottle.” It’s a rich, deepened red-toned purple with iridescent shimmer that reflects red, violet, pink, and coppery-red. Dior Shadow is a warmer (more eggplant-like) purple with coppery-red shimmer. Cult Nails Spontaneous is a lighter, plummy purple with flecks of purple sparkle. Estee lauder Extravagant Night is warmer with much larger sparkle–and it’s a mix of plum and gold. Zoya Valerie is redder, warmer, and has larger shimmer.
Taboo is stunning. It’s a paint-one-nail-and-pause-for-effect–it’s that show-stopping–and it’s not just an effect visible in bright light or if you hold your fingertips close to your eyes, as you can see the shimmer dance and sparkle even at a distance. It’s very nearly opaque in a single coat, but I did apply two coats for full opacity. The consistency wasn’t too thick or too thin, and it flowed beautifully across the nail–no pooling, streaking, or bubbling. It dries down to a naturally shiny finish, but I’d recommend adding a top coat to really make it sing. Taboo is exactly what high-end, luxury polish should be: interesting, complex, highly-pigmented, flawless application. I normally get a week of wear with Chanel’s formula with no chipping, just minor tip wear.
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Chanel Eastern Light Le Vernis Nail Colour ($30.00 for 0.40 fl. oz.) is described as an “opaque white.” It’s a bright, white cream–not too cool-toned, not really warm. It doesn’t look quite as stark as say, corrector, no the nails; I didn’t get that vibe. NARS Ecume is slightly brighter. MAC Vestral White is also a bit brighter. China Glaze Snow is a cooler-toned white.
Chanel touts their lacquer as “long-wearing, high-shine, chip-resistant” while applying “evenly without streaking.” Eastern Light doesn’t apply evenly, and it is riddled with streakiness. It’s one of the better-applying white cream polishes I’ve tried, but it’s not, by any stretch of the imagination, streak-free. The consistency is just slightly on the thicker side, and it self-leveled to an extent but not completely. After two coats, it was mostly opaque, except where areas of heavy streakiness, then the second coat did not cover it entirely. I think three coats would hide the underlying streakiness, but it does get a little thick to wear and will take awhile to dry down fully. It has a great high-gloss finish, but the streaks make this a major no-go–not at $30.
There was a slight thickness to the formula that made it a less-than-ideal consistency, but the real downfall was that it was still a streaky white polish. Whites are notorious for streaking, and unfortunately, Chanel's version doesn't break that trend. It streaks less than some other whites I've tried, but there's still need for improvement.
Product
6/10
Pigmentation
8.5/10
Texture
7.5/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
3/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Chanel Western Light Le Vernis Nail Colour ($30.00 for 0.40 fl. oz.) is described as a “sophisticated shade of deep chocolate, burnished by a heart of pearly red.” It’s a deep, dark reddened brown with a dusting of reddish-burgundy shimmer. The shimmer is not the star here, so while visible at certain angles, gives it more of a reddened depth than sparkle. China Glaze Midtown Magic is browner and has larger and more present shimmer. Rescue Beauty Lounge Au Chocolate is very similar in color but is a cream (no shimmer). Rescue Beauty Lounge Atame is a redder cream with no shimmer. MAC Gadabout Girl is slightly more burgundy and has no shimmer. Chanel Strong has a lot more of the red pearl, so it looks a bit redder/purpler in some lighting.
Chanel touts their lacquer as “long-wearing, high-shine, chip-resistant” while applying “evenly without streaking.” Western Light was fully opaque after two coats, and the consistency of the formula wasn’t too thick or too thin. It applied beautifully, evenly, and streak-free, just as Chanel describes. I think more shimmer would have made this a more unique color, but as is, the shimmer tends to fade away and the color looks mostly like a cream finish–and there are a fair amount of creams available in shades near to this. I usually get a week of wear with Chanel’s formula with minor tip wear but no chipping.
I think more shimmer would have made this a more unique color, but as is, the shimmer tends to fade away and the color looks mostly like a cream finish--and there are a fair amount of creams available in shades near to this.
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
5/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
