Zoya Thandie

Hello again, readers! Today I'm wearing Zoya Thandie, a bright orange polish with a very subtle shimmer. It's the first one I've tried from the Stunning collection, and I quite like it - I don't tend to wear a lot of orange polish, but I can definitely see myself wearing Thandie once in a while.

I used three coats with top coat here, and the application was silky smooth. However, I will note that it looks like a creme in a lot of lights, particularly if you're not looking closely. Nonetheless, I'd definitely recommend trying Thandie, especially if you like orange!

This product was given to me for honest review.

Zoya Savita

Hello again! I wasn't planning on having time to blog today, but I had one of those pleasant days where you think you're going to be super busy and it's actually not that bad, so here I am. I absolutely love the Zoya Matte Velvet winter collection from 2009 - it's one of my favorite Zoya collections despite the fact that there are only three of them, simply because they're all so fantastic. I love the rich colors, I love the satin effect that you get with a matte shimmer, I love how they glow with or without top coat, I love that they're opaque in two coats...the only thing I don't love is the fact that they chip like crazy if you don't wear top coat, but I suppose the upside to this is that since they're matte and dry quickly, touch-ups are easy to do.

Man. Just look at that gorgeousness. If you have Savita (or Harlow or Veruschka), cherish it, because Zoya doesn't sell it any more. If you don't, find a friend who does and borrow it immediately, even if you don't like mattes - it looks great with top coat on, which I'll be showing you next time along with a little bedazzling (a.k.a. glitter). In the meantime, have a great day!

Royal Flakies

Yep, it's another cheesy layering title, stemming from my combination of Orly Royal Navy and an accent nail topped with FingerPaints Twisted. Not really much to say about this one except that it's awesome and my pictures are kind of crappy and I'm sorry about that, so I'll just let you look:

 natural light

sunlight

Isn't it preeeetty? My nail line wasn't quite as visible in real life as in the second picture, but I included it anyway because I couldn't manage to get a picture in just natural light that wasn't a little blurry. Oh, the mutability of my camera's moods...

Note: As this posts (I'm writing this on Thursday the 7th), I'm going to be starting my first of a month of 8:00, four-hour, daily geography classes. So, um, have sympathy. Or something.

Mardi Gras Nails

Happy Mardi Gras! It's a day of indulgence, and while I haven't been indulging myself too much today, I did give my nails a special Mardi Gras manicure this past weekend. I wasn't even really planning on doing Mardi Gras nails until I thought of this and decided it was too good to resist. Who could resist having their nails dripping with gold?

indoors, artificial light

For this manicure, I used Zoya Veruschka on most of my nails, Zoya Savita on the ring fingers, and Orly Luxe for the dripping gold. Though my left pinkie nail was a bit of a mess-up, as you can see, I was really happy with the way the rest of them turned out. In fact, I actually got a "that's really cool" from a straight male, so perhaps that's one way to define manicure success. I meant to add top coat and see how it looked after some wear, but after a couple of days one whole nail peeled off before I had time to do so. I have to say, though, I was impressed with how long it stayed on! I'm really going to have to try to use drip nail art more often.

Again, have a great Mardi Gras - and let me know if you're doing a Mardi Gras manicure!

Zoya True Part 2: Swatches and Review

Hello there! I've finally worn all of the colors in True, and I have to say, I'm impressed! I love these kinds of colors anyway, and Zoya does them really well. Unfortunately, not all of my pictures are the best - the weather turned cloudy just in time for me to wear Lotus. Anyway, here they are!

 sunlight

natural light

Skylar is probably the one of the three that represented itself best in pictures - it's a dusty blue filled with gold metallic particles, and it's absolutely gorgeous. I was really happy with this both in the bottle and on my nails, and I'd definitely recommend it, especially for spring. This was two coats.

 sunlight

natural light

For some reason, the sparkle in Tru wasn't as willing to come out for the camera. The purple color is fairly accurate (and gorgeous!), but the gold shimmer is much more evident in real life. As a lover of purples, especially rich purples, I loved Tru (though, to be honest, I could do with a different name), and it's a great addition to the many purples in my stash, especially since it's an easy-application two-coater.

natural light

Finally, we have Lotus, a prim dusty purple with purple and gold shimmer. Though I didn't like it as much as Tru, it's still an absolutely gorgeous purple and, again, one I'm more than happy to add to my collection. Like Tru and Skylar, Lotus was also opaque in two coats.

