Chanel June — Swatches, Review & Comparison

I'm finally back from New York City! I am not yet skilled enough at blogging to have things scheduled to post when I go away. I hope someday soon I'll get it together for that so there won't be such long pauses.

Whenever I go to New York I can't resist making a trip to the Chanel boutique in SoHo.  This time I even went twice, and the first time I came back with June (#539). June is one of the three nail colors from Chanel's Spring 2012 Harmonie de Printemps collection. In French this means Harmony of Spring, or Springtime Harmony. The three nail colors in this collection really do look harmonious together. (On my second visit to the SoHo boutique I came back with April (#533) which I will post about tomorrow.)

June is a pastel tangerine/peach/apricot color. The formula is what really makes this color so nice. It's a cross between a jelly and a creme. I used three coats for total opacity. The first time I applied this color I did a full manicure on rather long nails. It wasn't overly difficult to control the polish, but I found it easier on shorter nails. This polish has a very nice consistency and isn't streaky at all. I think Chanel did a great job on the formula for this one. It has a very nice, glossy finish.

I took a picture after just one coat to show how nicely this polish applies. You can also see the jelly-ness of it. You can also see that the color becomes more intense after two more coats.

I compared June to two polishes in my collection: China Glaze Peachy Keen and Essie Tart Deco. Obviously Peachy Keen is a much closer match than Tart Deco. Peachy Keen is definitely quite similar, but it lacks the lovely jelly texture of June. It's also streakier and chalkier, and leans a tiny bit more pink. Tart Deco of course is much pinker.

I think this shot under artificial light shows the difference between Peachy Keen and June more obviously.

I wore June as a full manicure for about four days and experienced no chipping at all. It still looked glossy and perfect.

June, along with April and May, is currently up on the Chanel website for $25. I love the convenience of shopping online, but for me half the fun is making a purchase in the boutique where you get to experience the perfect, smooth customer service.

Sally Hansen Nasturtium

I'm back! I promise to start catching up on everything today.

This is another vintage Sally Hansen in the wonderful square bottle. Nasturtium came out with the Spring 2009 collection, but it's a color that goes well with the current New England landscape. It's an interesting shade of orange that has a suggestion of pink to it. The formula applies beautifully and was perfect in two coats.

Here's one of the great views I got to enjoy this weekend. (Click on it for the full-sized picture.)

That's a yak grazing down in the field!

Late Summer Sunset: nail art with purples and oranges

Today, for some reason, I was drawn to purple and orange. I made some quick nail art by alternating five colors in a slight variation on the Ruffian manicure.

On the very top is China Glaze Peachy Keen. This swatch is three coats with Seche Vite on top to smooth them out. It's a chalky and difficult color to work with, but finishing it with topcoat helps a lot.

Next is Zoya Malia, a medium lavender/lilac creme which also requires three coats and a topcoat to smooth it out. It's easier to apply than Peachy Keen, though.

Then comes OPI Cajun Shrimp. This is a classic, BRIGHT and shiny coral. It leans towards pink, but still contains plenty of orange. It's very easy to apply and only needs two coats. The first picture is most color accurate.

The deep purple is Orly Rio Nights. This is a gorgeous, shiny jelly and requires four coats. I think it's worth it.

Finally, the base color is OPI Hot & Spicy. This is a medium orange creme with a hint of pink and an almost pastel quality, though it's not pale enough to really be pastel. It also needs three coats for opacity.

So there's the purple and orange special of the day. What are some of your favorite color combinations?