Nail polish Review and swatches- Chanel Azure 657

To teal or not to teal...

Newly launched, as part of the L'ete Papillon de Chanel collection, the Azure 657 nailpolish made me really happy.  It glimmered in a teal-gold-blue trifecta of perfection in the bottle and hinted at a beach vacation somewhere fabulous.

Unfortunately, my reality tends to be more of a harsh wake up call and that's exactly what happened.

For the gory details, pray continue..

Color:

The color is a beautiful teal with shimmery gold overtones and a deep blue undertone.  It looks like a teal-gold mostly with hints of blue as the light hits it at different angles.  All in all, it's a color I'd expect a mermaid to wear on her nails.  It's beautiful and perfect for summer. The pigmentation is however, not as strong as Bel-Argus or other Chanel nail polishes I've tried in the past.  It took me 3 coats to achieve full opacity.  That's a slight letdown because Chanel nail polishes are typically exceptionally pigmented and it usually takes me just 2 coats to get a perfect, opaque finish.  At this pricepoint, I'd expect better pigmentation.

Texture:

Smooth to the touch and metallic in finish.  That being said, the polish was definitely thinner and more liquidy than Bel-Argus which basically resulted in visible brush strokes and streakiness.  While the nailpolish didn't pool at the edges of the nail, the brush strokes were visible with every coat I put on.  I think the only way to perhaps minimize the glaring visibility of the brush strokes would be to layer a thin coat of topcoat after applying Azure on your nails.  This was basically the dealbreaker/heartbreaker for me because I really, *really* wanted to love this nailpolish.  

Longevity:

I wore 3 coats on my nails for a week with no chipping and very minor tip wear.  This is a testament to Chanel's nail polish quality because when I've used other nail polishes, I've found that layering multiple coats usually makes it more prone to chipping.  You'd think the opposite, right? Me too :)

Price:

Azure retails for $27 and is on the higher end of the nail polish market.  It's a gorgeous color and I'm not aware of any dupes for Azure on the market yet but I'm sure that there should be more options in the coming months given that green is the color of the year!

Honestly, despite the fabulous color, the texture and  finish are deal breakers for me.  At $27 a pop, I expect better quality and consistency and unfortunately, this product failed to deliver on those two counts.  

Product Images and Swatches:

Chanel Azure- green-gold overtone

Chanel Azure- Dark blue undertone ( I tried taking the pic from another angle to capture the blueness!)

Chanel Azure swatch

Did you buy this shade from the L'ete Papillon de Chanel launch?  What was your experience with it? I'd love to hear your thoughts..

have a beautiful week,

B

Nailpolish Review and swatches- Chanel Bel-Argus 667

I'm blue and  loving it...

 

Why, Chanel? Why?

Everytime I promise myself I'm not buying any more nail polishes, you come out with a shade that makes me weak in the knees.  I become a Chanel nail polish zombie and faithfully go online to immediately buy the offending nail polish.

Which brings me back to my original question.  Why, Chanel? Why?

Bel-Argus 667 is a fantastic new shade that's part of the L'Ete Papillon de Chanel Collection I wrote about in an earlier post.  It's a shimmering metallic blue shade that looks like the Caribbean on a warm, sunny day.  It also reminded me of the deep blue in peacock feathers, an overcoat I saw in a Paris flea market that I loved but didn't fit in and a Kashmir sapphire that I deeply lusted after!  Sigh, a girl can dream....

Here's the breakdown/the nitty-gritty/the whatnot that makes Bel-Argus a *must have*, in my humble opinion:

Color: 

A deep metallic blue with a purple-teal duochrome.  Seriously, it's like a butterfly wing on your nail.  The color change is striking depending on the angle of the light- it shifts from deep blue to purple to teal.  It's a shapeshifter! Buy it now! :)

Also, most deep blues in my experience have a black base that makes them a bit unwearable.  However, this color is perfectly balanced and wearable.  2 coats were enough to achieve an even, opaque look.

Texture:

Smooth to the touch.  The polish flowed evenly over my nails without bubbling, streaking or pooling.

Longevity:

I wore 2 coats without a top coat for a week with no visible chipping or tip wear. This is great because I am extremely clumsy and usually chip my nails within a day or two with other nail polishes.  Chanel's polishes are pricey but they also do offer longer wear times so it's a good value, I feel.  

Price:

This is pricey at $27 but if it's a color you'd enjoy wearing and want to treat yourself, I recommend buying it because of the durability of the wear and the gorgeousness of the color! :)

Here are a few pics taken in my patio in daylight so you can admire the sheer power of shimmer in this baby!

Product Images and Swatches:

Deep blue overtone

Purple undertone

Teal undertone

I almost dropped the nail polish here!

Does this nail polish rock your world like it did mine?

until next time,
Batul