Metallic Trend: Essie Steel-ing the Scene & Chanel Trapeze

Metallics are a recurring trend - they seem to swoop in and out of fashion fairly often. What with metallic nails being 'on-trend' for this spring - from Beyonce's perpetually Minx'ed manis to Chanel's mirror-like nails on the spring runway - I thought I'd give it a shot!

Essie Steel-ing the Scene:

In the Fall 2008 season Chanel came out with Kaleidoscope, which spawned a search for cheaper alternatives throughout the nail world. Essie's Steel-ing the Scene is the common antidote to a Kaleidoscope craving. I think the Essie mimics the metallics of this season even more accurately as it doesn't contain the shimmer of Kaleidoscope, giving it a more reflective, Minx-like finish. I got the try this one courtesy of my friend Maria of R3 Daily!

Now it's not perfect - it is still more brush-strokey than I would like, although not terrible for such a metallic polish - it does, especially from a distance, give off the on-trend reflective effect. The colour has incredible depth - it is definitely a gunmetal grey, but depending on the light, can give off a gold or green cast. I find the formula to be more sheer than I would like - it takes 3 coats for opacity if used on its own and its difficult to keep it looking good at 3 coats, so I layered one coat of Steel-ing the Scene over a quick coat of RBL Concrete Jungle for this look. It definitely didn't alter the colour of Steel-ing the Scene at all.

Chanel Trapeze:

Another metallic polish that I've had my eye on for a while is Chanel Trapeze. It's not as intensely metallic or reflective as Steel-ing the Scene, but it does give off that vibe. Plus, its taupe so of course I fell for it! It came out as part of the Chanel Holiday 2009 collection. And although I'm not showing it to you today, just trust me - it's gorgeous layered over Chanel Particuliere! On it's own Trapeze is a lovely soft metallic taupe - not too loud, but not a wallflower either. It has a shimmer finish that dazzles in the sun, but in indirect light or indoors, it has a distinct metallic gleam.

Indirect sunlight:

Direct sunlight (to show shimmer):

This was three coats as this polish is relatively sheer, but they were three easy coats so I didn't mind at all. The formula is lovely to work with and the sheer-ness of the polish allows for layering so I think it's a win-win! All in all, I think this is another great addition to my "edgy neutral" collection - it's a work-appropriate colour that isn't too funky but the metallic bent to it makes it quite special in my opinion.

What do I think of the metallic trend? Most of you know I'm a more conservative polish wearer, so as you can imagine, I'm still getting used to the look - but I'm actually really liking it! I do have a weakness for greys and taupes and these polishes are hitting all the right notes. These molten metal polishes have garnered me a lot of compliments and it's hard not to like them after that! Unfortunately, I think my ultimate metallic polish might still be the elusive Kaleidoscope - one day maybe I'll get my hands on it!

What do you think of metallic polishes? On-trend or played out?

kittytokaren