Zoya Wanderlust Summer 2017 Preview!

INTRODUCING WANDERLUST BY ZOYA

It’s time to embark on a new adventure in Summer color with Zoya Wanderlust. Featuring an exciting assortment of full-coverage classic creams and hip accent shades to really rev up your Summer nail polish wardrobe. Plus, three new stunning lipsticks.

·      Esty (ZP894): a muted fuchsia pink cream. 

·      Byrdie (ZP893): a rich bubble gum pink cream. 

·      Winnie (ZP895): a soft watermelon pink cream.
·      Mandy (ZP899): a shimmering berry pink.

·      Sonja (ZP892): a summery crimson red cream. 

·      Journey (ZP900): a shimmering strawberry red. 

·      Cora (ZP896): a muted coral cream. 

·      Sawyer (ZP897): a soft taffy orange cream. 

·      Scout (ZP901): a shimmering moss green. 

·      Arbor (ZP902): a rich olive green cream. 

  

AVAILABLE May 15, 2017. ZOYA.COM $10ea.(US) 

  

ZOYA WANDERLUST – SUMMER 2017 LIPSTICK 

·      Kitty (ZLS16): a neutral pink. 

·      Kirby (ZLS17): A bright watermelon pink. 

·      Kay (ZLS18): a creamy sheer red.

AVAILABLE May 15, 2017. ZOYA.COM $12ea.(US) 

  

  

*10 FREE FORMULA: FORMULATED WITHOUT FORMALDEHYDE, FORMALDEHYDE RESIN,
DIBUTYL PHTHALATE, TOLUENE, CAMPHOR, TPHP, PARABENS, XYLENE, ETHYL TOSYLAMIDE and LEAD.

Ever After Purr-Fect

 *Purchased by me*

I'm still trying to get through a back log of polishes I didn't swatch over the winter and I really wanted to post this one. NYC Polish Con is this Saturday and one of the vendors I am most excited about seeing is Ever After Polish. This beauty is Ever After Purr-Fect, from the Tonic Polish/Ever After Sweetheart Quartet for Valentine's Day. Purr-Fect is a shifting magician, with colors ranging from gray-toned purple, to gunmetal, to a strong green glow. It's also got tons of linear holo rainbow-y goodness. This is one of those polishes that is super distracting to look at and should come with a warning- Do Not Drive and Stare At Your Nails. 

This was two coats and the formula was just perfect. Buttery goodness, nice and opaque, just excellent all around. I only have a few Ever Afters right now, but I am loving all of them and quite looking forward to expanding my collection this weekend!

Purr-Fect is no longer available on the Ever After site, but I have seen it for sale a few times in various Facebook groups. You can find more Ever After nail polish on http://everafterpolish.bigcartel.com.

If you are going to Polish Con, let me know!! Would love to meet you! I will post photos of the con on Instagram during the day Saturday and do a little recap post on Monday.

Tonic Polish Sweet Pea

*Purchased by me*

Ugh, Monday! Hopefully my post today will brighten up your Monday a bit. We're finally getting some spring weather, so I am breaking out all of the spring polish shades. Tonic Polish Sweet Pea is from the Ever After and Tonic Polish Sweetheart Quartet that came out for Valentine's Day. Sweet Pea is a gorgeous minty jade green with pink to gold contrasting shimmer and scattered holo particles. This shade of green is pretty unique, it's not mint, it's not quite pastel. It's perfect for spring and I'm in love with the strong pink gold shimmer!

This was three thin coats of Sweet Pea, but if you do slightly thicker coats, you could easily just do two. Application was great, no troubles at all. I find that the Tonic Polish formula is a little on the thick side, I believe she has said this is on purpose. I never find the slight thickness to be a problem during application, but it's worth a mention.

This is no longer available through the Ever After site where it was originally sold, but I have seen it for sale in various polish groups on Facebook, including Nearly No Rules and the Tonic group. I highly recommend snagging it if you can!

Prep for Spring with Sally Hansen, Rimmel, and Jergens!

