Chanel Taboo Le Vernis Nail Colour Review, Photos, Swatches
Chanel Taboo Le Vernis
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.
Taboo
LELimited Edition. $28.00.
Chanel Taboo Le Vernis
Chanel Taboo Le Vernis
Chanel Taboo Le Vernis
Chanel Taboo Le Vernis
Chanel Taboo Le Vernis
Chanel Taboo Le Vernis
Chanel Taboo Le Vernis
Chanel Taboo Le Vernis
Chanel Taboo Le Vernis
Wow, that’s beautiful.
Oh that is LOVELY
My thought exactly!
This is TDF. Love, love, love
Stunning!!
This is gorgeous! I would seriously consider saving my pennies for this. Love!
I also really love the Temptalia Recommends posts. They’re really helpful, Christine! Do you happen to have a listed collection of all of the recommend products? I love searching through the A and A+ rated tags!
I don’t, but we are working on it 🙂
Yaaaaaay!! Thank you!!
Great colour – BTW I love the faraway hand shot, gives a great idea of the colour against your skintone!
This is absolutely stunning! I was going to just skip right over this review since I try not to read reviews for products not within my budget. But then I saw “Temptalia Recommends” and had to read it. I’m glad I did, I can totally find a way to fit this in my budget. So happy this isn’t limited edition!
I’m so glad it isn’t LE, too. It is spectacular. I can’t even tell you. I literally paused after I put one coat of polish on one finger. “What is this magic? WHAT IS THIS?”
And that is hard to do with ANY product or color or anything for me!
I really enjoyed your review, Christine. For you to be so enthusiastic, it must be even more out of this world than it looks. I appreciate that we can tell apart from your reviews the products you find good, or even excellent, and those which inspire you. What was the last product to elicit such a strong reaction in you?
I was really impressed by Guerlain’s new polish range – the shine is insane – but the color range isn’t particularly unique, so it’s not quite as impressive as this shade (which is both high quality, complex, and more unique within my world of products).
Thank you! 🙂
Ooh boy. This is gorgeous.
This is stunning! Hmmm… It might become my first Chanel nail polish purchase.
I was just thinking the same thing. I won’t be a Chanel virgin anymore!!
Oh my gosh, that’s wonderful! The price is a little high, though.
Amazing! At first glance it seemed similar to Malice, but it seems darker. How do the two compare, Christine?
Malice is sooo much redder and the shimmer is more uniform! 🙂 http://www.temptalia.com/chanel-malice-le-vernis-nail-lacquer-review-photos-swatches
Oh yeah, very different. *goes off to the Chanel counter*
True story: I travelled to another country to buy Malice. Didn’t need to swatch it, nothing. I love Chanel polishes + you loved it = good enough for me. Yep, that’s the power of Temptalia. 🙂
Oh WOW! Amazing!
… does Chanel ever go on sale? Is there any chance of snagging this for 40-50 percent off?
Not that I know of!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Chanel sale!
Lord and Taylor FF sale 10% off on cosmetics, that’s all I know!
they’re basically at a lower price [but not on sale] at duty free 🙂
I don’t own any Chanel polishes (yet) but this one is changing my mind, fast!! Please don’t let it be out of stock anywhere yet!
omg, i need this one!!!
Wow, that’s sooo beautiful. I need it.
This is such an amazing color! So worth the price!
It’s a lovely color, but a bit rich for my blood. Since Orly Fowl Play looks like Taboo’s sparkly cousin I’ll be sticking with that.
Thanks for mentioning this. I knew I’d seen colors that had a similar idea as this, but was brain farting on names.
Gorgeous! I will keep a lookout for this next time I am out shopping!
Gorgeous swatches and color. But… looks like China Glaze Let’s Groove to me, so I’ll save my hard earned dollars.
