Chanel Illusions d'Ombre Graphite Le Vernis and Comparisons

We first got a sneak peek at Graphite many months ago with a brief picture from a Chanel show. Now, finally, the color is our and in the public's hands, so to speak.

Flash

Of the three new Chanel polishes, this is the only one that is not frosty. This one has a distinct foil finish. It may look like a glittery gray, but it's actually very multi-dimensional. This leans more to the cool side, rather than a completely neutral gray.

No Flash

The amount of glittery flecks in this are outstanding. It dries a little bit bumpy, but nothing that a good topcoat won't fix. My skin tends to be on the warm side, but I still like how this looks on my hands. I will definitely be wearing it often.

I have lots of foil grays in my stash. But I grabbed a few recent higher-end releases. Not that long ago, for the Spring of 2011, Chanel released another gray color - Black Pearl. I grabbed that one as well as Dior's Tzarina Gold from their Holiday 2010 collection. It's brown, not grey, bit it also has the multi-dimensional foil.

L-R: Black Pearl, Graphite, Tzarina Gold

Black Pearl was a very different finish, frosty with some minor brushstrokes, but it also has a distinct gunmetal green hue, quite different from Graphite. Tzarina Gold, as mentioned, has the same finish, but with a distinct brown color. I do love all three.

Graphite will earn a permanent place in my stash.