I thought I can have a small Chanel makeup break until the holiday collection arrives, but I caved in when I spotted the new Le Vernis Shades as part of the Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet collection. There are three new shades being released - Pirate, Rose Caché and Rose Exubérant, and a new limited edition topcoat that provides a matte finish.
I picked up Pirate and Rose Caché. The quality of these is standard Chanel Le Vernis. Opaque and easy to apply, 2 to 3 coats gives a glossy and non streaky finish.
Out of the entire collection Pirate caught my attention immediately – it is a bold rich red in cream finish and there is no shimmers in it. It may not be the most unique red in the market, but after swatching it on my nails I decided I need this red in my life.
Swatches with 3 coats:
Compared to Chanel Le Vernis Fire, Pirate is slightly darker.
Rose Caché is a muted vintage pink with tiny flecks of pink shimmers. Like many other Chanel Le Vernis, it has a complex undertone depending on the angle I look at it. In some angles it leans pink with a hint of mauve undertone that comes from the shimmer, and in other angles it looks peachy beige when the shimmer is less noticeable. (I didn’t get a chance to capture the peach undertone though). Overall it is a unique neutral shade that gives a polished mannequin-hands look with an edge – definitely worth to check out.
I am not a fan of matte nails hence I didn’t pick up the matte topcoat. Do check out Joey from JoeySpace swatches here.
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
I love Pirate! It is certainly a shade of red that is eye-catching without being obnoxious
Awesome. I love how dark Pirate is! I’m intrigued by the matte top coat, as well. Thanks for the photos!
i love the colors!!! very girly!
http://ilovemakeup68.blogspot.com
Waahh… high five, Reika!
Chanel 521 Rose Caché has been my absolute favorite nail color since I got it few weeks ago! One of the prettiest non.boring nude colors ever in my opinion! When I wear it, I feel my hands/nails look really clean and nice. Yes, you hit the nail – polished mannequin-hands look!
And it also happened that I had a look at Chanel 08 Pirate today. But after swatching and comparing with the other Chanel reds, I decided to go for 475 Dragon. I think it looked slightly better than 08 Pirate on my hands.
Thanks for the suggestion Jess. Dragon is such an iconic shade by Chanel and I still haven’t bought it!!
Hi Reika,
Thank you for the link =)
Rose Caché looks really gorgeous on your skin tone, I am enjoying it too.
Avoiding dark colours at the moment cos my nails are quite long.
Rose Cache looks so lovely. Is this shade available in the US? I couldn’t find it on the Chanel site.
Hi Leigh..what a surprise, I don’t think they are available in the US..
Thanks for getting back to me, Reika. I did some research online, and it seems that this set is merely not out in the US yet. I have an appointment at a Chanel counter this weekend, and will try to confirm. Here’s hoping I don’t have to hit ebay up for nail polish!
Those shades are soooo pretty on you, especially Rose Cache!
Great photos Reika! How does Pirate compare to OPI’s Vodka & Caviar? That’s my fave shade of deep red and I’m due for a new bottle ( yes Ive used it that much!) hard to find so maybe Pirate is a good sub?
I don’t have Vodka and Caviar Petrina..but based on the swatches I have seen, they do look very similar!
Yay, Pirate is being re-released! I wore this shade every day for about two years and was heart broken when it was discontinued in the UK. Is it going to be a permanent release or limited edition?
Reika,
Both colors are soooo classic and beautiful! Pirate is seriously one of the most gorgeous shades of red I have ever seen. Stunning colors as well as beautiful nails!!!
Thank you Pang
Rose Caché is gorgeous and understated. I, too, am not a fan of matte-finish nails, though the new Chanel top coat looks lovely on Joey. Typically I am not one for nail polish because I can’t stand chipping and the constant upkeep, but Rose Caché may just be pretty enough to justify the time expenditure.
Do you use the Seche L topcoat, it prevents chipping for up to a week! And guess what..I caved in once again as I just bought the matte topcoat
It looked so lovely on Joey.
Hehe, you are a true Chanel/beauty devotée!
WOW!!! Wanna them both, they are amazing! Thanx for the beautiful swatches
Thanks Karine. Glad you like them
I`ve started to read your blog recently and really enjoyed it!
btw, I bought the Pirate thanx to your review and also thinking about Rose Cauche 
Thank you so much Karine. I am really glad to hear that
hey Reika,
this pirate is really stunning. I have the dragon and I think it looks similar!
btw have you tried the rouge carat for the christmas collection? if so, how similar/different it is from pirate?
Thanks!
I saw this a few days and am finally getting around to commenting! These are very “safe” colors, but are such beautiful renditions of each. I think I need Rose Cache in my life should it be released in the US
Pirate jumped out at me too. Sensational color. Don’t you just love the name? I’ve been thinking about it and now I plan to get it. Rose cache looks beautiful too. I just ordered the dolly wink liquid eyeliner you recommended (I’m Asian too, similarly colored to you and have been using chanel liquid eyeliner in brown and shu uemura in black) . Reika, your site is like feeding my scary addiction to these yummy things. Yikes…I’m in trouble!
P.S. Could you do a Lisa Eldridge-like make-up lesson in video wherein you start bare-faced, and talk us through skin preparation and make-up application start to finish? We’d all love it. Best to you.
Yes I’ve been thinking about doing youtube for a while, but I need some better setup than what I have now for making videos, and I’m still looking into that
I’m also scared of troll!