Chanel Sweet Star - Review and Swatches

Usually buying nail polish is easy, I see it, I think about it for a while and after some consideration, I might buy it. But when it comes to limited edition or one-night only releases, there’s no time to hesitate. Arrived late? No polish left for you! Of course, you can try to track down that coveted bottle on eBay but the chances are it will cost significantly more. Case to the point, I was incredibly lucky to snap up one of the 150 Chanel Sweet Star bottles available for sale in Sydney!

Here’s how. Glowing with joy of anticipation of getting the coveted Chanel polish, I have arrived around 7pm at the Chanel Beauty Counter in Myer. When I heard, “Sorry, we’ve sold out of that shade” I was quickly brought down to earth. It was a cold, windy and rainy night, and trying to accept the bitter reality I involuntarily whispered “And I just wrote about it…” That phrase combined with deeply traumatised expression prompted the sales person to say pityingly “Let me check the store room.” 5 minutes later she came back with a bottle. YESSSS! The moral of the story: don’t give up my friends!

Now, for the review. Chanel Le Vernis Sweet Star is truly amazing and was totally worth the drama. It’s not your usual duochrome, there’s more shimmer and a subtle duochrome effect. In the shade, it looks like an incredibly smooth pearlescent metallic. The colour is a similar greenish-grey-gunmetal colour to Chanel Black Pearl but 2-3 tones lighter. Plus, in the sun the polish shimmers like a crazy diamond!

IN THE SUN:

IN THE SHADOW:

Formula: A fast drying, highly pigmented formula. Two or three thin coats is enough to get even coverage (3 coasts pictured). 5-Free, cruelty-free.

Application: Signature Chanel brush that makes application very easy. The shimmering metallic finish requires a bit more effort during application to avoid streaks.

Finish: High gloss, light gunmetal shimmer with a subtle purple to emerald duochrome and metallic effects. Chanel Sweet Star can be easily worn without a top coat. But to make your mani last longer, 1-2 layers of high shine, chip-resistant top coat is highly recommended.

Wearability: it lasted 4 days chip-free, with a top coat! Have Chanel finally improved their formula? Quite possibly.

Nail Art: Great for any kind of nail art. But it’s quite beautiful on it’s own. If you’re looking for a brighter statement look, pair it with gunmetal, silver or black glitter, ie. glitter gradient.

Dupes: Surprise! Surprise! Face of Australia Magneto (from the Dark Side collection released a few months ago) is very similar to Chanel Sweet Star. Magneto is a bit lighter and thinner than Sweet Star and has more duochrome (purple to emerald) in it. Sweet Star has more shimmer, more metallic and shines brighter in daylight.