Zoya Kimber and Zuza - a last nod to summer!

I am cleaning out my drafts folder and I found this mani that I wore at the beginning of the summer. Zoya Kimber with a Zuza accent. I love both of these, shades, they just scream summer and warm weather to me! 

Both shades are shown with two coats and are available at zoya.com.

Zoya Tomoko and Maria Luisa

And my string of Zoya polishes continues! This mani is the super awesome Zoya Tomoko from the Fall 2013 PixieDust collection. Tomoko is a champagne colored textured polish packed to the brim with silver/gold glitter. I used three thin coats without any base or top coat and got excellent wear, as I have with all of the PixieDust polishes.

I also got a blurred shot to show the glitter in Tomoko. Definitely another winner from Zoya.

The only other polish I picked up from Zoya's fall collection was Maria Luisa (look at me showing restraint!). I remember seeing it in shots from NYFW, but  it wasn't available in the Zoya Fashion Sets. I was so happy to see it available to purchase!

Maria Luisa is a gold flake polish in a clear base. I'm sure you can build it to opacity, but I chose to layer it (one coat) over my Tomoko mani and to use it as an accent nail with Carter. What do you think?

Zoya Carter

I'm back with a pretty kick-ass polish. I've got Zoya Carter from their Fall 2013 PixieDust collection. I am a purple lover and this purple is all sorts of awesome! I used three thin coats with this mani and didn't use and base or top coats. There was no staining at all, and it wore for almost a week before it chipped. I never got the urge to remove it, either, which is very rare for me! I definitely recommend snatching this one up if you are lacking a purple textured polish in your stash.

Please forgive my sad little pinkie. I suffered a bad break, but it's since grown out!

Zoya Charisma

I decided to continue the Zoya trend with Charisma. Charisma is a searing neon fuchsia cream. Super shiny, super neon, perfect for summer. 

This is two coats in indirect outdoor lighting.

Two coats in direct sun. The formula is very squishy. The first coat is a streaky mess, and if you're a little bit careful, a second coat is all that's needed. This color is much, much brighter in person. It's definitely one of my favorites for summer!

Zoya Destiny

Destiny is the other Zoya Summer PixieDust polish I picked up. The bottle shots looked great, but man oh man! I saw swatches and I knew it had to be mine! 

This mani is the blingiest one I've worn in ages. I swear if the sun hit it right, you could see the sparkle across a parking lot. I've got two coats of matte coral and gold glitter summer on my nails here. Love it!

Zoya Liberty

As soon as I saw promo pics of Zoya's summer PixieDusts, I knew I had to have Liberty. I'm a sucker for all polishes blue and purple, and the brighter the better!  Zoya's PixieDusts are the only ones of the 40 million textured polishes out there that have appealed to me, so I grabbed it and Destiny (which is my next post).

I think I love these so much because there are both matte texture and glitter. It makes it look sparkly and blingy, not like the ceiling in my grandma's living room. Perfectly opaque in 2 coats. It isn't recommended to use a base coat, but I'd heard this one stained horribly. I used CND Stickey and let it dry really well. It wore wonderfully with two thin coats.

A blurred shot to show the sparkle. Seriously. These are crazy glittery! Have you grabbed any?

Zoya Neely and my dog, Joules.

I can't recall if I've had Joules on the blog before, but hey. There she is. Freaking adorable Dutch Shepherd who was bought for my husband (because I'm certainly not a dog person) but has grown on me. We got her in December when she was six weeks old and my goodness was she a hellion. She's settled a bit in her 8 months, which is good as she's sixty pounds now. But, this isn't a dog blog, is it? :)

Neely... Neely is one I waffled about since it came out with the special Fashion Week Peter Som group. But I held off. Then there was a buy two, get Sharon free promo and mint greens were popping up everywhere, and look what I got!

Two coats of non-chalky mint green creme shown above. The first coat is super streaky, and you need a thick-ish second coat. Three thins ones would probably be perfect, but I have this odd thing about three coats. I don't leave polish on long enough for wear time to be an issue, so a thicker coat that lessens wear time is okay with me!

