Chanel’s Soho Story features two nail polish–the red-flecked almost-black Strong (1.48.167) and the anthracite-toned shimmering Steel (148.177) ($23 each).
First, Strong took me by surprise. The promotional pictures showed a strong purple.
The bottle color is a deep red-violet, with a touch of orange in strong light. It made me curious, would this be like Space Cadet, reviewed by All Lacquered Up here?
I had enormous trouble taking a picture trying the reproduce the bottle color. Finally, I learned to relax. On nails, Strong has a mind of its own. Rather than fight the color, I decided to enjoy it just as it is. It changes color in different light, but in normal room light and open shade it’s a deep dark, near-black with a touch of eggplant bordering on deep red. I’ve decided that Strong is my new Vamp.
To me, its an aggressive color, cool and uncompromising. Street with sparkle. Like many strong statements, Chanel Strong may be an acquired taste. But I find that it is a taste that I have acquired–it occurred to me quite suddenly that I love my nails wearing this color. This happened only after I let go of any expectation about what it is supposed to look like. One coat, no topcoat:
Another, which shows the very subtle shimmer:
I took a picture in direct, warm sun with flash so that you could see the sparkle. This polish is a color-changing chameleon–I like it in normal light (the above picture) far more.
Two coats:
The formula is little thick, but I just went with it and it turned into a one-coat wonder. I love to be done in 10 minutes, don’t you?
Second, Steel is a deep, metallic grey. I searched high and low for my bottle of Zoya Freja to do a comparison, but sadly it did not turn up. If memory serves, Freja is lighter than Chanel Steel but I’d love to see a comparison.
Like Strong, Steel applied beautifully in one (thick) or two (thinner) coats. Easy to work with, no surprises, no streaky frostiness. Just as you’d think it would look:
Although I was not sure that I’d like either of these, I find that I love them. They’re colors for the fearless, brave with a touch of originality and beauty. How Chanel is that?
6 Responses to “Chanel Soho Story: Strong and Steel Nail Polish”
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LOL! You and Sabrina–I was just visiting her blog and guess what she reviewed this morning? Stong! Are you sure you two aren’t twins that were separated at birth?
Stong is an absolutely gorgeous color. I love the satiny finish with the barely there blue undertone which keeps it firmly out of goth territory. The fact that it isn’t ultra shiny, loaded with micro-glitter, or overwhelmed by frost also makes this a more sophisticated color than most of the black polishes out there. Although Strong appears to be quite shimmery in the bottle, on nails it has a soft, subtle shimmer that reminds me of the summer sensation, Nouvelle Vague. Yes, indeed, the more I see Strong, the more I like it. I definitely need to track this one down.
I didn’t think I wanted Strong, but now I do. It looks a bit like a more wearable version of MAC Baby Goth Girl.
how does Steel compare to Chanel Noir Ceramic (LE from a few years ago)? It looks rather similar in these swatches, if not identical…
Hi Hannah, The Beauty Look Book blog did a comparison swatch last week if I recall correctly. Maybe check there to see?
The description of Steel that Tim at Chanel Soho gave me was “wet asphalt”. I think that description is exactly right!
What do you think Amy? I love this entire collection!
I love it too!! Wet asphalt– yes I agree. ….or maybe ‘beautiful Chanel wet asphalt?’ lol.