Down to the wire here with Zoya's Summer 2011 collection with Faye, A bronzed mauve with purple and brown undertones flooded with right gold sparkle. A unique gilded shade that will work in any season. Yes, this is a 100% twin of OPI Rally Pretty Pink which will be reviewed soon here on PolishGalore. I thought I was going to obsess over this color - it looks like an orchid... it's purple, it's gold! What couldn't there be to love?
I used a base of Zoya Get Even, 2 coats of Faye and a top of Zoya Armor.
Okay so in the sun, you see a bit of visible nail line (index finger) and the gold shows up but it's kind of weird. This color is more frost like?
In the shade, it's like - hyper shiny with the gold and the purple is kinda pink?
Indoors with the flash it's very purple orchid like, but not so much on the opaqueness?
Lots of question marks from me because I'm just very confused about this color. I like it but I don't love it. I should love it. It's purple! But I'm rather jaded. I think I need to wear it a few more times so I'm not so on the fence with this color. Unlike the others which I've called glass fleck, lovingly, I'm calling this more of a shimmer.
Zoya can be purchased on their website for $8/bottle.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
First Zoya came out with Kym, now here is Kimmy, a "gleaming metallic candy apple red brightened by gold sparkle. Not your usual red shimmer- this one has a fiery attitude." It's has a darker red base than Rica, but the same gold/red shimmer as Reva. I used a base of Zoya Get Even, 2 coats of Kimmy and a top of Zoya Armor. The formula was smooth, the color was nice and opaque.
I mean just look at this color in the sun! Candy apple red for real. It's so lovely - very pigmented.
In the shade, the firey nature of this color really shows off - the gold in the bottle is more pronounced as a shimmer on the nail but it's definitely there.
Indoors with the flash you can see the orange/gold shimmer as well as just just how opaque this color really is. Also, interestingly enough - my bottle looks like a tiny bit was poured out or something in the beginning of filling. Lots of love for this color - definitely going to be showing up on my hands more this summer.
Zoya can be purchased on their website for $8/bottle.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
I'm not sure how many times I can say it without sounding like a robot, but Zoya does glass fleck/sparking metallics REALLY well. Next today is Rica, a "warm light coral with pink and orange tones and heavy gold metallic sparkle. An alternative to flat corals for when you want to shine." Coral is one of those colors that I have a love/hate with - sometimes I can't get enough of it and sometimes I can't get rid of it fast enough. This color is also very reiminescent of China Glaze Strawberry Fields for me although much more orange.
I used a base of Zoya Get Even, 2 coats of Rica and a top coat of Zoya Armor. Formula was smooth, pigmentation was nice and opaque.
In the sun, it almost has a duochrome effect because of the orange sparkle against the pink base. Very beautiful and unique in my collection.
Not just one shade picture, but two! I really love this color - it's just so different ... light and airy looking at the same time. I think it's just the whole pink/orange thing that really hits me as being beautiful. A must have for me!
Indoors with the flash - you can see that it's a nice opaque color without any balding.
This is probably my second favorite collection ever (second only to the China Glaze OMG! collection)... two coat opacity, glass fleck/sparkling metallic finish, unique colors. There's only a few left to share and there are a few surprises in them.
Zoya can be purchased on their website for $8/bottle.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
Okay, I've caved and activated my Tumblr account. I'm extremely still new to the concept but definitely am looking for new people to follow so please either leave your link in my comments, or just @polish_galore me on Twitter with your Tumblr URL so I can add you. ^_^
Moving on down the line, here is Tanzy, the "light, bright tangerine orange with yellow gold metallic sparkle. A sunny orange that's easy to wear year-round." I was very iffy about this color because while orange has definitely been a hot color for 2011, I'm not 100% into this new trend. I used a base coat of Zoya Get Even, 2 caots of Tanzy and a top of Zoya Armor.
The first coat of Tanzy had me very worried because it was much more sheer than Reva, but as you can see in just two coats, it was full coverage and opaque. I'm still not loving orange against my skin tone, but as a polish, this color and formula did not disappoint.
As with Reva, this color looks much better to me in the shade - the sparkle really shows up better. Also I'm getting used to this squoval shape now - it's still not something I can seem to do myself, but pampering myself once a month with a manicure is totally okay by me. :]
Indoors with the flash and man it's like sparkle OVERLOAD, but in a good way. Remember, I do love glitter! ^_^ As for as the color, it's a cross between orange and gold, and I'm happy with that uniqueness.
