Budget Beauty: Channeling Chanel Paradoxal

Kirstie gave us a sneak peek at Chanel's latest "eek OMG must have!" nail varnish shade, Paradoxal, last month, and it finally hit counters on August 13th. If you haven't been able to get your paws on it - or simply don't fancy shelling out twenty-plus sheckles on a nail varnish - worry not. Provided you don't have your little heart set on a dead-on dupe, it is possible to get the look without having to hit up a Chanel counter.

On the nails, Paradoxal is an aubergine colour with grey undertones and subtle - almost indiscernible, really - micro-shimmer, so dusky greyish purples are what you should be looking for to replicate the look. The closest thing I've seen is Models Own Purple Grey. It's practically identical, and the fact that it's a creme rather than iridescent is really of no consequence since the shimmer in the real deal is so damn near blinvisible. Try River Island, larger Boots branches and Urban Outfitters for a bottle. It is possible to buy direct from the Models Own website, but bear in mind that they charge £9.95 for international shipping and there's a minimum international order amount of £20.

Steep enough, eh? If you do decide to place an order, bear in mind that there's currently 50% off all orders of £20 or more when you enter code FACEBOOK50 at checkout.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to turn up a true mushroom-y purple on the high street. Nails Inc. used to do a colour called 80 Fulham Road that I think would have been a good bet, but it was a 2009 limited edition and if it's not already in your stash, you're probably only going to find it now on fleaBay. Still available are Rimmel 60 Seconds nail polish in Pompous and Barry M Vivid Purple, which are both deep and moody purples. Now, neither are nearly as greyed out as Paradoxal - they're both much brighter and less murky, and the shimmer in Pompous isn't a bit hidden - but if you're just after an iridescent aubergine purple to pay homage to the Chanel number, they're definitely worth a gander.

If you're in a DIY humour, try carefully applying a thin layer of GOSH Gasoline over a brown, dark taupe or dark grey nail varnish. It's a sheer magenta jelly with almost holographic shimmer which flashes blue/purple, but using it over a muddy base will help to minimise that flash!