Orly Rock-It

Hi everyone, first off, I want to apologize for being so MIA lately.  My kiddos started school last week, and like it is every year, it's harder for me to adjust to the new schedule than it is for them.  LOL.

Anyway, in my effort to be back to a regular blogging scheduled, today, I have for you another polish that I received from Beauty Stop Online for review, Orly Rock-It...

Orly Rock-It is from last year's Mineral FX collection and it's a deep magenta metallic shimmer with an orange duochrome flash.  It's really, really pretty and reminds me of the shimmer metallics from OPI's Burlesque collection from Holiday 2010.  

The formula was okay, though it was a bit thin, and when I had to apply it with my non-dominant hand, I had a problem with it flooding my cuticle.  It took 3 coats to completely reach opacity, but because it was a little thin, the 3 coats dried rather quickly.  It does dry a bit matte, so you will need to use a topcoat to bring back the shine.  

All in all, I love this polish.  In fact, I am wearing this as I type this and I can't stop looking at my hands.  LOL.

Orly Rock-It has been discontinued, but it's still readily available at online stores, including Beauty Stop Online. 

Orly Rock-It was sent to me for review.  Links within this post link to Beauty Stop Online and are not affiliate links.   

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.  

Nails Inc Cheyne Walk

Nails Inc has recently come out with a line of "mirrored metallics", a set of 4 nail polishes designed with a "highly reflective mirrored metallic finish".  Today, I have for you one of the 4 polishes, Cheyne Walk...

Cheyne Walk is a medium-toned purple metallic with a slight green duochrome shift.  The duochrome was much more pronounced in the bottle, unfortunately.  The above 2 pictures show 3 coats of Cheyne Walk worn alone, and while I love the color, I found it to be a little on the sheer side to wear by itself. I much preferred it layered over black...

These pictures show 2 coats of Cheyne Walk layered over 2 coats of Nails Inc Black Taxi.  Layering it over black gives it an amount of depth that just couldn't be reached alone.  I also was able to get the duochrome to come out and play a little better when it was layered (see my ring finger in the second picture).  

Layered or not, however, I didn't really see the mirror finish.  It's highly metallic, but, in my opinion, it's not exactly a mirror finish (though that is something that is almost impossible to achieve with polish alone).  That said, it's a beautiful polish with my favorite part being the micro-shimmer.  

Nails Inc Cheyne Walk is available at Sephora.com.  Price is $9.50 per 0.33 fl oz bottle.  There are 4 polishes in this small collection, though only 2, Cheyne Walk and Stratford are currently in stock.  

Nails Inc Cheyne Walk was sent to me for review by Nails Inc's PR.  The above link links to this product at Sephora.com and is not an affiliate links. 

Duri Keep Your Options Open Spring/Summer Collection Review - Part 2

Yesterday, I brought you the first part of this collection, and today, I have for you the 6 remaining colors, and I think I've saved the best for last...

Celebrate the Sunset - Dusty pink creme.  I was really drawn to this color.  Given the name, and the dustiness and slight purple tinge to this color, I was immediately reminded Mountbatten pink, a dusty pink used to camouflage warships at dusk (though I think this is pinker than true Mountbatten pink, that may actually have been closer to the mauve-pink below).  It's also the exact shade you will sometimes see at sunset when the sky near the horizon turns pink.  I had good coverage with the formula and was able to reach opacity in 2 coats.

How to pink a winner - dolphin-skin grey creme.  This is such a pretty grey with a lot of blue in the base.  It reminds me of Zoya Kelly and Caitlin, in that regard.  Also, in the bottle and on my nail, it is a bit bluer that it appears in my pictures.  It doesn't really scream "summer" to me, but it is a really nice color, nonetheless.  2 coats.