Zoya Nyx

Nyx is the second PixieDust polish I ordered from Zoya's original release. As with London, application was simple. Here, I used 2 thin coats over CND Stickey base coat. The key is to let each coat dry before adding the next to avoid dragging the texture to the end of the nail. Dry time was excellent with both, and they wore really well on me. I believe I got 5 days out of Nyx.

I had a reader ask about removal of the PixieDust polishes. Taking these polishes off was fairly simple. Nowhere near as difficult as with glitter bomb polishes, but only slightly more work than with a shimmer or flakie polish.

Zoya London - My first PixieDust polish

I was wary of the whole "textured polish" trend, but after hearing such rave reviews of Zoya's offerings, I decided to try a couple from the original PixieDust release. 

First up I have London, a beautiful grey with a large amount of silver shimmer. Application was super easy. I used two thin coats, no base coat and no top coat. Just make sure you let the first coat dry before adding the second, and you're golden! 

Zoya Storm - Swatches and Review, and a Rejuvacote update

Zoya's Ornate collection is full of some stunning polishes, but Storm and Aurora are the only ones I felt the NEED to have. I had decided to hold off on ordering them right away in hopes that there would be one of Zoya's fabulous promos soon. I checked Twitter right before bed the night Sandy hit the East Coast and saw Zoya posted a promo. Storm for free with any non-spoon purchase. 

Please forgive the tip wear and growth. I took these photos after five days. Five!! We've had several cloudy days so I was holding out for the sun. I got a bit in the middle of errands, so I whipped out my phone and snapped some pics.

Storm is an opaque black creme that is packed with an irregularly shaped silver/holographic glitter. The formula is the standard wonderful one that we always get from Zoya and was perfect in two coats.

 
I used one coat of Duri Rejuvacote, one coat of CND Stickey, two coats of Storm, and one coat of Essie Good to Go quick dry top coat and got fabulous wear. Again, these photos are after five days. Keep in mind that I wash my hands at least twenty times a day at work. Rejuvacote is working wonderfully. My nails aren't as peel-y, and they're growing so fast! I just had to find a good combo that worked well with it and me.

Blurred to better show the holo sparkle

Zoya Myrta Swatches - Summer 2012 Surf Collection

Myrta is a bright orange glass-fleck polish loaded with irregular silver shimmer that is part of Zoya's Surf collection from this summer. I picked it up during one of their fabulous promos. Seriously, you've got to be a fan of Zoya for their promos if not for their awesome polish. 

These photos are with two coats of Myrta swatched quickly without base or top coats. This polish has tons of shimmer that catches the eye and looks great! I'm rather sad I didn't get this earlier in the summer.

Zoya Natty Swatches - Designer Collection - Fall 2012

Natty is the third polish I grabbed from Zoya's Designer collection. It is a beautiful dusty grey-blue creme and was complete perfection in two coats. One thick coat would do it if you're careful, but I prefer to be less careful and use two coats. So wasteful... :)

I really don't know what to say about the formula that hasn't been said. Zoya's formula is one of my favorites, and their brush is fantastic. Full, flexible, and on a compact stem that's easy to control. 

Review! Zoya Gilty over Nails Inc Chelsea

I declined to get Gilty for myself, but picked up the trio (Gilty, Purity, and Raven) for bestie for her birthday. Basically, she totally deserves it but wouldn't get it for herself. :) So I posted a pic on my Facebook when it came in, and she was all, "Swatch it for the blog!" And I was all, "Okay!" So, here it is...

Of the 18K topcoats I've seen, Gilty is my favorite. Several have teeny, tiny flakes (I'm looking at you, $OPI!) but these were a nice size. Noticeable, but not gaudy. Says the girl with gold nail polish.

