Ah, the nail lacquer trends have me in a Houdini knot this fall. On the one hand, you have deep, rich and vampy shades like Christian Dior’s Liquorice which is tinged with purple and metallic hues. On the other hand, you have Chanel’s obsession with gold.

But gold is not only a Fall shade. Look at Laura Mercier’s “Gold Digger” limited edition collection (from the summer) which houses a beautiful metallic polish, the 24 Karat. Being part reporter and part sleuth, I was interested in comparing the Mercier and Chanel and see how they measured up.

The swatches tell the story. The Mercier swatch is much sweeter with flecks of pink and the Chanel palette parlays a deep, lustrous chrome-like gold.

Personally, I’d pick the Mercier, even for fall. It’s only $15 compared to Chanel’s $30 and personally I feel that the latter’s gold needs to be a tad bit more interesting to justify the togs. What do you think?

PS: Check out Polish Addict’s great review and other options here for a Chanel alternative.