Chanel Fall 2011 Nail Polish in Peridot

I didn't need this nailpolish.  But then again, when do you really need nail polish? I've been eyeing the peridot color from Chanel's Fall 2011 line for a while now but I just didn't have the heart to shove out $25 for a nail polish.

But then, like the crazy shopper I am, I found a reason to buy this polish.  Peridot is my birthstone and my birthday is tomorrow.   It only makes sense to wear my birthstone color on my birthday, right?

This was my first Chanel nail polish, so as I applied it to my nails, I paid extra attention to how it applied, its thickness, dry time, ect.  First off, what really impressed me was the consistency.  It was thicker than my cheaper polishes, but not too thick.  Because of this, one coat of polish would have sufficed, but I'm a nail polish perfectionist so I used two coats.  This nail polish also dried much faster than I thought it would.  Whenever I use better polishes such as OPI, Essie and Sephora, they take longer to dry so when the Chanel Peridot dried completely in only 2 minutes (on the first coat), I was sold.

I wasn't too impressed with how it applied.  I understand that it's a metallic shade, so it would pick up all of the imperfections that's on my nail, but for a Chanel polish, I was hoping for a smoother look.  A top coat is definitely needed with this color.  Because the metallic color picked every ridge in my nail, the topcoat would create a smooth surface so that when the light reflects off it it, it would look flawless.  Unfortunately, this makes the topcoat necessary.

The BEST topcoat on the planet and it's only a $1 (P.S. check out my knitting project to the left)

Unlike my cheaper polishes, the Chanel polish didn't have that shiny, built in topcoat.  I understand that a lot of people don't like shiny topcoats, but I hated the chalky feeling of the polish.  So I finished off with my dollar store NK Blue Diamond topcoat.  (Seriously people, this is the best topcoat that I have ever bought.  If you want an instant gel manicure look, put two coats of this over your manicure and you're good to go!  And you won't get a single chip for at least 5 days!)

Overall, I really loved this nail polish.  The color is unique and changes from gold to green in the light.  I think this would be my fall go-to nail color mainly because it dries fast and the second coat is optional so I could see myself doing 10 minute manicures with this easy.

$25 well spent!