Keep Your Options Open - deep, vampy purple with subtle red, blue, and purple micro-shimmer.  You may be saying to yourself "oh another vampy purple", and it is a vampy purple.  However, it's the shimmer in this one that sets it apart.  The base is a jelly-ish creme and the micro-shimmer gets suspended in the base so when you move your fingers, you see sparkles of fine shimmer.  The shimmer's not exact hidden or secret, but it's not an overtly-shimmery polish, if that makes sense.  It was a little hard to capture the shimmer with my camera, but my ring finger in the top picture and my pinky finger in the bottom picture are good examples.  The formula was good and I had no issues.  2 coats.

Lazy Days - Medium-toned, dusty mauve.  When I first saw this one in the color, I thought it was going to be very "mom-ish".  Then I put it on and I fell in love with it.  It really reminds me of the long-discontinued Essie Lyford Lilac, though it's more purple than the Essie.  This one had the best formula of the lot and it was opaque in one coat, though I applied two.  

Steal the Spotlight - Bright, orange-based red with golden micro-shimmer.  I think this one is my favorite polish in this collection.  The color is warm, but is very wearable on my skintone, which can sometimes be an issue with orange-reds.  It's so bright and summery and would look fantastic with a tan.  I had no issues with the formula.  2 coats.  

The Big Score - rose champagne metallic.  This lone metallic in this collection is also the one which stumped me the most in coming up with a description.  The color is a pretty mix of mauve-pink, silver, and champagne gold, and while it's a foily-metallic, there are also large particles of silver and pink shimmer in this one.  This one is pretty unique in my collection.  The formula was good and I had no issues.  2 coats.  

I thought the previous colors from this collection were nice springy colors, but I absolutely love the colors in this second grouping.  If I had to pick favorites, I'd say Celebrate the Sunset and Steal the Spotlight, but there isn't one I don't like.  

Duri polishes are available at Duri.com and retail for $5 a bottle.

Duri Keep Your Options Open was sent to me review.  The above links like to a previous post on this blog and Duri's website and are not affiliate links.  

Julep Nessa

Hi everyone.  I hope you all had a great weekend.  I apologize for the short hiatus on my part.  I got a little busy this weekend, and I just didn't have anything drafted.  Plus, I kinda experienced a bit of manicure block.  I've still got it today, sadly.  So, I grabbed a polish that had been sitting on my desk for a few weeks.  This is Julep Nessa...

I received Julep Nessa in my last Maven box, and when I first saw it in the email, I was immediately intrigued.  It seemed so unique to me, and in real life, it is unique.  It's a daffodil-yellow, foil metallic, which is something that is not duplicated in my collection.  However, as unique as it is, it is also as equally difficult to use.  

I wanted to really like this polish.  I really did.  The formula had a little issue with brushstrokes, but that's to be expected with this type of finish.  The main issue I had with this polish was the brush.  Given their short-ish hand and long stem, Julep brushes are naturally a little harder to use than a traditional brush.  Unfortunately, the brush I had in my bottle of Nessa with more difficult than any Julep I've used to date. It flared out and was much like a mop.  So I had a hard time applying to polish neatly on my nail and I also had an issue with drag.  Perhaps I just had a wonky brush, though I have read a few other reviews of this polish, and see that several other girls had the same issue.  

I was able to reach opacity in 3 coats and if the brush wasn't so hard to use, I may be more positive about this one, because the color is really pretty, but application was just so crazy difficult that in my opinion, this one is a pass until Julep fixes the brush issue with this one.

Julep polishes are available on their website, and also at Sephora, though this polish is not listed on Sephora.com.  Juleps retail for $14.  

Julep Nessa was in my May Maven box.  I do have a Maven referral link, but the above link does not link to my account.  It is not an affiliate link.

Duri Angels and Demons

Last year, Duri released a 6 polish collection inspired by the movie "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo".  I think most of the polishes in the collection may have been repromotes, but they were new to me, so I was pretty excited.  

I loved the look of the collection and I couldn't wait to review it.  Now, part of that is probably because of the movie and the fact that Daniel Craig is my Hollywood boyfriend (:P), but also it just looked like a gorgeous collection.  Unfortunately, my life continued it's pattern of topsy-turvy and I just never got around to swatching the entire collection.

However, I am now trying to post single polish posts of polishes I wasn't able to review last year.  Today, I have for you another of the polishes in this fantastic collection, Angels and Demons...

