It's not easy being green

I must admit, there is one particular trend, or shall I say frenzy, that has sparked my curiosity lately. For Chanel's Fall 2009 collection Karl Lagerfeld infused pretty pastel greens ("jade") and soft pinks perfectly with the classic blacks and whites of the Chanel aesthetic and legacy. It is always easy to find inspiration in Lagerfeld's collections, so what happened next only reinforced my adoration for all things Chanel & Lagerfeld.
But FIRST, take a gander of some of my personal faves from this collection:

Images via www.style.com

Now on to the juicy stuff...
In October 2009 the Chanel website and a few exclusive boutiques began carrying a limited-edition nail polish duo inspired by the latest collection, Jade & Jade Rose Le Vernis nail color. But let's focus on the true star here: a minty, pastel Jade, a color so unexpected and new it's refreshing, sold out in 40 minutes flat. The rest of the world had to suffer until someone found a worthy substitute. These days I hear Jade is still being sold on ebay for over $200, so I wouldn't hold my breath if you want to nab the real thing without going broke.
It's so unfair.

What recently brought me thinking about this travesty was during a trip to the drugstore, where I began to notice more and more green polishes slyly popping up, in their almost-but-nice-try pastels. The people have spoken, and they still crave their Jade fix!

I decided to try one out yesterday, and decided on one of the lower-priced versions, since I didn't yet know if green would live up to my expectations. And secretly, I really, really wanted it to. We're at the ideal point to bite a new idea in fashion: no one really knows about it yet, so you don't have to feel lame when everyone else starts wearing it cause YOU were the first.

Anyway, I chose a nice little bottle of "Lime Freeze" by Petites at a budget-friendly $1.99.

(WARNING: this is where it gets ugly)

The color certainly wasn't and Jade, but it wasn't completely awful, either (depending on who you ask). It had too much "lime" and not enough "freeze," and mostly the yellowish pale green failed to complement my fair complexion. The product itself didn't suck, and as we all know Petites comes in in more colors than ice cream flavors at Baskin-Robbins, so perhaps our 2-dollar relationship is worth saving (at least for emergencies).

So, being the ever-curious and somewhat shameless person I am, I began to play with my new toy. My reasoning, as a forewarning, was that I wanted to see if I could transform the garish lime green into something more useful.

Sorry to leave you hanging at such a moment of suspense, but you will just have to wait and see what I wound up doing! Don't worry, entertainment is a guarantee.

xxoo

stellbell