Chanel Mail!! Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour

I received this amazing package in the mail and had to share.  And the best part about it....I didn't spend a DIME!   How is this so?  Trade Trade Trade!

I absolutely love swapping and trading online.  It's the best way to get new stuff without putting a hurtin' on your pocketbook.  Luckily for me I had something that an online buddy of mine wanted and she had these lovely Chanel polishes that I absolutely wanted.  A swap transaction made in heaven!

I love Chanel polishes and have been making it a point to grow my collection over the past few years. I love collecting them just as much as I love wearing them. Who would have thought that I would become a collector after once declaring that I would never spend that much money on a polish again.  But I forgive myself for that statement because at the time I didn't appreciate magnifigence of Chanel.  Ha ha.  Maybe one day I will write about my first Chanel polish.

So onto the goodies.  All of the polishes that I picked up in this trade were LE.  More often than not if it's a LE and I can get my hands on it, slam dunk.  One of these will be a backup for me and the rest are welcome newbies.  Actually as I type this I just rememered that Fire may not be LE.  I think it is still available outside of the US.

(Left to Right)   Rivera, Pulsion, Splendeur, Melrose, Steel and Fire

Until these arrived I didn't realize how many pinks I had selected or how close in color they were.  But they are different enough for me and since they are all limited edition I feel like I need them all.  LOL. Melrose is the lightest of group, followed by Riviera, then Pulsion and Splendeur.  My apologies for the blurry image below

Chanel Melrose (Rodeo Drive Collection), Riviera (2010) , Pulsion  (Holiday 2010), Splendeur (?)

So which should I wear first? 

China Glaze Encouragement Nail Polish

Encouragement was released as a part of China Glaze's Fight Like a Woman for breast cancer awareness. This polish was a part of a trio, released with 2 other colors in the Fall of 2010. 

The color is a soft white with subtle silver flaky shimmer.  It's a pretty pink in the bottle but honestly didn't wow me when I tried it on.  Can't really say why, as it's not a bad color and did not clash with my skin tone.  But it just did not wow me personally. 

China Glaze Encouragement INDOOR lighting, NO FLASH

It is a very pretty and subtle pink that is very soft and leans towards white. The formula was pretty thick and I only used one coat.  I didn't have any problems with chipping but I only wore it for about 2 days so I can't really speak to it's long term wear

Close up, INDOOR lighting NO FLASH

WITH FLASH

Day 2 -Outside no flash


Overall I think this is a lovely soft pink for those that are into soft colors. What makes it unique from any other soft pink polish are the subtle flaky shimmers.  They were hard to capture but they are there.  It changes the texture to a sightly bumpy consistency. When I ran my fingers over my nails it was not a completely smooth surface.  Perhaps a really thick top coat would fix this if its a concern

 

What do you think of this Encouragement?  Do you own it or anything similar?

CND Anchor Blue and Sally Hansen Effect in Girl Flower

Where do I start?  CND polish in general is a dream to use for me.  The formula is so thick and creamy it applies like a dream.  Anchor Blue is a bright blue creme that really comes to life on the nails. Wearing the color actually put me in a good mood.  Weird.  I had no complaints about this color or the formula. 




CND Anchor Blue #544


I decided to pair my manicure with Sally Hansen Effects in Girl Flower.  These nail effects are very cutesy and I've collected quite a few since they first came out.  This was the first one that I actually wore and hey are said to last up to 10 days, although I didn't wear them that long.  It was easy to apply and really looked like actual nail polish once applied the nail.  Just be sure to push your cuticles back and apply it as close as possible so there is not a gap between the pattern and the actual nail.  I applied this mani in a hurry and didn't wrap the tips so apologies for the messy nails

I chose to only use on on each hand as an accent. Using them on all 10 nails at a time is a bit much (for me).  But I tend to lean toward the conservative side when it comes to nail art so 2 accent nails is a lot for me.  Those of you are are more into nail art will probably love these effects as a full mani.  I say so for it!

I pulled out some other blues to compare and I couldn't find and exact dupe for there are some that come very close.  The closest one being OPI Orge The Top Blue (which I love to pieces).

SH Blue Me Away, Zoya Robyn, OPI Orge the Top Blue, CND Anchor Blue, Orly Calypso Breeze

CND nail colours are available for purchase at beautybrands.com. Also at other various retail locations.

What CND colors do you currently have or want to try?

NARS Vestale Nail Polish

I am lucky to have met a fabulous NARS SA who lets me play with the displays until I'm blue in the face.  Oh how I have longed for an SA who was patient enough to let me try before I buy without making me rush.  Let's face it, I'm a beauty product junkie so I always come back and buy.  I just like to play and sample first when I can. It keeps me from having too many... Impulsive Beauty Escpades.  Womp womp! (cheesy joke) LOL.

I was able to paint my entire hand on this particular day.  My SA (sales associate) was helping some other ladies who wanted feedback and opinions on everything they touched (unlike me, I like to swatch first and ask talk later).  So she told me to have fun trying on colors and even gave me polish remover.

I was really curious about was Vestale.  They were all sold out but I knew that I could order it elsewhere.  So I took the opportunity to try the tester to see if this polish would be worth ordering.  I was able to do two coats in the store with top coat.  You didn't believe me when I told you that this SA is awesome did you?  LOL!!

