Lilac of the Moment - Chanel Tenderly

After being a little reticent at first, I have fallen head-over-heels for this colour! Chanel Tenderly is a lilac-grey that leans to the warmer side. It strikes a beautiful seasonal balance between winter and spring. It feels simultaneously feminine and a little edgy.

Application was a charm and the consistency is lovely and creamy - I used two painless coats.

I was initially feeling a little sheepish about my purchase - as you know, Chanel nail polish isn't cheap! - because I have several other colours in this family. However upon comparison, Tenderly has unique qualities that make it a standout in my collection.

L-R: Essie Merino Cool; Chanel Tenderly; OPI Parlez-Vous OPI?

In the bottle, the shades look more similar, but once painted on and dried, you can see that Essie Merino Cool is significantly darker, and OPI Parlez-Vous OPI? is cooler. I think the added warmth in Tenderly makes it worth having, and honestly I think it suits my pale but very warm-toned skin better than the other two. (Not that I don't love them too!) However, if you have any of these in your collection, you might not want to splurge on the Chanel!

I'm truly having a moment with this colour! I know this isn't a makeup blog, but I had to share my latest makeup love/find/obsession that goes perfectly with Chanel Tenderly - Bourjois Colorband Eyeshadow Crayon in Mauve Baroque. It is available HERE, from ASOS.

Not only is the colour gorgeous and very Tenderly-like, the formula seems to really set and wear like iron. I am considering picking up a couple more shades, but honestly Mauve Baroque is the most unique of the bunch.

Is there a particular colour you're really feeling right now?? Let me know what your colour of the moment is - I'm always looking for inspiration!

k2k

Smokey Purple - Chanel Charivari

I probably should have shown you Chanel Tenderly today. I'm in a purple mood and I know that one is new and all, but the fact that companies are releasing Spring collections earlier and earlier is starting to irk me. I'm one of those traditional people that just isn't in the mood for pastels and brights until the sun is out and the air is warm!

Today, the sun is out, but the air is decidedly not warm, so I was in the mood for something a little smokier, and I chose Chanel Charivari. You would think this dark purple with a hint of grey would be easily dupe-able, but I don't have anything else like it in my collection.

I somehow remember this being lighter, but I'm admittedly loving the richness of it.

I hope all of you affected by the snowstorm in the northeastern US are staying safe and warm!

k2k

Chanel Provocation & A Recipe for Chip-Free Chanel!

I very rarely repeat polishes within the same month, but this is an exception. Chanel Provocation is an excellent vampy colour that straddles the boundaries of cool and warm, making it work beautifully with almost any outfit - camel, grey, cranberry, navy, black, etc.

(OK, so maybe I don't wear much colour...but the point remains. It's neutral. And delicious.)

Chanel polishes are notorious for chipping extremely easily. Which is atrocious considering the price-point, and was certainly true for me. Until recently, when I discovered this cocktail of base coat and top coat. Now, my Chanel polishes last a week with zero chipping! A WEEK. I obviously do get tip-wear, but no chipping or peeling. Which is madness.

The base coat in question is Essie All in One. As you can see, it is well-loved by me. I find that it works well with many different polish brands. Surprisingly, the top coat that locks everything in place is Seche Vite. While a classic, it is laden with non-B3F chemicals that typically make it play not-so-nicely with B3F polishes. What can I say though, it works like a charm!

Disclaimer: Yes, I know. Body chemistry is individual, and this might not work for everyone! I just thought I'd share because I know that so many people share the same problem with Chanel polishes, so I thought maybe this might be the solution for at least a few of them.

These little gems are readily available and I'm willing to bet that quite a few of you have them hanging around. If you have a Chanel chipping problem, I say give it a shot! (And report back, I would love to know if this works for anyone else!)

k2k

A very calm frenzy - Chanel Frenzy

I don't know if "Frenzy" was really the right name for this polish...

Chanel Frenzy is actually quite a sedate colour, but truly lovely. It's a light taupe that verges on the precipice of being a jelly. It has neither too much brown nor too much grey, and once on the nail, the effect is supremely elegant.

