A little splurge - Chanel Blue Boy

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Chanel Peridot

My new academic year's resolution -- besides to finish my qualifying exams at the end of the Winter 2012 quarter -- is to be more consistent about posting here!

Chanel Peridot

Got lots of compliments on this one. It felt more like a foil to me than a duochrome and oddly enough, the duochrome is more pronounced in the photos than in real life. Still, it was sparkly and bright. A little streaky on the application and you can see some evidence of brushstrokes. Three coats, thinner than I expected though. The photo was taken on the fourth day of wear and, as you can see, it was still chip-free!

Close-up on Peridot

So bright, it burns. :)

I've been up to quite a bit lately. Attended a wedding in Seattle. Saw friends that I haven't seen in a long time (all of whom seem to be in wedding planning mode... so there was a lot of conversation about cakes and caterers, dresses and... more dresses). There are a lot of pregnant women in my life so I'm making quilts, burp cloths and other basic, easy-to-sew baby items. I have also started making quilts for Quilts for Kids, an organization that provides handmade quilts for children in hospitals. I don't get that much time for hobbies and volunteer work, so it's gratifying to be able to kill two birds with one stone on that one. Attempting to make a dress from a 1952 pattern... I suck at sewing darts but now I'm super picky about buying clothes because I'm so aware of how they're made and how they fit. I tried to herd my RAs and got a bit of participant running done in the last two weeks of the summer quarter. I'm doing a little bit of freelance editing for an academic in another country who needs a little help with English and English-language publishing. My own paper just got slung back to me for a second revise/resubmit and I'm writing this post while trying to force myself to read all the comments VERY VERY CAREFULLY so I can see exactly how dumb I am. (Seriously, I can't type numbers. It's a very bad thing to be bad at as a researcher!) I went to the dentist for the first time in three years: I needed two appointments to properly clean my teeth (ugh) and I found out that my previous dentist did a crappy job applying two of my crowns, and thus they need to be replaced (double ugh). Lots of dentist visits. Though I like this dentist and his office a lot: they're the most cheerful bunch of people and all patients get a flower at the end of their appointments. I'm getting LASIK in about a month, so there's been a lot of back and forth to ophthalmologists (and one day I'll spell that correctly on the first try -- I forgot the first 'l' again... at least I got all the 'h's this time). I can't wear glasses because all the glasses I've ever had have given me a splitting headache and my eyes seem to have developed an allergic reaction to all sorts of contact lenses in the past year. It's a sh*tload of money but I'm hopeful that it'll be a good investment. And I'm slogging through a huge backlog of NOTD photos and trying to get some of the summer and fall collections swatched. So I've been busy... and spending more money on fabric than polish lately. A history of cosmetics obsession translates really well to sewing and fabric choices.

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Worth it - Chanel Graphite

I had convinced myself that I would never buy a Chanel polish again. They chip horrendously on me and are terribly overpriced. However, Graphite really really called to me - ever since I saw some promo shots from the runway those many months ago. Upon it's release online, I managed to hold fast - I resisted!! I told myself I didn't need it, it wasn't *that* special, and Barry M would come up with a good dupe before long.

Then my mother went to preview the Chanel fall collection. I think she wanted some of the new eyeshadows. (Which I want as well.) She saw that Graphite was a hot commodity, and decided that she needed to get it for me. She even told me it was "the only one of them that won't make your skin look even more jaundiced that it already does". Ah, honesty.

How glad am I that she picked this up for me?

So glad.

Shockingly, I've been wearing this for *days and days* now, and am in the midst of moving and it has only chipped a tiny bit on one finger, where I smudged the polish initially. Seriously shocked at this. Also...it's effing gorgeous!! It's like OPI Brand New Skates on shimmer 'roids! I love things that have a bit of a gold tinge to them - I usually wear gold jewelry so it works for me. Honestly, I can't really explain, either in pictures or in words, how densely packed with shimmer this is, or how gorgeous and multi-faceted the colour is. I implore you to go to your nearest Chanel counter and check it out.

In the end I managed to stay true to my mantra of "don't buy any more Chanel polishes," thanks to my mother's generosity. But sometimes mother truly knows best. My verdict on this one? Even as a Chanel skeptic, I say - worth it.

Have you tried any of the Chanel Fall 2011 polishes? What about the eyeshadows? I'd love to hear what you think!

kittytokaren

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Chanel Morning Rose & Essie Topless & Barefoot

(3 coats)

The formula on Morning Rose is better than Mimosa but I still found it lacking. Plus I'm kind of eh over the color it's pretty but kind of boring to me.