 *Sent for review*

Are you ready for spring? I know I am! We've had a few days of beautiful spring-like weather here recently and I know it'll get cold again, but it gives me hope for the coming season. Today I have a great bunch of products to make you feel like spring is coming, even if it might not be yet where you live. These were promoted originally as Valentine's Day products, but after playing around with them for awhile, I think they are perfect for those first days of balmy warm weather!  Sally Hansen Berry Smooth is the perfect pop of bright pink and reminds me of bright flowers starting to bloom. Berry Smooth is a fuchsia pink creme with a touch of a blue-leaning base.

This is two easy coats of Berry Smooth. It was effortless to apply and nicely opaque. I used the Sally Hansen Color Therapy Top Coat to finish the look. The top coat is really shiny and dries super fast, all the things I want in a top coat!

Sally Hansen Red-y to Glow is a beautiful true red jelly. It's nice and juicy and also has that great balance of being bright, yet also rich looking. The jelly finish is so light and airy feeling, ahhhh!

This is also two coats with the same easy application as Berry Smooth. The top coat adds that megawatt shine that really makes jelly finish polishes pop. I think these Sally Hansen Color Therapy polishes are really excellent and perfect for reviving dried out winter nails. According to Sally Hansen, they have an "argan oil-enriched formula, resulting in intensive nourishment and instant moisture for healthier-looking nails". After wearing one of these for a few days last week, I did notice  my nails were less dry and felt stronger because of the additional moisture.

Sally Hansen Red-ience is my favorite kind of red creme- a bright orange-y red, like poppies in a garden. This kind of orange red just screams spring to me, warm weather seems closer when I wear this color! I'm putting this on my toes ASAP.

Two easy coats again, nice smooth formula. This formula and the accompanying top coat really seem to mask my nail imperfections for a great flawless look.

Rimmel has a new lip gloss called Oh My Gloss! Oil Tint that is absolutely perfect for spring! Both of these glosses went straight into my purse after I tried them for the first time and they have been there ever since. Rimmel says this gloss is "an innovative tint-in-oil gloss formula that’s packed with a blend of four precious oils" and that "the ingenious tint-in-oil system fuses pure pigments onto the lips for a radiant splash of juicy color. The formulation also features a shine flex polymer for a dazzling glossy finish". I guess it's the four precious oils, but these are the best feeling glosses I have tried, possibly ever. I have an extensive lip gloss collection from mid to high end brands (including MAC, NARS, YSL, Chanel, Bite Beauty, etc.) and these feel more comfortable than many of my higher end glosses.

These glosses are meant to be sheer and I like that for spring. As the weather gets warm, I am done with the heavy, opaque mattes of winter. These are fun fresh pops of sheer color. Above, I am wearing Rimmel Master Pink, a pale candy pink. Below, I have on Rimmel Pop Poppy. I think coral pink Pop Poppy is my favorite of the two, but I really love them both. They settle into lip lines a bit, especially if you apply too much, but that's the only downside I can find to them. They both leave behind a bit of a stain even after the gloss fades. For $5.99, these are fantastic and I am going to hunt down a few more colors!

I have been a fan of the regular Jergens Natural Glow for years. My skin is a sickly shade of "ghost', especially after a long winter indoors, and I don't tan naturally. So I rely on products like Jergens Natural Glow for a bit of color (and to make sure my legs don't match my white socks...). This was my first time trying Jergens Natural Glow 3 Days to Glow and I am hooked! A couple of hours after my first application, I noticed a hint of color, just something to take the blinding glow of pale snow white away. Then after 3 applications, I had a nice hint of a tan, but nothing orange or fake looking. The fact that this develops gradually after 3 or more applications means there are no streaks- just smooth natural-looking color. The telltale "self-tanner" odor was also significantly less with this product than any other tanner I have used. I will definitely be purchasing Jergens 3 Days to Glow for the upcoming warmer months! 

All of these great products that will help you get in the mood for spring (regardless of whether spring is coming up soon for you or not) are available now at a drugstore near you! Who doesn't need a bright pop of red or fuchsia polish on your toes, a new coral gloss and a fresh faux tan after the slog of winter?!

