Chanel Summer 2011 nail polish in Mimosa

When I first heard Chanel was releasing a new yellow nail polish for Summer 2011's collection, it made me pause. "Didn't they already do that with the Robertson collection?". I remembered the much-loved, limited edition lemony shade called L.A. Sunrise. I never owned L.A. Sunrise, and after seeing the two other shades Chanel is offering up for this summer, Mimosa was the only one I walked away with. Morning Rose is a very pretty warm pink with gold sparkles, but I already own Ming, which looks ridiculously similar on my hands. And the sheerer-than-an-essie-sheer Beige Pétale is a joke, to put it nicely ;)

Mimosa is a bright and cheerful medium yellow with small gold glitter in it. Honestly, I don't like that about it (I prefer the subtle microshimmer/ perle that Chanel does so well). I have never owned or even worn a yellow polish, so I thought it would be fun to give it a whirl. Of course, the sales associates kept telling me on and on how fabulous and amazing Mimosa was, but I couldn't help but notice that Morning Rose was the chosen shade for all of their hands and feet. Hmmm.....

So I wore it as a nail of the day. And...I think this is the most love-it-or-hate-it color I have ever worn in my entire life. A couple of people saw Mimosa on me and liked it, but the large majority of people actually winced, turned their heads away, and said things like, "UGH! What IS that color?!" MIMOSA!

The formula was nice, and it went on opaque in two coats. But while fun to try, at the end of the day, Mimosa just isn't me (but it has a happy new home with a friend of mine :).