These polishes were provided to me by Zoya for an honest review.

Zoya True Part 1: Swatches and Review

So, six posts in January...woot? I know I've been painfully absent, but I have been extraordinarily busy with school and extracurriculars (please ignore the fact that I've only been at school for two weeks), and my nails are still refusing to be nursed back to health. Anyway, I have for you today the first half of Zoya's True collection, Cho, Farah, and Bevin. On to the review!

natural light

Cho is the first polish in the collection. It's described by Zoya as a "full coverage, vanilla shimmer metallic," which is sort of accurate, though I wouldn't really describe Cho as a vanilla color - more of a yellow nude. It has the same shimmer finish as the polishes from last year's Touch collection. As you can see, it doesn't complement my skin tone at all, but it was opaque and easy to apply, so I would recommend it to someone it would suit better. I used two coats.

natural light

Farah is the second polish in the collection, a "full coverage, latte beige cream." Zoya's description is definitely more apt in Farah's case than in Cho's, but as with Cho, there's something about the shade that just doesn't suit me very well. It's a shame, because I do like it - just not on me. Farah was opaque in two coats, as well.

natural light

Finally, we have Bevin, a "full coverage, pale sage green cream," or what I see as a cross between sage green and jade green. In either case, it's a gorgeous color that covers perfectly in two coats, and one I will be definitely wearing again, especially when my nails get a tad longer and healthier . . . and hopefully that will be soon. 

Another thing that I hope will be soon - my review of the second half of Zoya True!

P.S. Paula from WoW Nails sent me a very kind email a while back asking me to check out her blog, so I did, and I thought I'd post the link here in case any of you are interested: http://mywownails.blogspot.com/ Have a great day!

These products were provided to me by the manufacturer for a fair and honest review.

SinfulColors Holiday 2011 - Swatches & Review

Good morning! I took my last final this morning for my political science class, and now I'm done! My mom's not going to be here until this afternoon because of work, though, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to post the SinfulColors holiday collection that I swatched Saturday. The collection is made up of five repromoted colors and two stripers. Although none of the polishes are new, they're all new to me, so I was pretty excited to try them out, especially with all the good things I've heard about Daddy's Girl. I do have to apologize, though - my nails were really short to begin with, and then my pinky nail broke halfway through swatching, so the last half only have three fingers. Sorry!

 sunlight

shade

Sugar Sugar, described by the SinfulColors press release as "a candy cane, red-hot tint," is just that - I love the color, and the glowy quality reminds me of my favorite red shimmer, Dr.'s Remedy Revive Ruby Red. The only thing I didn't like was the formula, which in combination with the brush was very hard to control, and as you can see, I ended up getting some bubbles. With a little more care, though I don't think this would happen. I used two coats.

 sunlight

shade

I decided to show Flower Girl next because I used it on top of Sugar Sugar. It's a bronze-gold color that I haven't seen in a striper before, which is really nice - I always like to find something unique. It was also really opaque, which is essential in a striper because it's more of a pain (for me, at least) to go over stripes twice. It's worth noting that the brushes on these stripers are thicker than Kiss or Nubar, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing; after all, it can be good to have some variety.

 sunlight

shade

Next, we have Midnight Blue, "a bold, bright twist on navy," or what I'd call a vivid, medium-blue shimmer. This polish kind of reminds me of Sally Hansen Blue It, but brighter and less metallic. I used two coats with this as well, but was more careful and only got a couple bubbles, though it was still a bit of a pain to apply. I like Midnight Blue, but I don't think it's a must-have.

