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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Zoya Muse Swatch And Review With Bonus Wet 'n' Wild Matte Topcoat

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I'm glad that I'm going back to the gym, even though the gym is not my favorite way to work out.  I like to keep in shape, whether it be dancing, swimming, or plain old running, but it's been hard to do it with LO needing so much attention.  The gym has been convenient, and she's been adjusting well to their daycare.  I managed to increase my ten minute initial workout to a whole forty minutes.  Yay!  Now I work on losing those last few post pregnancy pounds.  How do you like to keep in shape?

I have a new summer 2014 release from Zoya's Bubbly collection called Muse that I couldn't wait to show you.  It's the only blue from this collection, and like the others, it features gold microglitter and holo hex glitters in a "blue raspberry" jelly base.  The formula wasn't sticky like most jellies and it applied incredibly easily without any streaking or stacking of the hex glitters.   I finished this with a layer of topcoat for added shine.

Zoya Muse

Zoya Muse

Zoya Muse

Zoya Muse

Zoya Muse

Zoya Muse

How bubbly is that?  The holo hex glitters sandwiched inside the jelly base look exactly like bubbles suspended in blue ocean water.  The gold shimmer is reminiscent of sunshine rippling through the water waves.  I can't wait to show the rest of the collection, with all that jelly holo hex glitters sammich goodness!

Of course, what's the obvious next step when confronted with a jelly glitter sammich?  Matte all the glittah!

Zoya Muse Matted

Zoya Muse Matted

Zoya Muse Matted

Zoya Muse Matted

Le sigh.

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Zoya Magical Pixie Dust Ginni, Bar, and Arlo Swatch And Review

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Hip hip hooray it's Friday!  I feel like this week has been a whirlwind of work and I'm so relieved that it's nearly over. If I'm lucky, I'll have absolutely nothing to do this weekend - I miss the days of having nothing to do except hanging out on the couch with a dvr full of shows and movies. What are you planning this weekend?

Today I have the Zoya Magical Pixie collection for Summer 2014, a unique collection of pixie dusts that have larger hex glitters within the texture base.  This is the first time I've ever used such a combination of glitters, and conceptually I really like the way it looks.  The larger hex glitters catch a lot of light and allow for much more sparkle compared to original PixieDusts.  The range is limited, which I thought was odd, it is composed of a gold and two shades of pink.  My only gripe with this collection is the sheer formula - it seems that at least three coats were needed for me to build up sufficient opacity with minimal VNL.

First up is Ginni, a baby pink texture that really allows the holographic glitters to pop when light hits it at the right angle.  This is the lighter pink of the collection, and not a color I would normally choose.  Surprisingly, I like the way it looks on me!

Zoya Ginni

Zoya Ginni

Zoya Ginni

Zoya Ginni

 Bar is a gold texture that really works well for summer.  I don't know what it is about gold, but it's a fashionista's best friend in the summer and pairs well with anything, especially sun kissed skin.  If you're looking for gold bling, Bar is your answer.  The larger glitters really give this a jewel encrusted look that is very decadent.

Zoya Bar

Zoya Bar

Zoya Bar

Zoya Bar

Finally I have the darkest shade of the collection, Arlo, which is a dark rose PixieDust.  This one is probably my favorite from the collection, as I usually gravitate towards darker shades and the rose compliments my skin tone well.  The hex glitters in this shade isn't as dense as the previous two, which unfortunately means a little bit less sparkle.

Zoya Arlo

Zoya Arlo

Zoya Arlo

Zoya Arlo

Overall, I really liked the way these all look, especially when the holographic glitters catch the light and make the polish sparkle like crazy.  I wish these were more opaque, but I believe that can be fixed easily by adding a similar base color underneath so there isn't any VNL showing through.  I forgot to mention that after these dry, the texture isn't any rougher than the standard PixieDusts, and if anything, the larger hex glitters actually give it a smoother feel.  I'm glad that I picked this up because they're unique to my collection and are so incredibly sparkly.  Do you like these, and would you give them a try?

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Zoya Tickled Summer 2014 Collection Swatch And Review

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Happy Monday!  How did your weekend go?  Did you manage to stay cool and have fun?  DH made sure to let me spend my birthday the way I like, which is shopping, swimming with LO, and having a nice dinner.  I didn't get to do all the shopping I wanted, but hopefully I'll get a chance soon.  I have to prepare for my Nola vacation!

I was fortunate enough to come by a set of Zoya's newest collection for summer, Tickled, which features creams in bold eye catching colors.  The formula on all of these were very similar, and surprisingly, verged on a crelly formula.  You'll see a bit of squishiness in the finish, and not any of that pesky chalkiness that sometimes happens with lighter colors.  Most of these only needed two coats, all except for the lightest shade Kirtridge, which required 3 for full opacity.  These are all finished with topcoat to maximize shine.

The first is Wendy, a medium pink shade that IMO lands smack in neutral territory.  I can't say it leans cool or warm at all, and surprisingly, looks feminine and clean on me.  Pinks usually draw at my sallow undertones and I'm happy to report that this doesn't appear to do that.

Zoya Wendy

Zoya Wendy

Zoya Wendy

Tilda is probably the favorite of mine in this collection.  It's a medium green shade that's got just enough murkiness to border on pretty ugly, but still leans toward a green that is full of life and reminds me of beautiful summer leaves.

Zoya Tilda

Zoya Tilda

Zoya Tilda

Rocha was a surprising favorite for me in this collection as well.  I didn't anticipate it to be such a bright tangerine orange shade from looking at the bottle, but once on the nail the orange really pops.  I don't normally like oranges, but the hint of red takes it out of the pumpkin orange spectrum.

Zoya Rocha

Zoya Rocha

Zoya Rocha

Next is Ling, a delightful denim shade that glides on easily with two easy coats.  There's been a lot of popular dark blue shades and I'm happy to finally see a blue in the medium range.

Zoya Ling

Zoya Ling

Zoya Ling

Lastly is Kirtridge, the lightest shade of the collection.  It's a neon baby pink shade that required three coats for opacity.  It's so bright, I think it borders on the neon color range.

Zoya Kirtridge

Zoya Kirtridge

Zoya Kirtridge

Each and every one of these colors is a lovely addition to the ever expanding rainbow of Zoya lacquers.  My favorites of course are Tilda and Rocha, both of which are exceedingly vibrant and unexpected.  I can see myself using these colors for summer pedis.  If you're looking for some refreshing new colors to add to your collection, head over to Zoya.com and make sure you pick these up!  Hopefully you'll like the crelly formula!
  

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