NOTD: Revlon Carbonite

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When I first saw bottle images of Chanel Graphite, I was sort of whatever about it. Just another metalic charcoal/gunmetal, which is saying a lot because I happen to love that type of shade. Then I saw nail swatches and was singing a different tune. I just couldn't justify the price.

In steps Revlon to save the day (and the wallet!) Just as they copied duped last fall's Chanel "It Shade" Paradoxal ( I manged to get a few bottles of the Revlon dupe for a steal of a price; you know what that means... stay tuned) they did it once again. Now, Canadian ladies know that Revlon likes hold things back from our cosmetic obsessed little hands, so I wasn't expecting to see this on our shelves.

But I did!

Carbonite is a metallic charcoal/gunmetal shade. In the bottle there is a hint of taupe as well, but it doesn't translate to the nail. Application was pretty easy, one coat did the job well, but I did notice that if you hesitated or tried to go back over the nail it made a mess and did not settle out on it's own. The above photos are base coat, one coat of Carbonite and a thick coat of Seche Vite, as it seemed that Carbonite doesn't have the shiniest of finishes and needs the extra "oomph".

As I mentioned, I do not own Chanel Graphite, but from swatches out there (a quick Google will get you what you want) the Revlon version is quite close to the original, but does lack a bit of the chromatic sparkle that Chanel's version does. In any case, I'm very happy with Revlon's Carbonite and will gladly pocket the $20 (give or take) savings.

Have you tried either polishes? Which do you prefer?