Chanel Summer 2013 Le Vernis in Lilis 647 Nail Polish Review, Photos, Swatches

Chanel Lilis 647 Le Vernis is the last of the three Chanel Summer 2013 nail polishes I purchased. I hesitated initially because this deep, rich coral looked too warm for my taste when I glanced at it in department store lighting. This relatively conservative (in comparison to the "louder" metallic Bel-Argus and Azure from the same release) true cream nail polish, however, won me over at first swipe. 

Sabrina of the Beauty Look Book convinced me to purchase it when I saw how coral-peach Lilis could look in full sun (as demonstrated in the first feature photo). She was entirely correct when describing it as a cross between Chanel's Holiday and Distraction, though I find Lilis appears much closer to Holiday on my tan hands. You can see Sabrina's comparison swatches HERE so you can gauge the tones for yourself.

Lilis is definitely one of the polishes I will reach for when heading off for beach bum days because it looks fabulously fun yet ladylike. It reaches full opacity with two medium coats. I recommend medium because this cream formula self-levels easily and dries quickly, but it does seem to read more coral-peach with two slightly thinner coats. 

Indoors and in fluorescent lighting, Lilis reads mostly red-orange (see above) so I find this is as close to Chanel's Holiday I can wear without aging my hands even further. My hands are tan and naturally on the wrinkly side due to genetics, so I generally stay away from true warm orange or orange-based shades because they make my skin look sallow. The saving grace of Lilis is that it contains just enough pink in the base to make me fond of it but more importantly, wears like a champion. I still prefer the brightening fuchsia shimmer in Distraction, but the quality of Lilis won me over. I highly recommend finishing off your nails with Butter London's Hardware or Deborah Lippmann's On a Clear Day top coats for the high gloss finish that Lilis requires for a little extra flair.

Bottom Line: This red-orange chameleon is cheery and just different enough from other Chanel and Dior corals to justify the purchase!

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