Chanel LE VERNIS LONGWEAR NAIL COLORS: Ballerina, Monochrome, Chaine Or, Gitane

Couple weeks ago, I wrote about the beauty alert for the newly formulated Chanel Le Duo Le Vernis Longue Tenue or  Longwear Nail Colors. They pack both the top coat and pigmented polish in to give longer wear time with bettter shine.

Without further ado, onto the colors I selected from Le Vernis Longue Tenue collection.

Ballerina #167

Chanel included some of the cult nail polishes in Le Vernis Longue Tenue collection ($28 each for 13 ml/0.4 fl oz). Ballerina #167 is one of them.

The right shade of nude nail polish can make your fingers look long and elegant with a clean finish. Ballerina is that perfect nude.

Ballerina is a very light nude pink with out any shimmer. The light effervescence of pink is very flattering. I really liked the previous version of Ballerina but one disadvantage was it was sometimes streaky. With the new gel like formula that is not a problem.

With 2 coats of application, the beautiful sheerness of Ballerina turns into a gel like look. The application is flawless, smooth and easy without any streaking. The polish dried very fast and had a very good lasting power at least 6 days. Everything from the gel-like formula to the color makes application very easy. I am really loving this one!

Gitane #510

Gitane is a vibrant poppy red with orange undertones. It is more energetic than Dragon (review). In the bottle it looks fire engine red.

Most of my red polishes are from Chanel. Formulators at Chanel know their reds. With the new reformulated collection the front design has been remodernized and simplified as well.

Gitane is very very pigmented. Even one coat of application is enough for complete opaque finish. But I would recommend 2 coats, then it shows its gel-like finish.

The formula is really fantastic with this one. It’s pigmented, smooth and glossy. The application was very easy. Gitane dried very quickly and has very good stay power up to 5-6 days. Actually it dried so fast that when I was taking the drop pictures I can see it was drying on the drop. On my skin, the orange undertone in Gitane comes out as a nice energetic red. This color would work on any complexion. A+ for formula, drying, stay power and pigmentation.

Monochrome #522

Monochrome #522 is a muted light mink grey without any shimmer. The creme color is a subtle but unique shade. It is not vamp but it is elegant.

It has a very slight warmness to it which gives its creaminess. It is not too light or dark on the nails. Just the right shade.

Of all of these 4 polishes, this one dried a tad longer. The stay power is very good up to 5-6 days. The pigmentation shows itself even with 1 coat of application. No streaking during application. On my skin, the grayness of Monochrome moves towards a very light creamy brown. I think this one may bring out its grey tone on different shades of skin. The color is nice but not unique in my opinion. With the formula, drying and stay power, pigmentation and uniqueness of color: B for this one.

CHAÎNE OR #518

The inspiration of Chaine Or #518 shade comes from the golden chains of iconic Chanel bags. It is a very warm, yellow gold with lots of microshimmer in the bottle. The yellow in the shade actually leans to a cooler tone.

The formula is intensely pigmented, nice and smooth. Application is easy without any streaking. It dries so fast with a glossy finish. Complete gel-like look and coverage with 2 coats. You don’t need a top coat with these polishes.

I thought this would be one of my favorites because I love a good golden nail polish, yet there was something about this one that looks extremely unflattering on my fingertips. On my nails it turned into this cold yellow gold.

I rarely give a thumbs down on Chanel nail polishes, but for me this is a definite no. This could be a unique color for someone else.

Ingredients

The new formula is safer without the styrene and phenols. It is 5-free.

Out of these four, my favorites are Ballerina (repromote) and Gitane (new shade). Still, Monochrome is a nice muted light grey with a soft touch and Chaine Or might look good on you if you have less yellow undertone in your skin than I do. I would say the new reformulated Chanel polishes are exceptionally well formulated and everyone should have one or two in their nail polish collection.

Overall, for me Ballerina and Gitane are must haves, Monochrome and Chaine Or are nice to have.

Did you already buy any of these, what did you think? Will you be getting any of the shades? Are these a must have or pass for you?