Zoya Smoke Swatches and Review

Zoya Smoke is one half of Zoya's Fall 2011 collection set, Smoke & Mirrors. Smoke is made up of creme polishes, and Mirrors is made up of shimmers and glass-flecked polishes. I really like the concept for this collection, and there are several that I'll be adding to my "take to college" list - which, at the rate it's going, will be far too long come August 24. And now, the polishes! I did not use top coat in any of these pictures, and as you can see, they're all very shiny without it.

outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

Jana is what Zoya calls a "smoky mauve quartz cream" - frankly, I'm quite sure where the quartz part comes from, but it's a very pretty color. It's not a particularly unique color, but it stands out from all the other trendy mushroom taupes for its opacity. I used one coat on all nails except the ring finger, because I dripped acetone on that one and it dulled the polish. As you can see, there's absolutely no difference in opacity between the finger with two coats and the rest. A classy, one-coat-and-done taupe? I'm definitely taking this one to college.

 outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

Petra, a "smoky eggplant mauve cream," is a very pretty purpley, greyish, brownish, mauvey polish that's hard to define when you see it in person - and I think that's partly what I like about it. In some lights it looks mostly grey, but in different light, it takes on different tones. I did use two coats with this one, but it barely needed the second.

 outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

Look at that shine! If I didn't know this didn't have top coat, I'm not sure I'd believe it. Anyway, Codie is a "smoky brown taupe cream," though I'm not sure I agree with Zoya on the taupe part - taupe is grey tinged with brown, and if this has any grey in it, I'm missing it. This is probably the darkest brown I own, and I think I prefer them a little lighter, à la Barielle Coco Bar. I used two coats.

 outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

Zoya calls Anja a "smoky palatinate purple cream" - I call it lovely. Though it doesn't really have any relevance to the polish itself, I do like that they used "palatinate" in the description. I used one coat of Anja here, which suited me just fine. My only (slight) complaint is that I had one too-long, slightly wonky bristle in Anja's brush, but I trimmed it down and the brush works perfectly normally now.

 outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

Cynthia is a "smoky Prussian blue cream" that reminds me of a considerably more blackened American Apparel Peacock. I keep getting this one mixed up with Anja, because I feel like the one that's described as Prussian should have the Russian name. Anyway, that's irrelevant as well - Cynthia is a lovely color, and perfect for those of you who are particularly fond of vampy polishes. It's a bit too dark for my taste, but I like the touch of teal it has. Cynthia is opaque in two coats.

 outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

Dree is the final polish in Smoke, and by far my favorite. A "smoky camouflage green cream," Dree is the kind of color I just can't resist - I just can't resist a good khaki green, so I'll definitely be carting this one off to SLU as well. Dree reaches opacity with two coats - I baaarely needed the second, but it is a tad sheer without it, so I do recommend two coats. Like all the others, it's uncannily glassy without top coat. I'm in love.

I planned on doing more Harry Potter nail art today, but when the Smoke & Mirrors package arrived, I ended up spending all my free time at home swatching them instead. I will still be doing the nail art I'd planned (even though it's almost 11:00...eek!), but I'm not sure I'll be able to get it up tonight.

Also, I'm planning on doing a comparison post for these polishes at some point (I'd do one for Mirrors, too, but I honestly can't think of any really similar colors in my collection), so if you have any suggestions, please put them in the comments, shoot me an email, or sent me a tweet. Thanks for reading!

These samples were provided to me by the PR company for review. However, this will never influence what I say in a review. For more information, see my disclosure policy.

Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolors PR

I think S-Kylie, Kendall on the Katwalk, and Follow Me on Glitter look promising, despite the dumb names...OPI seems to have a particular talent for giving good polishes really cheesy names.

Nicole by OPI Announces Kardashian Partnership, Featuring 14 “Kaptivating”

Nail Lacquers

Nicole by OPI joins the Kardashian/Jenner family in announcing the launch of Kardashian Kolors, 14 new nail lacquer shades inspired by these six trendsetting women. Kris Jenner and her five daughters – Kourtney, Kim and Khloe Kardashian and Kylie and Kendall Jenner – are known for their head-to-toe unique style, which now includes nails! 

