It seems that everyone and their kittens are obsessing over Chanel Paradoxal nail polish from the Fall 2010 collection.  I, too, think it’s gorgeous but sadly I am on a self-imposed Chanel counter ban.  So instead of forking over $20+ (likely $30) dollars for the Chanel, I thought I would mix two inexpensive colours that I already have to see if I can get close enough to Paradoxal.

If you’re not familiar with Chanel Paradoxal, have a look-see over at All Lacquered Up for swatches.

Rimmel Lycra Wear in 405 Fantasy, Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro in 207 Steel Gray

Wearing 1 part Rimmel Fantasy, 1 part Rimmel Steel Gray
(I realize that I’m probably never gonna be a nail blogger in this lifetime.)

This was my first time mixing two nail colours together and I was pretty pleased.  I didn’t really know what to mix them in, so I just mixed them over a sheet of wax paper and it worked out well.

I think I have a pretty good dupe here, judging by the swatches I found all over the Internet.  It might be a tad bit too purple, so I’ll probably go 2 parts gray, 1 part purple next time.  It just takes a little bit of elbow grease to mix the colours, and some nail polish remover to clean off the brush to not contaminate the colour in the original bottle.  And for $0, that’s a pretty sweet deal.