Chanel • Riva - cote d'azur collection 2010-2011 • Polishes

Where To Buy?

7Out7 on 6/17/2011 6:08:00 AM more reviews by 7Out7

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I bought this last year when it launched and it's been sitting around untried since then. Yesterday I decided to give Riva a shot. Since it demanded four coats to get out all the streaks I don't think I wil be fooling with this polish again. I dislike having to spend so much time on a manicure. Each coat needs to dry at least thirty minutes to avoid dings and dents later on. Using Riva is an all-afternoon activity.

The first coat was super sheer and very streaky. After the second coat you can get an idea of where the color is headed. Still, it needs four thick coats to eliminate all streaks. By that time the overall feel is "too thick." The shade itself is a gorgeous Tiffany-like blue but I have seen similar blues in many other brands that don't require four coats to achieve bottle color.

Some people mention slight glimmer particles in this polish but I don't see that from my bottle, even when I examine my nails in direct sunlight. On me this is a very pleasant light blue un-sparkly creme.

Oh, yes....and it bubbles! I hate it when that happens but after four coats I expect to see that. I fixed the two nails that bubbled (by applying acetone with a clean up brush in broad strokes until I got beneath the layer where the bubbles were and then re-applying another thick coat to get the color to match the other fingers). Riva is nice but not special enough to go through all this. This one needs to find a new home.

EDIT: I just kicked up the overall rating on this polish by one notch because it remained intact for seven days straight. I did not have one chip the whole time. Tip wear, a huge problem for me with lots of polishes, was nowhere to be seen. I could have pushed the manicure a few more days but was tired of the shade. I just wanted to mention that despite having to apply four coats, a time consuming endeavor, it was well worth it to have a manicure that remained bright and fresh looking for so long.

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*TOP REVIEWER* LUVrascal on 3/16/2011 4:10:00 AM more reviews by LUVrascal

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I love this color. Whenever I wear it I can't stop staring at my fingers and toes. The subtle shimmer is stunning and very unique. I find a lot of pale blues to look odd against my fair skin, but this is beautiful. The paleness doesn't look milky or washed out like many similar versions of this color. I have quite a few "beachy" pale blues in my polish collection that I tend to ignore. But this really has a glow that looks unique.


I have to use three coats to get an opaque color, as others have mentioned. Any less than that looks streaky and uneven. But the extra coat doesn't bother me at all because after that it looks perfect. I do have to be fairly careful applying it because the room for error is almost non-existent. I use a top coat and a base coat as well. It lasts forever without chipping or fading... at least on my toes. As a general rule my fingernails need to be re-polished after a few days.


I've been showing off this color so much lately and have received a lot of compliments. I hope I don't run out before it's gone...

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tazzyface on 3/7/2011 8:45:00 AM more reviews by tazzyface

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Other, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

Yes, the colour is a bit sheer and takes 3 coats to become opaque. Yes, the formula isn't as great as other Chanel nail polishes.

I DON'T CARE. This colour is absolutely BEAUTIFUL and I'm willing to put in a bit of work in order to get it to show up nicely. A few blogs I've read have said that this colour is very dupeable. I disagree; I own dozens of pale blue polishes and none of them hold a candle to Riva, even though the shimmer is so slight there is something about it that separates it from other polishes of a similar colour. I love the slight jelly finish as opposed to the typical creme finish of polishes this colour. It's so gorgeous and I agree with the previous reviewer who said it makes pale girls (like myself) look like an ice queen.

Gosh, I just love this polish to death! I wish it wasn't limited edition so that I could buy a thousand back ups.

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lealealea on 1/15/2011 8:46:00 PM more reviews by lealealea

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Blue    

I love this colour with my super pale skin (my hands look like ice queen hands) so pretty! Opaque with 3 coats (sometimes 2) stays forever! A great Chanel polish!

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Shabby413 on 1/4/2011 6:12:00 PM more reviews by Shabby413

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

Very flattering baby blue -- so pretty with a soft, delicate shimmer. This is a great color for spring and summer. I love it, would recommend.

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*TOP REVIEWER* dreamspice on 12/15/2010 1:45:00 PM more reviews by dreamspice

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Olive   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

I really really wanted to love this. But I didn't. The color itself, is beautiful. Sort of a desaturated Robin's Egg Blue - the exact same color as the porcelain Tiffany's box a friend gave me in high school. (The box has faded in the sunlight and now is a dreamier, dustier version of the Tiffany shade.) And the final product looked beautiful - just not on me. So why am I only giving this three instead of four or five stars? For one thing, the formula was not the beauteous goodness I expect from a high end polish like Chanel or RBL. It was too thick and therefore really difficult to work with. My right hand looked absolutely horrible compared to my left, no matter how meticulous I tried to be. The polish itself was very sheer so not only did it apply thick, I needed three somewhat thick layers to achieve bottle color. And the color has a lot of grey in it so that on my toe nails it just made my toes look dirty (instead of the anticipated happiness I was expecting). Between this and a bad bottle of Vendetta, I'm starting to question my love of Chanel.

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MissMed on 12/11/2010 2:00:00 AM more reviews by MissMed

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I know many people have been critical about Riva's application and formula, but I can't help but love this polish. I agree that the application is not as good as some of the other Chanel polishes (I needed good three coats) but the colour makes up for it. It is a beautiful, wintery, moody sort of unusual baby blue and I can catch some of that fine shimmer in the light. I always get compliments when I wear this nail polish, and I certainly don't regret buying it. I would buy it again if I could.

