Hey, y’all. I warn you now, this is going to be a long little doggie of a post. I know, I’ve not been around that much. I have my fingers in a little bit of everything, but those fingers are wearing Chanel. Chanel Graphite, if we’re being specific. I’ll explain later what that everything is, but for now, just check this out:
Chanel Graphite Nail Polish
So this is Chanel Graphite, which came out this fall (to bated breath, typical of any Peter Philips production). I didn’t get when it came out because I swore that after Paradoxal chipped after four days that I’d never spend $26 on Chanel’s polish again. Of course, I ended up impulse buying it while Christmas shopping. I’m weak. The worst part was that once I got home, I realized that I had Revlon‘s dupe of it (Carbonite) sitting untested on my vanity. I felt like a real putz over this (still do!) but I thought, “hey, maybe it will be my dream pewter!
Chanel Graphite Nail Polish
It was not. (I’ve been on this pewter quest for a specific reason – and it doesn’t match my purse! *stomps like a toddler*) The SA at Bloomingdale’s warned me that it has a lot of green undertones, which you can see from my swatch, but his warning fell on deaf ears. If you can imagine a cartoon version of me, I had interlocking Chanel C’s for eyes popping out of my head, spring noises and all, and there was no turning back. Sigh.
At any rate…it’s a foil, but not your average foil. Predominantly dark silver, with gold and green mixed in, to give it that sea-green cast. It’s definitely stunning.
Pros: The wear has been, to my surprise, pretty great. Three smooth coats. No chipping, no cracking – it’s pretty gorgeous overall, and unique (save for the decent dupe in Revlon‘s Carbonite).
Cons: Dude. It’s $26. That kind of money is for blush, lipstick, eyeshadow, eyeliner, half a good foundation (ha!), brushes – pretty much anything but mascara (drugstore, guys. Drugstore is where it’s at) and nail polish. ALL NAIL POLISHES ARE THE SAME. I’m paying for the packaging, the name, and for the innovative color – and the color thing is a stretch. The ingredients are basically all the same for all makeup except skincare – and often, not even then.
That all being said, I enjoyed wearing it this week. If you’d like to buy it, you can buy it directly from Chanel‘s website (I’ve never ordered from them, but I’d expect some pretty fancy packaging in the mail), or you could get it here from Bloomingdale’s, like I did.
A NOTE on SOPA: This is a very, very important issue for our generation, especially for anyone involved in social media. SOPA would bring blogging to a screeching halt. Say a multi-billion dollar company saw one of my BRILLIANT AND SCINTILLATING (kidding!) blog posts – and say they didn’t like it because I said that it looked cheap. Or it didn’t wear well. Or that another company’s was better. You know – #sh*tbeautybloggerssay. That would be enough to totally shut down my blog. I am going to bust out my Elle Woods voice and say, “Hello?! Freedom of speech?!” And that is just not right.
One of my awesome readers and commenters, Derek, asked if I had a list (or knew of one in existence) compiling beauty companies who DON’T support these bills. Unfortunately, I don’t, but I’d love to know who out there in the beauty world is against this stuff! I checked the official list of who does support SOPA, and it seems like the biggest names in beauty, fashion, and publishing are all backing this. I doubt that smaller, more independent beauty companies would be behind anything like SOPA because blogs help get their names out there, but who can say? I’d love to know for sure. As for the bigger companies I was talking about?
Let’s just say this particular post would be shut down in a post-SOPA world.
On a less apocalyptic note! I’m not around as much because I’m going back to school in a few weeks! I’m starting a graduate program in something completely unrelated to beauty. I’m a little anxious but excited about this new endeavor. However, just because I’m a new student again doesn’t mean I’ll neglect you guys! I’ll still be here.
If anything, the reason I’m not here as much is because I’m going to be a guest somewhere else on the internet for a while. It has been an AWESOME experience so far and I can only expect it to get even greater! More on this soon.
So what do you guys think about Graphite? Chanel polishes in general? Or about SOPA? Do any of my readers support it? I’d be curious to hear why.
makeup maestra 
Thanks for the shoutout and for a great statement regarding such important stuff! You are awesome! Your articles are brilliant and scintillating despite your humility. It’s rare to find good writing in blogs, which is why I enjoy reading yours.
By the way, I like the nail polish, but 26 dollars?! That seems…steep. Not that I’m an expert on what these things normally cost, mind you.
Thank YOU for being a regular reader and prompting me to make such a statement! I’m glad you enjoy reading my blog – it really means a lot to have people enjoying my content, especially readers like you who don’t even know me! 🙂
Hey, congrats on grad school! Hope it’s a dream…
Your “ALL NAIL POLISHES ARE THE SAME” sentence was the best and truest thing I’ve read all day. And I read a lot.
Thanks, Lisa, for the well wishes! We’ll see how it goes – I’m enjoying this other endeavor, too, which may lead me in another direction…
Yeah, the nail polish thing was a really broad and moody statement on my part (haha), but most are created equal. OPI, China Glaze, and Orly stand out, but I’ve never EVER had an “OMG” reaction to a high-end formula, so why spend the money?
Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂
Good to know. I spend too much money on enough things. Don’t need to add fancy nail polish to that list! By the way, thanks for the Tarte present. I’m really liking it, especially the cheek stain (which may or may not have been used on my cheeks, lips, and even eyelids on occasion).