Chanel: Mimosa

I’m back…with a banger!

Yellow seems to be the hot color right now for polish junkies. China Glaze’s Lighthouse was awesome. Deborah Lippmann just released Yellow Brick Road, her squishy, yellow jelly. And Chanel revealed Mimosa, their summer canary yellow with their special secret shimmer.

From what I had read from other bloggers, I was prepared to give myself a steady, and some-what time-consuming 3 coat manicure. I knew from the jump it was going to take three coats, and didn’t care. The polish in the bottle looks too gorgeous for me to be mad at it for needing some extra TLC.

Mimosa!

To me, Mimosa is like the perfect canary yellow. I like that it isn’t too golden in tone. It has a great balance. It also has certain softness to it that allows it to be approachable (and in my opinion) very wearable, while still maintaining its cool factor of being an unconventional nail color that is perfect for spring and summer. It seems to shift in different kinds of lighting. Brighter and more saturated the stronger the light.

OPI Nees Sunglasses? / Chanel Mimosa / OPI Lemonade Stand By Your Man

Mimosa is yellow done Chanel’s way. Like I said, it’s still saturated and noticeable, but it’s got that softness. It isn’t at all egg yolk-y, like Need Sunglasses? and LSBYM (and even maybe China Glaze Solar Power). It’s not too golden or too “sunny”. It’s a bit lighter and paler with that sophisticated quality. LSBYM is closer to Mimosa because it also has sheen and shimmer. I feel like even though Mimosa is just a touch different, it has a big impact and is much prettier.

Secret, subtle shimmer

As you may know, the formula isn’t 100% on, which will turn a lot of polish lovers away. If you’re paying $25 per bottle, and the formula isn’t perfect, that’s going to be a problem. But is it unmanageable? No.

I would suggest using 3 thick coats and letting them fully dry between each coat. To avoid unevenness and streakiness, make sure your first coat is thick and applied carefully. Even with thick coats, this polish to dry WAY faster than I was expecting! The formula itself isn’t goopy, thick, or chalky. It’s not as big of a pain as you might think. With a steady hand and careful application, I am plenty satisfied with the outcome. It went on easier than a lot of pastel crèmes I own.

I am super into the yellow with my turquoise ring

To be honest, while doing this manicure last night I wasn’t totally sold. But by the time my last coat dried, and then my top coat dried, I was loving it. Aside from it being slightly high maintenance to apply, the only other draw back is that the secret shimmer is a little too secret. In the bottle it appears more noticeable than what the final outcome on the nail is.

I think if you’re already interested in Mimosa, you should give it a go. The recent spring and summer polish collections haven’t been doing it for me this year. So, I haven’t bought many new polishes and didn’t mind paying the big price tag for Mimosa since it’s different, intriguing, and beautiful.

Where to Buy: Chanel.com / Chanel Counters / $25

How do you feel about Mimosa? Pretty or no? Do you think it’s not worth the hefty price tag? Or are you being swayed by all the buzz? Let’s talk it out.

– Liz