Chanel Les Jeans de Chanel Collection Swatches, Photos, Reviews

Christine — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:00:55 +0000

Chanel Blue Boy Le Vernis / Nail Lacquer

Chanel Les Jeans de Chanel Collection Swatches, Photos, Reviews

Chanel Les Jeans de Chanel Collection features three new and limited edition shades of lacquer (each retailing for $29.00 and containing 0.4 fl. oz., which is $4 more than the polishes are normally). Blue Boy (deep, rich blue denim), Blue Rebel (dark wash jeans), and Coco Blue (muted blue) make up the collection of blue-hued lacquers.

Blue Boy is a slightly faded, medium-dark blue with a cream finish. I needed three coats for opaque color, though it was more opaque than not at two.The closest dupe I could think of was Essie Lapis of Luxury, which is significantly lighter. Rescue Beauty Lounge Catherine H. has a similar faded quality but the multi-colored shimmer makes it look rather different.
Blue Rebel is a dark, navy blue with a cream finish. I used two coats for opaque color coverage, and I felt like the formula was better than it was on Blue Boy and Coco Blue. Rescue Beauty Lounge Dead Calm is deeper, richer. Though still more intense, China Glaze First Mate comes closer.
Coco Blue is a light-medium sky blue with barely-there white micro-shimmer. I used three coats for mostly opaque color, but I found the formula to be prone to streaks. The drying time was longer, too, so the polish pulled in places. Chanel Riva is much, much lighter and has less blue tones. Nubar Blue Hydrangea is more similar than Riva, but it’s more vibrant and more of a robin’s egg blue.

What struck me most about this collection had more to do with a slight case of sticker shock. I understand the luxury/designer brand model, and by no means is Chanel lacquer–dollar for dollar–any better than a polish at a fraction of the cost, but what’s with the $4 increase? I was expecting Chanel to add some marketing jargon about a rare ingredient, mixing technique, etc. that would justify the price increase, because Le Vernis jumped from $23 to $25 from the end 2010 to early 2011 already.

The formula on Blue Rebel was the best; really good flow, pigmentation, and no streakiness. Coco Blue was the worst as it was streaky and needed three coats, while Blue Boy was in the middle–no streakiness and decent flow but needed three coats for opaque color. I normally get a week of wear with minor tip wear out of Chanel’s polishes.

I’m always surprised when seemingly simple colors aren’t ones I can easily find dupes of. I’m sure many of you have already picked these polishes up, so I’d love to hear from you if you’ve found any dupes!