The texture of this polish is odd. It's rather gel-like. I decided not to brush it on like normal polish after the first nail. I found that it worked best to dab on. The flakes stayed nice and flat, but the base was thick enough that the texture showed very nicely. All in all, it allows a great effect and will be a fabulous addition to our holiday wardrobe!

I'd like to end with a super belated birthday to the best bestie ever. We've been attached-at-the-hip for the past twenty-one years (OMG!) and it seems like both 2 months and forever I the same time. I <3 her hard core.

Zoya Monica Designer Collection - Swatches and Review

I have a ton of purple polishes, but purple is my color. Can a girl have too much of her color? Nope. I debated picking up Monica because it seemed similar to Mira. When I have them side-by-side, I see that Monica is much deeper and bluer. I haven't actually blogged Mira, so I'll put that and a comparison on my to-do list.

Above are two coats of Monica swatched without top coat. It is a very opaque, deep plum creme. A very rich tone that is perfect for fall. It wears wonderfully as I wore it as a full mani this weekend and still hasn't chipped despite handwashings at work on Friday, and cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. yesterday and today.

I'm really glad I picked this one up! Have you gotten any from Zoya's Fall collections?

Stamping with Vivid Lacquer, Zoya, and Essie!

I've been spending money like I have it lately, and I've come home to a mailbox with bubble envelopes and a box by my door almost every day for the last week! I got my Vivid Lacquer nail plates (VL001 & VL002) earlier in the week, but haven't gotten my stamper and scraper yet. I patiently waited, but couldn't take it any more, so I went to Sally's and picked up the Salon Express As Seen on TV kit-thingy so that I could use the tools with it. :) 

Two coats of Zoya Evvie

A couple of days ago, I got my BOGO polishes from the Zoya promo and had picked up Penny Talk and No Place Like Chrome from the Essie Mirror Metallics collection for stamping. I decided on a base of Zoya Evvie from the Fall 2012 Designer collection (beautiful dusty, murky grey-green that's opaque and perfect in two coats) and topped it with a honey comb pattern and Essie Penny Talk.

Obviously there are some wonky spots and some not-completely-covered spaces, but I don't think it's too bad for a first try. This pattern is on Vivid Lacquer's VL002 plate. There are so many cute designs on her stamping plates. She sells them in her Etsy store here. Anni also sells some awesome polishes. I've got two of those coming up for review soon.

I hope to have some better stamping nail art for you soon!

Zoya Fall 2012 Diva Collection - Swatches and Review

Zoya has a pretty decent fall release this year with 15 new polishes in the Diva, Designer, and Gloss Collections. When I saw swatches of the metallic Diva collection, I knew I had to have them. I wasn't crazy about one of them, but I figured if I were going to buy 5, I may as well get all 6. 

2 coats, no top coat

Zoya Elisa is a polish that I would've gotten even if it weren't the perfect pearly, cherry red. I took 5 years of Spanish middle and high school, and we had to pick Spanish names. There was another Pam in my class who was before me alphabetically, and she picked Pamela. I wanted something different, so I picked Elisa.  The formula on this polish was great, as is usually the case with Zoya.

2 coats, no top coat

Ray is the one Diva polish I wasn't thrilled about. It's a pretty, frosty evergreen color, but I think it's pretty similar to butter LONDON's British Racing Green, which I own. Not a dupe, but close enough that were it not for my need for the complete set, I wouldn't have gotten it. Definitely worth getting if you don't have a deep green in your collection.

4 coats, no topcoat

 Zoya Daul, how impressed I was by this one in other blog posts, but it just didn't wow me in real life. Zoya's website describes Daul as such, "A medium red-toned purple base with heavy purple and gold iridescent metallic sparkle." It's also listed as a 5, which is the highest intensity level. I agree with the description, but definitely not the 5. I still had obvious nail line at 4 coats, and I waited for the prior coat to dry before adding another.

Highlighting Daul's glitter

 Daul is a very pretty color when the sun glints off of it. Maybe I'll try it over Suri.

