My nails for the first part of this week were Chanel Nouvelle Vague. I passed on it when it came out this past spring, figuring I already had China Glaze For Audrey, which, according to nail bloggers I trust, was pretty much the same color and just lacked the very subtle shimmer of the Chanel. But later, and I can't even explain why, I came down with a severe case of non-buyers remorse and started looking for a swap because though I wanted it, I sure didn't want it enough to pay crazy eBay prices. I almost struck a deal with a woman who wanted five OPIs for it (her reasoning was she could buy OPI for $5) but fortunately I had the sense to back off when she wouldn't commit to which OPIs she wanted before I bought them for her because not too long after I found a person with a used-once bottle she was willing to swap for something more reasonable. It wasn't until this week that I actually put the polish on my fingertips, and having now worn it for a few days, I am so very glad I didn't go over retail value for it. It's pretty, but I'm not convinced it's $23 worth of pretty. The shimmer is indeed very subtle; most of the time, in most lights, it looks like a creme finish.
Before I took it off, I decided to do some layering experiments with it. Seemed a shame to cover up the Chanel shimmer since that's evidently what I paid for but since I didn't see much of it anyway, why not. Being an equal opportunity polish employer, I chose one Chanel ($25 retail--because of the gold, I guess), two Pure Ice ($2 each), and one Sinful ($1.99, but often on sale).
Left to right: Chanel Illusion d'Or, Pure Ice Oh Baby, Pure Ice Heart Breaker, Sinful Nail Junkie.
Layered over Nouvelle Vague (top to bottom): Chanel Illusion d'Or, Pure Ice Oh Baby, Pure Ice Heart Breaker, Sinful Nail Junkie.
I'm not that crazy about Illusion d'Or over this (I think it needs a darker or warmer base to really shine), but I like the other three.
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One more reminder: Today is the last day to enter
my giveaway for the mood polishes.
i don't know why some many are over-hyping this color.... i guess it's a "everything's awesome from chanel"-kinda thing...
ReplyDeleteyou're right about the subtle shimmer, but that's probably what chanel's so famous for (i.e. the us version of black satin, blue satin, vendetta,..)
if they would only re-release holographic, then I'd pay full retail for it :D
(the ones I got were either bought on sale or from some auctions)
It's nice but not that nice. Illusion d'or is the one I really want.
ReplyDeleteI haven't bought Chanel before...the most I've paid for a polish is 10 dollars. I like the Sinful layered over it the best.
ReplyDeleteyeah, now even more convinced Chanel is not worth the dough! thanks Karen! It does look like For Audrey, maybe Chanel could just make a shimmer only polish and we could put that over any color and voila, instant posh polish!
ReplyDeleteMUA swaps are always interesting to say the least. Everyone has some strange way to view their item and its value over your item and its value. Its a nice lacquer, I did get the Catrice Sold Out Forever...which is supposed to be a version of this, but I haven't swatched it yet. I liked the layering ideas...I find I do that a lot with a lacquer I've got on too. Sometimes I post them and sometimes I don't. :P
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, I guess you could layer Nail Junkie. I never even thought of it, because I always pick it up and go, "Oooh sparkly" and put four coats on. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't have any chanel polish. I was so tempted by Particulière, but I'm glad I didn't buy it. Now I have a lot of similar ones! :)
ReplyDeleteI don't like Nouvelle Vague so much, though.
I forgot to tell you that I'm hosting a giveaway, if you'd like to enter you're welcome :)
ReplyDeleteI think its super pretty but I don't own any Chanel so I am not sure the price is worth it... Ill settle with For Audrey.... maybe one day!
ReplyDeleteamusedPolish, yes, the hype for this does seem rather out of proportion to the specialness of the product, but I guess that's a sign that the Chanel marketing machine is doing its job well. :)
ReplyDeletejaljen, Illusion d'Or was my first Chanel, even though gold is not really my color.
Serena, I was a drugstore polish only person for a very long time, and as the Sinful shows, there's plenty of pretty at lower price points.
AggiePigeon, hah--a Chanel-izer top coat. Maybe Catrice will do one for us. :)
Lacquer Ware, I think Sold Out Forever is a Chanel Jade dupe, but I haven't worn either myself.
Jennifer, I understand that, for sure!
Theallamenta, I passed on Particulière, too, but now that they made it permanent, I'm re-considering.
tasha, I'm not sure the price is worth it, either, especially for a color/finish that's not something really special.
I love that combo on your pinky finger! Next time I'm at the drugstore I'll see if I can pick up a bottle of that Sinful and try it over For Audrey.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I love your title! And I also love the Sinful Colors glitters, especially Nail Junkie and Hottie. I'll pass on Nouvelle Vague, though; I already have For Audrey and I don't feel like I need or really want both.
ReplyDeleteI like the Chanel color. Even though its Chanel I wouldn't spend full price on it. There are other quality polishes out there close in color without the "CHANEL" name.
ReplyDeleteGreat review and layering!
I finally tried Nail Junkie over For Audrey, it's gorgeous :). I posted it on my blog and of course I credited you, here's a link:
ReplyDeletehttp://omglookatthesenails.blogspot.com/2010/08/china-glaze-for-audrey-sinful-colors.html