I chose this polish because, as you may notice, I chopped my nails WAY down, and then I had a break on my pinky (isn't that always the way), and I had to go even shorter.  :\  So, I figured a darker polish was in order.  

When I put it on, I was a little surprised, though it was a good suprise.  Maybe I didn't stare at the bottle hard enough before I applied it, but for some reason, I thought this was going to be a charcoal grey base loaded with silver glitter.  It's not.  It's a gunmetal-grey foil metallic.  

I love this polish.  I had no issues with formula or application.  In fact, it applied like a dream and was completely opaque in 2 coats.  I also used a coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri quick-dry topcoat.

I really like Duri polishes.  I find them to be fun, inexpensive polishes and they have a wide range of colors and finishes.  You can purchase Duri polishes directly from their website and they retail for $5.  

Angels and Demons was sent to me for review.  The above link directly links to the polish pictured and is not an affiliate link.

Zoya Surf Collection Review

Earlier today, I posted my review of Zoya's summer 2012 Beach collection.  I now bring you the companion collection to Beach, Zoya's other summer collection, Surf.  This is a collection of foil metallics, and it, like Beach, is absolutely fabulous...

Carly - deep purple metallic.  Of all the polishes in this collection, this is the one with the most variation in the shimmer.  Rather than being simply silver or gold, the shimmer in this one is pink and blue.  It's almost like a foil-y, lighter version of OPI Ink.  This one had perfect formula and was almost a one-coater.  It was also had the glossiest finish of the six polishes in this collection. 2 coats.  

Kimber - bright, strawberry red-pink with golden shimmer.  The shimmer in this one is golden, rather than silver, and it reminds me of a foil-y version of China Glaze Strawberry Fields.  I loved this one on my nails and I can't wait to wear it as a manicure.

Meg - lime green foil.  This one, like Tracie from Beach, had me struggling a little for a color descriptor.  It's a little darker than what I consider a lime green, but it's very close.  However, it's not as bright as Zoya Apple from last year's Sunshine collection.  Zoya describes it as a "mermaid green", but in my mind, that means it has a good amount of blue in it, and this one has no blue.  This one had a satiny finish due to the amount of foil.  2 coats.  

Myrta - red-orange metallic.  This one gave me the most problems in trying to describe it.  It's not a true orange, and it's not a true red, and it's not a true pink, though it has elements of all 3.  It kind of reminded me of OPI The Show Must Go On from the 2010 Burlesque collection, though Myrta is more orange-y and brighter.  Like Kimber, this one had golden shimmer, though it is much more subdued in this polish.  3 coats, but it was fine at 2.

Rory - light pink foil.  If Glinda the Good Witch had her own Zoya polish, this one would be it.  This one had so much silver in the finish.  The pink is light and very girly.  I think this one would look fantastic in the summer.  Like Meg, this one dried to a satin finish, because of the amount of foil in the polish.  3 coats.

Zuza - aquamarine metallic foil with faint golden shimmer.  I think Zuza my second favorite in this collection, behind Carly.  This one had a silvery foil finish and like Rory and Meg, it was also very satiny.  The formula on this one was fantastic.  2 coats.  

All in all, like with Beach, I am in love with this collection.  Perhaps, I love it even more than beach.    I stated that Carly and Zuza are my favorites, but honestly, there isn't a single color in this collection that I was "meh" about.

Zoya polishes are available at zoya.com and retail for $8 each.  This collection, with Beach, should be available starting 4/1/2012.

To view my post on Zoya Beach, please click here.

These were sent to me for review

Zoya Sunshine Review

Recently, Zoya came out with 3 new summer collections.  The new Mod Mattes (which I recently reviewed), Sunshine and it's (yet to be reviewed) counterpart, Summertime.  Today, I have for you Sunshine, which a collection of 6 glass-flecked metallic shimmers.

On all these, the finish is the same.  It's a jelly-ish shimmer base with tons of golden shimmer.  As this is the same on all 6 polishes, I'm simply going to list the base color in my color description.  Additionally, each swatch is 3 coats, as they were a little sheer at 2 coats.