I just bought ths a few days ago 😀
Actually my husband picked it up and said this is really beautiful and I was like Oh My Gosh what is this beauty!!! Thank you for picking this up and showing me <3
So I bought it even though I was only ought to get lipstick…
I have this and it was a pleasure to apply–it seems to be a much thicker (gel-ier, almost plush) formula than any of my other Chanel polishes.
Wow, Taboo does look like a $27 dollar nail polish! So pretty and different!
If I were a nailpolish color, THIS would be it! Seriously, I *rarely* buy HE polish, but somehow, some way, this is coming home with me…
So beautiful! Kinda wierd that it is a spring shade, but its lovely! Since it isnt LE I will get it for fall tho! 🙂
just love it! nothing else to say…
Chanel is Chanel is Chanel!!! And you are definitely “the” Christine whose reviews make me run to grab every product you recommend. I had knocked on every door to buy Chanel Dragon which I proudly own and Taboo will be mine too. I really hope you find a red nail lacquer as highly recommended as Taboo. Love you a lot!
Yay!!!
Thank you, Neha! 🙂
This looks absolutely divine, but the pricing gives me pause. However, Sephora X ‘Deranged’ has a very similar look to this, and I think it would make an acceptable dupe (it’s slightly more eggplant than Taboo). I always get tons of compliments when I wear it, and sometimes I find myself just staring at my nails in wonder, the color is so mesmerizing!
The finish on ‘Deranged’ is not mirror smooth, but a topcoat fixes that easily enough, and I normally get a week’s wear out of it.
That is the most incredible nail polish color I think I have ever seen. That’s it, I MUST own it! Thanks for sharing this beauty with us, Christine!
This WILL be my first Chanel cosmetic purchase (I usually just buy their Chanel fragrances). I can SO see this being my toenail colour for the spring-summer!!!
To each their own but if you’re just going to use it for toes I’d suggest something like Zoya Valerie. Subtler shimmers/finishes get a bit lost on your toes whereas big chunky glitters I wouldn’t wear on my fingernails, I love on my toes. Zoya Charla being my example, love it on my toes, as does my SO but I wouldn’t wear it on my fingernails.
I don’t do regular polish but I think I may have to get this anyway. It’s absolutely stunning.
Is this limited edition?
It is supposed to be perm!
Oh my gosh, I must have this! Does anyone have an idea of UK availability?
I don’t, but it’s part of the permanent range so hopefully it’ll be in the UK soon!
Brilliant, thank you Christine! This’ll be my first foray into Chanel products and what a way to start!
It is very pretty but that price tag is too high for me. 😉
Oh wow, such a gorgeous rich shade!
Mother of God……the gorgeousness!!! Must! Have!
So glad you like this one Christine. I just ordered it yesterday. It is my first high end polish and when I saw your review I was so worried you were going to say it was terrible and that I wasted my money!
I told myself that I would probably never find a nail color pretty/unique enough to pay $30 for…I spoke too soon. This color is absolutely gorgeous!!!! I know you said available at Nordstrom, is it a new polish? Or exclusive to Nordstrom? I ask because I only have a Macys near by.
Hey Yazmin!
It is new, but it’s supposed to be permanent and should be at all Chanel counters 🙂
Thank you. Let the hunt begin!!! Haha.
I went straight from reading your review to the Nordstrom app on my phone to buy it. Thanks for your great reviews!
LOL!! I hope you love it, Cathi!
This is gorgeous. I love these deep vampy purples. I wonder how close this is to the LE Estee Lauder “Smashed” from their Metal Mania Collection last year? They look so similar but I can’t tell without seeing them in person. Love this though, I may have to pick it up.
Wish I could help but I don’t own Smashed! 🙁
I wonder how Sinful Colors Daddys Girl compares to this? Possibly a dupe?
Hmmm… Perhaps over a burgundy base? Thanks for the tip; I never would have thought to equate the two. I just swatched DG, and I’ll try it over a deep red base.
