NOTD: Inspired by Chanel

So, I cannot bring myself to spend $25 on a single bottle of nail polish, but I absolutely fell in love with the colors from Chanel's Fall 2011 line, especially Graphite! It is this awesome dark warmed gunmetal with metallic flecks that keep it from showing brush strokes and give it this wonderful depth. I'd picked up Spy Wear, a metallic khaki-brown steel shade made by Pixel, this nail polish brand I just found at Ulta. After two coats of Spy Wear (enough to get it opaque!), it reminded me a lot of Graphite, but without the same shimmery depth. I grabbed an old favorite, Sephora by OPI's Already Famous, a bronze and gold subtle glittery shade. One layer of that later, and I came up with a pretty good dupe for Graphite! Already Famous added a bit more depth and mixed up some of the type of shimmer present in the polish. Even if I'd had to buy both colors new, it would have put me out $11.50, which is a far cry from $25! And even Spy Wear on its own is close enough that if you are lusting after Graphite and want something that will get you 75% of the way there, Spy Wear will only run you $2.50. I was at Nordstrom today and slapped on a thick, opaque layer of Graphite on my little finger to see just how close it was to my dupe; Graphite is a little bit cooler and darker, has a little bit more shimmer, but it's very much in the same vein. Good enough for my money! 

Spy Wear, by Pixel!

Already Famous, by Sephora by OPI

My concoction on my three left fingers, Graphite on my little finger on the right 

Graphite on my little finger, Spy Wear and Already Famous on the rest of my nails

Close up of Graphite (on the right) and my approximation (on the left). 

It's not exactly the same, but for those of us on a budget, it may be close enough! If I had an empty bottle to franken in, I'm sure that I'd be able to add a gunmetal shade to get the color closer, but as it stands, this is a quick and easy nail, and I think it's lovely for an on-trend fall look! Alternatively, if Graphite is too cool-toned for you, Spy Wear or Already Famous (which is even warmer) might be your cup of tea!