Thanks to Barbie Fatigue, I’m Switching to Dark, Moody Nail Colors — and This Gel-Like Polish Is My Go-to

I’m sorry to be a curmudgeon, but I am so incredibly over the Barbie aesthetic. I’m a maximalist and I love pink, but it’s been so overdone recently that I would be fine with not seeing a pink thing again for months — especially manicures. Coincidentally, I also never want to hear about anything-milk nails again, so I have gone in the opposite direction. I’ve been into dark and moody nail colors lately, the best of which is Chanel’s Le Vernis Longwear Nail Color in Le Diable en Chanel. 

Of course, there are a lot of dark nail polishes out there, including many black options, but Chanel’s is different. It looks and acts like a gel; it’s opaque, glossy, and smooth. I don’t use a base coat and most of the time I even skip the top coat, too (I’m lazy), and it still lasts at least two weeks.

Before applying the polish, I clean my nails with rubbing alcohol, buff out any snags or imperfections in the texture. Then, I paint on two coats and forget about it — Chanel’s nail polish dries within literal minutes. And when I say dry, I mean you can rub your finger over it, take a shower, and even nap with your hands under your face, and the polish remains intact — not the least bit smudged, textured, or accidentally embossed. 

The glossy gel-looking finish wouldn’t mean anything however if it didn’t have lasting power that matched. I often forget that this is regular polish that I can remove with acetone and a cotton ball because a week after I first apply it, it's still chip-free and pristine. 

If you’re over Barbiecore but don’t want to transition to black nail polish yet, I am also a big fan of the brand’s Oiseau de Nuit shade, a deep eggplant purple, and Rouge Noir, which looks like black at a distance but is in fact a dark blood red. And, if you have other shade preferences, there are 24 colors to choose from, including lighter neutrals. 

At $32, the Chanel nail polish is relatively expensive, but that’s because it’s unlike any other similar product you’ll ever try. It’s one of those products where once you try it, the price and hype both make sense. Right now I’m staring at my two-week-old manicured hands, amazed by how clean and professional my DIY job looks. 

Head to Chanel to shop the Le Vernis Longwear Nail Color in a shade that transcends the current trends — you won’t regret it.