Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Candy Lacquer Polishes

Today, I have for you three colors by indie polish maker, Candy Lacquer.


Argyle - white, turquoise, and black diamond glitter, as well as white and black bar glitter in a clear base.  As soon as I saw a bottle pick of Argyle on another blog, I fell instantly in love and I knew I had to get it.  As soon as Candy Lacquer's Etsy store was reopened, Argyle was the first one I put in my cart.  Once I got it home, I love it even more... in the bottle.  Unfortunately, it was a pain to put on my nail.  I ended up pouring some out into a palette and then putting individual pieces of glitter on my nails with an orange stick.  Even with this method, it was still bumpy and I had bubbles after I put on a topcoat.  That said, I think it is still super awesome (can you look at my blog redesign and tell me what inspired it? LOL), and I still want to play around with it to see if I can find a better way of application.



Starlight - multi-sizes and shapes (there are stars!) of silver holographic glitter in a clear base.  I threw this one in my cart on a whim and I'm so happy I did.  Of the 3 Candy Lacquers I picked up, Starlight has the best application.  The glitters came out of the bottle easily, even the stars!  



White Wedding - multi-shaped and sized matte white glitter in a clear base.  Okay, so let's be honest... I got this one for the name.  I also thought that it looked super cool in the bottle, but really... I got it for the name.  LOL.  So when I got it home, I was pleasantly surprised.  I love this one over the bright red of Sooki, and think it would look equally as pretty over just about every color.  Application on this one was a little harder than Starlight, but nowhere near as difficult as Argyle.  I did have to go digging for the hearts, but that's to be expected.  


All in all, I really like the 3 polishes I picked up from Candy Lacquer.  Shipping was super quick and the owner, Sandra, was extremely pleasant.  I kind of wish that application on a few of them was a little easier, but honestly, with big glitters, you kind of know going in to it that you may have issues with application.

Candy Lacquers are $8 a bottle are available through their Etsy store (though it is currently closed).  For more information on restocks, please check their Facebook page.  


Argyle, Starlight, and White Wedding were purchased by me.  Links included within this post are not affiliate links.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Autism Awareness Fundraiser & Giveaway Reminder (and a few updates)

Hi everyone, I wanted to do a quick post to remind you of the Autism Awareness Fundraiser I am hosting along with Jamberry Nails by Kate.  Tomorrow is the last day of the fundraiser, so if you have been considering ordering Jamberry nails in the past, please consider ordering them through this fundraiser as Katie's commission will be donated to Autism Awarness.

Also, as a part of my Autism Awareness Giveaway, please note that I am giving you 2 extra entries if you participated in the fundraiser.  The giveaway ends in a week, but you can only get the 2 extra entries through tomorrow.  Currently, I have 67 entries in the giveaway, so please be sure to enter and to pass the information along.  

Additionally, I wanted to apologize for only posting sporadically over the last few weeks.  I had a bad break on my middle finger on my swatching hand, but also, it seems like the end of summer break is always just a downer for me.  I hate summer, and usually by late July/ early August, I am completely drained.  My children go back to school in 2 weeks, so hopefully, I will have a little more time to devote to posts, as well as answering comments, and blogger roundups.  

Furthermore, if you have emailed me, and I haven't gotent back with you.  It's not personal.  I am just feeling very down in the dumps because of the heat and the permanent headache that always comes in mid-summer.  Blogger Roundups will resume in mid-August, and I will post more information before I post the first one.  Also, I will try to get to any other emails within the next few days.




Thursday, July 26, 2012

OPI Outrageous Neons Boxed Set Review

A few days ago, I showed you Deborah Lippmann's boxed neon set, Run the World (Girls), and today, I have for you the other mini neon set out on the market, OPI's Outrageous Neons...

Set in the box.  From left to right, contains a white base, yellow, orange, pink, and purple neons, and a topcoat.  

Ridiculously Yellow - neon, daffodil yellow.  This is the only one of the 4 that I showed over the white base (like with the Lippmann, I had streaking with the darker colors over white).  It's a little brighter than it's Lippmann counterpart, being a daffodil yellow, rather than an egg yolk yellow.  Picture shown is 2 coats over 2 coats of the White Base.  

Formidably Orange - bright, red-orange neon.  This one reminded me of a neon version of OPI A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find (much like the Lippmann).  3 coats.  