Zoya can be purchased on their website for $8/bottle.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
Kicking off the other half of the Sunshine and Summertime Summer 2011 collection from Zoya is Reva, a cool toned strawberry red with glowing golden metallic sparkle - a very rich and luxurious looking gilded red. You say metallic sparkle, I say glass fleck, either way it's gorgeous. Easily my favorite "easy" look to wear (flakes and glitter are still #1 but take time to apply and take off) - and Zoya does it quite well.
I used a base coat of Zoya Get Even, 2 coats of Reva and a top of Zoya Armor.
In the sun, metallic sparkle/glass fleck just never looks as pretty as it really is. It's hard for the camera to focus properly when there is so much going on.
But then you put it in the shade and BAM. This color reminds me a lot of China Glaze Strawberry Fields except this has much more red to it. Such a beautiful color - I really didn't want to take this off at all.
Indoors with the flash just kind of shows you how much shimmer/glitter/glass fleck whatever you want to call it is in the polish - very even coverage.
If you love this type of finish, I highly recommend getting this color. Very nicely pigmented and smooth formula.
Zoya can be purchased on their website for $8/bottle.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
The final gem in the "Summertime" portion of the Summertime and Sunshine Summer 2011 Zoya collection is Breezi, a soft, dusty medium cerulean blue with an opaque cream finish. A super chic high-fashion denim look for nails." While I don't see this as a denim blue (I'm more into darker washes personally), Zoya does do blue very well. This blue reminds me a LOT of Zoya Phoebe but as you'll see below it's darker, richer, and of course, not matte.
I used a base of Zoya Get Even, 2 coats of Breezi and a top of Zoya Armor. Formula, again, was excellent.
Here in the sun, you see how well this polish applied - no brush strokes, no bubbles, nada. Very nice solid blue.
Same story in the shade - nice and creamy.
Indoors with the flash, you can see a bit of balding on my middle finger on the outside edge (going towards my ring finger) but that's from bad application by me. Getting those sides has always been difficult for me.
A great finale to this half of the collection - I'd say my favorite is a tossup between this and Mira.
Zoya can be purchased on their website for $8/bottle.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
While I was at JoAnn's Fabrics this past weekend, I saw this set of 12 "vintage leaf glitter" vials from Martha Stewart. I had bought her 12 glitters vials about 2 years ago and it's done nothing but sit on my shelf of crafts as another one of those "I'll eventually play with this" things. I figured with this, I could use it in nail art just like gold leaf foil (which I had to fight myself from buying last week as well). At $20, this is a pretty good value considering how little you use for art and how many different colors are included.
I opened my vial, and tried to "paint" on some of the leaf glitter using my paintbrush that I clean up my cuticles with but that didn't do much, so I just used my fingertip to place the leaf glitter on my nail and then added a thick coat of Seche Vite. A few pieces were still sticking up, so I pushed them down with an orange stick to try and get it to stick. Bottom line, I wasn't patient enough. I'm positive with enough time and patience (and a good top coat), you could get the leaf glitter to properly lay down and even place in a design.
This was over my earlier manicure, Zoya Mira.
The shine is amazingly brilliant but as you can see, a few corners are still sticking up which can easily catch on things... mainly hair since I tend to play with my hair a lot.
Even in the shade, this catches any available light to reflect upon. I definitely think this is a great way to spruce up a manicure :]
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
Moving on down the line of Zoya's Summer 2011 Sunshine and Summertime - today I have Zoya Mira, a "blue toned medium purple with dusty lavender tones and an opaque cream finish. For a muted yet colorful purple that isn't too dark." Now, when I first saw this color, I giggled at the name, because in Spanish, mira means "look", and as a teenager, it was popular to say "mira, look it" (which is totally redundant, but also hilarious at the time)... Okay yeah, it's kind of weird but what can I say. I used a base coat of Zoya Get Even, 2 coats of Mira, and a top of Zoya Armor. Formula was very nice and even.
Now, this color looks a lot like China Glaze Grape Pop, but I haven't had any time for comparisons just yet. That's one reason why I'm doing my nail project, so I can pull comparisons all the time. I have a little over 50 nails done, so I'm only 5% into it (oy). Very beautiful purple though.
Here in the shade, you can really see the blue tones coming through - I'm not sure what I like more... I'm a huge blurple lover in general.
Indoors with the flash... very Barney purple like. Great creme but not entirely unique. I promise to have comparisons again soon!
Zoya can be purchased on their website for $8/bottle.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
I follow a few Tumblr "blogs" (I don't really know what you'd call them, maybe it's just "tumblr"?) and I've been noticing a lot of China Glaze Let's Do It In 3-D postings from their Kaleidoscope collection. This is a rainbow holo (not linear) in a charcoal grey base that I originally hated. Seriously, I nearly gave it away last year because I was so underwhelmed by this polish. Today I decided to try again.
