Top 6 Blue Nail Polishes for Summer! Response Post

Come on now! You know when I saw Amanda's post of ItIsAmandaaa of her Top 6 Blue Nail Polishes for Summer, I had to chime in. Amanda did a collaboration with Cali of ThreeSixtyNails. I will link their posts below. 

If you have followed me for more than 10 minutes you already know I LOVE blue nail polishes! Just as Amanda said in her video, I often have people tag me on blue polish posts and I love them!

 

While this is supposed to be my top 6 blue polishes I could have easily taken it to my top 100. Again, I love blue polishes! I remember the very first blue polish I ever purchased, Sally Girl Mean Streak. But I digress. Back to the reason for this post. I am drawn to mid-tone blues for Summer, cobalt, bright, holo, they all speak my truth.

Another Zoya Blue...Tallulah...

It has never been a secret that blue nail polish is my favorite. This past May I did a blog post on all my blue Zoya polishes.  Recently, during one of the many Zoya sales, I picked up a few more.  I remember, when I first started blogging, up until that point, I had never tried Zoya polish. But I saw that many other bloggers where constantly raving about the brand. So I finally gave the brand a try and my Zoya collection is quickly growing.  

One of the latest additions to my collection just may be my new favorite blue nail polish.  Today, I'm sharing with you Zoya Tallulah.  This was part of the Summer 2009 Oh-La-La collection.  Tallulah is described as a "medium electric cobalt blue with fine bright aqua shimmer."  This is one of those polishes that had me glancing at my hands all day.  If you don't have Tallulah in your collection, you are definitely missing a stunner.

Here I am wearing two coats along with my usual base coats and top coat. I already have a good number of Zoya polishes, but really need to get more; especially more of their blue polishes.

I posted a picture of this manicure earlier on Instagram and Twitter, but those office pictures really did no justice in showing the real beauty of this polish.  I still have several other Zoya shades to share with you. I recently picked up 3 of the Zoya Pixie Dust.  Anyone have any insight to the next collections to be released? 

Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

* FTC: These products were bought with my own money. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by any of these companies. This is not a sponsored post.

Knock, Knock. Who's There? Orange. Orange Who? Orange you loving the Orange nail polishes...I know it's Corny! LOL!

Maybe it was all the rain we've been getting lately, or maybe it's just because Spring is finally here, but for whatever the reason, I've been loving oranges and corals lately. Today I'm sharing with you two more of my untrieds. First, Zoya Myrta, from the Surf Collection of 2012.  This is an orangey-reddish-coral foil with a golden shimmer. It's a perfect Spring & Summer shade tanned skin. Once again, I am impressed with this Zoya polish and need to add more to my collection. As pictured this is 2 coats. 

And to add some more bling to Zoya Myrta, I pulled out China Glaze Mango Madness.  This was one of the polishes from the 50 Specialty Collection of 2009. Mango Madness is a mango-coral jelly holographic glitter. While I guess with 4-5 coats you could wear it alone but I layered it over Zoya Myrta. And this was a match made in heaven.
These two colors complement each other perfectly.  This is definitely a combination I will be sporting again throughout the warm months and being that I live in Florida, the "warm months" are May-November...UGH!

Of course, the Zoya polishes can be purchased on Zoya.com and the China Glaze Specialty Glitters can still be purchased through several of the online retailers, such as Victoria Nail Supply, 8TY8Beauty, and Head2ToeBeauty. 

I have really been in an orange-coral mood lately. What color has been calling you lately?

Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

* FTC: These products were bought with my own money, unless otherwise noted. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by any of these companies. This is not a sponsored post.

Zoya Blues: Skylar, Crystal, Noel, Charla, & Zuza

I've been going through my untried nail polishes and recently used Zoya Zuza. I fell in love. The application, formulation, color pigmentation, and brush head all were great to work with. I remember back to when I started my blog, I asked if Zoya was worth all the hype.  I still remember the day I purchased my first Zoya polish, Dita.  Anyway, I have since purchased several other Zoya polishes but like many of my polishes, they went untried for long periods of time. Well today, I'm sharing with you some of my Zoya blue polishes.  If you have followed by blog you should not be surprised that I would start with blue polishes.  