Riotously Pink - bright pink neon.  This pink is very bright, but it's not retina-searing like Orly Beach Cruiser.  I think this one would look amazing with a black stamped design.  3 coats. 

Seriously Purple - magenta purple neon.  This one had a lot of red in the base, and reminded me of Zoya Charisma.  3 coats.

The formula on all of these was very similar.  It took 3 coats to reach opacity.  You will also want to wait a few minutes between coats as they are prone to drag.  

My biggest issue with these is the size of the bottle.  I never use up a bottle of polish, so the amount of polish you get (a eighth of an ounce) isn't my problem.  It's just that the brush is so itty-bitty.  :P  I also found myself wishing for a different color, such as a blue or a green or a bright (non red) purple.

This OPI boxed set retails for $19.99, and can be purchased a supply stores, salons, and online.


OPI Outrageous Neons was purchased by me.  

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Autism Awareness Giveaway!

As I mentioned in my post on Monday, I am hosting an Autism Awareness Giveaway!  This issue is something that is so close to my heart, so am so excited to share the giveaway with you.

The prizes consist of both nail products and other autism awareness products and they include...
  1. Autism Awareness Jamberry Nail Shields 
  2. Autism Awareness Tumbler
  3. $15 GC to Jamberry Nails by Kate
  4. Autism Awareness Socks 
  5. Essie Mesmerize (one of my favorite blues and included because blue is the color of Autism Awareness)


To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter widget below.  Please note that due to size and the cost of shipping, this giveaway is for US girls only.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, please note I am giving extra entries if you participate in the Autism Awareness Fundraiser hosted by Katie, so for more information, please see my previous post.  The fundraiser ends on 7/31/2012, so you can only earn those extra entries up to that date.

Thank you so much for participating both in this giveaway and the fundraiser.  Good luck!


Prizes for giveaway were purchased by me, except for the Jamberry Nail Shields which were provided by Katie.  The bottle of Mesmerize included in the picture is my bottle.  You will receive a NEW bottle.  Links within this post are not affiliate links.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Jamberry Nails by Kate Review and Fundraiser

I recently contacted by Katie, an independent sales representative for Jamberry Nails, asking if I would be interested in trying out Jamberry's Nail Sheilds.  As I had been very curious about their nail shields, I said yes.

I received them a few days ago, and just got a chance to apply them and review them...



This is the Jamberry Nail Shields design in Silver, Gold & Black Plaid, which features a shiny black base (so shiny it was a little hard to get a clear picture) with a diagonal plaid design in silver, gold, and white.  It's may not the best design for my skin tone, but it was so pretty that I had to try it first.  

Also, as this is my first time applying Jamberry shields, I am very much a novice, so there are things I would do differently in my next go-around (which I will post soon), but for a first try, I think I did pretty good.  

Jamberry nail shields are a little different that most other press-on/stick-on nail products.  They are a pressure  sensitive film, rather than foils or polish, such as Sally Hansen Salon Effects or Broadway imPRESS nails.  That means that they will last longer.  The flip side of that is that they are little more time consuming to apply.  

You apply them to clean and prepped nails using a hair dryer and a cuticle pusher (along with scissors and a nail file).  It took me almost 1.5 hours to apply mine.  but that's because I am a total noob and wasn't exactly sure of what to do.  The instructions are very clear, but with any new product, there is a learning curve.  Hence, the over-filing on my middle finger and the mile of nail showing on my pinky.  LOL.

Additionally, Jamberry shields are different as with one package, you can do 2, possibly 3, manicures.  In each package, their are 18 shields, each of which can be cut in half and even in thirds if you want to use them on your toes.  Jamberry Nail Shields sell for $15 a package.  However, they are currently running a "buy 3 get 1" promotion, which makes them $11.25 a package, when you purchase 4.  Considering Sally Hansen Salon Effects are $8.50 for a package, I think the Jamberry Nails (which can essentially be broken down to $5.62 a manicure, when you purchase 4 designs) are a pretty good deal!  


If you are interested in purchasing Jamberry Nail Shields, please be sure to check out Katie's website, and please follow her on Facebook.  Furthermore, I have teamed up with the fabulous Katie to host an Autism Awareness fundraiser.  Currently, on her site, Katie is hosting a party titled "Autism Awareness Fundraiser".  This party runs until 7/31/2012, and during this time, Katie is donating all of her commission earned from this party to Autism Awareness!  As you all know, this is an issue that is very near and dear to my heart, so the more people that participate this party, the greater the donation will be to this cause.

