Showing posts with label iridescent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iridescent. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Zoya Bubbly Collection For Summer 2014 Swatch And Review

Hello lovelies!  It seems that you really liked my last post with the PINCHme box.  Hopefully you had a chance to sign up!  In the meantime, I have some swatches for you that I did prior to my vacation.  Looking at these pics makes me miss my longer nails!  Hopefully I'll get some length back quickly - I still take my prenatal vitamins which contain folic acid, calcium, and biotin.  Ever since I started taking them before my pregnancy, I noticed that my nails grow in much quicker and they seem healthier too with less breaks. 

The collection I have for you today is Zoya's Bubbly Collection for Summer 2014.  I really love this collection because it has elements of my favorite finishes, which is iridescent glitter and gold shimmer.  Combined together, they really make a bubbly appearance when set within varying jelly bases.  Overall, most of these colors used an average of three coats for full opacity due to the jelly base, but each was easy to apply without any clumping of glitter or streaking of the semi-transparent base.  I finished each color with a layer of topcoat for added shine.

Zoya Harper was the first color I was allured into using, which is strange because it's a pink.  Most likely it struck a chord within me because I get breathless at the sight of pink and gold together.  This is a medium shade cool toned pink jelly that really works well with the iridescent glitters and gold shimmer and makes me think of cool summer sunsets(yes, we get cool summer evenings here in SoCal) over the Pacific Ocean.  Three coats here with a layer of topcoat, and I ended up wearing this for a few days with excellent durability during that time.

Zoya Harper
Zoya Harper

Zoya Harper
Zoya Harper

Zoya Harper
Zoya Harper
Zoya Alma is a orange tinged gold jelly that takes on a slight foil effect with its abundance of gold shimmer and iridescent glitters.  This is another lovely summer color that reminds me of the warm fiery sun, especially during sunset.  Three coats with a layer of topcoat here.

Zoya Alma
Zoya Alma

Zoya Alma
Zoya Alma

Zoya Alma
Zoya Alma

Zoya Alma
Zoya Alma
A surprise finish for me is Zoya Jesy, a salmon based jelly color that when combined with the gold shimmer takes on a duochrome effect that had me smitten.  I really love the sheer coral salmon jelly base and how beautiful the gold and iridescent particles contrasted with it.  It's unlike any shade I own in my collection.  At certain angles it looked mostly salmon colored, and at other angles it was mostly gold.  Quite the enigma this one was!  At three coats with topcoat, there was still some VNL.

Zoya Jesy
Zoya Jesy



Zoya Jesy
Zoya Jesy

Zoya Jesy
Zoya Jesy

Zoya Jesy
Zoya Jesy
The other pink in the collection is Zoya Binx, which is a darker, more berry tinged pink compared to Zoya Harper.  This was a very pretty pink too, and somehow the iridescent glitter and gold shimmer seem to pop a bit more against this base color.  Again, three coats here with topcoat.

Zoya Binx
Zoya Binx

Zoya Binx
Zoya Binx

Zoya Binx
Zoya Binx

Zoya Binx
Zoya Binx
I don't think any collection is complete unless there's a green of some sort, and this collection's green is Zoya Staasi, a muddled lime green jelly that highlights the blue shade of the iridescent glitters.  The gold shimmer seems to complement the green shade rather than contrast against it, and all together the green polish reminds me of dew sparkling on blades of grass in the morning sunlight(not that I ever get to see that), or the scales of a magical dragon(not that I ever seen that either!).  This is two coats with a layer of topcoat.

Zoya Staasi
Zoya Staasi

Zoya Staasi
Zoya Staasi
Zoya Staasi
Zoya Staasi

Zoya Staasi
Zoya Staasi
And finally, I have Zoya Muse which I posted a couple weeks ago in my excitement upon swatching it.  This is a blue jelly base that seems to let the pink iridescent glitters shine through, and the gold shimmer  really helps to accent the aquatic feel of this color.  Side note, I'm not sure where that square glitter on my ring finger came from - huh.  This is two coats finished with a layer of topcoat.

Zoya Muse
Zoya Muse

Zoya Muse
Zoya Muse

Zoya Muse
Zoya Muse
And just in case you missed it in my earlier post, this is what happens when Zoya Muse meets Wet 'n' Wild Matte topcoat.  Score!!

