Perfection in a bottle: Chanel Graphite Nail Polish

I will never own a Chanel suit. It is unlikely that I will ever own a (genuine) Chanel handbag. However, a Chanel nail polish was definitely attainable. Whilst they are ridiculously expensive compared with most other nail polishes ($AU39), they are still much more affordable than the $AU1,000,000,000 a handbag costs (or so I estimate as I have never actually priced one).

After seeing swatches of Peridot online, I knew that baby would one day be mine. The other two polishes in the collection - Quartz and Graphite - did not excite me the way Peridot did. That was until I read this review of Graphite on the Polish Police. Suddenly, Graphite was on my radar. It was stuck in my head like an ear worm; another baby, soon to be adopted.

I argued with myself for about a month on whether to get these polishes or not. Could I really spend nearly $80 on nail polish. It did seem rather excessive to me. Then, Myers sent me a $10 voucher for my birthday and I got a $30 voucher for doing a survey so the decision was made. For $38 of my own money (less than the cost of two OPI's!) I became the proud owner of Peridot and Graphite. Here is my review of Graphite.

Graphite is the most stunningly intriguing nail polish I have ever owned. In the bottle it looks a little bit dull and boring - grey and bland. But on the nail it is completely different. In some lights it is silvery, others a more gun metal grey, and in others it has almost a goldish tone to it. It is super sparkly, yet is not a glitter polish - though in saying that it appears more glitter than shimmer. It is quite opaque. Two coats and you can't see the nail line. In the photos below I have actually applied three coats (plus an addition two top coats of clear) because I was going to a wedding and I wanted it to be perfect. But ordinarily two would be sufficient.

When you apply the first coat there are actually quite a few rainbow sparkly particles in there but they get a bit lost with additional coats. If you look closely they are still there but they definitely don't stand out.

The polish is so easy to apply. It doesn't streak, the formula is gorgeous. In fact, as tough as it is to say this, I think this polish is probably worth $39. I am up to day three with this manicure and still no chips, though that may have something to so with the multiple coats and top coats I applied. When I did a Peridot manicure I did two coats without any top coat and it chipped the second day.

I am in love with this colour. It is both funky and classy. It matches anything. It is striking without be gaudy. It is perfection in a bottle.

I have tried to capture Graphite in as many different angles and lighting situations as possible to show off all of her personalities. The only thing I didn't manage to capture were the rainbow particles. I caught them in one photo, but it was completely out of focus so I couldn't bring myself to post it - it made me dizzy to look at. But you should be able to get an idea of all her other looks!

Quatz, Peridot and Graphite

Have you succumb to the lure of a Chanel nail polish?