black satin
working at a salon with a nail tech has its advantages. unfortunately, i found it has its disappointments as well. the first came when i found that the salon did not have a black nail polish. fine. i can buy my own. for the time, i settled on the closest to black i could find, a deep, metallic purple. that's when the real heartbreak set in. everywhere i went, i was informed how "in" short, black nails are at the moment. no! that's not why i did this! short black nails are my thing. it says so right in my lj profile, and it has since day one! determined to set myself apart from the trend, i made it my goal to secure the most coveted, hardest to find black of the season -- chanel's black satin. i put on a nice dress and my best shoes, mustered up every ounce of courage, and went straight to the source, the chanel boutique. i eyed their makeup counter until one of the smartly dressed men who had been suspiciously eying me finally asked if he could help me find anything. i learned that the polish, upon its release, had immediately sold out in the boutiques across the country, but there was still a faint glimmer of hope if i searched the department stores. i was up for the challenge. at lord and taylor, the young lady looked through every bottle but did not find black (or seem to believe that it ever had existed). she directed me toward saks and wished me luck. i had barely approached the chanel counter at saks when a large woman with large red hair and an evil laugh announced, "no, we're out!" she looked me up and down, threw her head back, and laughed again. "that's what you wanted, isn't it? the black polish. i can tell." the bitchy, aging man at her side proceeded to explain to me, as if i were a simpleton, " you see, chanel does this thing. they severely over advertise a product, then produce it in very limited quantities. it creates a 'demand.'" (and oh yes, he did use air quotes on that last word.) yeah. thanks. they suggested i give up and try the mac counter. apparently, they have a very nice black. i didn't give a shit. black is my thing, and by that point i had come to believe that if everyone is wearing it, i need, even deserve, to have "the" black. the last encounted had me feeling discouraged. after all, my deepest fear from the start of the search -- having some queen behind the makeup counter laugh in my face -- had been realized. i decided i might be better off continuing without any personal interaction, and what better way than online? a helpful ebay guide warned me against buying the french version of the polish, which is not a limited edition or even the same color. a quick scan of listings, and i learned i would not obtain a true, american, limited edition bottle of black satin for under $100. now i am torn. i have not given up hope that the polish will be mine. i must decide: what is it really worth?