Also, Katie is offering a fabulous incentive for those of you participating in this fundraiser!  Once the party is complete, she will pick one name, from those of you that participated, and that person will be able to pick 4 additional nail shields at no cost to the winner.  That is a $60 value!  Best part? There are no forms to enter, simply order Jamberry Nails Shields from Katie using the Autism Awareness Fundraiser party link, and you are automatically entered.  


Plus... I am also hosting a giveaway to coincide with this fundraiser and I will post more information on that on Tuesday  Wednesday (sorry, life got in the way), so stay tuned!




Jamberry Nail Shields were provided by Katie for review.  The above links link to Katie's Jamberry Nails website and Facebook page, as well as the application instruction for Jamberry Nails and they are not affiliate links.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

KBShimmer Showgirl

Showgirl is one of 5 KBShimmer polishes I have to show you over the next few days.  I swatched all of them at once and then and picked my favorite to show you first...


Isn't she pretty?  This is 2 coats of Showgirl over one coat of Nails Inc Black Taxi.  I opted to layer all of my KBShimmer polishes, and I especially chose to layer this one because it's a black jelly base.  I had a feeling that the glitter wouldn't "come out and play" as much if I had to use multiple layers to reach opacity.

 Showgirl is a mix of holo silver square and round glitter, as well as fuchsia glitter and micro-glitter in a black jelly base.  She is unbelievable unique and I can't wait to wear it as a full manicure.  

Like I mentioned, this is one of 5 KBShimmer polishes that I purchased, and I have to say, I am very pleased with (most) them in terms of formula and application.  A lot of times, indie glitters have a tendency to want to stay in the bottle.  I can't tell you how many times I've had to dig for hearts, or stars, or moons, or whatever else big, chunky glitters in the bottle.  

With Showgirl, and most of the other KBShimmers I'm going to show you, the application was mindless.  I did have to hunt a little bit to get the square glitters, but I simply dipped the brush back in the bottle and there they were.  It wasn't a drawn out process.  In fact, the formula on these reminds me very much of the now-unavailable NerdLacquers (and that's saying something because my lone NerdLacquer has an amazing formula and it's one of my favorites to apply).

KBShimmer polishes are available at KBShimmer's website.  However, they only ship polish within the U.S.  If you are international, please visit their stockist, Harlow & Co.  Polishes sell for $8.50 from KBShimmer directly and $9.00 from Harlow & Co.


Showgirl was purchased by me.  The above links link to websites to purchase this polish and are not affiliate links.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

I'm now on Pinterest

I just wanted to do a quick little post to let you all know that I am now on Pinterest. 

When I post, I am also trying to pin those pictures to Pinterest, catagorizing mainly by brand.  I think I started with my Lush Lacquer post. 

I am also going to go back and pin my previous pictures (up to a certain point).  To check out my pictures on Pinterest, please click the Pinterest button in my right sidebar, or go to http://pinterest.com/apolishproblem/.

Thanks!

Deborah Lippmann Run the World (Girls) Boxed Set

So, I have been lemming this Deborah Lippmann neon boxed set for months.  As soon as I saw the press release, I immediately said "want".   I kept putting it off because it was only a set of minis and it was $45, but as soon as I saw that HSN had it for $35 and it was on value-pay, I snatched it up.  I got it a few weeks ago, and finally had a chance to swatch it...



Isn't the packaging the cutest?  I love that the polish bottles form the nail colors when you put the lid on the box.  I'm a sucker for adorable packaging.  

The colors themselves are a set of 5 neons, each of them named after a song with "girl" in the title...


Hollaback Girl - red-orange neon.  Hollaback Girl surprised me a little bit.  I thought it was going to be more orange when it was in the bottle, but then when I applied it, you could definitely see the red coming through.  It's like a neon version of OPI A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find.  Also, I now have "Hollaback Girl" stuck in a continuous loop in my head.


I Kissed a Girl - candy pink neon.  I Kissed a Girl is a gorgeous medium pink, with a good amount of blue in the base.  It reminded me of Orly Beach Cruiser, in that it's a neon pink, but unlike Beach Cruiser, it doesn't burn your retinas.  I really loved this color and it is one of my 2 favorites in this set, and it's the one that I wish she would sell as a full-sized single.  I had no issues with the formula.  3 coats.