Different Dimension Fatigued

*Purchased by me*

Hope you are all having a great weekend! I am relaxing and buying nail polish this weekend (Vapid restock, Color4Nails restock... too many goodies!!). For your viewing pleasure today, I have a Hella Holo Customs exclusive, Different Dimension Fatigued. This is one of the HHC exclusives for January and you actually still have time to join the group and order this if you love it as much as I do! The last day to order is January 31, so get moving!! Fatigued is a great army green holo with gold flakies and gold holo microglitters. The gold flakies and gold holo glitters are THE best part about this polish. You know when you get a cool linear holo, but it looks so lackluster in low lighting and indoors? Not this baby! The gold flakes really pop in lower lighting and the holo glitters offer a rainbow pop even when you are indoors and nowhere near the sun! I think you can see the flakies and glitter in the picture below.

This is two coats of Different Dimension Fatigued with one layer of top coat. It was pretty easy to apply, although on the first coat I had a little patchiness on one or two nails. Fortunately, that was all covered up with the second coat. I also don't think this formula cooperated well with my current base and top coat (Dr.'s Remedy Basic Base Coat and Vapid Lacquer QDTC). I had serious chipping after about 18 hours of wear. I am going to try again with a different combo of base and top coat, because I'm seriously in love with this color!

Different Dimension Fatigued is only available to members of Hella Holo Customs on Facebook. Head over there now and request to join! You won't regret it!

Sally Hansen Moisture Rehab Strengthener Review!

*Sent for review*

I am really excited about the product I have to tell you about today! This treatment gave me visible results after just 2 weeks of use. This miracle treatment is the new Sally Hansen Moisture Rehab. Sally Hansen has always had good nail treatments, but I think this is the best one yet for my nails. My nails get extremely dry and brittle, especially in the winter, and then the dryness leads straight to peeling and breaking. Sally Hansen Moisture Rehab takes aim at that exact problem, drenching your nails in moisture to prevent brittle, dry, breaking nails. According to Sally Hansen, the formula contains a "blend of black orchid, açai and algae actives and humectants" and  "helps hydrate and rejuvenate severely dry or weak nails". 

I have been using Moisture Rehab for about 3 weeks total now, and after the first 2 weeks, I was sold. My nails are typically really short at this time of the year, thanks to the cold temperatures and tons of hand washing. But thanks to Moisture Rehab, I have managed to maintain a nice length for the past 3 weeks! And aside from the length, my peelies are drastically reduced and my nails just look and feel better. I have been applying this at night, even over polish. If I have bare nails, I will also apply it several times during the day. I apply a good amount to each nail, let it soak in for a minute, and then massage the rest into my nails. It really sinks in and provides immediate relief to my dry nails. I would highly recommend Moisture Rehab to anyone with dry, brittle nails!

Sally Hansen Moisture Rehab should be available in a drugstore near you now! For more Sally Hansen products, check out http://www.sallyhansen.com.

CrowsToes Betelgeuse

 *Purchased by me*

Oh man what stunning polish!! Get out those drool napkins for this one, kids! Feast your eyes on the delight that is CrowsToes Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse is described as "dark ultramarine/aqua blue based multichrome that shifts through a range of magenta purple to coppers to greens packed with an over the top mix of multichrome flakey madness with a bit of spark added for fun". The base is kind of a smoky blue that turns purple and hot pink depending on the light. Then the flakies come in to play, adding a multitude of other colors, including a gorgeous strong green flash. On top of all of that, there is a dusting of holo sparkles! Such an amazing polish!

This is three thin coats. It could be opaque in two, depending on your application. The formula was very good, pretty easy to apply despite the complexity of the polish. Having the multichrome base really makes this more opaque overall, rather than just having a lot of flakies in a clear base. I think that's why this polish packs such a shifty punch!

I love that CrowsToes polishes are never sold out or impossible to get. Lauri pretty much keeps things available for as long as there is a demand and I think that's amazing. That means you can go get Betelgeuse! It's on the site now, but the shop is only going to be open on weekends right now. So this weekend, head on over to http://crowstoesnailcolor.bigcartel.com and grab yourself some Betelgeuse!