“We are so excited to work with everyone’s favorite TV family – the Kardashians – to share a diverse collection of fashion-forward shades,” declares Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “With lacquers ranging from high-shine and sparkly hues to neutral taupe and pinkish coral,Kardashian Kolors offers the perfect accessory for every woman – from teens to moms and everyone in between.”

            Kardashian Kolors includes:

It's All About the Glam

Shimmering-white glitz for the glamorous gal!

Kim-pletely in Love

Finally! The pink of her dreams has arrived.

All Kendall-ed Up

Powder your nose and get some pink on those toes!

Wear Something Spar-Kylie

Glitter-ly the prettiest pink ever!

Sealed with a Kris

Handle with care: This klassy red is top-of-the-line!

Rainbow in the S-Kylie

Girls just wanna have…glitter in every color!

Disco Dolls

Glittery gold glam gone wild!

Kendall on the Katwalk

A head-turning blue-green with a “sparkling” personality!

Listen to your Momager!

If you don’t, you’ll never see this fabulous blue again!

Follow Me on Glitter

A glittery deep gray that always has something to say!

My Empire...My Rules

This take-charge taupe is always on-trend.

Khloé Had a Little Lam-Lam

A deep dark emerald worth falling for.

Hard Kourt Fashionista

This delicious deep brown is the chicest hue in town!

Kourt is Red-y for a Pedi

And this captivating coral looks “fab” on everyone!

Nicole by OPI Nail Lacquers and Nail Treatments contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde. Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality, with products featuring the Perfect Stroke brush for streak-free, even coverage. Kardashian Kolors will be available Holiday 2011 for $7.99 each ($11.00 CAD).

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

Fawkes the Phoenix

I know I told you I was going to show you the nail art I did over Green with Envy today...but then I changed my mind. With the last Harry Potter movie coming up, I've been re-reading the books like mad, so of course I had to do a correlating manicure. I've been making a list of ideas as I've read the books, and one that I couldn't wait to try was a Fawkes manicure. If you don't know who Fawkes is, well, Google "Fawkes the phoenix," and also, really?! Anyway, I knew that painting a non-cartoon bird on my nails would be pretty much hopeless, so I just did a feather on each nail. I used one coat of Wet n Wild Black Creme for the base (over base coat, naturally), then my red Nubar nail art pen, OPI Red My Fortune Cookie, China Glaze White Cap, and Nubar 2010 (sparingly) for the feathers.

 indoors, artificial light

 outdoors, sunlight

 outdoors, shade

Honestly, this manicure did not turn out as well as I would've liked, which I think is partly due to the fact that the reds I used are not perfectly opaque in one stroke over black. This meant I had to go over and over the lines I made to make sure that the red showed up vividly, and that compromised the cleanness of the design. I kind of saw this coming and would've tried it over white, but I knew that black would set the red and gold off so much better that I had to try it anyway.

That said, I cannot wait to do more Harry Potter manicures, and you'll probably be seeing them past the 15th, so be warned. :)

Sally Hansen Green with Envy

I just realized that yesterday was my one-year blogaversary - I find it hard to believe that I've been doing this for a whole year already, but there you are. This is also my 300th post, another landmark. Unfortunately I don't have the funds to do a giveaway right now, since I'm saving up for a new laptop, a new phone, and college expenses, but that doesn't mean I don't greatly appreciate every one of my followers and comments. Thanks, and I hope you stick around for the next year!

Today's polish is one that I've used quite a lot, but somehow managed never to show on Never Unpolished until now. It's Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Green with Envy, and it's one of my favorite green cremes. Searingly bright, though not a neon, Green with Envy is not for the faint of heart.

 indoors, artificial light

outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

The first and last pictures are most color-accurate - the sun picture is a bit too yellow. Only the last picture shows how juicy Green with Envy looks, even though it's not a jelly. I really do love this green, and I'd be hard-pressed to find another lime green creme I like as well. Its application is a dream once you figure out that the Xtreme Wear brushes pick up a crapton of nail polish, and it doesn't stain as long as you use a base coat, which you should always do anyway.

I did some nail art with this that I'll be showing soon (probably tomorrow), but I'm thinking I need to pull it out again while it's still baking hot outside. This, Pacific Blue, and Sun Kissed (all Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear) are my trifecta of summer polishes, and I haven't used them enough this year. Until next time!