(Apologies - my fingers did not look this red in reality - the morning sun played some tricks!)



Is this polish worth the Chanel price tag? Probably not. But now that I have it, I honestly don't want to let it go. Frenzy will probably make quite a few appearances on my nails in years to come, especially in moments where I want to look professional, neat and groomed, yet still modern. A classic, but not worth going bananas over! I would probably judge it less harshly if it has a more appropriate name...

Does Frenzy get you all worked up?

kittytokaren

A little sultry smoky something - Chanel Vertigo

When I first heard about this Chanel Vertigo, I thought it would be the colour of the season. I can't speak to that, but I can say that it captures my feelings of fall very well. To me it's the nail equivalent of the smoky eye - dark, sultry, and you can't quite place your finger on what the colour is - is it black, brown, purple...? Who knows. And who cares.

There is some of that extra-subtle Chanel shimmer in here, but I'm going to be straight with y'all - you can't see it. I could barely see it under direct light, and only if I angled my fingers a certain way. If you buy this, buy it for the base colour!

You can see the shimmer in the bottle better than on the nail! Honestly though, it doesn't bother me in the slightest. Even though it isn't exactly revolutionary, I really love this colour, and I'll be wearing it frequently in fall and winter. However, Chanels do chip quite easily on me...

What top/base coats do you use with Chanel polishes? I could use some recommendations!

kittytokaren

Chanel Comparisons - Diwali, Frenzy, Suspicious

I recently got some fabulous nail mail - a bunch of new Chanel polishes!! I ordered all three of the Fall 2012 Les Essentiells de Chanel polishes - Vertigo, Frenzy, and Suspicious. I also received Diwali from the Bombay Express de Chanel collection as a gift from an incredible friend! (She knows I'm a sucker for golds...)

I don't have any mani pics for you yet, but I wanted to share some nail wheel comparisons for you. I know Chanel polishes are pricey, and I found some alternatives that are not so close, semi close and super close!

Chanel Diwali

Diwali is a gorgeous neutral gold. Of all my golds, only OPI Glitzerland was similar in colour - and it really is quite similar. Where they differ is the finish - Diwali is smoother and somehow more refined, whereas Glitzerland is well...glitzier. If you're not gold-obsessed, I'd say Glitzerland is a great alternative to Diwali! (And that's a little sneak peek of Vertigo to the right of the gold swatches there...)

L - OPI Glitzerland; R - Chanel Diwali

Chanel Frenzy

So I'm rather in love with Frenzy, as it is in the same neighbourhood as my beloved Essie Jazz - my favourite nude of all time. Not dupes at all, but they are definitely good friends. Frenzy (Sorry for the nick in it! I got overly excited...) is cooler/greyer than Jazz, and also has a little more pink/lavender to it. This might have looked terrible on me, a la OPI Tickle My France-y, but when I tried it on one of my nails quickly, it was perfect. It's more grey and less pink than it appears the photos in reality. Really nice formula too.

L - Chanel Frenzy; R - Essie Jazz

Chanel Suspicious

Not that long ago, I declared Essie Plumberry to be my new signature polish. Looks like Unkle Karl and I had a similar brainwave or something, because Plumberry IS Suspicious. Love. I have seriously looked in all the kinds of light I can, and I really can't see a difference. Unfortunately in the first photo they may look a little different because the light is catching the right swatch more. But they really are dupes, which the second photo (taken with flash - really shows undertones well) demonstrates nicely. To see a more colour-accurate picture, check out my Plumberry post. If you like the looks of Suspicious, get thee to Target and pick up Plumberry. (Unless you simply *MUST* have the Chanel - far be it from me to judge!)

L - Chanel Suspicious; R - Essie Plumberry

Whew! I hope this was helpful to someone, or at least mildly interesting! I had a lot of fun unboxing my new pretties. Suspicious is going back, but everything else is going to live here with me. You will definitely be seeing manicures with all of these, as well as Vertigo, in the not-too-distant future!