Zoya Enchanted Holiday 2016 Swatches!!

 *Sent for review*

The weather is getting a bit chillier, we're approaching mid-November, and I'm getting excited for the holiday season. I have been pretty excited for the Zoya Enchanted Holiday collection since it was announced and I think you'll see it didn't let me down! First up in my swatches is Zoya Saint. Saint is a gorgeous periwinkle with hot pink/magenta shimmer. The shimmer is pretty strong in person, I think it looks a little more delicate in pictures. The combination of periwinkle and magenta is stunning and I'm excited to see Zoya venturing into contrasting shimmer polishes.

This is two easy coats of Saint. It has a great formula and was a breeze to apply.

From one beautiful polish to the next, Zoya Olivera is a indigo based duochrome with strong green flash. Depending on the lighting, you can see purple,  navy blue, green, and even something like a reddish flash at times. Olivera is really interesting and complex, a must have if you love duochromes!

This is two coats of Olivera and it was very pigmented. You probably could do one coat, but the second brings out the duochrome. The formula was a little thinner, so just don't load up your brush too much or it will run into your cuticles a bit.

I am so happy that Zoya decided that PixieDusts had not seen their final days after all. I am not over them, especially when they are as beautiful as Zoya Alice. Alice is a periwinkle PixieDust with magenta and blue sparkles. This blue lavender matte sparkle is perfect for holiday partygoers who are tired of red and green, but it's also pretty perfect for any time of the year. This is the first polish I wore from this collection for a full mani. I needed a quick drying and easy mani this past weekend and this stunner fit the bill. If you are a PixieDust fan, I highly recommend this. If you are not a fan, I would still recommend this because you can use two layers of topcoat and have a smooth, sparkly mani!

This is two flawless, fast-drying coats of Alice. I could probably have done one coat, but I always think PixieDusts look better with two thin coats. They look more smooth and not lumpy that way. I love the ease of application with PixieDust polishes. I have said it in the past, but they are my "nail pajamas". I don't use base or top coat, just slap two coats on and go. I will get a lot of use from these over the holidays.

Zoya thoughtfully included two traditional holiday colors in the PixieDust formula, and I am thrilled with these two. I do like to wear red and green for Christmas week, so Zoya Lorna is a wonderful option for me. Lorna is a deep red wine colored PixieDust. This just reminds me of cranberry sauce, red wine at the holiday feast, berries on wreaths, and all things holiday. Lorna is nicely sparkly and more of a deep sophisticated red for the holidays, rather than a bright candy cane red.

Like Alice, this was two easy coats. Easy application and quick drying, love it! This will come in handy when I have to be at a party in 10 minutes and I still haven't done my nails!

The second more traditional holiday colored PixieDust is Zoya Elphie. Elphie is a sparkling deep emerald PixieDust. It's a jewel-like green and very rich looking. As I write this, I literally can't wait to have my Christmas tree up and be painting my nails with this while listening to Christmas music! Is it too early to start now? ;)

Not to sound repetitive, but this is two flawless coats. Didn't even have to do any clean up!

Zoya Waverly is a deep midnight blue matte sparkle. Like a velvety night sky, this PixieDust has a rich sapphire base with twinkly sparkles. This is another one that I will use a lot year round, not just during the holiday season. I love a good deep blue and having this color in a PixieDust formula is very useful! This will probably be the next polish I wear from this collection.

Like the other Pixies, this is two easy coats. I did a little clean-up with this one, but not too much. I think this will be a stunner with top coat too!

*Sent for review*

This collection manages to be everything I need in a holiday collection. It checks off everything on my wish list for holiday collection- red and green- yes!, sparkle- yes!, ease of application for those last minute outings- yes!, a few different nontraditional colors for when you get bored- absolutely! I am thrilled with this group Zoya! 

My top picks would probably be Saint, Alice, and Olivera, but I also highly recommend the other three. If I hadn't received these for review, I would have purchased all six myself. The collection is available now at zoya.com, so run on over and pick up these gems for a little early holiday gift to yourself!