P.S. I'll also be posting some Harry Potter nail art this week, so look forward to that - how could I not do something for the 15th?

China Glaze Metro Press Release

I was super excited when I saw this in my inbox, and even more excited when I figured out that the bottle pictures are actually big. Click and enlarge!

URBAN EDGINESS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

China Glaze Introduces 12 New Purely Pigmented Crèmes, High Coverage Glitters and Intense Shine Shimmers for Fall 2011

Los Angeles, CA – (April 2011):  City living boasts excitement, a cool, edginess and confidence that oozes from fashion forward women like none other.   City loving celebs like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Ivanka Trump, Rosario Dawson and Jaime King have style to spare and their fashion sense trickles down to everyone from working women to college kids. This Fall, China Glaze has captured the big city feel in 12 sexy, sophisticated shades that are on trend, exciting and will be on every fashion maven’s “must have” list.  Whether you prefer downtown funk or uptown class, China Glaze’s METRO collection pulls together ensembles and will undoubtedly make heads turn!  Colors in this collection include:

•  Skyscraper: A sparkling, glitter blue reminiscent of the sky over the city.
• CG in the City: Glittering dusty purple, bronze and silver multi-tonal glitter, perfect for a pop of edge from West side to East side.
• Urban-Night: Exactly what you need for a night on the town – rich purple crème.
•  Traffic Jam: Stop traffic with a breathtaking, raspberry pink crème.
•  City Siren: The perfect deep, red crème to match any outfit. 
• Loft-y Ambitions: Burgundy shimmer and cocktail hour – nothing better.
• Brownstone: Burnt terracotta crème mirrors the quaint townhouses of the city.
• Midtown Magic: Burgundy base with flecks of gold shimmer captures the latest fashion trend.
•  Street Chic: This gorgeous beige crème is the perfect go to shade letting your clothes do the talking.
• Concrete Catwalk: Steel grey crème is amazing for a chic mani.
• Westside Warrior: For the trendsetting woman this camo green crème is to die for.
• Trendsetter: Mustard yellow shimmer translates beautifully from hot dogs to nails.

Skyscraper

CG in the City

Urban-Night

Traffic Jam

City Siren

Loft-y Ambitions

Brownstone

Midtown Magic

Street Chic

Concrete Catwalk

Westside Warrior

Trendsetter

Fall in the City is a magnificent time and China Glaze has interpreted the hues of the urban jungle into their limited edition METRO collection.   Escape your everyday and indulge in the city life!

The China Glaze METRO collection will be available in a “Downtown” 6 piece box collection (includes Skyscraper, Concrete Catwalk, Westside Warrior, Trendsetter, Loft-y Ambitions and Midtown Magic), an “Uptown” 6 piece box collection (includes CG in the City, Urban-Night, Traffic Jam, City Siren and Street Chic and Brownstone), a brand new, amazing 3D 12 piece counter display, a 36 piece rack display, and as open stock colors.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.

About American International Industries

For nearly 40 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women.  Our product lines include Ardell, Andrea, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, Checi, China Glaze, Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, Jeris-Lustray, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, Prolinc, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Waterworks,  Winning Nails, Woltra, Woody’s, and Youthair. For more information, visit our website: www.aiibeauty.com.

Zoya Smoke & Mirrors Press Release

I got this press release a few days ago, and I couldn't wait until July 5 so I could share it with you all! I'm very excited about this collection and can't wait to see swatches - what do you think?

fall 2011 nail color

smoke and mirrors

...beautiful illusions

Zoya Nail Polish presents 12 enticing and mysterious new colors for fall 2011.

Zoya Smoke Collection

Jana (ZP564) - smoky mauve quartz cream

Petra (ZP565) - smoky eggplant mauve cream

Codie (ZP566) - smoky brown taupe cream

Anja (ZP567) - smoky palatinate purple cream

Cynthia (ZP568) - smoky Prussian blue cream

Dree (ZP569) - smoky camouflage green cream

Zoya Mirrors Collection

Nimue (ZP570) - smoky rich thistle metallic

Marina (ZP571) - smoky steel blue metallic

Tao (ZP572) - smoky slate gray metallic

Yara (ZP573) - sparkly olive green metallic

Neeka (ZP574) - sparkly amethyst purple  metallic

Jem (ZP575) - sparkly fandango pink metallic

Zoya is the new color of fashion... The new Zoya smoke & mirrors colors were designed and inspired by top fashion designers and beauty icons.