I used a base coat of Nfu-Oh Aqua Base which takes a bit longer to dry than normal base coats because of its thickness, but provides a nice smooth base for the nail polish. Next I added three thin coats of Let's Do It In 3-D. And then I fell in love.
Not going to lie - I took about 50 pictures. However, I'm going to spare you and only show the best one that showed you that holo goodness we all love. Yay!
However in the shade, well you know the story.
Boo shade.
Indoors with the flash provided a bit more holographic pictures, but not by much. This is definitely a "wear in the sun and blind everyone" type of polish - which is fine by me.
While this color is discontinued, you can find it sometimes on eBay (ouch on prices) or in small/local beauty supply stores or salons.
I'm officially finishing some CosmoProfNALV items today (YAY!) and I have a pretty pink for you! Zoya Areej is a "pink with an opaque cream finish. A pink for when you want a bold pop of color but not something neon-bright." It's almost Barbie pink but has a bit more blue in it. I used a base coat of Zoya Get Even, 2 coats of polish and a top of Zoya Armor.
Here in the sun you can see that it's definitely a darker pink than "Barbie pink", but still quite lovely I like this shade of pink better than light because I feel it's better with my skin tone, but who am I kidding, I wear all kinds of polish. Yellow is still my "ehh" color thought.
Oddly, in the shade, this looks much more berry than pink. It's still quite beautiful, but just a little bit different.
Back indoors with the flash - I can't stop raving about Zoya Get Even and how well it covers ridges. People constantly ask me where I get my nails done and I'm happy to say "They aren't fake!"
Zoya can be purchased on their website for $8/bottle.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
Continuing with the Sunshine and Summertime collection is Kieko, a "warm, red toned dusty light purple with berry tones with an opaque cream finish. A nice alternative to pure pink or berry, especially flattering on warm skin tones." I'm such a sucker for purples and while this isn't a purple glitter, it's still PURPLE! I really want to put my purple peek-a-boo highlights back in my hair, but just haven't yet. I used a base coat of Zoya Get Even, 2 coats of Kieko and a top of Zoya Armor.
Check out this pretty girl in the sun! It took me a whole hour in Photoshop to get the color correct, but it's totally worth it so you see the correct color.
Mmm even in the shade, this color rocks my socks. I love this berry purple plum thing!
Indoors with the flash - you can see a tiny bit of balding on the ring finger, but otherwise this is a pretty well opaque creme. I would definitely recommend this color if you're a purple fan.
Zoya can be purchased on their website for $8/bottle.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
Continuing my Zoya swatching and the Sunshine & Summertime collection, here is Tamsen, a "medium warm brick red with strong orange tones with an opaque cream finish - a special red that is both enticing and mysterious." Zoya had fun writing the release for this collection - I love how every color has a little story.
I used a base of Zoya Get Even, 2 coats of polish and a top of Zoya Armor. Formula was nice and smooth.
Look! I have sun! You can tell that this is definitely a red creme with some tomato-likeness to it. The orange tones are there - you can tell because my porch in the background is actually brick red.
Even in the shade, this color is pretty strong. I feel like my hands look a little lobsterish but not to the point where I wouldn't wear this color again. It is very close to Sooki but that orange tone does make it different. Promise. ^_^
Indoors with the flash - super smooth with Zoya Get Even. I'm really loving this base coat - my ridges are completely hidden.
Zoya can be purchased on their website for $8/bottle.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
Alright polish companies, listen up. I want a True Blood inspired nail collection. We're talking blood red, pale white, flat black, purple because I said so, something really glittery and sparkling electric overlay color... yeah. Now GO!
Zoya did do me right by having Sooki (close enough), a "bright, clean, crisp cool cherry red cream with a subtle jelly finish. For an irresistible, attention-grabbing red nail" from the 2011 Summer Collection "Sunshine & Summertime" (and this is from the Summertime side). Man this is a bright red. I used a base of Zoya Get Even, 2 coats of polish and a top coat of Zoya Armor. Formula was rich and smooth.
Jelly? Check. Cherry red? Check. Perfectly named? Mostly checked. ^_^
In the shade, this color still pops and just hits you in the face like Sookie's lightning fingers from Season 3. (Or something... I'm trying here.)
Indoors with the flash - just really loud in your face RED. Definitely an attention getter. I will have to wear this again but I might tone it down with some glitter or something. BAM!
Also, mad love shoutout to Charlotte Sparkle. Thank you for commenting on my blog as often as you do. It makes my day. ^_^
Zoya can be purchased on their website for $8/bottle.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