It Girl - bright yellow neon.  It Girl was the sheerest of the bunch and is the only one that is a true jelly.  Personally, I didn't really like it alone on my nails, as it is almost the color of egg yolks.  However, I loved it when layered over white.  The first picture is 3 coats of It Girl by itself and the second color is 2 coats of It Girl layered over 2 coats of Nails Inc Floral Street.


Nasty Girl - magenta neon.  Nasty Girl was my second favorite in this set.  It's a beautiful magenta-purple and was the most opaque of the bunch.  I was able to reach opacity in 2 coats, but I used 3 to be consistent.  It did remind me a bit of Zoya Charisma, though, so I need to do a comparison.  Although, I think Nasty Girl leans a bit more red.  I used a topcoat over this polish to show you how they look when you apply topcoat.  


Party Girl - coral neon.  I say this is a coral, but keep in mind that this is a very red-based coral, like Rescue Beauty Lounge Bangin' (I don't have it to compare, unfortunately).  Again, the formula was very nice and I used 3 coats.  I did have a bit of a wonky brush on Party Girl, but it wasn't hard to control.


I think I may be in love with this set.  It's really cute, but also, all of the colors, except for It Girl are very wearable.  You can also make It Girl wearable simply by giving her a little foundation (is it wrong that I keep wanting to say "nail polish panties"? LOL).  I tried the other colors over white, and they didn't seem to play as nice, so they are definitely colors that can be work on their own.  The one thing I wish Deborah had changed was substitute one of the red-based polishes, Hollaback Girl and Party Girl, with another neon (blue or green) or perhaps even a bright white, though I realize she probably used the colors she did from a continuity stand-point.  

Also, the finish on these dries, what Deborah Lippmann calls, "demi-matte".  To me, they are more of a rubbery finish, like some of the Illamasqua polishes.  In some reviews I read of this set, I saw that many people were complaining of the finish.  Keep in mind, the finish is par for the course with neon polishes.  If you want to make your neons shiny, simply add a swipe of topcoat, like I did with Nasty Girl above.  Easy peasy.  

This set retails for $45, though I found it cheaper on HSN.com, though sadly, it's no longer on value-pay.  The set includes five 0.27 fl oz minis.  So, if you use retail pricing, that's $8 per mini or about half the price of a regular sized Lippmann polish.   Which isn't bad for these considering they are a good sized mini (much larger that the OPI minis which are an 1/8th of an ounce).   Yes, this is girl-math.  :)


Deborah Lippmann Run the World (Girls) was purchased by me from HSN.com.  The above link links to this product on HSN's website and is not an affiliate link.


Tuesday, July 17, 2012

China Glaze On Safari Review

Today, I have for you four polishes from China Glaze's new fall collection, On Safari.  I'm not feeling very wordy while writing this, so I'll just jump right in to the polishes (stop... I can hear you saying "Thank God" lol)...

Adventure Red-y - deep red creme.  This is the perfect shade of red for fall, and I especially loved it on my short nails.  There is a bit of brown in the base, but not so much that it looks like dried blood (like some deep reds I've seen).  The formula on this one was perfect.  It was practically a one-coater, but I ended up doing 2 coats.


Exotic Encounters - teal green creme.  Another perfect fall variation of a color.  This one was slightly dusty in the base, and also a little more teal that my picture portrays.  The formula on this one wasn't as thick as Adventure Red-y, but I was still able to reach opacity in 2 coats.


I Herd That - small multi-colored and gold glitter in a clear base.  The multi-colored glitter is a mix of red, green, and orange, along with the prominent gold glitter.  This is one of 2 glitters in this collection.  The other one being I'm Not Lion (which I don't have).  These 2 glitters remind me of the small glitters in China Glaze's special glitters collection from 2009.  The above picture is 3 coats, and while on macro, you can see thin spots, to the naked eye, it was full coverage.  


Kalahari Kiss - yellow-based khaki creme.  This one is a bit of an odd duck, much like Classic Camel from China Glaze's 2010 Vintage Vixen collection (though of course, that one is a shimmer) or Barielle's Angora Aura.  In the bottle, I didn't think this one would work with my skin-tone, but I really like it on the nail.  The formula was a bit streaky, and was prone to slide on the nail, so I applied a coat of CND Stickey before I swatched the above picture.  With the sticky base coat, I was able to reach opacity in 2 coats.  Be sure to wait a few minutes in-between coats with this one.