Have you received/bought any new polishes lately?

kittytokaren

Summer bubbly - Chanel Orange Fizz

Another polish I've been lusting after forever! I used my Nordstrom gift card again for this one! (Seriously, I love gift cards.)

The legendary Chanel Orange Fizz...

This puts me in the mood for fizzy drinks poolside in the summer! More pink on me than I expected (probably due to my skin tone), but I can legitimately say that this is one of the more perfect corals I own. Love. Love. Love.

Have you treated yourself lately?

kittytokaren

First taste of summer - Chanel June

I thought and thought and thought about this polish since I first saw the promo pics. I finally decided not to give in and to leave it be. But Chanel regret is a special kind of regret, and I felt it creeping up on me. I got a gift card to Nordstrom's and decided to happily pull the trigger.

Chanel June

I love this beautiful orange sherbet colour! It makes me feel like summer is around the corner. Bold enough to offer a bright flash of colour on the nails, but pastel enough to fit into a springtime vibe. I don't have much like this in my collection - everything else is much pinker. It is truly a pale, but bright orange. Very special.

I hope everyone is having a good start to their spring/summer season! What polish is on the top of your "to wear" list right now?

kittytokaren

A bit of a valentine - Chanel Distraction

I wasn't expecting to own this polish, but through a series of odd circumstances, I now do.

And I really, really like it! (I now consider it a Valentine's Day present to myself.)

Chanel Distraction...

Part of the aptly-timed and holiday-appropriate Rose Ultimes de Chanel, this is a gorgeous coral polish with fuchsia shimmer. I tried to use a bit of flash to show the shimmer, but I didn't do the best job. I also feel like it looks more pink in the photo - it leans more coral in reality - but the truth is that the colour changes dramatically in different lights.

I adore coral polishes, and with the added shimmer this one seems to have something a little extra going on. The closest polish I have to the base colour is Essie Carousel Coral (see a pic of that next to some other corals here). Here are some swatches to compare:

L-R: Essie Carousel Coral, Chanel Distraction, OPI My Chihuahua Bites

Whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or not, I hope each and every one of you gets the chance to do something nice for yourself this month!

kittytokaren

Chanel Graphite & Color Club Clean Break

Chanel Graphite

When did I start buying Chanel polishes, jeez. Expensive habit, that. Should've never started... and I come up against the same question that I have with almost about 80% of the Chanel polishes that I buy: I love the polish itself but do I think it's worth $25? (Especially since Revlon seems to be having some success with their dupes of recent Chanel colors for a fraction of the price.) I have a ton of silver and gunmetal polishes but Graphite is probably better described as pewter because of the gold microglitter that gives it a warmer appearance than most silvers. It applied well in two coats and had pretty good staying power (which I find is true of many Chanel polishes). I think this one (like Particulaire, Jade Rose and Paradoxal before it) may become a "conference" polish. It's not the most understated look but it's still elegant and can pass for professional. 

Color Club Clean Break over Chanel Graphite

A good white crackle is hard to find because most whites need multiple layers to appear anywhere near opaque. This one, which was sent to me for review by Color Club, is one of the better white crackles I've tried because it is a little more pigmented (but still crackles very well).   

Closeup of Clean Break Over Graphite

I still don't know whether I like crackle polishes or not. I think they can look very, very cool. But they can look very messy if not applied well. They also take better to larger nails, I think. It's difficult to apply one uniform layer of crackle on a small nail because usually, the brush isn't big enough to do the nail in a single sweep... and it isn't large enough that two sweeps won't overlap. So crackles are very hit or miss with me. I'm endlessly surprised that crackle caught on as a trend. It's been around for awhile but now, it's everywhere. Is it because it's a way to... double one's manicurial wardrobe at low cost? 

Why I stopped using Diamont: Chanel Coco Blue and China Glaze Papaya Punch

I loved Diamont but the quick drying time and its longevity finally could not hold up to the sheer number of bubbles it causes in most of my nail polishes. After taking these photos back in the early fall, I started using Poshe as a topcoat for cremes and subtle shimmers (on my fingernails) but everything else still gets Diamont.

