Perfecting a polish yourself is for some a therapeutic tool for unwinding after a long day. But hitting the nail on the head can sometimes cause more stress than its worth without the right products. For the immaculate manicure you need the best tools, and if you aren’t using the absolute best polish then your handiwork might not meet the mark. Look no further than Chanel Le Vernis, the nail varnish on which the Because team depends.

We were first introduced to Le Vernis at the A/W94 show, and Chanel’s iconic nail polish ranges have sat firmly established on their beauty shelves ever since. The preferred lacquer of many celebrity nail artists, Chanel’s Le Vernis is a standout when it comes to an ultra-glossy finish, rapid drying times and long-term durability. Since 1994, the colour Rouge Noir has indisputably held the position of iconic shade, with a range of customer favourite shades around it.


In an exciting turn of events, Chanel has captured our attention by revisiting this beloved line and updating its colour vocabulary but, don’t worry, it has kept its seven emblematic shades – including our favourite Rouge Noir, plus another top-performing colour, Ballerina, which has also had its coveted place saved in Chanel’s polish roster. With 17 new additions to the colour palette, Chanel has approached this with the aim to partner a shade to every personality. With a range spanning bold and bright to more muted and subtle, each hue has been envisioned as a language to reflect a unique style.

We had the pleasure of testing out the expanded collection for ourselves, with a morning hosted by Chanel Beauty, illustrator Zeena Shah and Harriet Westmoreland, the renowned manicurist who holds the title of the best nail beds in the industry (at least in our opinion). Kicking things off with probably the most therapeutic start to a work morning; a marbling workshop with Zeena. Each wearing a Chanel apron in the shade of the updated collection, to avoid any marbling spillages – a sweet touch. Using colours inspired by the Le Vernis collection we created a set of cards using vibrant dyes.


I spent the morning picking Harriet’s brains on all things nail trends, discussing how we are moving away from sheer pinks and the infamous Hailey Bieber nails, towards sheer browns and whites with a cool tone, a cool tone being the most important factor to complement any skin tone. The thought of there being a brown tone to compliment my red undertone skin was music to my ears. She recommended the shade 103 - Légende, dubbed to be the soon sell-out colour of the season.

Shop the new collection at chanel.com…