If anybody happened to glance down at my nails last week, they likely would have done a double take at the colorful array I was presenting. I was at a local Nordstrom's that had an array of Chanel polishes, so I decided to test a few out. At first, I just wanted to try out the two summer shades, Golden Sand and Orange Fizz, but decided to try some other colors as well. You'll have to excuse the paint job on some of the nails - I tried to do it quickly, plus it may have smeared since I wasn't trying to be super careful.
So here they are from left to right, thumb to pinky.
Golden Sand. I didn't expect to love this color as much as I do. It's described as a peachy bronze, The brush strokes are a little obvious with this shimmering metallic; I managed to do two coats, but they were definitely done quickly.
You can see the rest of the polish colors on my left hand here, but it's actually the best shot of the index finger's and middle finger's colors, Vamp and Shanghai Red.. On the index finger, Vamp was one of those shades that I'd heard of a long time ago; its availability seems to have evened out and has generally been in stock every time I see the Chanel polishes. It's a deep, dark red that applies well. The only thing that surprised me about it was its sheerness; I would try for a third coat under normal circumstances.
Shanghai Red is a typical bright red creme. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but red is such an ubiquitous color, you don't need to spend $23 for a bottle of it.
Okay, the above picture isn't the greatest, but along with the picture above that, you get an idea of Vendetta's dark purple shimmer. I'm not a fan of purple, never have been, but this one is kinda cool. It's really dark, almost black, but it's purple-ness shines in the sunlight. Because of its darkness, 2 coats of polish will do.
One of my favorites, especially for summer is this bubblegum pink, Organdy. Again, it's one that I would use 3 coats on, but 2 is pretty good. A bright, fun pink, although one friend said it might not be the most 'professional'. I say, depends on your work environment!
Orange Fizz is a pinky coral color, much pinker in real life than my camera shows. I was thinking of a tangerine or creamsicle color when I heard the name; this is much more pink or coral. Now don't get me wrong, I love the color, but I don't quite get the name.
Sorry for the blurriness of this picture; it's the best I could get. The color is Lotus Rouge, which I call the child of Vamp and Shanghai Red. A little lighter than Vamp, with more red. Still a red though, so probably failry easy to find a dupe for less.
Application problems and some careless placement of my hands make this a difficult polish to picture, but you get the idea. This is Madness, a rich chocolate brown. It's a creme and has no shimmer unlike the holiday release of Haute Chocolate. I prefer some shimmer in my polish, but it's a smooth, opaque brown.
Lilac Sky is a pale lavender, slightly pink polish with some shimmer. Like I said earlier, I'm not a fan of purple, espcially the light ones, so this is not my cup of tea. Probably a good color for spring and summer.
And finally, on the pinky, is Black Satin. It's exactly as its name suggests, a shiny black. It essentially looks like patent leather (not quite as shiny) on your fingers. Gorgeous, but I think other brands have similar colors at a lower price. Zoya's Raven and China Glaze Black Diamond are 2 that I can think of quickly. Chanel's was an instant classic, probably since it came out at a time when funky colors were not yet mainstream. I've also heard that there are two versions, the 'real' one is made in the USA and should have a slight silver shimmer.
All polishes are available at Chanel.com, but check local counters for older shades, as availability changes frequently.
So there's a brief introduction to some of the Chanel polishes. Honestly, I don't think I would buy any of these at full price; $23/bottle is just not palatable to me right now.
Right Here Now, No More Later
Push Upon It
Stop Rewinding, Just Fast Forward
How gorgeous are these three polishes from Essie? These are available now and I am going to try my best to get these because I love the colors. Essie describes the colors as such: Sag Harbor: Cool silver-blue. Shelter Island: Sky-blue radiance. Greenport: Dreamy aquamarine pardise. I have a ton of nail polish already, but I'm going to make room for these if I can find them. I'm balking at paying the typical $8 price, but I'm wondering if there are other polishes I'm craving so I can order from 