China Glaze Papaya Punch

Sent to me from China Glaze, from their Island Escape (Summer 2011) collection. Bright papaya orange creme. Kind of hell to apply (four coats to even out), took a quite a bit of time to dry. I loved it... except for the Diamont bubbles. 

Chanel Coco Blue

From Chanel's Jeans collection. A light blue creme with very fine white shimmer. Three coats, kind of middle-of-the-line Chanel quality. I've had better, I've had worse. Not worth $29 but I like it enough to keep. (Also, I give "keep" preference to short square bottles. So much easier to organize into compact spaces.) 

Chanel Peridot (an accidental re-post...)

....OK, only AFTER I posted this, I realized that I had posted it only a little while ago. Though honestly? I'm sort of surprised that I haven't done that before. 

When did this come out? I don't remember when I wore it but I definitely kept it on for a good long time because I was so surprised at how much I liked it.

Chanel Peridot

Unfortunately, it's not as duochrome as it appears in the photos (although there is a duochrome feel to it). It's mostly an ever-shifting combo of emerald green and mossy gold that just loves to sparkle. Three coats. Taken on the... third or fourth day of wear?

Closeup of Peridot

*SPARKLE*

It says a lot about my life that the on-campus people I always like to see and chat with are the women who work at the campus pharmacy. Because they are awesome. And they like nail polish (and sewing)! And they are some of the few on-campus people I've told about this blog. There was a really funny moment last week when I was at the pharmacy for the third time in seven days when one of them said to me, "Did you see X's nail polish??" (She was wearing Nails Inc The Donmar Collection, which I accidentally identified as Wyndham because the light in the pharmacy failed to bring out the gold.) Another student who was standing line to buy something at the pharmacy asked, "What brand is that?" And then it turns out that that student works for China Glaze! ...I think we freaked her out by being super enthused about her working for China Glaze. At the very least, she left the pharmacy in a hurry after we got fangirl on her. Oops.

The women at the pharmacy tell me that I always come in with a smile on, even though half the time I'm there because I'm sick. Of course I've a smile on when I'm there. They give me things to make me feel better! And the conversation is always lighthearted, always casual, always cheerful. What's not to smile about?

A little splurge - Chanel Blue Boy

Chanel Peridot

My new academic year's resolution -- besides to finish my qualifying exams at the end of the Winter 2012 quarter -- is to be more consistent about posting here!

Chanel Peridot

Got lots of compliments on this one. It felt more like a foil to me than a duochrome and oddly enough, the duochrome is more pronounced in the photos than in real life. Still, it was sparkly and bright. A little streaky on the application and you can see some evidence of brushstrokes. Three coats, thinner than I expected though. The photo was taken on the fourth day of wear and, as you can see, it was still chip-free!

Close-up on Peridot

So bright, it burns. :)

I've been up to quite a bit lately. Attended a wedding in Seattle. Saw friends that I haven't seen in a long time (all of whom seem to be in wedding planning mode... so there was a lot of conversation about cakes and caterers, dresses and... more dresses). There are a lot of pregnant women in my life so I'm making quilts, burp cloths and other basic, easy-to-sew baby items. I have also started making quilts for Quilts for Kids, an organization that provides handmade quilts for children in hospitals. I don't get that much time for hobbies and volunteer work, so it's gratifying to be able to kill two birds with one stone on that one. Attempting to make a dress from a 1952 pattern... I suck at sewing darts but now I'm super picky about buying clothes because I'm so aware of how they're made and how they fit. I tried to herd my RAs and got a bit of participant running done in the last two weeks of the summer quarter. I'm doing a little bit of freelance editing for an academic in another country who needs a little help with English and English-language publishing. My own paper just got slung back to me for a second revise/resubmit and I'm writing this post while trying to force myself to read all the comments VERY VERY CAREFULLY so I can see exactly how dumb I am. (Seriously, I can't type numbers. It's a very bad thing to be bad at as a researcher!) I went to the dentist for the first time in three years: I needed two appointments to properly clean my teeth (ugh) and I found out that my previous dentist did a crappy job applying two of my crowns, and thus they need to be replaced (double ugh). Lots of dentist visits. Though I like this dentist and his office a lot: they're the most cheerful bunch of people and all patients get a flower at the end of their appointments. I'm getting LASIK in about a month, so there's been a lot of back and forth to ophthalmologists (and one day I'll spell that correctly on the first try -- I forgot the first 'l' again... at least I got all the 'h's this time). I can't wear glasses because all the glasses I've ever had have given me a splitting headache and my eyes seem to have developed an allergic reaction to all sorts of contact lenses in the past year. It's a sh*tload of money but I'm hopeful that it'll be a good investment. And I'm slogging through a huge backlog of NOTD photos and trying to get some of the summer and fall collections swatched. So I've been busy... and spending more money on fabric than polish lately. A history of cosmetics obsession translates really well to sewing and fabric choices.