So let's get started. First is this light denim blue polish is Zoya Skylar. It was part of the Zoya Spring, 2012 True Collection.  It contains silver and gold glass flecks.  I love the finish, while there are the glass flecks, its not bold or "in your face" like some flecks. I really don't have any others in my collection like this polish. Here, I am wearing 2 coats.

Next, is a polish that most polish and/or Zoya collectors own, Zoya Crystal. This was part of the Winter 2010 Flame Collection. It is a gorgeous blue metallic foil with gold flecks. I need to get an extra for a Crystal I know. The only polish I have that is even kinda similar is OPI Absolutely Alice, but while the coloring is similar, the finish is definitely different. I hear rumor that there was an earlier OPI shade that was a dupe, OPI Reflecting Pool, but that was released long before I started collecting and blogging about nail polish.

This next, is a polish I purchased is from the 2011 Holiday Gems & Jewels Collection - Zoya Noel. Noel is another denim blue foil.  It looks to be like the base of the above Crystal before they added the flecks. Has pictured I used 2 coats. As with most of the Zoya polishes I tried thus far, the application was smooth with not streaking. I will admit that since Noel is a metallic, you do need to use some care if you are concerned about brushstrokes.

This next polish as one of my all-time favorites and I can see why there are so many attempts at dupes. Zoya Charla, from the Summer, 2010 Sparkle collection, is a gorgeous blue-green, fleck-filled, metallic polish that has been copied by just about every polish brand. It looks like a Caribbean ocean in a bottle. Pictured, I'm wearing 2 coats.

There is something about Zoya Charla. I am instinctively drawn to similar shades. Without even realizing it, I have purchased and continue to purchase similar polishes.  From my stash, I have found 7 different polishes that fall into this same color family. And I know that there are others. I never did get OPI Catch Me In Your Net-another Charla dupe.

And lastly, for now, is Zoya Zuza. I recently posted this manicure but wanted to include it with my other Zoya blues. Zuza was released last year as part of the Zoya Beach and Surf collection. This teal-aqua blue applied smoothly and with no issues.

Well those are all my Zoya blue polishes for now. I have a shopping list for future purchases. I know I just missed their annual Green promotion, but that is another great thing about Zoya, they have several promotions throughout the year. So eventually, Song, Tart, Tallulah, Jo, Indigo, along with some others will be part of my collection.  What are some of your favorite Zoya polishes?

Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

* FTC: These products were bought with my own money. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by any of these companies. This is not a sponsored post.

Glitter Galore: Sinful Color Diamond Lust Collection - Scene Stealer layered with Zoya Kimber

Today, I have the fifth in my Sinful Colors Diamond Lust series. Lately, I've really become obsessed with glitters. For the longest, I said that I really didn't like glitters, but something has changed. Now I am buying them up like crazy.

First, I needed to decide on a base to layer with today's glitter.  Lately, I've also been wow'd by the Zoya polishes in my stash. I had purchased them throughout the year but often didn't get around to wearing them.  The polish I chose to layer was Zoya Kimber.  I remember when this polish came out with the Beach & Surf Collection last year.  That was a beautiful collection. I ended up buying like 7 of the 12. Kimber is a warm-toned raspberry magenta pink with a golden shimmer. I obtain full opacity with two coats.  I don't think I have anything similar to Kimber in my stash.  It really complements my skin-tone.  I am starting to understand the love so many have for the Zoya brand.

With Zoya Kimber, I layered from the latest Sinful Colors Diamond Lust collection, Scene Stealer.  Scene Stealer is in a clear base, magenta and peach micro glitters with pink holographic diamond glitters.  The diamond glitters are kinda sparse, so you need to "place" them to get good coverage. The method that I am finding most effective for me is to drag the brush on the inside of the neck of the bottle and "pick-up" the chunkier glitter to be placed.

Zoya Kimber and Sinful Colors Scene Stealer is another good combination.  I have one more of the Sinful Colors Diamond Lust Glitters to share with you. Have you purchased any of them yet, and if so, what are you combining them with? I could always use other suggetions.

Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

* FTC: These products were bought with my own money. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by any of these companies. This is not a sponsored post.