Chanel did it again! As a big Chanel fan I always loved swatching and purchasing their products, and after seventeen Chanel lipsticks, two blushes and one (sadly discontinued) glossimer, I was ready for my first Chanel polish (Peridot at my local Chanel counter I´m not joking) this seems to be polish numer two. When I heard that it was purple I thought Taboo would be too much a strong color for me but after this swatches I´m so glad it´s not limited edition because I´m in love with it. Awesome, strong name very fitting of this polish. Gorgeous like only Chanel can make, I love it I will have to buy when the collection arrives to my country. Looking forward to the entire collection this time 😀 .
How does this compare to NARS Purple Rain??
Purple Rain is less plum/red! 🙂
I already have Dior Shadow and Nars Purple Rain, is this different enough to warrant dropping the $30 on?
It does look almost like purple galaxy nails in some of the swatches.
Purple Rain is purpler – not as red/plum, and then Shadow is really plummy. It’s permanent, so maybe hold out until you’ve had a chance to see it in person? I do have both Shadow and Purple Rain and would take Taboo over both (I think it’s something in the shimmer/sparkle that makes it more interesting than both).
…and there goes my makeup budget.
I wish there was a blue version, but this is still gorgeous!
WOW!! Lisalisad1 is wearing this in her Friday video today and I was admiring her nails the ENTIRE 30 minutes! Looked in the down bar and saw she was wearing Taboo. Then, happened to check fb, and saw your review post. Ordered off Nordstrom and can NOT wait to get it!!
What sorcery is this?! I must own Taboo, one way or the other. 😀
It lasts a week and you only give it a 9 for longevity? I’m happy if nail polish makes it 3 days before a chip!
There are polishes that last 10-14 days on me, no chipping, minor tip wear. I test most polishes for 7-8 days and go off of how much tip wear – minor vs. very minor is usually what I look for. A lot of polishes that give a specific wear time usually give 7-10 days as what they claim (but many don’t claim anything in particular at all — just that they’re long-wearing)! Very little chips on me 🙁 Unfortunately, I have to go with my experience and can’t assume it’ll be better/worse for others since the only one I can verify is my own!
gorgeous,sumthing to splurge
I will seriously cry if I dont get this…. thank God its not limited!!!
MUST HAVE! Sooo pretty! 😀
And I got UB Roach in the mail today, and I already love it. I bought it after reading the review here, and I am so pleased.
Yay! Happy to hear you are loving Roach 😀
The polish is pretty, but nothing I haven’t seen before. I feel like it’s not unique enough for $30 when you could easily find something similar in a drug store.
Oh…oh my God. I WANT IT. -otherwise speechless-
After seeing this, I made my way over to the Chanel counter at my local Macy’s and asked the counter manager if she had it. She just smiled. I guess everyone feels the same way about this color–absolutely breathtaking!
WOW! That is seriously stunning!
Anyone know when this will be released internationally ?.
That shade is gorgeous!! I love your swatches, Christine. What base coat and top coat do you use?
I use Zoya’s Anchor and Armor when I use them! (None are used here! This is just the polish.)
How to save this product to Wishlist?
This feature is coming soon to be able to do it directly from my blog posts, but you can find this item here: http://www.temptalia.com/product/chanel-le-vernis-nail-colour/taboo
Not impressed with Taboo unfortunately..very hard to see any shimmer (2 coats applied) Great formula but nothing remarkable about this..especially considering the price
I had the same experience was not as shimmering as I expected and on the nails it looks very much like vendetta, not in the bottle but I the nails.
Is this similar to zoya -yasmeen and nars-purple rain ?
I don’t think it’s similar to those two!
It is VERY similar to Zoya’s Valerie. As Christine said in her review, Valerie is not a dupe but I have both Valerie and Taboo and if you aren’t a nailaholic, you could just definitely go with Valerie and save some money. Valerie feels slightly foilesque to me (very slightly).
thank god it’s not limited edition! 🙂
Bought this today. Love it! Great review.
Yay!