Finally……my very own CHANEL Riva!!  Even though there’s been several very thorough and good articles on this polish already, I wanted to give you my take on it.  I have also read so many mixed reviews (with most of them not flattering to Riva at that), that I decided the only thing to do would be to try it for myself and see what all the fuss was about (see how well I’ve already justified my latest polish splurge?!!).

I have yet to be disappointed with a CHANEL polish and Riva, for me, is no exception to that. True, the ‘secret’ shimmer that CHANEL has become known for, while visible in the bottle, doesn’t translate all that much on the nail, but I believe that it still adds a certain depth to what would otherwise be a flat pastel shade.  This is somewhat of a dusty, or murky baby blue and that’s what I think gives it its edginess. There has been talk out there that it isn’t a unique shade; I beg to differ.  For the past few seasons, we have seen the introduction of glitter polishes, eccentric & flamboyant colours and wild patterns. The market has become overly saturated with trying to come up with something even more ‘different’.  Riva’s uniqueness factor, for me at least, comes from the fact that it is so opposite from all that.  It has a jelly-like look and feel to it and seems to effortlessly symbolize all that is spring…happy, fresh & optimistic.

Make no mistake; this is a sheer polish, but I found that by applying 3 thin coats and waiting at least a minute between each application, you do get decent and even coverage.  I actually applied 4 very thin coats, as I liked the more opaque ‘squishy’ look that it gave and loved the finished appearance. The following pictures are all with base coat, 4 coats of polish and Sèche Vite top coat.

natural lighting

with flash

indirect natural lighting

natural lighting

with flash

Final thoughts: In line with the more lady-like tendancies we’ve been seeing in fashion and makeup looks of late, I feel that Riva fits that delicate, feminine look to a ‘T’.  It has a subtle glamour to it and the fact that it’s not a screaming in-your-face kind of shade makes it exceptional for me.  The biggest downside I found was the price: at US $27.00/CAD $30.00 making it steep even for a CHANEL polish, and its rather exclusive availability (online and select CHANEL boutiques).  As far as duplicates are concerned, unfortunately CHANEL polishes are probably the hardest shades to dupe and the closest I personally have is Sephora by OPI’s ‘Havana Dreams’ which at US $9.00/CAD $12.00 is a much more viable option, but certainly not the same as Riva at all.  For me personally, I love this colour and see myself wearing it well into the upcoming summer season as well.  Look for my upcoming article where I will be swatching and comparing Riva to a few other choices.

What do you think about Riva? Is it splurge-worthy for you?