Zoya Muse With Wet 'n' Wild Matte Topcoat
Zoya Muse With Wet 'n' Wild Matte Topcoat

Zoya Muse With Wet 'n' Wild Matte Topcoat
Zoya Muse With Wet 'n' Wild Matte Topcoat
I regret not matting the rest of the colors to see how pretty they'd be, but now it gives me a reason to revisit these polishes again if only to see them matted out.

Overall, I love the bubbly effect of this collection - it is a unique combination of jelly base, iridescent glitters, and gold shimmer that simply is made for each other.  I like that Zoya is trending along side the indie polishes and coming up with subtle glitters such as these, rather than falling to the wayside and sticking strictly to shimmers and creams.  I'm looking forward to seeing what else Zoya has up its sleeves, as each season it seems to come out with fresh and innovative collections.  Keep up to date with Zoya at zoya.com, and make sure to follow Zoya's facebook or blog to find out about any specials that are currently running.  Have you checked out Zoya lately, and if so, what colors and/or collection has you most excited about?

Monday, June 9, 2014

Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Wild Card Swatch And Review with Bonus Revlon Heavenly


Another Monday, another dollar!  I'm looking forward to the end of this week, as I'll be starting my long awaited New Orleans vacation!  That being said, I totally forgot to line up some posts for the week that I'm gone, so pardon my absence.  I'll try to post if I have time, but most likely I won't.  I wish I had some back up posts for you, but it's so hard to get ahead, especially when LO doesn't want to fall asleep at night.

Today's post is going to feature the new Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy line that is appearing now in stores.  If you haven't heard, the older line is getting phased out and can be found on clearance at most stores, and these new Colorstay Gel Envys are replacing their displays.  With the words Gel Envy, I can only imagine that these are suppose to super high shine along with the well known Colorstay durability.  I picked up a couple(thanks to sales, coupons, and Extra bucks) and of course my eyes bee-lined straight to the deep royal blue cream called Wild Card.  This is similar to those deep luscious blues like Nails Inc Baker Street and Sinful Colors Endless Blue.  Unfortunately the deep blue freaked my camera out and I couldn't get it to show up on film as deep as it is IRL.  The formula was perfection, with low viscosity and super high pigmentation.  The brush is a pro-wide brush too with tapered corners which make maneuvering it a breeze.  I only needed one coat, just like the traditional Colorstays, but I used two out of habit.  And yes indeed-y, this dried to a super high shine without any need for topcoat.  Win!

Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Wild Card
Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Wild Card

Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Wild Card
Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Wild Card

Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Wild Card
Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Wild Card


Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Wild Card
Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Wild Card
And just because I can't leave any good ole cream alone, I had to top this with a glitter topper.  I used Revlon Heavenly from the core line, and this pretty little thing has tons of hex and square glitters in iridescent pink and blue.  It's a versatile topper that I can see myself using at every opportunity.  I only needed one easy coat and then topped this all with a layer of my GCS/Poshe topcoat.

Revlon Heavenly Over Wild Card

Revlon Heavenly Over Wild Card
Revlon Heavenly Over Wild Card

Revlon Heavenly Over Wild Card
Revlon Heavenly Over Wild Card

Revlon Heavenly Over Wild Card
Revlon Heavenly Over Wild Card

Revlon Heavenly Over Wild Card
Revlon Heavenly Over Wild Card
Revlon Heavenly Over Wild Card
Revlon Heavenly Over Wild Card

I am highly impressed by the Colorstay Gel Envy line, as the colors are super pigmented and only need one coat for a super high shine, making it a perfect color to grab if you're running out the door like I am often am.  The brush adds points for me too, as it's not a wimpy drug store brush but rather wide, just like the salon or designer polishes.  And if you can get these on sale, it's a total win.  I dare say that I would put these on par or above with salon polishes like Zoya or Essie.  If you haven't tried these yet, you really should - you don't won't to miss out on these!

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Hare Polish Elysian Fields Swatch And Review

Happy Wednesday!  I can't believe mother's day is right around the corner.  Are you planning anything special for the weekend?  My brother is coming down to visit - I may have to take him sightseeing so I can knock some to-dos off my list!

Today's eye candy from Hare Polish Viva Los Angeles collection is Elysian Fields, a complex dark aqua leaning green base with tiny matte yellow glitters highlighted with a combination of iridescent and gold colored flakies.  This particular combination is probably the least complex of the collection, but it's namesake is best represented with simplicity.  Elysian Fields is a park located right outside Dodger stadium, which is on a hill next to downtown Los Angeles.  Shame on me again, this is another vista that I have not seen myself, other than driving by every day when I was working on that side of town.  It's funny being a resident in an abundant sightseeing city - I always plan to visit the spots but always chalk it up to next weekend.  Doesn't that happen to everyone?  The formula of Elysian fields is easy to apply but low in pigmentation.  I used three thin coats here but maybe I should have used an extra layer or applied it on more thickly.  The density of glitter is perfect, however, and I got the right amount of distribution across the nail.  This is all finished with a layer of topcoat.

