With their spring 2012 collection, CHANEL has released three limited edition nail varnishes, appropriately named ‘April’, ‘May’, and ‘June’ – how simple and yet so fitting! These are three ultra-creamy hues, made even more spectacular by the incredible glossy finish they leave behind.
‘April’ is in a word: sublime. This is a stunning deep port wine crème shade, with a formula that is just a hair away from perfection. With two coats, full opacity is reached, and application was ridiculously easy, flowing buttery smooth and finishing with a mirror-like shine. Absolutely no staining upon removal, a nice bonus for a shade this richly pigmented.
in sunlight
indoors
with flash
Rooting through my lacquers, the closest I came to finding a similar shade to ‘April’, was an older CHANEL, ‘Rouge Vertige’, which bears a slightly deeper tone, leans more towards burgundy, and with a slightly thinner formula (made apparent by some visible bald patches). The following swatches are all: index and ring fingers – ‘April’, middle and pinkie fingers – ‘Rouge Vertige’.
in sunlight
indoors
with flash
‘May’ is a softly diffused carnation pink hue, made unique by its hybrid-like formula: this is a crème varnish that almost applies like a jelly, looking rather pillowy at the finish. While good coverage can be reached with two coats, I applied three very thin ones here for my swatches. Incredible natural gloss at the finish.
in sunlight
indoors
with flash
Even though ‘May’ is a crème shade, it reminded me quite strongly of another mid-tone pink CHANEL hue, ‘Morning Rose’ a similar varnish, but with subtle golden shimmer (previously reviewed here). Apart from the shimmer, ‘Morning Rose’ bears a thinner formula, is a touch more sheer and does not finish up with the same intense gloss. Next to ‘May’, ‘Morning Rose’ looks warmer and peachier, and not as blue based. The following swatches are all: middle and pinkie fingers – ‘May’, index and ring fingers – ‘Morning Rose’.
in sunlight
indoors
with flash
‘June’ is a pale apricot hue, made interesting by a hybrid crème-jelly formula, its intensely creamy appearance and ultra-glossy finish. Two coats would give excellent coverage, although I opted for three thin layers here.
in sunlight
indoors
with flash
From promotional photos, I was convinced that ‘June’ would find a match with Essie’s ‘A Crewed Interest’ (previously reviewed here), as well as an older release from MAC, ‘Coconut Ice’. While ‘A Crewed Interest’ bears a similar soft tone, placed beside ‘June’ it wound up appearing slightly beige-y, and also had the thickest formula. ‘Coconut Ice’ had a similar salmon undertone, but not only had the thinnest (and streakiest) formula, but ended up looking more pink than peach.
Thinking that MAC’s ‘Malibu Peach’ was another possible look-alike to ‘June’, I included it in the comparison. As can be clearly seen, apart from any orange roots, all similarities end there. No match! The following swatches are: index finger – ‘Coconut Ice’, middle finger – ‘June’, ring finer – ‘A Crewed Interest’, and pinkie finger – ‘Malibu Peach’.
in sunlight
indoors
with flash
Final thoughts: CHANEL continues to impress with their varnish formulas, and these three are no exception. I was initially drawn to ‘June’, mostly due to its unexpectedly unique hue, but after playing around with these, I confess to being completely amazed by ‘April’ – possibly the most perfect crème ever of this colour group. ‘May’, while quite pretty and spring-like, most likely has several “twins” out there, although I’d wager none bearing the same ultra-high gloss. What I love about these shades, is how well they will transition into summer, especially ‘May’ and ‘June’, with ‘April’ capable of being carried forward through all seasons. Available at CHANEL counters now, these are all limited edition shades and the perfect companions with the rest of this collection.
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