 sunlight

shade

This is the second striper, Fashionista. It's a silver glitter, and to be honest, I was a bit disappointed with this one. The base was thicker than I like in stripers, and the glitter wasn't as dense as I had hoped it would be. However, if this is your thing, I would definitely recommend it - after all, it's cheap and easy to work with.

 sunlight

Sorry I don't have a shaded photo for this one - I didn't realize until I uploaded them that all the ones I took were a little blurry, so I decided not to include one. Anyway, Last Chance is a dark evergreen creme that seems to me like a non-jelly version of Nars Zulu. As I've never been a huge fan of Zulu (I don't tend to love vampy polishes), I'm perfectly happy with Last Chance. I used two coats.

 sunlight

shade

As you can see, Out of this World is a whitish silver, and I have to say, I'm not a fan of this one. It wasn't quite opaque with the three coats I used, and it's not really a color I would wear on its own. I think it might be good for layering, though...I'll have to try that sometime.

 sunlight

shade

Daddy's Girl, "a deep purple with a drizzle of shimmer and glitter," is by far my favorite of these. It's a gorgeous purple jelly with gold glitter, and I love it. It's not quite opaque with three coats, but it's more opaque than it looks in my first picture. I'm not sure why I didn't buy this one before...it's a vivid purple; what was I thinking?!

If you'd like to buy any of these for yourself, you can find them for $1.99 at mass retailers like Walgreens.

And with that, I need to go pack...I hope you're all having a great week, and don't forget to read my NO H8 post!

These products were provided to me by the manufacturer for honest review.

Dr.'s Remedy Jolly & Joy Swatches and Review

Hello again! I'm back, as I said I would be, with the holiday 2011 collection from Dr.'s Remedy. I know for sure that one of these, Revive Ruby Red, is a re-promote because I reviewed it before, and I think Passion Purple is as well; however, I'm fairly sure the other three are new - but by all means, correct me if I'm wrong! Now, let's get to the polish.

outdoors, sunlight

First, we have Revive Ruby Red, which as I said before, is not a new color - it was in last winter's collection as well. However, that doesn't make it any less gorgeous! If you read my original review, you will remember that I absolutely loved it then, and that definitely hasn't changed. It's got the same lit-from-within, glowing quality that made it love me so much the first time around, and is opaque in the same two easy coats. I encourage you to read my previous review of Revive Ruby Red for more details if you're interested.

outdoors, sunlight

The second color in Jolly & Joy, Passion Purple, is described by Dr.'s Remedy as "a bombshell-boysenberry with subtle silver meshed throughout," and I think that's an accurate description. I tend not to like shimmers with a colored base and silver shimmer quite as much as other shimmers, but I think this one is nice. I'm not wowed by it, and I'm not sure that I'd wear it all that often. However, if this sort of finish is your thing, go for it! The application was fantastic, and it got opaque coverage in two coats.

outdoors, natural light

Essential Emerald, the third polish, is described by Dr.'s Remedy as "a take on the classic tree-and-plant-inspired gem of a shade, with delicate glimmer and unparalleled amounts of glamour." Now, this is an area where I really have to disagree with the description - to me, this is a jade green, not an emerald. However, it is a very lovely color, and I like the silver shimmer in this better than that in Passion Purple. This one also took two coats, and the application was great.

outdoors, sunlight

Serene Silver Glitter is described by Dr.'s Remedy as "a seasonal sizzler like no other: shine, chic, totally unique in the metallic scene," and on this one, I totally agree. As far as I know, there really is no other polish like this one. For one thing, it's definitely a glitter, but the particles are so fine that it applies almost as smoothly and evenly as a foil, and looks a somewhat like a foil on the nail as well. Additionally, it has not only silver glitter, but red and blue as well, which is a combination I haven't seen anywhere else. Best of all, the glitter is very highly packed into the polish - I barely needed two coats!

outdoors, natural light

Finally, we have Resolution Red Glitter, "a red-meets-copper spin that's sequin-look-alike laden with high-shine and sparkle." I sort of see where they get the copper, but to me, the polish is mainly a red, pink, and silver glitter. It also barely needed two coats, and the application was good. 