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers  by Zoya are free of harmful industrial chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, resin, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Find Zoya smoke & mirrors as well as over 300 other high-fashion Zoya shades at www.zoya.com. As always, each and every Zoya color is made for beautiful women so we name them after beautiful women.

smoke & mirrors by Zoya - available July 15, 2011 (USA)

Sug. Retail $8.00 per 0.5 fl. oz. bottle (US)

Zoya Touch Swatches and Review

Hello again! I normally don't like to do two posts in a day, but I figured it makes sense because this is a swatch post and my earlier post was part of Learned and Lacquered.

I know you've probably seen Zoya Touch a million times already, but for those that haven't, it's a three-piece collection released by Zoya in June. Zoya calls Minka, Shay, and Pandora "full coverage nude creams-softly kissed with a touch of metallic." Minka is the lightest color, Pandora is the darkest, and Shay is somewhere in the middle. For this post, I only took one picture of each polish - the sun wasn't consistently out, so I couldn't take sun and shade pictures, and the ones I took indoors were completely inaccurate.

outdoors, cloudy

First, we have Pandora, which Zoya describes as "medium pink-beige nude with blue and mauve undertones and a hint of pearly silver shimmer." I didn't think this one would suit me when I saw it in the bottle, but while it doesn't match my skin color as much as it appears to in the photo, it doesn't clash horribly, either. I used two coats here, and barely needed the second - the great thing about Touch is that they're not your typical sheer nudes.

outdoors, weak sunlight

Shay, a "dense, fleshy light peach with slight orange-red undertones and a hint of pearly silver shimmer," is the second polish I tried out of Touch. It's a nice latte brown color (and now I want some Starbucks...) that, again, doesn't match my skin tone precisely, but looks nice regardless. Two coats were plenty and application was a dream, as has been my general experience with Zoya.

outdoors, sunlight

Finally, we have Minka, described by Zoya as a "pale, milky beige nude with yellow undertones and a hint of pearly silver shimmer." Oddly, this was the one that matched my skin tone best in real life, but in the photos it appears far too yellow, and both Pandora and Shay look more flattering. This was definitely not the case in person, and I'm not sure why my camera made it appear that way. I also used two coats with Minka.

When the press releases for Touch first came out, I wasn't quite sure how I felt. I was excited about having a collection of opaque nudes, I wasn't sure I would like the shimmer, and while it does look nice, I'm still not sure I wouldn't prefer the polishes without it. I also wish Zoya had made Touch a six-piece collection and included darker shades - Pandora is nowhere near a "mannequin hands" shade for a lot of people, and I think it's a shame that lacquerheads with dark skin are being ignored by Zoya. Overall, I think this is one collection that, while definitely solid, is absolutely a matter of personal preference. That's always the case, but especially with nudes since no one has exactly the same skin.

What do you think about Zoya Touch?

Learned and Lacquered: Emollients & Skin Conditioning Agents

If you don't want to read the whole post, scroll to the end for a few essential points (in bold).

Today's L&L post is about two very important categories of nail polish and nail care product ingredients - emollients and skin conditioning agents. They're basically the same thing, which is why I'm not doing two separate posts. A skin conditioning agent or emollient is something that lubricates, softens, or smoothes the skin. Many emollients and skin conditioning agents (hereby categorically referred to as emollients, because it's a shorter word/phrase and I'm lazy) are natural ingredients, such as coconut oil and soy protein, and many have additional benefits, such as nail growth, antioxidant properties, and so forth. Many nail products, especially cuticle and hand creams, include such ingredients, but I've found that Dr.'s Remedy is the most emollient-rich nail polish brand out of those I own.

image credit

A lot of the emollients used in nail polish are ingredients you could probably recognize without any help. However, there are also quite a few with more "scientific" names, which is why I've compiled a list of all the skin conditioning agents and emollients I know to be used in nail polishes and products. It's a very long list, so I've put it in a smaller font.

Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Adenosine Triphosphate, Algae Extract, Allantoin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract OR Aloe Vera OR Aloe Vera Concentrate, Arginine, Ascophyllum Nosodum Extract, Aucoumea Klaineana Oleo-Resin Extract, Biotin, Bisabolol, Calcium Pantothenate, Calendula Officinalis Flower Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Cellulose, Centaurea Cyanus (Cornflower) Extract, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Cholecalciferol, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Codium Tomentosum Extract, Collagen Amino Acids, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Diethylhexyl Adipate, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein, Hydrolyzed Protein, Hydrolyzed Vegetable/Wheat/Rice/Soy Protein, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Jojoba Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Mannitol, Maris Sal/Sea Salt/Sel Marin, Mineral Oil, Neopentyl Glycol, Olea Europaea (Olive) Leaf Extract, Panthenol, Papain, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Polyacrylic Acid, PPG-2 Dimethicone, Propylene Glycol, Retinyl Palmitate, Ribes Nigrum (Black Currant) Seed Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Saccharide Isomerate, Serine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Soy Amino Acids, Stearyl Alcohol, Threonine, Tocopheryl Acetate, Trihydroxypalmitamidohydroxypropyl Myristyl Ether, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea Seed Oil, Vitamin D, Wheat Amino Acids, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil


Whew! I wouldn't have included the list at all because it's so long, but I thought it might be good for reference.  Here are the essential facts:

• A skin conditioning agent or emollient is something that lubricates, softens, or smoothes the skin.
• Many are natural ingredients - that is, they come from sources found in nature, such as plants.
• Many emollients have additional benefits such as nail growth and antioxidant properties.

P.S. I think trihydroxypalmitamidohydroxypropyl myristyl ether wins the prize for longest nail polish ingredient name ever, don't you? Have a great day!

Silver Crackle Comparison

I know some of you out there are tired of crackle and wish it would go hide in a hole somewhere - if that's you, skip this post. I got Sally Hansen Fractured Foil a while back and thought that would mean I didn't need to spend the money on OPI Silver Shatter. Then I kept seeing Silver Shatter in stores, and I thought, "You know, I'm pretty sure that's a darker silver than the Sally Hansen." And so, of course, I inevitably bought it. And you know what? They are different! I was delighted. I compared them first over a dark color (I used Cult Nails Living Water, because I was wearing it already and it's practically black) and then over white (Wet n Wild White Creme). No bottle pics, because the ones I took turned out horribly. Both pictures were taken indoors under artificial light.

pointer and ring - Fractured Foil, middle and pinkie - Silver Shatter

As you can see, there's not that much difference here, though Silver Shatter does look slightly darker. The contrast showed up more in real life, but it still wasn't remarkable. But when you put them over white...

pointer and ring - Silver Shatter, middle and pinkie - Fractured Foil

Okay, now there's a big difference! Silver Shatter is closer to a gunmetal silver color, while Fractured Foil is a pale silver. Since I'll be wearing these over light colors as well as dark, this definitely justifies owning both of them for me. If I manage to get my hands on the silver China Glaze crackle, I'll do a new post comparing them all, but I'm not holding my breath - the only reason I got my hands on the original set of Crackle Glaze is thanks to the lovely Jasmine of Colour Coated.

Do you own either of these? And which do you prefer?

Butterfly Nail Art

Happy July! I still can't quite believe it's not May anymore. I better start making my packing list and deciding which polishes to take to college - I don't know how I'll pick! Anyway, today's manicure is some butterfly nail art that I did on top of the jelly sandwich I showed you on this past Wednesday. I used a black Kiss striper, Wet n Wild White Creme, and a toothpick to make the design, and I followed this tutorial by Confessions of a Polishaholic - though, of course, hers looks about a million times better than mine.

indoors, artificial light

I guess there's not much else to say about this one, except that I am shocked that it wore as long as it did - I think I had this one for four days, and there were only two very small chips at the end of that time. With all the coats of nail polish I used in the jelly sandwich with nail art and more top coat on top, I didn't expect it to last two full days, and I have no clue why it did! I'm glad, though, because I wore this during my college registration, so if it had all fallen off I wouldn't have had time to fix it. 

Have you tried butterfly nails? If not, you should - and let me know!