Deborah Lippmann Mirrored Chrome Nail Lacquer Collection for Summer 2012 Swatches and Review

Haven't seem chrome-finish polishes in a while, have we? I can't remember the last chrome collection that came out. These new Deborah Lippmann mirrored chrome polishes are a little different than the chromes of the past, especially since they have the added perk of being multichromes instead of single-color metallics.

Deborah Lippmann Mirrored Chrome Nail Lacquer in Private Dancer

Deborah Lippmann Private Dancer. This one is a shape-shifter for sure. In dim lighting, it's a deep yet bright blue-toned purple with a metallic, near-chrome finish. In daylight, it flashes between lighter red-toned purple and the darker blue-toned purple from before, but it also has green and gold duochrome. It looks completely different every time I look at it. I thought it was going to be fairly dark, a Cadbury purple color, but it's lighter on the nail than it looks in the bottle. Also, for once, it's named after a song I like. Tina Turner is bad ass.

Deborah Lippmann Mirrored Chrome Nail Lacquer in Sugar Daddy

Deborah Lippmann Sugar Daddy. This one was a surprise. I was expecting to like this the least because I thought it would be light and champagne-colored, but it's actually my favorite of the three. It has a warm champagne pink chrome base and some very strong green and gold duochrome. The finish is the closest to true chrome and the duochrome flash is intense. Makes me think of a sheerer, very toned-down version of Nubar Wildlife (gold/pink/green multichrome). I absolutely love this. It's the most unique of the three, and if any of these are worth $18, it's this one. Also, these polishes are usually named after songs, but I'm not sure which Sugar Daddy this is named after. My mind goes either to Tom Jones or Hedwig and the Angry Inch, so....

Deborah Lippmann Mirrored Chrome Nail Lacquer in Swagga Like Us

Deborah Lippmann Swagga Like Us. I thought this was going to be a Chanel Péridot dupe and I was starting to regret ordering it, but when it arrived, it turned out not to be, so I was relieved! This is a very warm golden chrome base with orange/gold, green, aqua and blue duochrome. It's warmer and has a different base color than Péridot, but otherwise they're similar duochrome-wise.

A cool tiger-striped pattern formed in my bottle while I was swatching. Thought it was neat.

I did a little side-by-side comparison to show the similarities between Swagga Like Us and Péridot:

Left to right (pinkie to index finger):
Deborah Lippmann Swagga Like Us (three coats)
Chanel Péridot (three coats)
Deborah Lippmann Swagga Like Us (three coats)
Chanel Péridot (three coats)

Not duplicates, but pretty similar. One's warmer than the other. Same duochrome colors.

The formula on these was good. Old-style chromes had a tendency to be really watery, but these didn't have that problem. They were very thin and a little runny, but not out of control. They applied smoothly and without pooling as long as I did thin coats. I did need to be mindful of brushstrokes, but the majority of them disappeared as the polish dried. These are pretty sheer and I needed to do three coats for opacity. They dry very quickly and look chrome-like even without topcoat.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with these. I wish the purple was a little darker and more chrome-like, and even though Swagga Like Us isn't an exact copy of Chanel Péridot, I don't know if I'd buy it again knowing just how similar they are. Actually, I'd buy Swagga Like Us over the Chanel if I had the choice, just because it's cheaper and the color is a little more saturated, plus the warmth makes it slightly easier to wear. Sugar Daddy is perfect, wouldn't change anything about it. If I had to choose just one polish from the collection to buy, it would be that one.

I ordered mine directly from Deborah Lippmann's website, but these are also available right now from Neiman Marcus.