Worth it - Chanel Graphite

I had convinced myself that I would never buy a Chanel polish again. They chip horrendously on me and are terribly overpriced. However, Graphite really really called to me - ever since I saw some promo shots from the runway those many months ago. Upon it's release online, I managed to hold fast - I resisted!! I told myself I didn't need it, it wasn't *that* special, and Barry M would come up with a good dupe before long.

Then my mother went to preview the Chanel fall collection. I think she wanted some of the new eyeshadows. (Which I want as well.) She saw that Graphite was a hot commodity, and decided that she needed to get it for me. She even told me it was "the only one of them that won't make your skin look even more jaundiced that it already does". Ah, honesty.

How glad am I that she picked this up for me?

So glad.

Shockingly, I've been wearing this for *days and days* now, and am in the midst of moving and it has only chipped a tiny bit on one finger, where I smudged the polish initially. Seriously shocked at this. Also...it's effing gorgeous!! It's like OPI Brand New Skates on shimmer 'roids! I love things that have a bit of a gold tinge to them - I usually wear gold jewelry so it works for me. Honestly, I can't really explain, either in pictures or in words, how densely packed with shimmer this is, or how gorgeous and multi-faceted the colour is. I implore you to go to your nearest Chanel counter and check it out.

In the end I managed to stay true to my mantra of "don't buy any more Chanel polishes," thanks to my mother's generosity. But sometimes mother truly knows best. My verdict on this one? Even as a Chanel skeptic, I say - worth it.

Have you tried any of the Chanel Fall 2011 polishes? What about the eyeshadows? I'd love to hear what you think!

kittytokaren

Chanel Miami Peach

Chanel Miami Peach

First off, "peach" is a bit of a misnomer. It's redder, more saturated. More like Miami Guava than Peach. (Mmm, guava.) What really sucked me in was the more-obvious-and-bigger-than-usual Chanel shimmer. This polish originally caught my eye, not at Neiman Marcus where it's currently being repromoted as a store exclusive, but at the duty free shop in the SFO International terminal. This was during my second most recent trip to Taipei in December. I saw it in the shop and wanted but thought that it wasn't a good color for me anyway and besides, if I changed my mind, I could just order it from Chanel.com or something. At the time, I don't even think they had re-released it in any stores... which disappointed me. And also it whet my appetite for it. (I love it when polishes play hard-to-get.)

Anyway, the next time I was back at the SFO International terminal (to Taiwan in April), I saw it again and I seized the day... along with one or two other Chanel polishes that aren't as common. (Nothing too famous.) I waited a couple of weeks to wear it because I wanted a nice occasion and eventually, I put it on for my birthday.

Maybe I was having a bad day but I got so annoyed with the application of this polish. Barring Mimosa, Chanel polishes have been a breeze for me to apply. Miami Peach, however, was thick, sheer, and uneven... and I was risking cuticle drag after the first coat. I believe that this was three coats and the only reason I stopped was because I was in danger of sweeping it all off. (No, I don't like to wait between coats. Yes, I know I should.) So... upside... it's jelly. And the gold shimmer is truly lovely. Downside, it clashed badly with my skin. And it took a long time to dry... and then it shrunk.

At least I didn't pay tax on it?

