CHANEL | Le Vernis Longwear & Le Gel Coat Longwear

CHANEL has gone back to the drawing board and has completely revamped their nail polish range, and has launched Le Vernis Longwear and Le Gel Coat Longwear, both of which come in a new formula for longer lasting wear combined with an insanely glossy finish. With 14 shades to choose from, there are a few colours from the original line that have come over to this new finish, but the rest are all brand new and wait to be discovered.

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There are several changes to note with the new Le Vernis Longwear, one of which is the obvious downsizing of the entire nail polish selection (although I suspect that this new range will grow quite quickly). The other difference is in the brush, which has become a fraction longer, but slightly fuller at the tip to enable it to not only pick up more product, but to speed up the actual application process as well. The new Le Gel Top Coat has been created to work synergistically with the new lacquers, and has a formula that is light-activated to provide a ridiculously glossy finish, as well as up to ‘seven days of chip-free wear‘.

My first impressions when I began playing with this new collection, was a little mixed. For starters, my top coat seemed to not want to behave and caused major bubbling over the two deeper shades – however, that issue has since been fully resolved. I suspect the temperature of the room might have had something to do with that, because I’ve seen nothing but a smooth & brilliantly shiny finish since (as the swatches below clearly demonstrate). The brush has a bit of a learning curve as well, as my personal preference is for a shorter and more chiselled brush to work with, so I found the longer bristles here a touch floppy at first, but once I got the right rhythm going, application was effortless and rather quick, in fact.

CHANEL | Le Vernis Longwear brush comparison to original

#522 Monochrome | A greige crème hue with hints of green in the base that applies semi sheer upon the first coat but which becomes fully opaque with a second layer. Self-levelling and naturally glossy, this is the modern ‘palate cleanser’ (i.e.: a perfect pale hue to contrast against deep or other more colourful shades).

Coats: 2, plust Le Gel Top Coat

#520 Garçonne | A concrete grey crème hue that has a definite khaki leaning, and which applies quite opaquely even with the first coat. Self-levelling, the formula has a jelly-like quality making this shade look cushiony along the nails and über-glossy at the finish.

Coats: 2, plus Le Gel Top Coat

#500 Rouge Essentiel | A red crème hue that’s about as true red as you can get, and which has an excellent mix of both cool and warm tones in the base to make it suitable for all skin tones. The formula is slightly thicker leaning than the rest but which nevertheless applies very easily and can even be considered a 1-coat-wonder. Totally self-levelling and super glossy at the finish with the added bonus of being relatively non-staining upon removal (but don’t skip base coat just the same).

Coats: 2, plus Le Gel Top Coat

#514 Roubachka | A deep blackened purple hue in a jelly-esque formula that applies semi sheer with the first coat (looks exactly like grape jelly at this point), but which becomes beautifully opaque by the second layer. There’s the typical ‘spring-back’ effect to the polish that comes with this type of formula, but it doesn’t affect application at all, as it lays down in a self-levelling way and comes to a plush, super glossy finish. BONUS: non-staining upon removal.

Coats: 2, plus Le Gel Top Coat

For those of you who’ve been reading my blog for some time now it’s no secret that I’ve been a fan of CHANEL for decades, with my personal collection going back some 30 years. That being said, I was so upset to learn that the existing range was being wiped out (with a few exceptions) to make room for this new formulation but as CHANEL hasn’t had any changes done to this sector of their products for many years, I guess it was about time. Change can be good, and I must say that I’m really loving this new version. One thing to note is that some brushes may be a touch wonky; if you do come across anything not to spec, then feel free to return it immediately as CHANEL is really quite good at standing by their products and should exchange/replace it for you without question. I’m also happy to see that the top coat issue was squared away, because it has quickly become one of my favourite top coats to work with. One last word: if there are any shades from the original lineup that you’ve put off picking up, I suggest grabbing them while you can – before they’re all gone for good.