It has been quite a year for Chanel collections and the Fall release for 2011, Illusions d'Ombres de Chanel has been exceptionally beautiful. I hope it's not too late to feature two of the nail polishes I recently got from this collection since Chanel has already moved on to Holiday 2011.
Chanel launched three nail polishes for Fall and they were inspired by the Earth's rocks and minerals. I picked up Graphite and Quartz but decided not to get Peridot because that particular shade was not very flattering against my skin tone.
* Graphite under indirect sunlight *
The Le Vernis in Graphite #529 is a gorgeous gunmetal foil polish with flecks of silver and gold glitter. It looks rather gritty, just like the actual mineral itself, but dry-down feels very smooth. This has to be my absolute, most favourite nail polish purchase this year. It takes two coats to achieve opacity although you can probably get away with just one coat. The formula is smooth and application was a breeze, even for a newbie like myself.
The way Graphite shines so brilliantly under different lighting is absolutely amazing! I especially like how it looks in indoor lighting. It's such genius how Chanel has managed to capture the actual qualities of the mineral itself into a nail polish!
* Graphite under indoor natural daylight *
* Quartz under indirect sunlight *
On the other hand, Le Vernis in Quartz #525 is much more subtle and is what I would consider a "work safe" colour. The shade is a mushroomy, golden-silver khaki that is quite special too. Again, application is really fool-proof as the formula is smooth and doesn't take too much effort to apply.
I had two coats on in the photo and it will take three coats to achieve full opacity. Quartz is the sheerest shade of the three-colour line up and I believe is the only permanent nail polish in the collection. It has a multi-toned "hidden shimmer" that Chanel polishes are known for, but sadly I didn't manage to capture the complexity in my photos.
These swatches were done in a hurry (sorry!) and without a top coat, which I should have added to bring out more shine. If the quality is anything like Chanel's Rouge Carat, the polish should last a week before it starts showing signs of wear. Between the two, I'd highly recommend Graphite because it is so gorgeous, unique and the multiple raves received in the beauty blogosphere are truly well deserved.
The Chanel Le Vernis in Graphite and Quartz can be purchased at most nationwide Chanel counters for RM70 each. I believe Graphite is a limited edition shade although a few local Chanel SAs have been telling me it's permanent because they are still receiving stocks. In any case, these two polishes should still be available at the time of writing.
* Quartz under indoor natural daylight *
These swatches were done in a hurry (sorry!) and without a top coat, which I should have added to bring out more shine. If the quality is anything like Chanel's Rouge Carat, the polish should last a week before it starts showing signs of wear. Between the two, I'd highly recommend Graphite because it is so gorgeous, unique and the multiple raves received in the beauty blogosphere are truly well deserved.
The Chanel Le Vernis in Graphite and Quartz can be purchased at most nationwide Chanel counters for RM70 each. I believe Graphite is a limited edition shade although a few local Chanel SAs have been telling me it's permanent because they are still receiving stocks. In any case, these two polishes should still be available at the time of writing.
