Chanel's Fashion Night Out 2012: Infidele

Hi Everyone!  Yes, I'm still alive!  Grad school is kicking my butt!  It's been a crazy first quarter, with meeting so many people and learning to juggle work with two classes.  How I'm going to survive this for three more years, I'm not sure!  Ha.  But I'm having a lot of fun figuring it out.  The quarter is winding down, with finals next week, so hopefully I can do more blogging over the winter break.

Because even if I haven't been blogging, I've certainly been polishing!  And doing more hauling! Ha.

Today I want to share with you a lovely polish I picked up in September for Fashion Night Out.  I've come to look forward to this event so much, and primarily for the limited edition polishes Chanel releases for the occasion.  In 2010 it was Les Khakis de Chanel, with the much loved Khaki Brun, Khaki Rose, and everyone's favorite Khaki Vert.  Last year gave us Les Jeans de Chanel, with three stunning takes on blue in Coco Blue, Blue Boy, and Blue Rebel.  What did Chanel have in store for us for 2012?  A slightly different take - three exclusive polishes, but three matching lipsticks as well - Les Twin-Sets de Chanel.  I passed on all three lipsticks (and am sorely regretting not picking up L'Provocante now), but did snatch up all three polishes,  the first of which I have to show you today - Infidele.

Chanel describes Infidele as an 'intense pink with a burst of energy', and that it most definitely is!  And while it's certainly bright, it has a slight dusty quality that made it perfect for the sunny fall day when I wore it.  This is two coats of Infidele, and the formula was buttery perfection.  Normally I don't notice formula -as in, I don't really have problems with most - but when a formula is exceptional, I notice.  And Infidele is definitely exceptional.

 Infidele was certainly ready for its close-up:

... and here is a super warmed-up version of Infidele, in bright direct sunlight - it shows the hint of rosy dusk in the color:

Is Infidele the most unique color I've ever seen?  Probably not.  Did I have anything like it in my collection?  Nope.  Am I happy it came home with me with the other two beauties, Delicatesse and Provocation?  Absolutely!  (Reviews on both coming  soon!)


If you missed it in September, you can still purchase Infidele from Chanel.com.  Each polish retails for $26 - a steep price tag, so only take the plunge if you love Infidele or you're a Chanel addict like yours truly.  :)

Dior Acapulco

 Happy Wednesday!  How’s everyone’s week going?  Life has been super busy for me lately with all the planning to go back to grad school, and it’s only going to get worse as grad school actually kicks off next week! Ha.  Anyway, even when I’m not blogging, I’m still using mani/pedis as my relaxation technique, so I have tons of photos for these precious moments when I do have time to blog!

Today I have for you a bright polish perfect for summer, Dior Acapulco.  Earlier this summer Dior released the Summer Mix collection, four bright jelly-finish polishes with a gorgeous, high-gloss finish.  I picked up two polishes from the collection, Lagoon (blue tinted teal) and Acapulco, a bright, bold yellow.  Now, I’ve not had a lot of luck in the past yellows, as they tend to be very streaky and so difficult to get full coverage.  So how did Acapulco do?  Judge for yourselves!

The first photo is in direct, bright sunlight, while the second has a little shade.  I had to do 3 coats for this mani, and I think it was totally worth out – Acapulco is gorgeous!  There's still a little visible nail line showing through even after 3 coats, but I don't mind - this is such a buttery, rich yellow that I love it even with a little VNL!

Dior Acapulco, along with the rest of the Summer Mix collection, is available through Dior boutiques and retail for $23 each.  I don’t know if this collection ever made it to Dior counters (such as Nordstrom or Saks), but you may want to call around or do some googling if you have a difficult time finding it.  Happy Hunting!

Blog Sale Update!

I've overhauled my blog sale!  I've added a lot of HTF glitters, holos, and fun new releases too.  If you're in the US, check it out here!

China Glaze Ride the Waves

 Happy Sunday!  How’s everyone’s weekend going?  Any fun events!  I’ve been hanging around the apartment all weekend, cleaning, re-organizing, and de-cluttering.  Two rooms done so far, and it feels like success!  I also did some nail polish hauling yesterday for some international friends, and bought myself a polish or two (but not too many – as I said, I’m trying to de-clutter! ha).

One of the polishes I picked up yesterday was China Glaze Ride the Waves, a somewhat neon blue from the new neon collection for summer 2012.  Ride the Waves isn’t exactly neon, but it’s definitely vibrant, a bright, squishy jelly-like true blue polish.  I saw this in the bottle and immediately thought MUST. HAVE.  The photos below have 2 coats of Ride the Waves.  As you can see, there’s still a little visible nail line; for my next mani it will definitely be 3 coats and I also need to wrap the tips, so the color doesn’t pull back at the tip as it does here. 