Check Dr.'s Remedy out on Twitter and Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/Remedynails

http://twitter.com/#!/remedynails

These products were provided to me by Dr.'s Remedy for honest review.

Day 4: Green - Barielle Date Night

I know I said I was going to do another crackle mani today, but then I remembered I had Barielle Date Night sitting in my untrieds. Date Night, an emerald green shimmer, was on my wishlist for quite a while, and I took advantage of a recent sale to get both it and Elle's Spell for what ended up being basically a steal. I used two coats with Insta-Dri top coat, and again, I retouched my hangnail, because it's still getting better.

 direct sunlight

 direct sunlight

direct sunlight

Isn't it gorgeous? I took some pictures in indirect light, too, but none of them really turned out accurately, so I decided to stick with the sunlit pics. I wasn't sure Date Night would live up to my expectations when I first saw it in the bottle in real life, but it's turned out to be every bit as rich and decadent as I hoped it would be. I may just wear it in May next year, because my birthstone is the emerald. And with that, I'm off! I have an Arabic quiz this afternoon, so I need to study. Wish me luck, and have a great Friday!

EDIT:
Whoops, I forgot to include links to my fellow bloggers doing the challenge this month:
Bright Lights, Big Color
Life and Polish
Manicure Addict
Dees Polish Endeavours
Aly Loves Lacquer

Sinful Colors This Is It

I can't remember how I got Sinful Colors This Is It...it was an extra in a swap, or a giveaway, or something...honestly, I have no clue. It's sat in my untried box for quite a long time because I just didn't like it much in the bottle, but I was having one of those swatch-whatever-you-pull-out-without-looking sessions this past Saturday, and one of the colors I pulled out was This Is It. It's sort of a warm yellow-gold, which I think I would like a lot more if it were a creme or glass-flecked finish instead of a shimmer. This was three coats, and as you can see, it's still semi-sheer.

 outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

Looking back at the pictures, it's not so much that I don't like the color as that I don't like it on me. It does have little bits of purple, blue, and green microglitter, but they're only noticeable in real life if you're reeeeeally looking, and I don't think you can see them at all in the pictures. Not my cup of tea, so I'm putting it up for swap on MUA - if you're interested, my username is neverunpolished. What do you think - is this it for you? (Yeah, yeah . . . I go for the puns whenever I can.)

Summer Layering

EDIT: I forgot to mention that Adamo 117 is one of the awesome polishes I got in Greece. Whoops!

For today's mani, I really wanted to use Adamo 117, a orange jelly packed with glass flecks that flash orange and gold. I plan on trying it on its own at some point, but I wanted to go to bed before midnight last night, so layering was necessary. I slapped on OPI A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find, which is my favorite orange creme, then added one coat of Adamo 117, one coat of Nubar 2010, one coat of 117, two more of 2010, and one final coat of 117. The results? HOT.

outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

outdoors, shade

As I told my mom, this mani accurately reflects August weather here in Missouri, but I much prefer this gorgeous layering to the heat and humidity. Even as I'm typing this post, I keep stopping to stare at my nails. Pitiful, I know - but they're so pretty! I bet something similar would look great with pink, as well . . . I may have to try that, too. In the meantime, I'll just admire the juicy deliciousness I have on at the moment.

Don't forget to enter my Zoya Smoke & Mirrors giveaway - it ends Thursday!

My First Nfu-Oh

This was scheduled to post on July 31, but for some reason it didn't, so here it is now!