(a million coats - but I could probably have gotten it in 3 careful coats)

A color I'm not eh over is this. I'm trying to purge my stash and I was SO READY to put this in the goodbye pile especially since I had real trouble with the sticky and unleveling formula, but I just couldn't. I love the color. I think it might be one of those almost universally flattering colors.

I messaged k2k about this and she reported no formula issues and convinced me to keep it. Hopefully, I can just chalk it up to a humid day.

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Chanel Miami Peach

Chanel Miami Peach

First off, "peach" is a bit of a misnomer. It's redder, more saturated. More like Miami Guava than Peach. (Mmm, guava.) What really sucked me in was the more-obvious-and-bigger-than-usual Chanel shimmer. This polish originally caught my eye, not at Neiman Marcus where it's currently being repromoted as a store exclusive, but at the duty free shop in the SFO International terminal. This was during my second most recent trip to Taipei in December. I saw it in the shop and wanted but thought that it wasn't a good color for me anyway and besides, if I changed my mind, I could just order it from Chanel.com or something. At the time, I don't even think they had re-released it in any stores... which disappointed me. And also it whet my appetite for it. (I love it when polishes play hard-to-get.)

Anyway, the next time I was back at the SFO International terminal (to Taiwan in April), I saw it again and I seized the day... along with one or two other Chanel polishes that aren't as common. (Nothing too famous.) I waited a couple of weeks to wear it because I wanted a nice occasion and eventually, I put it on for my birthday.

Maybe I was having a bad day but I got so annoyed with the application of this polish. Barring Mimosa, Chanel polishes have been a breeze for me to apply. Miami Peach, however, was thick, sheer, and uneven... and I was risking cuticle drag after the first coat. I believe that this was three coats and the only reason I stopped was because I was in danger of sweeping it all off. (No, I don't like to wait between coats. Yes, I know I should.) So... upside... it's jelly. And the gold shimmer is truly lovely. Downside, it clashed badly with my skin. And it took a long time to dry... and then it shrunk.

At least I didn't pay tax on it?

Close up of Miami Peach

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Chanel Mimosa

Why am I only showing three fingers? Because I dinged the index and refused to reapply.


Alright here:

(3 coats)

I think we all know this one has a soft shimmer and I'm really sorry I couldn't capture it for you working with the light I had.

Not happy with this polish. Poor formula, streaky, dull finish (no gloss/shine once dried), application was tough. However, it dried inexplicably quickly given how many coats were required.

I realize that yellows are harder to get right, but still the quality of this one was pretty disappointing.

P.S. Look at my brush! It was like a middle finger from Chanel.

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Testing out a birthday gift (and Chanel Mimosa)

My Dad got me an iPad 2 for my birthday today and a Camera Connection Kit (whose USB functionality was largely destroyed by a previous iOS update). But the SD connector thing works. Kind of annoying but it's very much a spoiled bratty bday girl problem.

Anyway, I decided to give the iPad (and camera kit, and PS Express and BlogPress iPad apps) a test run with my NOTD, Chanel Mimosa. It's pretty nice to be able to crop using a touchscreen. But I can't find a way to resize photos where the photos remain looking decent; it's kinda weird. I'm probably doing something wrong.

Chanel Mimosa


Uh.... I should look up the HTML tag used for centering...

Mimosa itself... I wanted this polish. I waited for this polish. And I paid for this polish. Damn, that's a lot of anticipation and money for something that still has bald spots after four coats. And chips after only about 36 hours of wear. That's kind of unacceptable. I do love the color though. Sunshine yellow with the typically subtle shimmer (gold-colored) that Chanel enjoys using and I enjoy wearing. It's the yellow shimmer I've been desiring for years -- most yellow shimmers are nightmares on me because they often are sheerish and gold-leaning -- but the application ruins it. I understand that crappy formula is the nature of the yellow beast but dude... at least charge me a price that's commensurate with the quality of the polish. :P

Right-o. Time to stop mucking around with new toys (which also includes a pretty pair of Pyrex or pyrex-like knitting needles, a steel crochet hook that look like a rocket and a plush Weighted Companion Cube). There is work to be done. A lot of it.