Close up of Miami Peach

Testing out a birthday gift (and Chanel Mimosa)

My Dad got me an iPad 2 for my birthday today and a Camera Connection Kit (whose USB functionality was largely destroyed by a previous iOS update). But the SD connector thing works. Kind of annoying but it's very much a spoiled bratty bday girl problem.

Anyway, I decided to give the iPad (and camera kit, and PS Express and BlogPress iPad apps) a test run with my NOTD, Chanel Mimosa. It's pretty nice to be able to crop using a touchscreen. But I can't find a way to resize photos where the photos remain looking decent; it's kinda weird. I'm probably doing something wrong.

Chanel Mimosa


Uh.... I should look up the HTML tag used for centering...

Mimosa itself... I wanted this polish. I waited for this polish. And I paid for this polish. Damn, that's a lot of anticipation and money for something that still has bald spots after four coats. And chips after only about 36 hours of wear. That's kind of unacceptable. I do love the color though. Sunshine yellow with the typically subtle shimmer (gold-colored) that Chanel enjoys using and I enjoy wearing. It's the yellow shimmer I've been desiring for years -- most yellow shimmers are nightmares on me because they often are sheerish and gold-leaning -- but the application ruins it. I understand that crappy formula is the nature of the yellow beast but dude... at least charge me a price that's commensurate with the quality of the polish. :P

Right-o. Time to stop mucking around with new toys (which also includes a pretty pair of Pyrex or pyrex-like knitting needles, a steel crochet hook that look like a rocket and a plush Weighted Companion Cube). There is work to be done. A lot of it.

By the way, anyone want a used iPad (in great condition, with Apple's black case thing)? I'm happy to sell my old one for relatively cheap. Currently, I have no idea what the going rate on used iPads are so make me an offer (please email me using the form above). Happy to knock the price down if you don't need the charger or USB cable for it (mostly because I can't easily find either).

The Giving Season - Chanel Fire

I've had this polish for a while, but I wanted to save it until this time of year because of the story that comes with it!

I have a friend on the internet. Yes, someone I have never met! She lives in the UK and we message and chat about all sorts of things and we send each other items we can't get in our respective countries. It's definitely nice and we've discovered that we even have a lot in common!

And then out of the blue she just sent me Chanel Fire to thank me for sending things to her (which, let me tell you, she paid for in full so it's not like she owed me money or anything!) and to assist with my Red Hunt in October. She probably doesn't know this, but I was really touched by this gesture. A person who has never met me, and perhaps never will, sent me a truly kind and thoughtful gift.

Plus, I think it looks fab on!

When I think about this I get all warm and fuzzy inside, and it reminds me that the smallest things can say to someone - "I really care". This is the season to remember your friends, and I hope it reminds you to give a little something to the people in your life, even if it's just a few words of appreciation.

So to Alison - thank you! You really are a true friend, and I do hope we can meet one day!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays,

kittytokaren

Chanel Particuliere: I came late to the party and wished I hadn't paid so much for admission

Chanel Particuliere

Could've sworn that it looked less like milk chocolate on other peoples' hands and more of a sophisticated taupe color, almost grey-leaning... but on my hands, it looks like milk chocolate. I also had a bit of trouble with the application: mine actually applied sort of streakily (you can see this on my ring finger -- second from the right). This sort of color at this sort of price shouldn't take three coats, should it? I'm keeping it for now because it might grow on me (maybe?) but I wouldn't be surprised if I swapped or sold this one day.

Happy B-Day Mom! Chanel Paradoxal

Today is my mother's birthday, and because of her, I wear Chanel...Paradoxal to be exact!

In outdoor lighting how it generally looks on me - smoky and mysterious:

Speaking of mysterious, here's the hidden shimmer:

Another shot for funsies:

I love this polish. I'm bummed out that so many people thought it was supposed to be a shimmerbomb, and were disappointed when it wasn't. It's not *supposed* to be chock full of shimmer - it's supposed to have that chic and elegant subtle hidden shimmer that Chanel does so well. It just adds one extra layer of subtlety to the polish...gorgeous!

Again - Happy Birthday, Mutti!

kittytokaren