Do you need the new Chanel Set Le Vernis? No. Are you going to want it? Yes!
Chanel has seriously upped their nail game of late. Last year they introduced a range of inclusive Chanel nude nail polish that we loved and this summer they are making nail stickers the chicest they’ve ever been in the form of a nail kit. Meet the Chanel Set Le Vernis, £87 which is available online or at stand alone Chanel stores.
Yep, it doesn’t come cheap but to try and justify it slightly, that price does get you more than just the Chanel nail stickers. In the set, you will find a bright summery red polish ‘Incendiaire', a stark white polish called ‘Insomeniaque’ and a gel top coat, which is aptly named Le Gel Coat (everything sounds better when you put Le in front of it) and acts like a glossy gel top coat without the hassle of needing to cure it under a UV lamp. The three polishes all retail separately - Chanel Le Vernis in Incendiaire, £29 , Chanel Le Vernis in Insomeniaque, £29 and Chanel Le Gel Coat, £25. After doing some rudimentary maths we calculated the retail value of the nail stickers at £14 in total or 31p per sticker. And when you think about it like that, that makes buying something from Chanel almost affordable.
Cleverly, you can only get your hands on the nail stickers when you buy the set. And, of course, that's the element everyone is going crazy for, especially as Chanel Set Le Vernis isn’t going to be around for long. And when we say people are going crazy, that’s not hyperbole - you can currently find the nail sets for three times the price on Ebay, even though there is still plenty of stock at the regular price available.
But more on those nail art stickers. The stickers are on two sheets - one sheet of black outlined designs and the other in white. From the 45 designs to choose from, there are the brand’s iconic interlinked C’s, a camellia design (the brand’s emblem) and some number 5’s in nod to the best-selling fragrance.
Chanel Set Le Vernis: how to use it
In terms of how to use the polishes, we’re not going to insult your intelligence and tell you how to apply them. Choose whichever colour you like best or a combo of the two, and paint it on.
When it comes to the sticker, make sure your polish is completely dry before sticking them on as you do run the risk of smudging your fresh paint work. And use your finger - or we found tweezers worked well - to push them down so they are completely flush to the nail.
Apply them before painting on the top coat rather than after, as it does help make the stickers look completely undetectable by camouflaging the edges.
Chanel Set Le Vernis: Beauty Director SJ's verdict
“Firstly, please don’t judge the state of my nails or my filming prowess in the videos that accompany this feature. Trying to paint your nails, while checking your hand is in shot and the polish is going on the right place and then applying nail stickers perfectly central (which I don't think they are) is not easy. And, of course, two of my nails had to break the day before.
But with all that put to one side; this set is really fun and easy to use in normal circumstances. I think it’s genius of Chanel to tap into nail stickers because it’s something everyone can do. Nail stickers suit all ages, genders, nail lengths and sartorial choices. And who doesn't want to bring a bit of Chanel fabulousness to their manicure? So many of their nail polish shades have become iconic (I'm looking at you Rouge Noir, £25), because for most buying an iconic Chanel quilted bag or bouclé jacket is not a reality but a brilliant polish - or nail stickers in this case - is an accessible way into a high-end, super luxury brand.
From a very practical point of view, you need to be prepared to set some time aside to do this and to do it well. You need at least two coats of each polish - potentially three of the white as it is not forgiving and shows up every ridge and dent in your nail - and the polish must be bone dry before applying one of the stickers. So there is a bit of waiting around time involved.
I think my favourite look was my bare nail (I did apply some base coat first) with the sticker on, which was the easiest and quickest to do. Personally, I’d keep the stickers to one nail per hand but if more is more in your world then go to town. The stickers also seemed to give the polish a bit more staying-power so after a few days, the nails with stickers on remained chip-free.
Is this one of life’s essentials? Absolutely not. Do I love it? Absolutely yes.