The discovery of Chanel Beige hype

I try my best to not buy into hype as much as possible. If a product is great and I need it, I will buy it. But I am not the person who buys the "It" bag unless I love it, and I will absolutely not buy uncomfortable shoes, no matter what color the soles.

Truth be told I am a huge fan of Chanel nail polish. I love the formulations, the color palette, the unspoken swankiness of wearing something -- anything -- Chanel. I realize Chanel is now one of the top brands for young Hollywood starlets, but when I was a teenager, Chanel was worn by old white ladies who lunched at charity events. Someone my age wouldn't be caught dead wearing Chanel. If she was alive and wearing Chanel, she was most likely carrying her octogenarian grandmother's handbag while Granny adjusted her white gloves after fishing for the keys to her Cadillac DeVille.

When Chanel asked me to "discover" their exclusive new color, I was a rapt audience. I waited patiently for the email telling me what exclusivity awaited me, their loyal customer.

They had me discover ... Beige. Wow, Chanel. Really? Was this some type of joke? Where was Ashton Kutcher? Was I being punk'd? I even checked the email address to ensure that it actually came from Chanel. It was like being asked to discover my inner blandness.

But then there was the hook. I found a coupon code for free shipping. And for some reason, even though there is a Chanel boutique in my city, I wasn't going to pay sales tax either. And somehow, I felt sorry for these little boring boxes of Beige.

So I caved. And the blandness arrived today. At the very least, I guess it will be a good safe color for work.