Apple - bright yellow-based green.  This one reminded me of green apple candy, specifically, the green apple Blow Pops I was addicted to in middle school.  The gold shimmer in Apple looks beautiful against the bright green base.

Faye - dusty browned-plum.  This color is so unique.  It's not purple, it's not pink, it's not brown... rather, it's a happy medium of the 3.  Of the 6 polishes, this one has the brightest shimmer.  I love this color and thing it would great on any skintone.

Kimmy - bright orangey red.  Kimmy is so beautiful.  It's an orange-based red, but I really like it on my skin, and the golden shimmer compliments the base really well.  I think this would look amazing with a tan.  Also, this one is definitely a summer red.  IMO, it's the summer version of Zoya Carrie Ann, from the fall collection.

Reva - bright raspberry pink.  This one reminded me of ChG Raspberry Festival, though it's packed with golden shimmer (IIRC, Raspberry Festival had golden glass flake shimmer, but it was rather subtle).  This puppy is far from subtle.  I love this one, and I think it's probably my favorite of the collection.

Rica - coppery pink.  The base on this one is almost the exact shade of watermelon candy (the pink kind, not green), but it's so loaded with golden shimmer that the overall effect is a coppery pink.  This is a beautiful color, but it didn't really compliment my skin.  I think this would amazing on someone with a tan or with darker skin.  It reminded me of ChG Strawberry Fields (another pink + gold combo that didn't like me).

Tanzy - golden orange.  Okay, I have a love/hate relationship with golds.  I love them in the bottle, but dislike them on me.  This one isn't an exception, and  because this one was an orange as well... it was a double-whammy.  It's a beautiful color... a warm, golden orange base with tons of that golden shimmer, but it just didn't play nice with my skintone.  Again, it would amazing on tanned/darker skin.

All in all, I like this one.  It seems like Zoya's been doing a lot of these glass flecked metallic shimmers lately.  I can think of at least 4 collections with some level of this finish.  That said... that is fine by me.  :) They do them exceptionally well!  There isn't a color I don't like, just that some of them work with my pink skin and some don't.

These are now available at Zoya.com.  Zoya retails for $8 a bottle.

These were sent to me for review

Nicole by OPI Something About Spring Collection - Pt.1 (Shimmers and Cremes)

Recently, I received Nicole by OPI's Something About Spring collection for review.  I had received the press release a couple weeks ago, and I was immediately intrigued by several of the colors, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on them.  :)  This collection is exclusively sold at Target and Target.com.  This collection is pretty much divided into 3 groups... shimmers, cremes, and glitters.  Today, I have for you the largest group, the shimmers, and the 2 cremes in the collection.  Tomorrow, I should have the remainder of the collection.

First up... the cremes.

Daffy Dill - Bright lime green creme.  This is a very pretty lime green in that it doesn't lean too yellow.  It reminds me of the Fiercely Fiona and Who the Shrek Are You? from last summer's Shrek Forever After collection, but it didn't seem quite as bold as those two.  Don't get me wrong... it's definitely in your face, but it's not day-glow.  IRL, this is one of my favorite colors.  I remember having a t-shirt this color that I wore into the ground.  LOL.  So it makes me smile, it's just a little too bold for me to wear everyday.  Application was fine, though I had to do 3 coats to reach full opacity.

Pink. Seriously. - Bright, blue-based, medium-toned pink creme.  This one isn't crazy unique, by any means, but it's so pretty.  Really pretty.  Seriously, pun intended, I think it's become one of my favorite pink cremes.  Most of my favorite pinks leans to the warm side of the color (which is an anomaly for my pink skintone), but this one is definitely blue-based, and I really like it with my skin.  I can see me wearing this one quite a bit.  Application on this one was perfect.  Pic is 2 coats.

Next is the shimmers, which themselves can be broken down into 2 categories... metallics and jelly(ish) based shimmers.

