Wednesday 25 June 2014

Sparkly Zoya's: Final Comparison

Hello Ladies! One final post of this sparkly Zoya blogathon...I just wanted to give some quick comparison bottleshots.  I was originally concerned that Peyton, Blaze and Aurora might be fairly similar before I bought them, but as you can see from the photo below they couldn't be more different.

Zoya Peyton, Blaze and Aurora
From L-R : Zoya Peyton, Blaze and Aurora
You can also clearly see from this shot see that the holo glitter in Aurora is much more concentrated that in the other shades, and its utterly mesmerizing on the nail.  It ranks amongst my sparkliest polishes of all (second only to the Smitten Polish 'Magic Words' collection polishes...post to come on these).  So imagine my surprise to see this fantastic comparison post by More Nail Polish comparing OPI DS polishes, Zoya's, Ozotic's and Dance Legend, showing that the Dance Legend WOW Prism polish packs in more glitter than all of them....I strongly predict there will be some DL polishes entering the stash in the near future.

Jen at The PolishAholic (one of my absolute fave bloggers) did a wonderful comparison post of Holiday polishes from several major brands, including the Zoya Ornate collection.  Check it out at this link.

One of the comparisons made on the More Nail Polish post is between Zoya Blaze and Picture Polish Monroe.  On her post these look very similar.  I have both of these so took a quick couple of comparison shots and I think they are quite different.  I think Monroe was re-released with a new formula, and I wonder whether this is why mine is so dissimilar to Blaze....

Left - PP Monroe, Right - Zoya Blaze

As you can see here, in my bottles the PP is a darker shade of red, more of a burgundy, and the Zoya is more pink leaning towards raspberry.  Both are fabulous, and not dupes.  So yes, if you like sparkly red polishes I think it's justifiable to have both.  Then again I think it's justifiable to spend more on nail polish than food, so what do I know?

Finally, I was interested in finding comparisons to Dream with Picture Polish Cosmos (which I don't own, but was considering) and found this great post from the Polished Cricket. In her post she suggests that these are quite similar, but that Dream is better and from her pics I agree.  Definitely no need for both methinks.

Until next time :)

Sparkly Zoya's: "Dream"

Hello Ladies!  Today's post is the final instalment in the sparkly Zoya blogfest :) I give you, the lovely Dream...
 
Morpheus says....buy all the polish!
Ooops, wrong Dream...Zoya Dream is from the Holiday 2013 "Zenith" collection (see collection mate Peyton).  This is a bright blue jelly base, packed with the "micro-fine diamond holographic particles" that the Zenith and Ornate collections are famous for (Ornate posts: Aurora, Blaze and Storm) and it's stunning....

Zoya Dream - artificial light
Zoya Dream - artificial light
This rich blue has a real pop on the nail, and like all the other sparkly Zoyas the formula, application and wear time were all top notch.  In these swatches I have the usual two coats betwixt NE and HK girl.  In most lights this polish looks like a lovely shade of deep royal blue (above), but in bright artificial light it has slight denim tones too (below)

Zoya Dream - artificial light
Zoya Dream - artificial light
I don't really own many sparkly blue polishes, but I'd say this one is definitely more impressive than Picture Polish Hope but not as cool as Smitten Polish Klaatu Barada Nikto (but then, what IS as cool as the Smitten? Answer....nothing!)


Zoya Dream - sun light
Zoya Dream - sun light
Dream is certainly a dreamy shade.....just look at that pretty colour and all those lovely sparkly bits...

Zoya Dream - artificial light
Zoya Dream - artificial light
I have really loved all of the sparkly Zoya's, each is special in its own right, and there is definitely no such thing as too many sparkly polishes in my opinion.  Yes I now have several polishes with the exact same finish, but its such a winner that I really don't mind.  This has also been my first real experience of Zoya polish, which until recently wasn't easily available in the UK.  Now you can find it on Sally Magpies and TNBL (links on the suppliers pages), and for very reasonable prices too.  I've picked all of these up for similar money to OPI polishes and these have definitely been of a comparable quality.  I like the cute shaped bottles too.  Now if only they would adopt the OPI pro-wide brush....

Zoya Dream - artificial light
Zoya Dream - artificial light
Zoya Dream - artificial light

I bought my bottle of Dream from the Nail and Beauty Link (TNBL, link in the supplier's page) for a bargain £6 :)

Last up we'll have one more Zoya related post, which will be a wee comparison and some links and then I'll move onto something new (quite possibly the astonishingly awesome Crowstoes "9 Realms" collection which I just got  a few shades from)...

Until next time ladies, happy painting!




Monday 23 June 2014

Sparkly Zoya's: "Peyton"

Hello ladies!  We're nearing the end of the sparkly Zoya bonanza...this is the penultimate offering, and it's a doozy!  Today we have the lovely "Peyton" from the Holiday 2013 "Zenith" collection. 

