Chanel Le Vernis #559 Frenzy...

My nails are in rehab!

For months now I've been having issues with splitting and brittle nail tips. This is something that's never happened to me before, I've always had very strong nails. Over the years I have had issues with one nail here and there but never like what I'm experiencing at the moment. It's been almost a year! I would let them grow a little longer in the hope that the "bad parts" could be filed away but to no avail and so about a month or so ago I decided to let them grow longer...

Years ago I did wear and like my nails long but this isn't the case anymore and it's not very practical either especially considering the fact that my hands are pretty much always on a computer keyboard!

Long dark colored nails? Not really my style and I don't want to go with no color at all either so I decided to go for a nude...

NUDE??? Meeee???

Chanel Le Vernis #559 Frenzy...

Can I just say that when my daughter saw this color on my nails she went... Whaaa???

I had no choice! The state my nails are in at the moment means that any color chips, fast! Even the best formulas do and I'm not talking about tip wear which normally occurs on the fourth day or so but about chips on the second day, even with a good top coat!

I love my dark and my bold colors but the chipping bits just drive me nuts and redoing my nails two or three times a week? Not an option and who has the time for this anyway?

The color...

When it first came out in the fall of 2012, Frenzy was described as a "lilac grey" and although it can pull slightly in either direction depending on skin tone on me it's more a greyish beige that turns out to be a perfect neutral. Not the most original of colors but it's a very classy one and I get the feeling I'll return to it often.

I don't think a nude has ever suited me this nicely. I remember years ago wanting to find one that would go with my skin tone but the ones I tried at the time were either too beige or too grey, had too much or not enough pink... There was always something that made me remove them the next day. Not Chanel Frenzy. I had also been considering Dior #700 Yacht (I would have had to wait for that one since it just came out last week) but I'm glad to have chosen Chanel since it's a little cooler. You can see the comparative swatches Sara did on Color Me Loud when she wrote a review of the new nail polishes from Dior Transat Collection, here.

The formula...

The first coat can appear slightly sheer in some spots but the second takes care of that. Smooth and even with a good consistency which means hardly any pooling. Two coats make it look perfect but you do still see the tips of the nails which I don't mind with this type of color but if it's something that annoys you then three coats will make it completely opaque. It lasts a good five days with a top coat but I do get chips on my weak nails. On my pinkies and ring fingers it remains perfect but not on the others and since it's a nude they're not as obvious. Brilliant!

What I do like about Chanel's formula the most is it dries relatively fast. The first coat takes a few minutes and the second, seven or height. I always wait about thirty minutes after I'm done to do anything and by that time it's pretty much set.

Since Chanel Frenzy is a cream it's preferable to use a top coat for after two days or so it starts to loose a little of it's shine

Here is a picture I took a few weeks ago the first time I applied it and see how nice it looks against purple? I really like it, even in bad office lighting! Also I do prefer my nails short way better than long. I can't wait to get them back in shape! I'm almost there and wearing polish and top coat has helped protect the tips so now I pray that by the time I gently file them, they don't start spliting again...


Short nails are way more practical but if you could, would you wear your nails long?