I really liked all of the 4 colors in this collection that I had the opportunity to review.  My hands-down favorite was Adventure Red-y, mainly because of formula and application (plus, the color is really pretty).  That said, there isn't one in the 4 that I wouldn't recommend.  

On Safari is on sale now and China Glaze polishes retail for $7 a bottle.  If you would like to see swatches of the entire collection, I recommend checking out The Polishaholic or Scrangie, as both of them have fabulous pictures of the entire collection.  


China Glaze on Safari was sent to me for review.  The above links link to other blogs (The Polishaholic and Scrangie) and are not affiliate links.



Sunday, July 15, 2012

Lush Lacquer Pink Panther

This is 2 coats of Lush Lacquer Pink Panther over 2 coats of Nails Inc Floral Street.  

Pink Panther consists of a mix of white, black, and pink multi-sized and multi-shaped, matte glitters in a clear base.  I love this when layered over the white base.  

The polish went on very well.  The glitter is very densely packed and this is one of those glitters that doesn't make you go fishing in the bottle!  See how dense it is...


Lush Lacquer has several polishes in their Etsy store (I'm eyeing Lite Brite).  Full bottles are $8.75 and you can order custom sets of minis for $9.50 and up.

Fair warning, these are essentially pre-orders.  Unlike a lot of other indie polish companies, Lush Lacquer keeps all of their polishes listed on their website at all times.  The downside of this is that you have to wait for your polishes (currently turn-around time is 2+ weeks).  The upside is that you don't have to wait for the seller to return from "on vacation" and you avoid the made "OMG it's open!" stampede.  Personally, I don't mind waiting on the polish if I know it's coming (I hate the mad Etsy or Big Cartel rushes).  I just wish that Lush Lacquer was a little more open about the fact that these are not in-stock at time of order.  I think they have done this recently, but when I ordered, I just assumed they were in-stock and then I got a little antsy after a week had passed.


Pink Panther was purchased by me.  The above link links to Lush Lacquer's Etsy store and is not an affiliate link. 

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Golden Lace Stamped Nails



For this manicure, I used 2 coats of Zoya Goldie as a base and then stamped a design using 2 stamping designs and Konad Special Polish in black.  

I recently purchased Goldie during Zoya's 3 for $10 Share the Love promotion.  I had been wanting to try it for quite a while, but never got around to purchasing it.  Golds are so iffy with me.  I have mentioned my love/hate relationship with gold polishes several times on this blog.  I adore gold polishes in the bottle.  Unfortunately, if the gold polish is a bright and strong shade of gold, it makes my hands look not-so-good.  So, when I read on Zoya's website that Goldie is in the "cool" family, I thought maybe, just maybe, it would work my skin.  Sadly, it gives me red-hands as well. 

Because of this, I figured I would have to use Goldie as a base for layering or for nail art.  That's when I decided to try this design.  It had been floating around in my head for a few weeks, and I really love the way it came out.  To create the lace, I first stamped the fishnet design from Konad plate m57.  I then stamped the all-over roses design from Konad plate m65 over the fishnet.  I then topped the whole thing with 2 coats of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri topcoat (it was still a little rough after one coat).


Zoya Goldie was purchased by me.  The above link links to the product page for Zoya Goldie on Zoya's website and it is connected to my Share the Love account.  When you make a purchase using my referral link, I will receive points which I can use towards Share the Love promotions.  If you prefer not to use my Share the Love link, please go to www.zoya.com.  

Friday, July 13, 2012

Nails Inc Black Taxi & Floral Street

Or as I should subtitle this post... "the perfect black and white creme polishes".

White and black polishes seem like something so simple.  They don't seem like something that it would take a person years to find the perfect one of each.  And yet, that's been an issue with me.  For me, a perfect white creme and a perfect black creme have been almost impossible to find.

That was until I received Nails Inc Black Taxi (black) and Nails Inc Floral Street (white).  As I have been showing them off under all sorts of polishes over the past few weeks, I figured I would show you them by themselves.  They really are perfect...


Black Taxi - highly-pigmented, rich black creme.  Like I mentioned above, finding one-coat black creme has been impossible for me.  I've tried several options and have been disappointed with each of them, in one way or another.  Black Taxi, however, is perfect.  The formula flows incredibly well and is completely opaque in one coat. 