3 coats, no top coat

FeiFei is a steel-blue base that is packed with blue, gold, and pink (!!) sparkles to lend a foil finish. While sheerer than the non-glitter polishes, I got great coverage with 3 thin coats. I think the pink sparkles in this one lends a very unique look to it. 

2 coats, no topcoat

Suri is a bold, blue-leaning royal purple metallic polish with very fine blue and red micro glitter. I wish that glitter translated on the nail a little better, but Suri is still a fabulous polish. It is a little warmer in real life, but my camera really freaks out with bright purples.

2 coats, no top coat

And finally, Zoya Song. Song! Wow. Pictures do not do this polish justice. Neither do the words bold, bright, or vibrant. The base is a true royal blue, and it is absolutely packed with tiny, irregular blue and silver glitter. It is totally opaque in 1 coat, but add a second because it adds great depth and really highlights the shimmer. This polish is hands-down my favorite of the set.

A completely gratuitous shot of Song

Olympics Nails (P.S. I can't make rings!)

I probably won't be too active on the blog, Twitter, etc. for the next 2 weeks or so as I LOVE to watch the Olympics. Kiddo is vacationing with friends and DH is pretty self-sufficient, so I expect my after-work attention to be split between the Olympics and Paint Box Polish (both the blog and Etsy store).

While watching Men's Swimming Saturday, I decided I wanted to do an Olympic rings mani. I learned that I cannot make free hand rings. Then I tried using straws. Too big and not even enough. So, I decided to bring back the Independence Day dots, but in the colors of the Olympic rings.

My base was OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls. I dotted with the flat end of a bamboo skewer for the larger dots and a dotting tool for the smaller ones. The yellow dots are Paint Box Polish Hufflepuff, green are butter LONDON British Racing Green, blues are butter LONDON Blagger, red is Zoya Sooki, and black dots Zoya Raven. I am pretty happy with it and have gotten several compliments at work.

I debated using my Paint Box Polishes for all the colors but black because they fit with the Olympic colors, but stock is getting low and I have pigments being shipped, so I decided not to. 

Zoya Zuza

Zoya Zuza is the second polish I bought from the Zoya Surf collection. Zuza is pretty teal packed with a fine silver shimmer.

The formula is perfect. Two coats to opacity. Zoya's brush is one of my favorites as it is nice and full with very flexible bristles that are very easy to control. 

These are all of the polishes that I picked up from their summer collections as I am trying to be good. :) I have decided that I am probably going to pick up the whole Fall Diva collection. Have you seen it? Check out Scrangie's swatches here.

Zoya Kimber

Zoya Kimber is from the Surf half Zoya's fabulous Summer 2012 collection, Beach & Surf. Surf is full of bright, sparkly colors. Kimber is a bright pink with small, irregular gold and silver flecks. It's a very warm color and is very summery.

This is 2 coats of Kimber over butter LONDON Nail Foundation and Seche Vite.

I also picked up Zuza, so expect that post next. And, coming soon... Nail-venturous Floam and Max Factor Fantasy Fire!

Happy 4th of July Gradient Dots Manicure

Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans! I got home from the gym yesterday with a butter LONDON box tucked into my storm door. Gotta love 30% off sales! So there I sit with the beautiful cobalt blue Blagger in my hand on July 3rd, and am hit with a patriotic nail art idea. 

Sarah from Chalkboard Nails posted an awesome gradient dot mani over on her blog. (check out her post here) It is beautiful, dramatic, and above all simple. At least she made it seem simple. Since I am not a gifted nail artist, I decided to give it a go.

I started with 2 coats of the fabulous butter LONDON Blagger, then dotted on large white dots with OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls near the tips of my nails with the flat end of a bamboo kabob stick. (Working with what I've got!) Next, I used a small dotting tool to add some white dots near the base of the nail. Lastly, I repeated the dotting process with Zoya Sooki. 

Look at that! Nail art! And I think it looks pretty decent. Happy 4th of July guys!!