Because it’s Sunday Funday, I also added a coat of Nubar White Polka Dots to jazz things up.  All in all, I love the combination!

A look at Ride the Waves in sunlight…

 … and in shade…

 … and the close-up:

A great bright blue for summer, right?  I am in love with Ride the Waves, and will probably be using this as a pedi color very soon.  White Polka Dots was a little difficult to work with – the larger glitters had all settled to the bottom of my bottle, so were a little tricky to get on the nail – but I still love it, and can’t wait to play more with this simple yet pretty glitter soon!

Chanel Rose Cache

Hey nail fanatics!  How’s your Thursday going?  It’s another overcast day here in LA – June Gloom is in full effect – which means crappy weather for photographing.  So instead I went through my photos to find a mani I haven’t shown you yet!

Today I have for you Chanel Rose Cache.  This is a sheer, nude colored polish with a pretty light pink shimmer.  Normally I don’t go for these nude colors at all, but this past winter I was in a nail polish exchange on one of my favorite forums and saw this polish; at the same time I was getting ready for grad school interviews and new I didn’t have anything conservative in my collection, so I grabbed this one up.  I’m so happy I did!  It’s a great neutral-but-not-boring polish.  This is 3 coats of Rose Cache. 

 Here’s a shot in direct sunlight….
 

…and another in indirect sunlight (it was a glorious day in LA!)…

I really like Rose Cache, but I also really dis-like visible nail line, which still shows through after 3 coats.  I’d heard that Dior Incognito, released in the Spring 2012 Color Block collection, had a similar base color as Rose Cache without the shimmer, so I picked up a bottle.  I’ll photograph a comparison of the two soon for you!  Either way, I’m holding on to Rose Cache for now; it’s not an instant love, but it’s a strong like, and maybe I’ll give it another chance…

Rose Cache was released in December 2011 and is currently available online at Chanel and at my favorite department store, Nordstrom.  Each polish retails for $26 for a 0.5 fl oz bottle. 

Make it a great day!

Dior Pink Graffiti

 Hey Everyone!  Happy Hump Day!  It’s been a crazy week so far for me, with a long day yesterday and another one in store for today, so I decided to take 20 minutes to treat myself to do something I like and is overdue – a new post for Polish & Tonic!

Today I have for you the last polish I picked up from this past spring’s Anselm Reyle for Dior collection, Pink Graffiti.  If you remember, the collection included five polishes, including Electric Blue, which I have previously reviewed, and Ultra Violet, which I photographed but never reviewed.  Oops!!  That will be coming shortly hahaha.  Dior Pink Graffiti is a bright blue-based pink crème that leans toward but still isn’t quite neon.  It is gorgeous and vibrant, though!  Pink Graffiti has the excellent formula I’ve come to love and expect from Dior, and this is 2 buttery coats.  Take a look!

Pink Graffiti in sunlight…

… and in shade…

 

Pink Graffiti was such a chameleon to photograph!  The photos are a little too warm – Pink Graffiti has a little more blue than photographed here – but these photos really show the vibrancy of Pink Graffiti the best.  Needless to say, I love it!  I think Dior really hit it out of the park with this collection, and I have to keep reminding myself to not buy Untitled Black (because, um, it’s black) and Metallic Silver (a dupe for Silver Lake, which I already own) to complete the collection, but I’m not sure if I’m going to win this battle against myself.

Pink Graffiti, along with the other polishes in the Anselm Reyle for Dior collection, is available online at Dior.com and at Saks (Electric Blue and Ultra Violet are sold out at Saks, but all are still available at Dior’s website).  Each polish retails for $23.

Deal Alert! Deborah Lippmann Footloose Duos for $9.95!

Happy Friday!  I hope everyone is getting ready to kick off a fantastic weekend!

I just wanted to give you a heads up on a great deal - remember last fall when Deborah Lippmann released 2 limited edition nail polish duos for the Footloose movie release?  Well, they're on clearance now at HSN.com for $9.95 each!  Originally $32 for each set, that's a savings of over 65% off!

If you're interested, head on over to HSN to pick these up soon!  I'm seriously tempted, but have been doing so much shopping lately (with more hauling planned this weekend!) that I'm on the fence.  Let me know if you pick these up - would love to hear your thoughts!