By the way, anyone want a used iPad (in great condition, with Apple's black case thing)? I'm happy to sell my old one for relatively cheap. Currently, I have no idea what the going rate on used iPads are so make me an offer (please email me using the form above). Happy to knock the price down if you don't need the charger or USB cable for it (mostly because I can't easily find either).

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The Giving Season - Chanel Fire

I've had this polish for a while, but I wanted to save it until this time of year because of the story that comes with it!

I have a friend on the internet. Yes, someone I have never met! She lives in the UK and we message and chat about all sorts of things and we send each other items we can't get in our respective countries. It's definitely nice and we've discovered that we even have a lot in common!

And then out of the blue she just sent me Chanel Fire to thank me for sending things to her (which, let me tell you, she paid for in full so it's not like she owed me money or anything!) and to assist with my Red Hunt in October. She probably doesn't know this, but I was really touched by this gesture. A person who has never met me, and perhaps never will, sent me a truly kind and thoughtful gift.

Plus, I think it looks fab on!

When I think about this I get all warm and fuzzy inside, and it reminds me that the smallest things can say to someone - "I really care". This is the season to remember your friends, and I hope it reminds you to give a little something to the people in your life, even if it's just a few words of appreciation.

So to Alison - thank you! You really are a true friend, and I do hope we can meet one day!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays,

kittytokaren

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Chanel Particuliere: I came late to the party and wished I hadn't paid so much for admission

Chanel Particuliere

Could've sworn that it looked less like milk chocolate on other peoples' hands and more of a sophisticated taupe color, almost grey-leaning... but on my hands, it looks like milk chocolate. I also had a bit of trouble with the application: mine actually applied sort of streakily (you can see this on my ring finger -- second from the right). This sort of color at this sort of price shouldn't take three coats, should it? I'm keeping it for now because it might grow on me (maybe?) but I wouldn't be surprised if I swapped or sold this one day.

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Colors I knew I wouldn't like but bought anyway.

I think all of these polishes are beautiful. They're just not my style. Does that stop me from falling prey to the peer pressure? Hellz no.

Lunar Eclipse

(2 coats)

So prettyyyy. I even like my own swatch of it! But I remember I couldn't wait to get it off me.

Royal Navy

(2 coats)

I don't actually mind this one. It's just that the swatch doesn't look like reality at all. I feel like nobody else stressed that this is not what Royal Navy actually looks like in person! It's so much darker in person (at least on me). The sun somehow really lights this one up. I find that it's almost 119-esque indoors. I own plenty of dark blue jellies. So this just wasn't one I needed.

Space Cadet

(2 coats)

Isn't the duochrome effect cool? Amazing?? Too bad I hate duochromes. I'm an idiot.

Paradoxal

(2 coats)

Ugh. I KNEW I didn't like this one. Why? WHY?!

Nouvelle Vague

(2 coats)

I actually don't mind this one. But For Audrey is on my middle finger, so... I really didn't need this.

These are all gorgeous colors! They're just not my style. I hope you ladies are enjoying them!

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Happy B-Day Mom! Chanel Paradoxal

Today is my mother's birthday, and because of her, I wear Chanel...Paradoxal to be exact!

In outdoor lighting how it generally looks on me - smoky and mysterious:

Speaking of mysterious, here's the hidden shimmer:

Another shot for funsies:

I love this polish. I'm bummed out that so many people thought it was supposed to be a shimmerbomb, and were disappointed when it wasn't. It's not *supposed* to be chock full of shimmer - it's supposed to have that chic and elegant subtle hidden shimmer that Chanel does so well. It just adds one extra layer of subtlety to the polish...gorgeous!

Again - Happy Birthday, Mutti!

kittytokaren

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Chanel Khaki Collection

So when I said I kind of bought into the Chanel hype, I meant... it got me big time. The morning of the Khaki collection release, I called five or six Chanel boutiques in several states... because it wasn't online yet. On an NBer's tip, I ended up calling the Chanel counter in the Bellevue, WA Nordstrom's and gave my order to the friendliest-sounding sales associate ever while walking from a bus stop to my new psychiatrist. (And I love the new psychiatrist. I've had seven of them in the last nine years and I only really liked one out of them before this one. So I feel really lucky.) I figured it was safe crossing a bridge with no people around but with cars zooming by to say my credit card number aloud in public. (I said it quietly.)

This ended up being a LOT of money... and it's not like it's super sold out or anything yet. But I don't particularly regret getting them even if they aren't the most special colors in the world.