Zoya "Peyton" - artificial light
Zoya "Peyton" - artificial light
Of all the holiday collection Zoya holos, Peyton is the one that I'd actually class as a 'holiday' shade.  It's a scrummy dark cranberry jelly, packed with the same 'micro-fine holographic diamond' particles that Zoya used in its hugely popular "Ornate" collection from the previous year (Ornate posts: Aurora, Blaze and Storm).  This shade is utterly fabulous on the nail, deep and complex it's not as flashy as some of the other holos, instead it has a rich depth of fire that's mesmerising and no less pretty.

Zoya "Peyton" - artificial light
Zoya "Peyton" - artificial light
As per usual, this is two coats of colour sandwiched between NE base and SV topcoat. Application, formula and wear-time all excellent and removal is easy peasy which is always a nice surprise from a glittery polish.  The finish on all these polishes is naturally nice and glossy, but I always add topcoat to extend weartime (especially since I sit typing on a computer all day long, my tips take a battering so I need all the help I can get!)

Zoya "Peyton" - artificial light
Zoya "Peyton" - artificial light
What I love about this shade is that its a real in-betweener....it's too pink to be a red, and too red to be a pink, it's just a perfect balance of the two.  After my final individual post (on Zoya Dream, also from the Zenith collection) I have one last post planned to show you a side-by -side of Peyton, Blaze and Aurora so you can see the comparison of the tonal range.

Zoya "Peyton" - artificial light

I bought from the Nail and Beauty Link (link in the supplier's page) for a Christmas miracle price of £6....Like the 'Ornate' collection shades, I think the 'Zeniths' will also stay on Zoya's catalogue for a long time to come.  They hit the jackpot with this jelly/holo particle formula combo...here's hoping the holiday 2014 collection will have more! (Zoya, if you are reading this...think PURPLE!) :)

Next up is the final sparkly Zoya in my stash....the mesmerizing 'Dream'....until then ladies :)




Sparkly Zoya's: "Storm"

Hello Ladies!  The sparkly-themed Zoya posts continue....this time with the final polish I own from the "Ornate" collection - the lovely "Storm"...Storm is a true black jelly with the same micro-fine diamond holographic particle finish found in collection mates Aurora and Blaze.  The depth of this polish is fabulous, it's a galaxy in a bottle. 

Zoya Storm - artificial light
Zoya Storm - artificial light
I've been looking for a true black (not a crumby charcoal-y black) holo for a looooong time. There are many out there, but I want the one.  My mind was finally made up by this fantastic post from Jen at the PolishAholic...in it she compares Zoya 'Storm', A England 'Bridal Veil', Butter London 'The Black Knight' and Girly Bits 'Into the Night' (scroll to the bottom of her post to find the swatch).  For my money, "Storm" is the clear winner from this bunch....Also checkout this great comparison on Globe & Nail of Storm with "Starry Night" by Picture Polish.  It shows that while the particles are similar, Storm is a much truer black base.  That's right ladies, I've done the legwork so you don't have to...ain't I kind? Seriously though, I give big props to all those lovely blogger gals out there that have made my shopping easier (and my bank balance significantly less....).

Zoya Storm - artificial light
Zoya Storm - artificial light
As with its collection-mates I have nothing but praise for the quality, wear-time and formula on this.  It's fantastic and I'm so pleased to finally be able to add it to my stash.  This is what I had hoped to find in OPI's "My Private Jet" (which was controversially reformulated, see this archive post from the PolishAddict) but sadly I got the crappy reformulated version, which just looks like speckly charcoal with virtually no holo at all.  The disappointment with 'MPJ' is what started my long-term lemming for the true black sparkle-fest polish that is finally satisfied by Storm :)

Zoya Storm - artificial light
Zoya Storm - artificial light
In all these swatches I'm wearing my habitual two coats of colour with a single coat each of NE and HK girl topcoat.  I bought my bottle from the Nail and Beauty Link (link in the supplier's page) for a bargain £6.

Zoya Storm - artificial light
Zoya Storm - artificial light
Zoya Storm - artificial light
So what about you ladies? Have you got a polish lemming that you've been chasing down all these years?  For me there's nothing quite like that feeling of swiping on the first stripe and thinking 'Yes!! this is exactly what I was looking for!"

That rounds out my "Ornate" collection polishes...next up will be a couple from the more recent "Zenith" collection: Peyton and Dream...

Until then :)

Sunday 22 June 2014

Sparkly Zoya's: "Blaze"

Hello Ladies! Continuing the Zoya Sparkly polish post series with "Blaze".  This lovely polish was also from the Holiday 2012 "Ornate" collection (see collection mate Aurora).  Blaze is a raspberry red jelly base with the same "micro fine diamond holographic glitter" finish as Aurora, but at a slightly less dense concentration. 

