Chanel Peche Nacree Le Vernis
Chanel Spring 2011: Peche Nacree
Chanel Peche Nacree Le Vernis Nail Colour ($23.00 for 0.4 fl. oz.) is a medium-dark peach with pale white peach micro-shimmer strewn through it. It has a frost-metallic finish, so there are some visible brush strokes when under bright light. It’s opaque in two coats, despite being a lighter shade.
CHANEL LE VERNIS is a pricey product that often comes out with more unique shades (that are later replicated by other brands). The originality or amount of depth in their shades is what often pulls me towards them. Overall, I’ve had good luck with the formula and wear. The formula tends to be on the thicker side but not so thick it’s gloppy, while I typically get a full week’s worth of wear (and just minor tip wear).
Peche Nacree is peachier and darker than Chanel Django. It is also rather similar to MAC’s Seasonal Peach, actually–just the finish is different and it is less pink. I found two coats to be perfect for color opacity and general look and feel. The brush strokes in this shade are less noticeable than in Black Pearl but more than Pearl Drop.
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- Product: 27/30
- Value: 6/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
FINAL THOUGHTS: It’s warm without being yellow orange, so it should suit both warm and cooler skin tones. I imagine it will lean pinker against cooler, pinker toned skin, than the warmer peach it is against my warmer skin tone.
WHERE TO BUY: Nordstrom
Chanel Pearl Drop Le Vernis
Chanel Spring 2011: Pearl Drop
Chanel Pearl Drop Le Vernis Nail Colour ($23.00 for 0.4 fl. oz.) is a softened white gold frost with a slight metallic finish, sprinkled with pale gold micro-shimmer. There is something about this that reminds me of two things: brides and
CHANEL LE VERNIS is a pricey product that often comes out with more unique shades (that are later replicated by other brands). The originality or amount of depth in their shades is what often pulls me towards them. Overall, I’ve had good luck with the formula and wear. The formula tends to be on the thicker side but not so thick it’s gloppy, while I typically get a full week’s worth of wear (and just minor tip wear).
Pearl Drop stays true to past Chanel lacquers; the same slightly thicker formula with decent pigmentation, but this is a shade that seems designed to be worn sheer. I used two coats, and you could definitely try a third, but I think there was enough visible nail line at two that there would still be some at three. If you want a more opaque effect, try wearing a base polish underneath (like a white) to make it pop.
Edited @ 8:21AM: Sorry… swatches should be fixed! I was sleeping so I wasn’t able to get them faster – really sorry all for screwing up so badly! 
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- Product: 27/30
- Value: 6/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
FINAL THOUGHTS: I really like this shade, but I’m personally a fan of golds and white golds in general, so I find it a very flattering shade against my warm skin tone. I do think that this shade can be found in other brands, though, so you may want to check your stash first.
WHERE TO BUY: Nordstrom
Chanel Black Pearl Le Vernis
Chanel Spring 2011: Black Pearl
Chanel Black Pearl Le Vernis Nail Colour ($23.00 for 0.4 fl. oz.) is a stormy teal-tinged blackened base with threads of metallic silvered green running through it, then topped off with green, blue, and teal micro-shimmer. This has a rather metallic finish, so brush strokes are apparent, but the formula works well enough that with some patience and steady hand, the brush strokes can be pulled out evenly and made to look like brushed metal. (I, on the other hand, lack steady hands–or patience–and wobbled a bit.)
LE VERNIS is a pricey product that often comes out with more unique shades (that are later replicated by other brands). The originality or amount of depth in their shades is what often pulls me towards them. Overall, I’ve had good luck with the formula and wear. The formula tends to be on the thicker side but not so thick it’s gloppy, while I typically get a full week’s worth of wear (and just minor tip wear).
Black Pearl seemed a little thicker than normal for Chanel, but each coat was pigmented, and I only needed two coats for opaque color. The only similar shades I could think of were China Glaze’s Rodeo Fanatic (way too blue to be similar) and NARS’ Full Metal Jacket (which is similar in the finish and look/feel, but not the color).
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- Product: 26/30
- Value: 6/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
FINAL THOUGHTS: I couldn’t come up with any dead-on dupes, so perhaps Chanel has another unique shade on their hands. The formula applied fine, but I’ve never been a big fan of brush strokes. I could see this being a must-have for Chanel lacquer fans, but it might not hold the same appeal to others.