The formula applied nicely.  The first coat was a little streaky so I proceeded with a second coat.  Perfect!  It was a good thing that I had time because if I just stopped at the first coat I would have been disappointed.

The color is not a huge standout.  It's conservative and understated.  A nice neutral but perfect for a business setting or for those who don't like to bother with overstated nails.  On the other hand it could be a bit boring for those that like attention grabbing colors.

I liked it a lot but kept thinking that it may not be original enough to justify purchasing.  Rescue Beauty Lounge Plie and CND Perfectly Bare come to mind.  They are not exact dupes but still in that same color family.  I'm on the fence about this one because it seems a tad bit more warm and complementary to my skin tone than the above mentioned colors.

Vestale was originally released as a Nordstrom exclusive but can now be found on the NARS website. NARS online currently has free 2 day shipping.

Thoughts?

China Glaze Happy Go Lucky nail polish

Happy Go Lucky is from the China Glaze Up and Away Collection from Spring of 2010. 

This pic comes from the archives.  I haven't worn it in a really long time but since I had the picture saved I figured I would post about it while it's still technically summer and everyone is still wearing bright manis and pedis.

This was a great color on my skintone.  It really pops and screams spring/summer.  It's very bright and not a subtle color but not too loud or tacky either.  I remember getting several compliments when I wore it.

The formula, on the other hand was not the greatest.  It was very thick and goopy. But considering the price point of China Glaze I guess I can't complain... much. Meh. I purchased it at a discount.  If you can get past the goopy (or maybe I received a bad bottle) then it's a great Spring/Summer color to have in your collection.  Plus, you can always use thinner if you get a really thick bottle too.  I have Seche Restore but have only used it on my Seche Vite so far.  I haven't been brave enough to test it on polishes.  I think I'm afraid that I may ruin them.  I need to get over that.

I'm not usually one to stick to "seasons" on nail colors, but I don't think I would reach for this one at all in the Fall/Winter.  It's much to bright.  But never say never.  Who knows.  If you already own this color pull it out now before summer is officially over. 

China Glaze nail polish can be found in Ulta stores for $6.50.  Can also be found at select online etailers at a discount.  Online is probably your best bet to find this color since it's from a past collection.

Dior Saint-Tropez Nail Polish #401

**First off I must apologize for my pics.  They are not the greatest. I'm new to this blogging thing so I need to figure out how to take better pics or buy a new camera eventually.  But please bear with me for now :) **
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Initially I purchased this color due to hype. It was not a must have for me but I caved because I kept reading so much about the much anticipated release. I normally cannot wear light shades of green/mint because of the yellow undertones in my skin.  It just never works (Essie Mint Candy Apple, Chanel Nouvelle Vague...both fails for me). But I am pleased to say that this color is gorgeous both in the bottle and on me too!  (If I do say so myself)



Dior Saint-Tropez  (One Coat)

 Saint-Tropez was released as a limited edition online for $21 and reportedly sold out immediately.  It was also available in select Dior boutiques where I was able to find mine before it sold out.

Color:  It pulls more blue than green on me and I was very pleased.  I planned to only wear this shade for a day or two, as I am working through my untrieds and trying to get through summer brights so I can begin to pull out my vamps.  I'm normally not a seasonal polish person because I wear what I like, whenever.  However, I am currently living in a sea of untried polishes so it just makes sense to pull out as many brights as I can while its still summer.

Formula:  The color is great but the formula really disappointed me.  It was extremely thick and difficult to apply.  So thick, that I had to take extra care not to go over the same area twice because it would have made a thick mess.  I only did one coat for this reason.  There were a few spots that were thinner than others on my nail but I just wanted it to be over and didn't bother with a second coat. 

This is not the first Dior that had a thick formula that I did not appreciate.  All of their polishes are not like this, I guess it just depends on the color.  I would like to use thinner because I love the color so much, but I don't want to ruin it as its not a cheapy polish.  Let me know if any of you have had luck thinning a Dior

I wore this for about 5 days before it began to show major wear.  I didn't wrap my tips with color as I usually do because I was trying to hurry though the mani.  I had some minor tip wear immediately due to the top coat I used (Seche Vite) but that was to be expected.

Brush:  The brush is huge, the same shape and width of the Sally Hansen Complete manicure brush. I don't really like it, because I have smaller nail beds.  But over all its not bad.  Two swipes and I'm done.  The curve of the brush fits nicely when you are trying to get close the the cuticles.  I don't like cleanup afterwards so I'm always trying to get my cuticle edge as perfect as I can




China Glaze For Audrey/ Dior St. Tropez/Milani Dressmaker/ Essie Turquoise and Caicos


Comparison:  This color does not look like anything that I own in the bottle.  I pulled out a few colors to compare (some tried and untried). All the others have more green and not the unique blue/green combo that makes St. Tropez so original.  If I had to pick one I'd say its closest to China Glaze For Audrey but its not a dupe at all.

Despite my difficulty with the formula I do recommend that you pick one up if you can still find it.  It's a unique color and I enjoyed wearing it. 

Was available on www.dior.com for $21usd but is now sold out.  But maybe they will bring it back at some point?  Hopefully.