Floral Street - white creme.  Like a black creme, a non-chalky, non-streaky white creme has been very hard for me to find.  My issue with whites is that it takes too long to reach opacity.  And while I have yet to find a one-coat white creme, Floral Street is opaque in 2 coats and it doesn't look like you are wearing Wite-Out on your nails.  Like Black Taxi, this one has a very nice formula and flows well on the nails. 

As I've mentioned about 50 times in this post (LOL) Black Taxi and Floral Street are pretty much my perfect black and white cremes.  My only issue with them is that they are a bit expensive at $9.50 for a 0.33 fl oz bottle.  That said, I will gladly pay it in the future, as they are fantastic for what they are.  You can find both of these polishes in the US at Sephora stores and at Sephora.com


Nails Inc Black Taxi and Floral Street were sent to me for review.  The above link links to these polishes on Sephora.com and is not an affiliate link.




Thursday, July 12, 2012

Zoya Diva NYFW 2012 Collection Review

Yesterday, I showed you the small collection of jellies, Gloss, from Zoya's fall collections and today, I have for you the metallics collection, Diva...


Daul - sheer plum base loaded with golden metallic shimmer.  Daul is one of the 2 shimmer metallics polishes in this collection.  The base on this one was pretty sheer, though it was buildable to opacity.  The star of the show on this one is the shimmer.  And when I say "loaded with golden shimmer", I mean "LOADED with golden shimmer".  It's super pretty, but I think the golden shimmer is also a wee bit distracting.  I kind of wish that the base was a little more pronounced, as in some lights, the base all but goes away and all you see is the shimmer.  The formula on this one was good, but sheer and it took 3 coats to reach opacity.



Elisa - Red foil.  I love red foils.  I think I have 3 of them (all discontinued OPIs) and I am happily adding Elisa to my collection.  The red on this one doesn't lean either blue or orange, and is a perfect holiday red, and it reminds me of wrapping paper.  The formula on this one, like almost all of the foils in this collection is very good.  It's almost a one-coater, though I had a few thin spots and ended up with 2 coats.



FeiFei - sheer blue base with multi-color metallic shimmer.  FeiFei is the second shimmer metallic in this collection.  When I first saw early swatches of her, I thought she was going to be dupey to Zoya Crystal, and she is somewhat similar.  However, while Crystal was golden shimmer in an icy blue base, FeiFei has multi-colored (gold, purple, blue, pink, purple) shimmer in a sheer blue-grey base (that gets bluer the more coats you apply).  The formula on this one was very similar to Daul, though a tad thicker. 3 coats.  



Ray - evergreen foil.  Like Elisa, this one is perfect for the holidays.  When I saw it in the bottle, I thought it was going to be similar to Zoya Suvi, but it's actually much lighter and doesn't have the blackened base.  This one had a thinner formula than Elisa, and it took me more coats to reach opacity. Also, this one is a bit frosty in the finish, which isn't at all unattractive and works with the color, but it will give you faint brushstrokes.  3 coats.  



Song - bright blue foil with tonal shimmer.  I am crazy in love with Song.  I can't tell you all just how much I love this polish.  It's like Zoya reached in my head, picked out my dream polish and turned it in to reality.  It reminds me somewhat of OPI Swimsuit...Nailed It!, but it doesn't lean turquoise at all.  It is a straight up bright blue.  Also, the formula is fantastic.  It was opaque at one coat, but I did 2 just out of habit.  In case, you haven't figured it out, Song is my favorite of this collection.  If you love shimmery blues like me, then you NEED this one.  



Suri - imperial purple foil with red and blue shimmer.  I love this tone of purple.  It's so pretty and flattering on every skin tone.  I especially loved the speckles of blue and red in this polish.  I know that purple shimmer with red and blue sparkles isn't incredibly unique, but seeing it in a foil finish is unique, in my opinion.  The finish on this one was in-between that of Song and Ray.  It's a foil with shimmer, like Song, but it also was prone to strokes, like Ray.  2 coats.


I think Zoya knocked it out of the park with this collection.  There isn't a single one that I don't like.  I think if I had to pick one I wasn't completely in love with, I would pick Daul, but it is a beautiful color and is especially pretty when layered under Zoya Katherine (from the Gloss collection).  My favorite is Song followed by FeiFei and Suri.