Hare Polish Elysian Fields
Hare Polish Elysian Fields

Hare Polish Elysian Fields
Hare Polish Elysian Fields

Hare Polish Elysian Fields
Hare Polish Elysian Fields

Hare Polish Elysian Fields
Hare Polish Elysian Fields

Hare Polish Elysian Fields
Hare Polish Elysian Fields

Hare Polish Elysian Fields
Hare Polish Elysian Fields
Isn't that a gorgeous shade of green?  It's got a touch of teal to it, and iridescent flakies bring forth images of the cloudless clear blue skies that is always present in LA.  The yellow microglitters are like little sunwarmed dandelions sprinkled along the hillside.  The weather here in LA is amazing, always sunny and clear, with the perfect warm but not hot temperature during the day and cooler evenings.  I mentally curse the price of living here in this city, but I know it's worth it for the weather alone.  It's a love-hate relationship, that's for sure!

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Above The Curve Indian Summer Swatch And Review

Was it a full moon yesterday or what?  All sorts of cray blew up yesterday, and it all started with that crazy earthquake that woke me up at 6:30am in the morning.  The rest of the day went down hill from there, but at least ended on a fun note when we went shopping for LO's Purim costume for today.  She's going to be a fairy ballerina, complete with little wings to dance around with.  Oh, and you betcha that I finished St Paddy's with a beer, after all, I needed it!

Today I have one of my polish picks from the TPF Indie Exchange called Indian Summer by Above The Curve.  Unfortunately I don't believe it's available anymore as it was an LE released last summer.  The base is a sheer fuchsia jelly that builds up to opacity in two to three coats, and within that squishy jelly is a multitude of glitters in all shapes and sizes, notably some pink circles, iridescent squares, purple and cinnamon hexes, and pink stars.  I used three coats here to maximize glitter coverage and minimize VNL.  I had no difficulty with application other than some mild clumping of glitters.  It dries to a satin shine and needs a couple layers of topcoat to smooth the glitters down and add shine. 

Above The Curve Indian Summer
Above The Curve Indian Summer

Above The Curve Indian Summer
Above The Curve Indian Summer

Above The Curve Indian Summer
Above The Curve Indian Summer

Above The Curve Indian Summer
Above The Curve Indian Summer

Above The Curve Indian Summer
Add caption

Above The Curve Indian Summer
Above The Curve Indian Summer
I don't normally wear pinks but I was drawn to this polish because of it's colorful mix of glitters that blend together beautifully.  If I could paint LO's nails, this is what she'd be wearing with her costume today!  Above The Curve masterfully mixes together glitters to create unique showstopping polishes.  Currently she's got a ton of holos in her lineup, so be sure to check out her cartel site. 

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Digital Nails Leviathan Swatch And Review


It's another one of those really slow weeks.... I keep thinking it's Friday and scheduling my work wrong.  I can't wait for this week to be over already!

Today's polish is from a new order that I received from Digital Nails.  I've realized that I've become addicted to this line because I love the playful nerdiness and beautiful innovative glitter combinations of the polish.  Leviathan is an incredible microglitter that color shifts from blue, purple, and pink and orange in a clear base.  I chose to use four coats here, but I can see it being layered over a purple or blue base if you prefer more of a solid colored application.  The formula was on the sticky side, but that happens to work for this polish because it allows for easier and precise application of the microglitters, especially towards the cuticles.   I finished this with a layer of topcoat for added shine.
Digital Nails Leviathan
Digital Nails Leviathan 

Digital Nails Leviathan
Digital Nails Leviathan 

Digital Nails Leviathan
Digital Nails Leviathan 

Digital Nails Leviathan
Digital Nails Leviathan 

Digital Nails Leviathan
Digital Nails Leviathan 


Can you see the color shift and holographic glitters?  It's such a dynamic sparkling polish, shifting and changing colors when hit by different angles of light.  Unfortunately it wasn't easy to capture on camera - it's definitely one of those polishes that you need to see IRL to appreciate.  I'm very satisfied with my order from Digital Nails, and I look forward to swatching the rest of my treats. If you haven't checked out her Etsy store, give it a browse.  I'm sure you'll find something you'll like!