Zoya Bubbly Collection For Summer 2014 Swatch And Review

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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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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Barielle Summer 2014 Keys Collection Swatch And Review

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Hooray I'm back from vacation!  It was great seeing friends and family while eating lots of yummy food.  In New Orleans, we did(ate) as much as possible that was recommended, such as eating oysters at the Acme restaurant, beignets from the Beignet Cafe, fried chicken at multiple places late night, a crawfish boil at the wedding, and shrimp and grits from John Besh's restaurant Luke.  My favorites were of course the delicious large oysters(helps when your BFF inadvertently meets the master oyster shucker while out the night before) and the fried chicken - oh the friend chicken - I can only dream of the spicy crispy breading and the moist succulent meat within.  Why oh why can I not find anything nearly comparable here in SoCal?  I also enjoyed walking along Royal St and browsing the numerous art galleries and enjoying the view of the Mississippi river, and listening to live music over on Frenchman street.  My favorite activity was meeting random locals from NoLa, such as the master oyster shucker, the band that hung out with us all night, and the art gallery host also LA transplant who spent a fair amount of time expounding on his joys of living in Nola while LO played with the beads in the water fountain.  The city has come a long way from the last time I was there, which was two years after Katrina, and has rebuilt a fair amount of the city up again and made it into a lively metropolis with great music, delicious food, and friendly residents who love their home city.  I'll have to stop my yammering for now, and maybe follow up another time with the other half of my vacation in Virginia Beach.

Speaking of summer vacation places, I have a lovely summer collection for your viewing pleasure today and that's Barielle's Key Collection for Summer 2014.  These are all based on the hot tropical colors of the Caribbean and range from creams, shimmers, and a jelly.  I enjoyed all of these colors and think they go perfectly with the season, especially for those summer pedicures and open sandals.  Most of these applied with two easy fluid coats with no issues, making the overall experience a pleasure.

First up is Barefoot In Bermuda, a bright fuchsia pink cream that's perfect for summer.  Two coats here followed with topcoat for shine.

Barielle Barefoot In Bermuda

Barielle Barefoot In Bermuda

Barielle Barefoot In Bermuda

Next is a surprise favorite for me, and that's Hawaiian Sunset a rusty orange with gold shimmer.  Gold shimmer is always a winner for me, so I guess it shouldn't have been a surprise, but there you go.  The shimmer is like a delicate gold dust embedded within the sunset orange.  Two coats here followed with topcoat.

Barielle Hawaiian Sunset

Barielle Hawaiian Sunset

Barielle Hawaiian Sunset

Barielle Hawaiian Sunset

The jelly of this collection is Miami Heat, a red that has orange undertones.  I'm not a fan of red jellies, but this one is not difficult to apply and didn't have any streaking.  It had plenty of pigmentation for a jelly and only needed three coats for opacity and dried in good time.  I finished with a layer of topcoat for added shine.

Barielle Miami Heat

Barielle Miami Heat

Barielle Miami Heat

What is a summer collection without a sunny yellow?  This is Panama Pina Colada, a creamy pale yellow that didn't apply with any streaks but needs three coats for full opacity.  This is finished with topcoat.

Barielle Panama Pina Colada

Barielle Panama Pina Colada

Barielle Panama Pina Colada

Paradise in the Tropics is another pink cream of the collection, but unlike Barefoot In Bermuda it is a tad pinker and cooler.  Formula is the same as Barefoot and needed only two coats and topcoat for shine.

Barielle Paradise In The Tropics

Barielle Paradise In The Tropics

Barielle Paradise In The Tropics

Lastly is Topless In St Tropez, a light coral pink with a slight silver shimmer.  I was wary of this shade because light pinks and I don't get along, but it actually has enough pink in it to not wash out my skintone.  I used three coats with topcoat here.

Barielle Topless In St Tropez

Barielle Topless In St Tropez

Barielle Topless In St Tropez

Barielle Topless In St Tropez

I gotta say, the colors in this collection all work well together, and are a balanced mix of finishes from jelly to shimmers.  My surprise favorite was Hawaiian Sunset, followed with Barefoot In Bermuda.  These can all be found on the Barielle.com website - make sure to sign up for the email list so you can get updates on their regular sales(I love the % off sales with free shipping on top of the regular BOGO 1/2 off), although you may not want to wait for a sale to pick these up for the summer!

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Sally Hansen Taheati And Sparktacular Swatch And Review

Oy, I got my dreaded letter from the board stating that I need to renew my license before my birthday.  Most of the dread is seated in the fact that I have to complete 30 CE hours within the next month.  How is one suppose to celebrate a birthday when this kind of thing is hanging over my shoulder?  Blech.

It's a hot week here in LA, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to use an equally hot color.  I have from the Sally Hansen Triple Shine collection Taheati, a bright orange crelly.  I'm not accustomed to wearing orange polishes, and I have to admit that I like the way it goes with my skin tone.  The formula however, wasn't to my liking - it's with thick and gooey and applied like a gel rather than with a buttery consistency. This could probably have benefited from some thinner to improve the application.  I used three coat here, and surprisingly it leveled out and dried to the high gloss shine shown below.

Sally Hansen Taheati

Sally Hansen Taheati

Sally Hansen Taheati

Sally Hansen Taheati

Sally Hansen Taheati

 In addition, I have a new glitter topcoat that was released recently as part of the Triple Shine line, and this is called Sparktacular, a gold, orange, and green microglitter in a clear base.  I thought a glitter gradient would be a great way to layer Taheati and Sparktacular together, and started with a large sparse layer of glitter, then gradually layered thicker shorter layers starting at the base of the nail.  I finished this all with a layer of topcoat for shine and smoothness.

Sally Hansen Taheati And Sparktacular

Sally Hansen Taheati And Sparktacular

Sally Hansen Taheati And Sparktacular

Sally Hansen Taheati And Sparktacular

Sally Hansen Taheati And Sparktacular

I love how the glitter mimicks a sparkling rainfall against that squishy super shiny base.  Despite the not so great formula, the Triple Shine polish really lives up to its promise of being shiny without the need of topcoat.  I'm glad that the orange doesn't recall images of Halloween or pumpkins either, which is probably why I don't normally add oranges to my collection.  This shade really helps sets up my mood for the anticipation of summer.  Have you gone out of your comfort zone lately and tried a color that's not in your norm?