Zoya Diva will be available on Zoya.com starting mid-July (I don't have an exact date).  Zoya polishes retail for $8 a bottle.


This collection was sent to me for review.  The links within this post link to a previous post on this blog, as well as to Zoya.com.  The Zoya.com link is attached to my Zoya Share the Love account and it is an affiliate link.  When you use my link and create an account/make a purchase, I will receive points that I can use towards future promotions.  If you prefer to not use my affiliate link, please go to www.zoya.com.  


Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Zoya Gloss NYFW 2012 Collection Review

My favorite time of the polish year is upon us, and that is when the fall collections start rolling out.  Even though it's hotter than blue blazes outside, on my nails, I can pretend that I'm wearing sweaters and watching football.  :)  And Zoya's fall releases are always some of the ones that I look the most forward to.  This year, Zoya has 3 collections, each of which are " 'haute' off the New York Fashion Week Fall 2012 Runway".   These collections consist of a set of six creme polishes (Designer), a set of six metallic/shimmer polishes (Diva), and a small set of three jelly polishes (Gloss).  Today, I have for you the Gloss collection.

I chose this one to be my first to review because I have fallen in love with jellies.  I love the squishy quality and shiny finish to jellies, and these babies are no exception...



Frida - dark teal jelly.  Frida was my problem child of the bunch.  I loved her in the bottle.  On the nail, she took the longest to reach opacity.  The above picture is 4 coats and I still have nail lines.  Also, I'm just going to throw it out there that at one or 2 coats, it kinda has the color of green-death NyQuil.  :/  So, you are probably going to want to use more coats with this one, if you use it alone.  That said, Frida is amazing (AMAZING!) when layered...

This is one coat of Zoya Frida layered over 2 coats of Zoya FeiFei (a blue shimmer metallic from the Diva collection).  I absolutely love this one layered.  It changes FeiFei from a slate blue to a gorgeous aquamarine.  So, so pretty.  



Katherine - aubergine jelly.  Katherine was created for Peter Som and was previously offered as part of a limited edition set.  So for all of you that didn't pick her up back in the winter, now's your chance.  Katherine is very pretty color.  I say it's aubergine, but there is a lot of brown in the base.  The formula on this one was a little thicker than Frida.  The above picture is 3 coats, and while there are thin spots in the macro picture, they weren't noticeable in person.  Like Frida, Katherine is amazing when layered...

This is one coat of Katherine over 2 coats of Zoya Daul (a plum shimmer metallic also from Diva).  The bases in Katherine and Daul were relatively similar, so while it didn't transform the color, like with Frida and FeiFei, it is a beautiful combination.  



Paloma - mulberry jelly.  Okay, so I know that berry shades in fall collections are not original.  But, this one is fantastic and my favorite of the collection.  Maybe it's the jelly finish or the super-shiny finish, but there is just something about this one that had me at hello.  I also really liked it with my skin tone.  The formula is perfect and I was able to reach total opacity in 3 coats.  And yes, like the other 2 in this collection, Paloma perfect for layering...

This is 2 coats of Zoya Paloma over 2 coats of Zoya Song (a bright blue metallic from Diva).  I had already used the 2 shimmer metallics from Diva for layering, so I wondered what would happen if I used Song.  The answer?  Awesomeness!  :P  I really, really love this combo.  It's a little hard to see in my photo, but in person, the sparkle within Song pops as red and purple flecks because of the color of Paloma layered over top.  


I really like this small collection of jellies from Zoya.  You jelly-fans will not be disappointed.  Also, I wanted to mention that a lot of comparisons have been made between these polishes and OPI's sorbet polishes from last year.  The finish on them is similar, so if you loved the sorbets (which were essentially jellies with a slightly thicker texture), you will love these.  

If I had to pick favorites, I would say Paloma, Katherine, and then Frida, but honestly, for layering, all of these are amazing.  You could transform just about any polish with a simply coat or 2 of one of these polishes.  And they self level well, which is great for layering.  

Zoya Gloss, as well as Diva and Designer, will be available at Zoya.com starting in mid-July.  Zoya polishes retail for $8 a bottle.  


Zoya Gloss was sent to me for review.  The above link links to Zoya.com and is affiliated with my Share the Love account.  When you use the above link and create an account, you will receive a free polish, and I will receive points that can be used for promotions through the Share the Love program.  If you prefer not to use my Share the Love link, please go to www.zoya.com.