Chanel L'Été Papillon de Chanel: Le Vernis Nail Colour in Bel-Argus

As I had mentioned previously, the only products I picked up from Chanel's Summer collection, L'Été Papillon de Chanel, were the two blue nail polishes. Since I had already worn Azuré, it was only time before I decided to bust out Bel-Argus. My neighbourhood recently experienced a black-out, and while most people probably didn't notice because it was 3:00 in the morning, I was wide awake (being nocturnal and all) and wondering what the hell to do. So, like any normal person would do, I decided to paint my nails... by computer light. Yes, it was all very romantic. That having been said, please excuse the (extremely visible) sloppy brush strokes. (And, of course, the lights came back on about ten minutes after I had finished painting my nails. Ridiculous.)

Bel-Argus is a medium-dark royal blue in a metallic finish. It will flash iridescent indigo, purple, and cobalt blue depending on the lighting and angle. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It is completely self-levelling. Due to the nature of the finish, brush strokes are visible, so applying with a steady hand is recommended. It has medium-high to high pigmentation; the first coat looks semi-sheer, but it is completely opaque with a second coat. It is less purple and has less of a duochrome effect than China Glaze's Want My Bawdy, and is more metallic and less shimmery than China Glaze's Blue Bells Ring. When I first saw this shade, I didn't immediately think of it as a must-have because I don't generally associate darker blues with this time of year. But I bought it, anyway, because we all know I'm a sucker for blue polishes. And the more I looked at it, the more I liked it. Whereas Azuré reminds me of beaches and the ocean, Bel-Argus makes me think of a clear lake shining under the moonlight at the cottage — and I suddenly understood why Chanel decided to release this for summer.