Chanel Khaki Brun

This one was an unexpected favorite. It's kind of a muddy green brown creme, kind of in a similar line as Obsessive Compulsive Swamp Thing and MAC Dry Martini. Except this is more brown than either of those (I think). It also has a bit of orange lurking in it. I seriously love this sort of color. And it applied so beautifully well. If I had used a thick coat, it could have been a one coater but as it was, only two thin coats were needed.

Chanel Khaki Vert

This reminds me of the green in a camouflage print that has been washed a couple of times. I love it. It's not as green as I thought it would be but I love how greyed out it is. Unlike Essie Sew Psyched (which is often mentioned in the following context: "I have Essie Sew Psyched and I like it better anyway"), it is a straightforward creme: no shimmer like Sew Psyched. This photo was taken on the third day of wear. No chips, only the slightest bit of tipwear but no shrinkage. I don't really attribute this to Chanel as much as I attribute it to my Gelous/Diamont combo which seems to make all polishes wear like iron. Two coats.

Chanel Khaki Rose

This color is so good at giving me lobster hands. I don't know what to call this color... Russet? I didn't dislike it but I didn't like it either. Still, it applied very well in two coats. Some people on NB asked about whether one of the brown Barielles could be a dupe. Since I have the Barielles (reviewing coming tomorrow or the day after!), I decided to do a quick comp:

Barielle Cowl of the Wild & Chanel Khaki Rose

They're pretty similar looking in the bottle. Cowl of the Wild is a bit darker and more brown. But the difference is more obvious on the nail...

Barielle Cowl of the Wild on the leftmost finger; Chanel Khaki Rose on the rest.

If you added a bit of a cream or slightly pink colored polish to the Barielle, you could probably get a good approximation of Chanel Khaki Rose. But what you won't get is the great application of the Chanel. As with other recent darker-colored Chanel Releases (Paradoxal, Strong), I found the formula for all three Khakis to be wonderful two-coaters: thick, pigmented, easy to control, and they were 80% dried before I finished. The Barielle was harder to control, more sheer and took three coats before it was opaque. Whether it is worth it to pay $20 more for great application vs decent application is up to the individual, obviously. :)

September 18th (15m cardio), September 19th (50m cardio).

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Chanel Strong

I do admit being suckered into the Chanel hype. I hate myself for it but ever since missing out on Jade because of my somewhat superior attitude about the brand and price ("I could get five polishes of the same quality for the same price, all people see is the brand name!"), I've decided that paying $23 upfront is better than regretting for months afterward. Also, Paradoxal and Jade Rose have really turned me around on Chanel's formula and wearability. (That and it's not like I can't rid myself of Chanel via swap or sale.) So "buy now, think later" has become my attitude towards Chanel LEs.

At least I'm not giving my money to eBay scalpers. Just to Chanel, who plays their customer base so well.

Chanel Strong

The formula is LOVELY on this, just flawless and exactly the sort of application I like best. Pleasantly thick and very pigmented, goes on smoothly and is extremely easy to control. Two coats. See, some people are magical with nail polish and can seemingly apply the worst formula as if it's the best -- I am NOT one of those people. When a formula (or brush) is a bit off, I'm not great at making it work for me. So I value polishes whose formula and brushes are perfectly to my liking. ...this color, however, is just sort of ordinary to me. It looks like a reddish shimmering brown indoors and outdoors, it takes on this purplish burgundy glow that is pretty but not outstandingly so. I don't think it's worth the money I spent on it... but I don't regret it, which is actually a hard place to be because now I don't know if I want to keep it or not!

September 11th (15m cardio), September 12th (30m cardio), September 15th (60m cardio + very light strength training). Yep, took two days off. I was doing a lot of cardio but not enough stretching and my legs were like rubber bands pulled to their max... so I decided to lay off for a day. And then the next day, there was a guy who seemed kind of sketch in the workout room so I decided to skip out on working out that night...

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Comparisons: Milani Bare in Mind and Teddy Bare and Chanel Jade Rose and Particuliere

It feels so good to have time to myself, to not worry about impending work/doom. I actually have time to swatch! Imagine that. (No, I haven't finished swatching the Essie collex yet...)

Also, it sucks to have travel-ravaged cuticles. Ugh, so dry! So dry!

No doubt we have all seen the Milani Dress Maker and Chanel Jade comp pics. I haven't seen as many Bare in Mind and Jade Rose pics or Teddy Bare and Particuliere comp pics, so I decided to do a couple this afternoon.

