Before I begin today, let me explain why this manicure looks worn: because I took this on the fourth day of wear! (Nail polishes do not traditionally like to stick to my fingernails so four days for me is phenomenal.) Not a chip in sight and only a bit of tipwear/shrinkage (with Gelous bc and Diamont tc). Color me happy! This is going to be my travel manicure for the conference in Chicago next week. Perhaps a little too edgy for a professional conference but it's not like it's neon or glitter. :P
Second, no my nails don't grow that fast and I didn't leave a huge gap when I applied the polish. Why is there such a huge gap? Because -- and this is stupid -- I got the Nfu.Oh cuticle remover in the mail one evening while I had the Paradoxal mani on: I had heard so many raves for this cuticle remover that I wanted to try it out immediately... but I didn't want to change my manicure (because I hadn't gotten a photo of it yet). So I, uh, used it with my nail polish still on. Color me sheepish...
Chanel Paradoxal (after four days of wear)
I didn't think I'd love this polish as much as I do. Besides its longevity, I absolutely adore that it looks like a dark, dusky purple (almost taupe!) creme indoors but outdoors, it reveals a secret magenta shimmer that brightens the base color somewhat. Three coats though some people could probably get away with two. Easy application. I do not regret spending this much money on a single polish at all.
I don't know why I didn't think that the name of the polish was French (for "paradoxical") before going on the Oxford English Dictionary website to look it up in English. It was an English word, however, now very rare: either a nautical term or simply a synonym for "paradoxical". ...that's not at all exciting. But the OED is always a good time. I could jump from word to word on that website for hours. (Hi, I'm a nerd.)
In the comments section of my last swatch post, Kimberly had asked if I would keep people abreast of my nail polish-incentivized exercise regimen. And it seems like a good idea, if only because it keeps me in line and honest. So if it isn't going to be too annoying for people, I'll add it to the bottom of my posts, in small font, like so:
Aug 6th (30m cardio), Aug 7th (20m cardio), Aug 8th (45m cardio+strength).