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acheong on 12/9/2010 3:51:00 PM more reviews by acheong

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

This is my most expensive nail polish (It's a couple more dollars more than other Chanel polishes). I'm guilty of falling for the hype and bought it once it was available online. I wanted to like this, but I was really disappointed by the formula.
I applied the polish like I do with any other polish (base, 3 coats with a minute breather between each, and seche vite followed right after). Being so expensive, I was hoping for a better quality (and I own another polish from Chanel that applies beautifully), but this is one of the worst nail polishes I've experienced.
It's goopy even with the thin layers. The color is really sheer, but with each coat, a big difference in opacity is achieved. But it's really difficult to have it look even! Maybe I didn't give it enough time between each coat? I don't want to spend all day doing my nails though! Over two hours after it was dry to the touch, I hit one of my nails and it took off the polish down to my nail! And it was still pliable enough for me to push some polish over where it got scooped out! It's now over 12 hours since I've done my nails, and I can still dent the polish if I apply medium force with a nail on the polish.
In the light, I don't notice a nice depth with the shimmers. Instead, I see that the polish is more transparent in some areas and not others.
This polish is also the only one that has EVER bubbled on me. I didn't know what bubbling looked like until I used Riva.
I also thought the color would be more icy/white looking, but it's far from that and actually looks quite dupable. It just looks like baby blue to me. Granted, it is a pretty and wearable color on my warm coloring, but I don't think it's anything close to being spectacular or completely original or best color ever, even if you're into those blues.
Overall, I don't think this is worth the price. I wish I could re-do my polish since it looks like a little kid did my nails, but I don't want to spend all the time Riva needs to look perfect. But it does look decent if my hands are far enough away from close inspection.

Edit 12/13/10: Okay okay, I found that I do get compliments on the polish when I'm out! But I'm always embarrassed when they want a closer look and I feel like I have to explain that the formula was bad. Also, it hasn't been a week yet, and the polish has chipped pretty bad.

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*TOP REVIEWER* storybookheroine on 12/9/2010 3:31:00 AM more reviews by storybookheroine

Age: 30-35   Skin: Very Dry, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I am generally not a fan of blue nail polish mostly because it looks terrible on me but I absolutely love Riva. It's a shade you see in Anthropologie catalogs often, the color they paint skies in shoots or the color of a Robin's egg. It's very interesting and sophisticated, Chanel is very good at making the unwearable wearable. This is a warmish shade, it doesn't look cool toned to me at all and photographs do not capture the depth added so it has that little special something something that makes us buy Chanel. There is a slight irridesence and shimmer that makes the polish not flat but unique and attractive on the nails. The formula is thin and I needed 4 layers to cover but one base coat to hide the nail gives you the option to let the polish be very light with a coat or two. The shade changed each time I applied a layer and though I'm most likely to wear it 4 layer and straight up, I think the sheer coat of it on the nail is ethereal and pretty. For me this might be a signature color. I wear neutral coloring often and today I was admiring the look of my nails with a medium brown cardigan and it looks great with creams and buff shades as well. This is very spring for me but in California, with our weather, I can wear it. I get why they put this in the resort collection, it does make you think of fancy far away beaches and the warm sun. How does Chanel do this? Makes me sad I missed Jade though blue may be better for me. I'm buying a second bottle and I do think I'll get to it. Love this shade!

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jmsk112486 on 11/28/2010 12:59:00 AM more reviews by jmsk112486

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I was so excited for this nail polish when I saw the spring collection. I kept my eyes on it for a while and when I saw it at the Chanel website I immediately ordered it. I should have done my research first though. The color was very disappointing and the texture was not up the usual Chanel standard. The blue while looked gorgeous in the press releases took at least 4 coats to build up to the intensity and the shine was less then the Chanel standard even though it was more expensive then other polishes. The micro shimmer every body talks about is present but I just couldn't get over the fact that for a 27 dollar nail polish I needed four coats!! Sorry Chanel, this is going back!

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zulufanatic on 11/21/2010 2:46:00 AM more reviews by zulufanatic

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

When I first saw Riva, I knew I had to have it. Since I missed out on Jade, I wanted to get this color as soon as I could. I really like the color. The Chanel microshimmer gives awesome depth to the pale blue. I 'm really glad it isn't chalky either. The formula is great. If you allow each coat to dry for a few minutes, it won't bubble. I was surprised to see that after applying 4 coats on my fingernails, I didn't experience any denting or scratches. The polish dries to a nice, hard finish. The only thing I can think of that anyone would dislike about Riva is the amount of time you have to take applying so many coats, but for the result you get, it's worth it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* valentina555 on 11/19/2010 8:25:00 PM more reviews by valentina555

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

while YES, i would rebuy this again, in honesty i must give an overall rating of only 3.
reason being, the formula. coming from chanel for 27+tax and being nearly impossible to find (so, factor hours spent searching for it into the price), there is no excuse for such a sheer formula. i used 3 coats on my petite, short nails but 4 would look just right. on longer nails i could not imagine less than 4 coats looking good.
this *should*, imo, have a formula comparable to nouvelle vague, or better.

however... the color. chanel does it again. this company knows how to take colors that could look garish, and make them look feminine and sophisticated. don't get me wrong, i have no problem with garish nail polish! love me some neons. but there is a time and place, and with Riva it could almost be forgotten you're wearing blue. it is soft, delicate, dreamy. other baby blues tend to be chalky, but this has an airy-ness to it. beautiful.

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