WHERE TO BUY: Nordstrom
Chanel Riva Nail Lacquer
Chanel Cote d’Azur Collection: Riva
Chanel Riva Nail Lacquer ($27.00 for 0.4 fl. oz.) is a pale sky blue with ultra fine, barely-there iridescent blue shimmer strewn through the creamier, almost jelly-esque base. The swatches included in this post show the effect of three coats (and thicker ones at that)–I would say that you would need a muted white shade underneath, perhaps, or else four coats.
In all honesty, this is just not a shade to be worn opaque (at least not on its own). You’re better off wearing two coats and going for a sheer look than layering it on and ending up with a very thick pile o’ polish. I didn’t experience any streaking when applying the three coats, but it did seem more prone to bubbling (I don’t think I’ve ever really had a polish look like it was going to bubble on me… it was odd!).
I’m actually a big fan of Chanel’s polishes typically, but I can’t say I’m on the Riva bandwagon yet. The color itself is just not there for me; it lacks the dimensionality of other cult status Chanel shades–the shimmer is too fine, too soft, and it’s difficult to detect unless under direct, bright light. I had no idea this was a much anticipated shade until after I purchased it, which I’m glad for, because my expectations may have been even higher had I known.
Even more painful is the $4 price increase on Riva as compared to their other nail lacquers–what? I’m fully willing to pay $23 for a shade that only Chanel can do (or at least, is the first to do), but $27 for a shade with some application/formula issues and doesn’t quite hit the zing color-wise makes it impossible to recommend in good conscience!
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- Product: 24/30
- Value: 5/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: If you’re a Chanel collector, you may want to snag it rather than see it for $200 in two months–just because a lot of hype has been built up for this shade and it likely will sell out. Otherwise, I think you could safely skip.
AVAILABILITY: Chanel
Chanel Steel Le Vernis
Chanel SoHo Le Vernis: Should You?
From Chanel’s exclusive and limited edition SoHo Story, we have two new and limited edition shades of polish. I am a fan of Chanel’s polish–I have no issues with wear or the formula (typically), and I think they often create unique, inspiring shades. Each retails for $25, and last I checked, were still available online.
- Steel is a charcoal gray-black with silvery gray micro-shimmer. When the flash fired, it also illuminated flashes of teal, violet, and green micro-shimmer, but I really didn’t see the effect of these in natural light. It reminded me of a subtler, more micro-shimmered version of Nubar Night Sky (which is also matte). This doesn’t seem like an overly unique shade, and though I can’t name any other specific dupes, my stash and archives aren’t as exhaustive as I’d like for dupe-finding purposes. Two coats.
- Strong is a deep, dark burgundy-brown with brighter burgundy micro-shimmer. Like Steel, when the flash fired, flecks of copper, amber, and burgundy micro-shimmer were noticeable. I feel like I’ve seen this shade before, but after half an hour of going through my photos, I couldn’t find anything.
The formula on these was consistent with Chanel overall–on the thicker side but very pigmented. I included a photo of Strong with only one coat to show you just how intense the color is. I still find that I can never get away with just one coat and always go for a second. Though I like both shades, they don’t inspire me as much as other past shades have (like the recent Paradoxal).
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- Product: 29/30
- Value: 6/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: The formula was smooth and easy to apply with plenty of pigmentation. I’m not sold on these being over-the-top unique as many Chanel shades often are, though.
AVAILABILITY: Chanel
Chanel Rose Confidential Le Vernis
Everything’s Coming Up Roses
Chanel Rose Confidentiel (491) Le Vernis (Nail Lacquer) ($23.00 for 0.4 fl. oz.) is a soft, medium rose pink cream with a slightly glossy finish. It almost looks like a cross between a jelly and cream on me, because it has that squishy look to it–just subtly so. It’s pretty pigmented, and I found two coats to be the right amount to yield a rich, opaque look. The formula wasn’t too thick as some Chanel polishes can be, and it was applied smoothly and evenly.
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- Product: 29/30
- Value: 6/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: I think this is a nice way to go “darker” for fall without actually going dark.
AVAILABILITY: Chanel