A while back, I won a giveaway from Jessica v. Polish, and included as an extra was Nfu-Oh 55 (an extra, can you believe it?!), a polish with a clear base containing green shimmer and green/orange flakies à la Nubar 2010 or Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure. It's absolutely gorgeous, and I haven't used it much only because I'm afraid I'll use it up! I'm wearing it here over a franken I made, Comet, but I definitely want to try it over other colors.

 indoors, artificial light

 indoors, artificial light

indoors, artificial light

These pictures really don't capture how gorgeous Nfu-Oh 55 is . . . I'm tempted to blow my checking account on more Nfu-Oh flakies, but I've restrained myself so far. We'll see how long that lasts. :)

Repost: China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise

China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise is not only my first China Glaze polish, but one of the earlier polishes I showed on my blog, as well as my first neon. Though it well deserves all of those "firsts," it definitely deserves a better blog post than I gave it the last time around. I'm not linking to the first one, but you can find it at your own peril - I really had no clue what I was doing back then. I used three coats.

outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

Probably because it's a neon, I couldn't get my camera to accurately capture the color of Turned Up Turquoise - it's more of a greenish teal in real life. However, it truly is a gorgeous color, and I love the finish. I only have two neon shimmers for some reason, but I definitely need to get more. After wearing Turned Up Turquoise for a little while, I added a coat of Nubar 2010 and Essie Matte About You. Funnily enough, this actually made the color of Turned Up Turquoise show up a tiny bit more accurately in the photos.

 outdoors, cloudy

outdoors, cloudy

I would definitely do this combination again . . . I love cool colors with warm-colored glitter or flakie top coats. What do you think?

Pink Wednesday: NYX Silver Plum

NYX Silver Plum is another polish that I got in a giveaway and let sit in my untried box for far too long. It's more of a pink plum than a purple plum, but it's quite pretty. Unlike yesterday's sour grape, Milani Breezy, I had no trouble with the formula of this one. I used three coats.

outdoors, sunlight

I took a picture in the shade as well, but didn't realize it was blurry until I'd already taken Silver Plum off. I don't have much else to say about Silver Plum . . . it's a pretty color, but not really my type, so I've added it to my swap list on MUA. It's only been used this once, so if you're interested, let me know!

Milani Breezy

Milani Breezy is a nail polish that I've had in my untried bucket for quite a while. I got it in a giveaway (I can't remember whose, sorry) and sort of forgot about it - or, when I saw it in my untrieds, there was always something I wanted to try more. I'm determined to cut down my untried polishes significantly before I move to college, though, so I finally went for it yesterday evening.

First of all, you should know that Breezy is very sheer and dries slowly. I used five coats with top coat, letting each coat dry most of the way before adding the next (which took forever), then went to bed (because it was so darn late by the time I got done waiting for the coats to dry). I was very careful with where I put my hands when I laid down, but when I woke up in the morning, terrible sheet prints were on every nail. In some cases, the polish had even been pushed to one side of the nail. Because I didn't have time to redo a full manicure, I buffed the bumpiness down, then added another coat of Breezy and top coat. Since it's a sheer shimmer, though, you can still see where some of the sheet prints were. Oh, and guess what? Six coats, and still not completely opaque.

 outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

It's a pretty color on the nail, and I like it better than I thought I would in the bottle. However, this one is just too much trouble for me. Maybe if I had all day to paint my nails it would be worth it, but I don't, and it's not. There are plenty of blue shimmers out there that aren't such a pain, so I'd recommend spending your money on one of those. That said, if you are interested in owning a bottle of Breezy, I've listed it for swapping on MakeupAlley - my username's neverunpolished.

I'm leaving on Thursday for Greece thanks to Make-a-Wish, and I won't be back home until next Saturday or Sunday (probably Sunday). I'll be scheduling posts in the meantime, and I might even post a picture or two of Greece from my phone if I get a chance. However, I won't probably have posts scheduled for every day - I do still have to pack, after all!