*Sent for review*
Happy holidays everyone! I hope your decorating, shopping, baking, etc. is all going well and you can take a few moments to enjoy this time of year. I have the Zoya Twinkling Holiday collection swatches today and there are some gorgeous holiday polishes in here, as well as some great every day basics. First up we have Zoya Enza, a "medium macadamia creme". It really is the color of a macadamia nut, a nice rich looking neutral with warm undertones.
This was two coats of Enza. It was easy to apply and nicely opaque. Zoya continues to have the best creme formula around!
This gorgeous gold topper is Zoya Kaede. Kaede has golden flakes with larger pieces of holographic foil in a clear base. It looks so pretty over Enza, I love this combination! You could also apply 3 coats of Kaede and wear it alone for a more intense party-ready look.
This is one coat of Kaede over Enza. The foil and flakes were very dense in the clear base, so it was easy to get them on to my nails. With just one layer of Kaede, this mani felt smooth to the touch with top coat. I read some reviews saying it was very textured when used alone, but I did not have that issue. This is definitely something I'll be wearing over the next week before Christmas!
Zoya Steph is a really pretty and unusual shade of pale pink creme. It's very warm toned and peachy. I'm not sure I have anything quite like it! It doesn't come across as a bubblegum pink like many pale pink cremes but also doesn't read too beige. I don't often wear pale pink cremes, but I will definitely be sporting this one come January (it just seems like a good January color to me!).
Two coats and it was nicely opaque. Not a streak in sight, even with the paleness of the shade.
Zoya Mai is another interesting shade, a "sophisticated rosewood creme". This is a great mix of mauve with hints of warm purple-y brown tones. It's almost a neutral, but way more interesting.
Two coats again and this was like butter to apply.
Zoya Tieran is a cozy charcoal gray creme. I have a faux fur blanket this exact shade and it's my favorite, so this color makes me feel comfy! This is a great color alone but would also be perfect as a base for a glitter topper (like Kaede) or nail art.
Tieran is a perfect two-coater, easy to apply and nicely opaque. A+ formula!
This glossy candy red is Zoya Tanya. This is the most perfect festive red for the holiday season. It's not too cool toned or too warm, just a true red waiting for holiday glitter, gold accent nails, or ready to shine on it's own.
This is three thin coats of Tanya. It was pretty good in two coats, but there was a little VNL at two, so I added a third coat. Zoya calls this a creme finish, but I think it's a bit in between a jelly and a creme, that's what gives it that gorgeous glazed look.
Of course I had to put Kaede over Tanya! What a perfect holiday look!
This is one coat of Kaede over Tanya, love it!
Zoya Rosa is a stunning candy fuchsia with a pearly shimmer finish. This reminds me of ribbon candy at my grandma's house when I was little for some reason. If you're tired of the holiday reds and greens, this is a perfect choice for a festive mani that's out of the usual color choices.
Two coats and this was a breeze to apply!
Zoya Gabi is described as a "midnight purple aubergine creme". It's a really beautiful shade of purple , it has hints of red undertones to warm it up. I probably won't wear this until sometime in January, but it's really an ideal winter mani or pedi shade for me. Exactly what I will want to wear in a few weeks!
Two coats again and another one with a great formula. I really appreciate how consistently good Zoya's formulas are in comparison with other brands. You can rely on them to be good, rather than hit or miss.
Zoya Sedona is a beautiful, unique spiced chocolate pearl shimmer. It's a dark chocolate brown with rich red shimmer peeking through. I can think of a few other polishes that had this same concept, but Sedona has a lot more depth and the shimmer pops out way more. Really beautiful!
This was three thin coats. Two coats was opaque, but the third just brought the shimmer out and increased the complexity of this polish. Easy to apply formula with a great consistency.
If you've ever read this blog before, you can probably guess that Zoya Jen is my favorite of this collection, hands down. I am such a huge sucker for blues and this one is outstanding! This is a glowing sapphire blue with hints of purple. The deep purple-y blue hue is unique in my large collection of deep blues and the sparkle is the lit from within kind that I love. Jen for sure makes it on to my list of favorite polishes of 2019!
This was three thin coats. Like some of the other shimmers, it was pretty much opaque and ready to rock in two coats, but the third just amplified the shimmer and gave it more depth. I would recommend going for the third, it's worth the little bit of extra time. Great formula, easy to control. That's a good feature in a dark shade like this, less clean-up needed!
Zoya Alessia- love this one too! Alessia is an icy blue metallic with silver shimmer. Love this shade of ice blue and the silver shimmer particles look so pretty. I think this one is better in person, it comes across as more glowy and less metallic-y looking. If you are a fan of ice blue shades, definitely check this one out. Great unconventional holiday shade!
Two coats! Practically almost a one-coater if you do thicker coats. Great application and smooth to the touch, not a chunky metallic at all.
Zoya Jett is a frosted silver matte with silver flakes. I think this one looks very cool in person, the flakes and the matte finish stand out from each other a bit more. This is a warm silver, almost pewter. This polish reminds me of medieval armor!
Two coats and no top coat for these swatches. It dried quickly and was easy to apply, even with all of the flakes.
The next two pictures have one layer of shiny top coat. I really like it this way too! The top coat depends the color and you can see the warmth of this silver. It also makes the flakes shine. Very pretty and holiday ready!
Overall, this is a great holiday collection with something for literally everyone! Neutrals and office-ready cremes, a cool metallic, a glitter topper and a matte, or classic holiday red, you can't go wrong here. My personal favorites are Jen, Kaede, and Rosa. Which ones are you eyeing?
The Zoya Twinkling Holiday 2019 collection is available at Zoya.com.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and you get to spend time with the people who mean the most to you! Here's to a great year in 2020!
