Chanel Le Vernis Black Satin - Review, Photos, NOTD Swatches

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Polish Black Satin (available here) - $27

Classic and trend-defining shades from the runways of Paris.  State-of-the-art formula strengthens and moisturizes nails as it delivers long-wearing, high-shine, chip-resistant colour.  Applies evenly without streaking.

Wearing Chanel Le Vernis Black Satin on my nails.
And that's a piece of yumminess from See's Candies.

Black Satin is one of those oh-so-famous shades from Chanel, and I never quite understand why any of those nail polishes are as famous/popular as they are, but oh well, as long as there are people like me to buy into that story...  Anyway, moving on the shade I am reviewing today - Chanel Black Satin.  This was supposedly a "limited edition" released a long while back, and apparently was sold out everywhere in a matter of minutes.  Currently, though, it is easily available at a lot of Chanel counters and at chanel.com.  That's what happens after the hype dies down and people come to their senses :P

On to the color itself, I have read reviews describing Chanel Black Satin as a true deep dark black with the trademark Chanel shimmer mixed in - the sort of shimmer that you have to look for in the bottle but won't show up on the hand and just adds a beautiful depth to the color.  Sounds mysterious, deosn't it?  Except the polish I have has no shimmer anywhere - not on my hand, not in the bottle.

I would describe Chanel Nail Polish Black Satin as a true black, deep, dark, and inky, with no visible shimmer to it.  It's a creamy black nail polish.  Two coats gives me flawless, opaque coverage.  The formula is quite thin and easy to apply.  The finish is glossy, creamy, and opaque, and the color does have a lovely depth and richness to it.  As with any dark nail polish, but perhaps more so with black, the glossiness that comes with a fresh manicure dulls quite easily (needing a little help from a top coat in a day or two if you really want the gloss).  For a dark color, this dries quite fast, but I would still wait an hour two to avoid any accidental dents and chips.  The color seems to suit a whole lot of skin tones, and I think it looks best on nails that are just a teeny bit long - stubby, short, black nails look too goth, imo. 

Chanel Black Satin Nail Polish

To be quite honest, the difference between this and some of the other black nail polishes would be hardly any - especially if you factor in the huge Chanel price tag.  Black Satin is a very well done black nail polish, and there isn't a fault I can find with the formula, so ultimately it all boils down to wearing a regular black versus a Chanel black on your nails.  It is a bit of a high maintainance color, though, and not one I reach for very often.  It's best applied about an hour or two before you put your nails on display, and then make sure the day is spent in absolute hand luxury to keep the manicure looking as fabulous as it started out.  I also find the glossy finish dulls in a day or two, probably because my hands live a pretty stressed out life, and dull black nails look really dull!

So, yes, Chanel Black Satin nail polish is a beautiful color, but it does need a lot of patience and a lot of love to carry off.

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