Is it ever justified to spend £20 on a single nail polish? Part of me thinks hell no, another part argues, that if I went to the salon to get shellac that would cost at least £25, so a whole bottle for less than that isn’t too unreasonable. Plus, this isn’t just any nail polish we’re talking about, it’s Chanel *swoon*. Basically, my mum was so sick of me trying to justify it that she bought me the shade 528 Rouge Puissant from the Le Vernis Longwear Nail Colour Collection for my Christmas. So, was it worth the price tag?
The Chanel website has a pretty detailed set of instructions on how to apply this nail polish –
“After washing your hands, file your nails and remove particles with a small KABUKI BRUSH. Wipe your nails clean with a cloth. Apply the BODY EXCELLENCE HAND CREAM. Push back your cuticles at the base and sides of the nail with an orange stick, then remove oil from the nail surface using a cotton pad moistened with nail polish remover. Apply a thin layer of LA BASE. Then apply a first layer of LE VERNIS, followed by a second coat – as thick as the first, for a more vivid colour.”
It’s worth noting that I don’t have any of the products mentioned above as the base is £20 and the hand cream is over £40. I applied this like any other nail polish; two layers with my OPI Start to Finish as a base and top coat. Two days. I got two days of chip-free wear. I have a pretty hands on job, but still, if a product is advertised as ‘long-wear’ and comes with a high-end price tag I expect more. The formula is completely opaque after two coats with a high gloss finish. The brush is nothing out of the ordinary, it’s thin which allows for precise application but the wear time really lets this nail polish down. I’d recommend the Rimmel Super Gel or even the Essence Colour Boost range over this any day. It’s a very pretty shade, who doesn’t love a blood red nail? But I could think of a million other ways to spend £20.