Milani Bare in Mind (with Chanel Jade Rose on one finger)

Yeah, you can spot the difference here from a mile away. Both needed a fourth coat to get rid of VNL (I only did three coats here). The Milani is more pink while the Chanel is more peach. I suspect that the base colors are really very similar but the Milani way overdoes the magenta shimmer while the Chanel is very subtle about it. This results in the Milani looking more pink than the Chanel. Really, hidden shimmer is my favorite thing about Jade Rose (which is my favorite pink polish, and I hate pink polishes): it's so subtle but so beautiful. I haven't posted any swatch pics of it yet because I have no good swatch pics of it. I may post my crappy ones soon though. Hey, if I'm posting deathly dry cuticles, why am I being so picky? I don't think the Chanel is $19 easier to apply but for what it's worth, it was easier to apply.

Milani Teddy Bare (with Chanel Particuliere on one finger)

This is a somewhat better dupe -- and the photo doesn't show the difference as well, alas -- but the Chanel is actually lighter than the Milani. Both apply very well: two coats each and very smooth. And I actually like Teddy Bare better than Particuliere: Particuliere always struck me as being way too light -- egads, another swatch I haven't posted yet -- and Teddy Bare is just a bit darker with a more grey cast to it. I actually think the Milani looks more sophisticated than the Chanel. :P

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(Not a pretty picture of) Chanel Paradoxal NOTD

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).

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On-the-fly mall swatch: Chanel Paradoxal v $OPI Metro Chic

My Nordstrom got Chanel Paradoxal in today, and I know a lot of you (like me!) have been foaming at the mouth to see this one in action!

Before I paid the Chanel fee, I was curious to see how this matched up to Sephora by OPI Metro Chic - the scuttlebutt was that Paradoxal might be its darker, more brooding sister. So I quickly swatched Paradoxal at Nordie's and headed over to Sephora to swatch MC, so you're seeing very sketchy mall swatches here!

In all the pics, Paradoxal is the darker of the two. I don't know if I think that these two are sisters - maybe half sisters? They definitely from the same genre and the colour try to evoke a similar smokey, sexy, neutral-ish feeling. However, Metro Chic has a malted-milk creaminess to it that is lacking in Paradoxal - plus, it is much lighter and has more 'taupe' flavour to it - whereas Paradoxal is plummier. Paradoxal has that famous subtle Chanel shimmer - but trust me, it's very subtle. Especially for those of us thinking of wearing it in the Fall/Winter season, I think the shimmer is going to show itself only rarely. If you're considering this, I wouldn't factor the shimmer into your decision - if you don't like the base colour, you're not going to enjoy it.

What do I think?? I LOVE it! This was pretty much made for me - it's greyed out, sort of neutral, and purplish. I love edgy neutrals and I love purple, so this is perfect. Plus, the formula was lovely so that gives it some more points. Needless to say, I bought it. I will probably wait until the Fall to really get wear out of this though.

Just wanted to show you really quick!!

kittytokaren

PS Don't forget to tune in July 1 for our NEW and IMPROVED site, courtesy of mKat!!!! It's going to be amazing :)

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No Regrets: Chanel Nouvelle Vague

I went to my grandfather's funeral earlier this week (I sported Essie Demure Vixen btw...), which as you can imagine wasn't the most uplifting occasion, so I really needed something bright with some punch for today - and Chanel Nouvelle Vague was waiting! I had passed this one by many times, and told myself I didn't need it - but then I realized that of all the China Glazes I used to have (and gave up, because no matter what they chip terribly on me), the one I missed most was For Audrey. This is a veritable dupe for FA, and Chanel wears beautifully on me.

My grandfather was someone who lived with no regrets - ever. I got my hands on this polish to alleviate the regret I was feeling - that special kind of Chanel regret - so in a way, this is a bit of an homage to him. To make it even more fitting, he loved Chanel!

For you Opa, Chanel Nouvelle Vague:

See how different it can look in different lights?

Not all that much to say about this one that hasn't already been said - it's wonderful. I find the colour uplifting and calming all at the same time. It's a lot brighter than I usually go, but since its about 100ºF outside, I think if there's any time to go bright - it's now! Oh and I'm rocking Essie Carousel Coral on my toesies, and I think the combo is pretty great! :)

I'm thrilled and relieved I got this - and I think I will enjoy it for years! No regrets whatsoever. :)

Do you regret not picking up a certain polish?

kittytokaren

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