Sea How Far You Can Go - Champagne metallic shimmer.  This one was a bit of an odd duck to try and describe.  It's a bit champagne, a bit grey, and a bit taupe.  It almost reminded me of Color Club Snakeskin without the frostiness.  This is one of the 2 metallic shimmers.  Formula was fine, but it was thin (which you want to achieve a nice depth to the shimmer).  It took 4 coats to reach opacity.

Shell Me the Truth - Pale shell pink metallic base with golden shimmer.  This is the second metallic based polish in the collection and truth be told, it was a total surprise.  At first, I thought it was going to be your standard shimmery shell pink.  Then I put it on and was blown away by the amount of gold shimmer in this one.  It's overtakes the pink base, but not in a bad way.  This one reminded me somewhat of China Glaze Pink Rox-E, but unlike that one, this one I actually like.  Thing is, pinks with golden shimmer, rarely work on my skin.  This one does.  I love it, and think it's definitely one of my favorites of the collection.  Again, thin formula, but not unworkable.  4 coats.

Dandy Lion - Goldenrod jelly base with tonal shimmer.  This one has so much shimmer that it almost looks like a metallic.  It's not.  It's a jelly base that suspends the shimmer.  I really like the concept on this one, but I'm not a huge fan of the goldenrod color.  It's beautiful, but just doesn't work with my skin.  Thin formula to allow for buildable shimmer.  4 coats.

Pink-Nic in the Park - Pink jelly-ish base with pink tonal shimmer.  This one is so pretty.  It does have a slight purple color shift, but it's not a true duochrome.  I kept thinking, while I swatched it, that you pink-girls are gonna love this one.  It's so pretty for spring and would look great with navy.  Pic is 4 coats, but it was thin and buildable.

These next three shimmers are quite similar while being different colors.  They all have jelly bases and are packed with pink, blue, and purple shimmer.  FYI... I wanted to mention that while I call these and the 2 above "jellies", they are not what I consider *true* jellies because they are able to reach opacity.  However, they had the same "squishiness" of a jelly.  The were kinda similar to OPI's new sorbet finish, just they had shimmer. HTH.

Iceberg Lotus - Green-teal with pink, blue, and purple micro-shimmer.  Okay, first up... I have to mention that my picture on both this one and You're S-teal the One are not color accurate.  I tried, but my little camera just couldn't handle 'em.  :P  Honestly, if you want to see a good idea of this color... look below.  That picture is very similar to the true color of this one.  It's a really pretty green/blue shimmer (that leans more green that blue).  Like the other colors, this one was thin and buildable.  3 coats.

You're S-teal the One - Cerulean blue shimmer with pink, blue, and purple micro-shimmer.  Again... not color accurate.  It's definitely more blue than my picture shows.  It's a beautiful blue that leans a bit teal.  Pic is 3 coats.  The bottle pic on the Target website is actually very close to this one, though perhaps a bit too blue.

I'm a Pool for Your Love - deep purple jelly with blue, pink, and purple micro-shimmer.  Okay, if you are a fan of purple... run... don't walk to Target and pick this up NOW.  I knew I would love this one as soon as I saw the press release and I was not mistaken.  It's absolutely amazing.  The base is a beautiful, vampy, deep purple jelly, but what sets it apart is the gorgeous shimmer.  It practically floats in the base.  If you love purple... you need it.  Enough said.  3 coats.

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All in all, I like what I've seen so far.  I do think some of the names are a bit silly, but that's neither here nor there.  I still have to swatch the glitters, and there is one that I think is amazing, but for my money... I'm a Pool for Your Love is where it's at.  It is so fantastic.  Like Top 20 fantastic!  I've always thought of Nicole by OPI as OPI's little sister with the not-as-good colors and the funky bottles, but they are really stepping it up.  I know they've recently changed brush designs, and as I had a few straw hairs, I think they are still ironing out those kinks, but aside from that... I think these colors are all a step in the right direction, which is giving Nicole by OPI even-footing with her big sister.    

Again, these are Target exclusives and only available in Target stores and on their website.  They are in the $7 range.

These were sent to me for review