Zoya Blaze - artificial light
Zoya Blaze - artificial light
In a lot of online swatches, this shade comes across as a deep true red, but that wasn't my experience.  In my opinion this is a pink leaning red, more of a raspberry than a vampy Hollywood red.  I absolutely love it though, it's a gorgeous shade.  I think the picture below has captured this pink/red tone quite well.

Zoya Blaze - artificial light
 Zoya Blaze - artificial light
As with Aurora the application/formula is fantastic, glides on smooth for a glossy finish and did need two coats for full opacity.  I'm wearing two coats in the pictures, with NE base and HK girl topcoat.  Wear time was excellent - you might notice some tipwear in the pics (sorry for that) but when you consider I took these photos after redecorating my kitchen, then this is pretty impressive.  This mani took an astonishing amount of abuse and stayed really well.  That's a nice surprise with a glitter polish, which in my experience tend to be a bit more fragile.  Removal was also easy, no different to removing a crème.

Zoya Blaze - sun light
Zoya Blaze -sunlight
Just look at that sunlit glow! This is a fabulous shade in any light, and it just explodes when the sun hits it.  I'm a big fan.  Previous to this I only owned one Zoya polish (Valerie, which is frankly a bit disappointing, it's a very dry purple foil) so I was a bit unsure what I'd make of the brand.  Based on Aurora and Blaze I'm very impressed with the quality. My only complaint is that their brushes are a bit on  the narrow side.

Zoya Blaze - artificial light
Zoya Blaze - artificial light
Zoya Blaze - artificial light

I bought my bottle from the Nail and Beauty Link (link in the supplier's page) for a ridiculous bargain £6.  I'd say this polish is easily worth twice that. 

Next up will be my final "Ornate" collection polish: Storm...until then!


Saturday 21 June 2014

Sparkly Zoya's: "Aurora"

Hello ladies! Today I'm kicking off a run of Zoya posts, showcasing the sparkly polishes that I have in my stash.  I recently went on a Zoya lemming hunt, and these were the spoils :)

First up is hands-down favourite of the bunch: Aurora.  This polish was released in the Holiday 2012 "Ornate" collection.  These jewel toned holo glitters are described as containing "high concentration micro-fine diamond holographic glitter".  Whether this contains actual diamond I don't know, but it certainly sparkles like it does....

Zoya Aurora - artificial light
Zoya Aurora - artificial light
Aurora is a cool toned magenta, that appears purple in some lights.  It has a jelly base and flawless application.  The glitter particles are fine enough to allow smooth application with no clump-and-drag and leaving a glossy smooth finish.  Removal was also a breeze.  I'm wearing my usual two coats betwixt NE base and HK girl topcoat.  It did need a couple coats to reach opacity.

Zoya Aurora - artificial light
Zoya Aurora - artificial light - close up
This polish is mesmerizing in every light.  I find some holos can be dull in indirect light, but there is literally not a dull face to this beauty, indoors or out the holo effect is clearly evident and in sunlight this polish is a riot of rainbows.  I found I was still staring at my nails just as much on day 5 as day 1. Wear time was also impressive, I only had minor tip wear after a full week.

Zoya Aurora - sunlight
Zoya Aurora - natural light
Zoya Aurora - in different lights
I've had a major lemming for this polish since I first saw it swatched by the legendary Scrangie...its such a shame she doesn't seem to blog much anymore.  I can't believe I waited to so long to add this to my collection, but it was definitely worth the wait. 

Zoya Aurora
Zoya Aurora


I bought mine from Nail Polish Direct (link on the suppliers page) for £8.95, which is utterly bargainous for a polish of this quality and beauty.  I got it just a few weeks ago, so even though this was a 2012 polish it still appears to be in circulation.

More "Ornate" polish posts to follow...(and a couple from the follow-up "Zenith" collection).


Spotted! The 'Amazing' new Revlon Collection

Hello Ladies!  I was out shopping today (you know, where you decide to just 'go look at the nail polish' and end up buying 6...) and I spotted a gorgeous new collection from Revlon - The Electic-Chrome limited edition collection released as a tie-in for The Amazing Spiderman 2.  The reason for this post is that THESE ARE CURRENTLY ON OFFER! These sell for £6.49 each but Boots is currently doing a 'Buy 2 for £10' offer.

Here's a collection marketing pic I shamelessly nicked from the internet...