Glitter Galore: Sinful Color Diamond Lust Collection - Rags to Riches layered with Zoya Zuza

Sinful Colors has recently released the Diamond Lust collection. At first, I said that I would let this collection pass. I have said many times over that I'm not a lover of glitter polishes. But who am I fooling, I have continually increased my collection of glitter polishes. So the first time I saw this display in my local Walgreens, I bought 3 from the Diamond Lust collection. And the very next day, I was back in Walgreens again and I purchased 3 more from the Sinful Colors Diamond Lust collection. So far, I have purchased 6 of the 8 in this collection.

Sinful Colors is known for great colors and finishes, but they are also known for $1.99 polishes. But the Diamond Lust collection is different. They retail for $2.99 each.

This collection consists of clear bases with colorful glitters. There are multiple sized and shaped glitters, including micro, diamond, bar, dot and hexagonal glitters.

With the clear base, you are given tons of color combination options. So today, I went back to my untrieds and pulled out Zoya Zuza.  Zuza was released last year as part of the Zoya Beach and Surf collection. I could kick myself for waiting so long to wear this polish...it's a teal-aqua blue! You know how I feel about blue polishes...love them!  As with most of the Zoya polishes I own and have tried, the application was smooth with no issues.  

Zoya Zuza's beauty can stand on its own, but for this posting, I paired it with one of the new Sinful Colors Diamond Lust polishes-Rags to Riches.  Rags to Riches has micro green glitters with blue dot and diamond glitters all suspended in a clear base.

I normally don't wear full glitter manicure. I usually go for just an accent nail,  but there is something about this collection that has me wearing glitter on all ten fingernails...love this collection!  So that's it for the first polish in this collection. I will be sharing with you the other 5 I purchased along with the color combinations I selected.

Have you picked up any of the polishes from the new Sinful Collection Diamond Lust collection yet? If so, which ones? 

I must admit that I am quickly becoming a Glitter girl. What are some of your favorite glitter polishes?

Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

* FTC: These products were bought with my own money. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by any of these companies. This is not a sponsored post.

My Spring Nail Polishes Picks, 2013

Although the first day of Spring was officially March 20, 2013, to me, Easter has always been the day I start wearing more Spring colors.  So it was time to go through my stash and identify my Spring Nail Polish picks. I equate Spring with pastels, similar to the colors of the Easter candy, Peeps. While I don't limit myself to polish trends, this is just the norm for me. I tend to wear more brights and neons during the Summer, so I will post those picks shortly.

Here are my Spring Nail Polish picks.

Products Mentioned:
1.     Sinful Colors Clementine
2.     Zoya Arizona
3.     China Glaze Peachy Keen
4.     Orly Gumdrop
5.     China Glaze Aquadelic *received for review
6.     Sinful Colors Pullover
7.     Essie Play Date
8.     OPI Planks-A-Lot
9.     OPI You're Such A You’re Such a Budapest
10.   Orly Pixie Stix
11.   Orly Cotton Candy
12.   Zoya Lara
13.   Orly Snowcone
14.   Sally Hansen Pacific Blue
15.   Illamasqua Cameo

What are some of your Spring Nail Polish picks?

Grace, Peace, & Blessings. 


* FTC: These products were bought with my own money unless otherwise noted. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by any of these companies. This is not a sponsored post.

NOTD: Zoya Yara with a Golden Accent

I wish all parts of my life fell into place like this polish did. I had a vision of a polish I wanted. I had never seen such a polish but I wanted an olive green polish with gold micro flakes. I posed the question to the nail polish board on Makeup Alley.Com, and shortly thereafter was adding Zoya Yara to my shopping chart.

This manicure is Zoya Yara with an accent of my favorite golds.

Zoya Yara is a beautiful khaki olive green with gold micro flakes. It screams for a gold accent nail so I paired it with Orly Glitz and China Glaze Cleopatra. These are great fall shades.

  

Zoya Yara is from the Zoya Mirrors collection from Fall, 2011.  The Zoya website describes Yara as " a medium smoky olive drab with an illuminating splash of bright gold glitter". I would agree. 

The gold accent is comprised of Orly Glitz, a gorgeous gold metallic layered under China Glaze Cleopatra, a gold holographic glitter.

