NOTD: Chanel Rouge Radical Nail Gloss

Chanel Rouge Radical Nail Gloss

2 coats

I saw this shade on Ommorphia Beauty Bar in July and knew I had to have it. I loved the stained glass looks and was impressed at the coverage since it looks so sheer in the bottle.

The coverage on my natural nails does not look as opaque as it does on Ommorphia, but I still love the look. Application was dreamy- smooth, self leveling, and just perfect.

NOTD: Chanel Taboo

Chanel Taboo

2 coats

The thing about $27 nail polish..... it's just got to be fabulous or you're kicking yourself for buying it.

Luckily, Taboo is a dream polish- applies wonderfully, in fact, almost perfectly. It's almost a one-coater too. I did use 2 coats because for some reason it's hard not to.

So glad I don't have to regret buying this one!

Paradoxal vs. Amethyst vs. Perplex vs. Perplexed Purple

Monday was a gorgeous day and I was home with my daughter, who wasn't feeling well. During a third viewing (in as many days) of Beethoven's 5th, I decided I'd do some swatching of four shades I had set aside to compare.

Left to right:

Chanel Paradoxal

Covergirl Outlast Amethyst

Revlon Perplex

Avon Perplexed Purple



Left to right: (2 coats of each)

Chanel Paradoxal

Covergirl Outlast Amethyst

Revlon Perplex

Avon Perplexed Purple


The first three are so very close! If you missed out on 2010's Chanel Paradoxal and 2011's Revlon Perplex, Covergirl Amethyst, currently in stores, is a must-get. Avon's Perplexed Purple is actually quite different, but still so pretty.

Comparison: Avon vs. Chanel vs. Revlon- I'm Perplexed!

When I saw Avon's new Enchanted Spring collection, I ordered two shades, Illusion and Perplexed Purple. It didn't quite hit me that Perplexed Purple was a take on Chanel Paradoxal until I tried it.

Avon Perplexed Purple - Chanel Paradoxal - Revlon Perplex

It really depends on the light- I found that in some light they look more similar, although it's obvious that Avon's version has more purple. Definitely not a dupe, but pretty nonetheless.

Colors like this are hard to photograph- there are hidden shimmers and colors that only show up in certain angles and light.

Avon Perplexed Purple - Chanel Paradoxal - Revlon Perplex

Avon Perplexed Purple - Chanel Paradoxal - Revlon Perplex

Although they definitely aren't dupes, if you missed out on Paradoxal or Perplex, Perplexed Purple might just quench your thirst.

NOTD: Revlon Perplex

Last summer I picked up my very first (and most likely last) Chanel, Paradoxal, a deep smoky amethyst with a royal purple shimmer. The hype surrounding this shade was immense.... and I just HAD to have it! $23 for a polish was a bit crazy looking back.

Chanel Paradoxal

Above is the pic I took last summer. I had a really hard time capturing the purple shimmer, so I was disappointed with my pic.

If you are a regular nail blog reader, you have probably read that the budget-friendly brand Revlon has been releasing shades that closely dupe some Chanel shades. So of course when I read that Revlon had a dupe for Paradoxal, I picked it up as soon as I found it. It got mixed in with my un-trieds and I almost forgot about it. I am so glad I ran across it this week.

The Revlon shade is Perplex and it certainly fits the hype- and I had even better luck photographing it than I did Paradoxal!

Recent releases by Revlon have included Black With Envy (a version of Chanel Black Pearl) and Carbonite (a version of Graphite). I found Black With Envy, but haven't seen Carbonite yet, but am on the lookout- I don't think I'll need to buy any more Chanel polish!

NOTD: Chanel Paradoxal

Chanel Paradoxal

(click to enlarge to see shimmer)

Holy cow, my first Chanel. Paradoxal. The SA wasn't familiar with it, and when I got to my car she had given me the wrong shade even though I pointed out in the display which one I wanted. So interesting that she was so unaware when this color was quite the hot topic last week.

I've been dying to try it, but we had nothing but rain, rain, rain all weekend.

As I had heard (and seen) it's a little hard to photograph. There's a gorgeous purple shimmer in the bottle that isn't as apparant on the nail. In perfect sunlight, you can see it, but not like in the bottle.

I'm still a fan, though. So pretty inside as well as outside.

Last night before bed I did two coats topped with Seche Vite. After cleaning up a million little pieces of tiny paper that my 4 year old daughter left all over the fireplace, I had some tip wear this morning, so I did another coat before this swatch.