Electric Chrome Collection - Revlon
IRL these don't appear to have quite the multi-chrome pop that the promo shots are showing, and instead look more to me like gorgeous bright metallic foil shimmers.  A quick hunt for collection reviews suggested this was the overall effect on the nail, although I have seen a couple of shots where the blogger used black undies to give the shade more pop. I'll definitely be trying that.

left: "Super-Powered", right: "Spidey-Sense"
I chose 'Super-Powered' and 'Spidey Sense'.  It was a really close call though with the magenta 'Gwen's Crush' which is also lovely.  But in the end I'm a sucker for a metallic red so it had to be Spidey Sense.  You may recall that a few years ago OPI released a Spiderman collection (great review post on the PolishAholic) to tie-in with the first 'reboot' and in my opinion this offering from Revlon is more exciting.  I also love the gold spider's webs on the bottles, that's a really nice touch.

Swatches to follow...at some point...really I must get quicker at this swatch and post business!  But I wanted to get the word out before the Boots offer ends....



Sunday 15 June 2014

My first nail polish: Avon "Little Blossom" nail tint

If you were a child of the eighties in the UK then chances are you remember the make-up range Avon made for children: Little Blossom. I happened to be chatting to someone about this today and it brought back such happy memories! The make up was all in pale colors, with light scents and all designed to wash off in the bath. It's so sad that there is no modern day equivalent of this now. I've since found a number of websites and pinterest boards dedicated to people's love for these "vintage" Avon products....makes me feel pretty vintage too have things from my childhood classed as vintage!

This also made me realise that the Little Blossom nail tint was my very first nail polish. I wish I could remember what it smelled like, but it looked like a pale pink clear tint that peeled off easily...perhaps not so dissimilar to the new OPI sheer tints (but without the peeling I'd hope). 

I found this pic on pinterest, sorry I don't know who to credit it too...

Do you remember the Little Blossom range? (And can you remember what this smelled of?)....what was your first nail polish? I'd love to hear from you :-)


Wednesday 11 June 2014

Spotted! New Models Own nail art polishes

Hello ladies! I spotted a new collection from Models Own today in my local boots. The Sticky Fingers collection are a series of polishes with a set of nail art transfers wrapped around the lid. They retail for £6 each...personally I prefer to get nail stickers/decals from the Born Pretty store where you get a lot more for less money, plus the colors of the accompanying MO polishes didn't really float my boat...but this still a cute idea.

Thursday 5 June 2014

China Glaze "Let's Groove"

Hello Ladies!  A quick post today to show you a luscious purple polish from China Glaze....feast your eyes upon "Let's Groove" from the 2009 "Retro Diva" collection:

China Glaze "Let's Groove" - artificial light
China Glaze "Let's Groove" - artificial light
Phwoar! his polish is all kinds of awesome!  My crazy lemming love for all purple polishes is well documented and this one is a fantastic addition to the stash.  With an almost neon blurple base, this is a royal purple shimmer packed with pink and purple flecks.  It has that 'inner fire' that the best shimmers have and a lovely shine.  It was love at first brush stroke....

China Glaze "Let's Groove" - artificial light
China Glaze "Let's Groove" - artificial light
I'm wearing my usual two coats between NE base and HK girl topcoat.  Application was perfect, no complaints about wear time either.  Just look at that amazing shimmer...

China Glaze "Let's Groove" - artificial light
Phwoar!
I picked up this beauty from Nail Polish Direct (link on suppliers page) for a bargainous £4.30 with free P&P.  I highly recommend it if you're a lover of purples (and really, what sensible nailista isn't?)

Wednesday 4 June 2014

Get yourself some free nail polish!

Hello ladies! Well it's summer which means it's the season of beauty freebies in the major glossies.  There are some nail polishes on offer this month, so get down to your local newsie and you might grab a bargain :)

In Red magazine (RRP £4)  there are 4 Mavala mini's available: 169 Waikiki Orange, 301 Trinidad, 185 Moscow, 97 Witchita.  These mini polishes retail for about £4-5 (in Boots, and online) so this is a reasonable deal if you want to read Red magazine too....



In Harpers Bazaar (RRP £5) there are 6 full size Leighton Denny polishes on offer: Supermodel (nude), 3 Times a Lady (pale pink), Best Seller (sparkly pink), Viva La Diva (red), Plush Pink, & Clockwork Orange.  These polishes cost £11 (John Lewis, and online) so this is quite the bargain.  Unlike Nails Inc giveaways where the release 'special edition' colours in collaboration with the magazine in question, which to me seem like the same watered down crappy colours they give away all the time.  At least these LD shades are from the main collections.


Apparently Marie Claire will have Ciate Mini Caviar manicure kits free with the July issue (should be out now, but I didn't spot it yet).  Marie Claire RRP is £4 I think, and the mini-kits are worth £10, so this looks like another decent deal.

I picked up a bottle of Supermodel with Harpers, since I started dabbling with nudes I can't seem to stop.  My local Tesco had tons of this shade, and a couple of the pinks.  I'd really like to find the orange and 'best seller' (I have a mini of that shade and its awesome).