Orly Glitz is part of the current core collection and is still readily available at Sally Beauty, and Ulta. However, China Glaze Cleopatra is no longer available in stores but can be found on several of the online retailers.

 

The application of all three were smooth. The Zoya Yara is 2 coats and the accent nail is 2 coats of Orly Glitz and 2 coats of China Glaze Cleopatra.

 

What are some of your favorite fall color combinations?

Grace, Peace, & Blessings. 

* FTC: These products were bought with my own money. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by any of these companies. This is not a sponsored post.

My Fall Favorite Nail Polishes, 2012

Wow, 2 You Tube videos within 24 hours, what is up with that!?!  Anyway, I had been putting off doing a Fall Favorites Nail Polish video until I saw a recent video by another YTber; so I got off my butt and did the video.  Fall to me is all about the deeply saturated jewel-tone colors you find in the trees and their changing leaves.  I don't see that much here in Florida, so I live vicariously through my nail polishes.

It was difficult to limit my selection, but the shades I have chosen as my fall favorites are as follows:



Polishes Mentioned:

1. OPI Lucerne-Tainly Look Marvelous
2. Orly Glitz
3. Nina Ultra Pro Burnished Bronze
4. OPI DS Illuminate
5. OPI Black Cherry Chutney
6. OPI Lincoln Park After Dark
7. OPI DS Extravagance
8. China Glaze Let's Groove
9. Orly Bus Stop Crimson
10. China Glaze Thunderbird
11. Essie Dive Bar
12. Zoya Yara
13. Essie Trophy Wife
14. OPI Ski Teal We Drop
15. China Glaze Dorothy Who?
16. OPI Yoga-Ta Get This Blue

What are some of your Fall Favorite Nail Polishes?

Grace, Peace, & Blessings. 

We Must Find a Cure! 31 Days of Pink...(Day 3)

For Day 3 of my We Must Find a Cure! 31 Days of Pink, today I am sharing with you Zoya Kimber from the Beach & Surf Collection from the Summer of 2012.  

The Zoya website describes Kimber as a "Rich, bright and saturated medium magenta pink with strong gold metallic shimmer and a foil-like finish."  I would add that it is a warm raspberry magenta pink.  

The application was smooth and Zoya Kimber was completely opaque with only 2 coats. While I purchased my Zoya polishes from Zoya.com there is a limited selection often found at Ulta.  The regular price is $8.00 per bottle however, if you don't already have an account set up with Zoya.com, it would definitely pay to set one up (it's free!).  Zoya is famous for the many promotions they offer throughout the year.

BTW: Yes, I did file my nails back.  It was time.

Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

* FTC: These products were bought with my own money. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by any of these companies. This is not a sponsored post.

Pink Wednesday: My 1st Zoya -- Dita

I realize that I haven’t posted a Pink Wednesday in quite some time so here you go.  I have long wavered on whether or not to try Zoya.  I didn’t think that I would like the brush because I tend to like wider brushes as well as longer brush handles. But after hearing so many bloggers and tweeters rave about Zoya, I finally broke down and decided to give it a try.  Since I was only going to buy one bottle to start, instead of buying through the Zoya website, even though they have great promotions throughout the year, I purchased my first Zoya from Ulta.  Ulta carries a few different shades, not many that would be my first preference but, I was able to choose one-Zoya Dita.  It is a cream rosey-pink.  IMO, it is a very duppish of China Glaze Heli-Yum; just a little bit more pink.

Review: I think Zoya has gained a new user.  To my surprise, I am not bothered by the brush or brush handle.  In fact, the application was amazing.  Some have said that they like the smaller brush because they have small nailbeds.  I am just the opposite, I have longer nailbeds and the brush made application very easy, the smaller and shorter brush helped to get closer to the cuticle but still leave the gap I like.  As for the formulation, based on my experience with this one polish, the application was smooth, not too thick or too runny.  It didn’t pool at the edges, I had little to no clean-up needed on my left hand (I’m right handed).  I am actually excited to try other shades.  I am a visual person so I wish that a larger selection was available at the stores like Ulta but I will definitely be purchasing more Zoya Nail Lacquer!

 
Remember, treat your nails as jewels, not tools. Grace and Peace.