Zoya NYFW 2012 Fall Collection: Gloss swatches & review *pic heavy*

With the firestorm of interest in Zoya's Fall Collections: Designer, Diva & Gloss, I wanted to show these beauties quickly so you could get the scoop on some of fall's hottest shades right here!

The first collection I'll be showing is the Gloss Collection. I have to preface my review with the fact that I've never owned a jelly polish before. I know... shock and awe. Honestly, if you've read some of my posts you might've seen me mention that I detest sheer colors. VNL (visible nail line) irritates me. Like a lot. I don't know why it rubs me the wrong way, but it does. I feel like I'm looking at someone's underwear hanging out of their pants or something when I see VNL! I want to yell "pull your pants up! put on a belt!" seriously...

Now, with that lil disclosure over with I will go on to say that I fell in love with the Gloss Collection! I mean, the colors are stunning and the juiciness of the formula, how it looks on the nail... wow. They're beautiful and ultra shiny without a top coat! Can anyone see a yummy jelly sandwich in my future?? I sure can....

I applied this collection the same so you could see the depth of color in each coat. 

First up is the magically delicious Paloma!

What a beautiful color!! A perfect raspberry in a very yummy jelly! Wow is all I can say. The pictures don't do this color any justice what so ever. It's beautiful and opaque in 3 coats. Personally, I liked the depth the 4th coat gave.

Next is the incomparable Katherine!

What a lovely lady she is! Katherine looks like a deep plum purple in the bottle but she applies in the shade of raisins. Not a bad thing at all, I can see this color being beautiful in fall and winter with a fluffy warm sweater... or maybe a fun date outfit shade that started in the afternoon but kept going till the evening? 

Last, but certainly not least is the edgy Frida!

Ooooh who doesn't love a yummy, lovely forest green?! Seriously though, who? Because we'll need to educate them quick! My love, Frida, looks like a deep teal in the bottle but applies and shows up as a forest green. This color will have a lot of mileage for fall, winter and spring. It's truly lovely at 2/3 coats and opaque in 3/4 coats. 

Sorry, I forgot a bottle shot for Frida!

I hope you enjoyed my review of the new Gloss collection by Zoya. These colors and many more can be purchased at www.zoya.com for $8ea. The other two Fall Collections, Diva & Designer, will get their own separate posts in the coming days, so stay tuned!

xo 

This is a free sample given to me by a company. Either directly from the manufacturer or from a PR company. Receiving this sample in no way impacts my review of the product. My views are my own and are expressed as accurately and fairly to the best of my ability.

What a pretty penny!! Essie - Mirror Metallics Collection: Penny Talk

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY!!

So... I've been painting my nails on the sly every now and again... I know *hangs head* that's not exactly the best way to get my nails healthy again. Seriously though, did anyone ever believe that I could go a month or more without EVER painting my nails? Don't feel cheated though, none of my manis were noteworthy lol.

Of course when a friend of mine and fellow Beauty Blogger, Laura, from My Newest Addiction posted a picture of Essie and their new collection, Mirror Metallics, immediately I knew I had to find them. I mean yes, I have other foils or metallics, but these just didn't have the same shade or "look" of the ones I already have. These looked better... much better. Therefore... a NEED rather than a WANT formed.

Essie - Penny Talk with Julep - Chelsea accent nail

Luckily for my wallet I had just received my $5 coupon from CVS - Beauty Club Rewards program (every $50 you spend in qualifying beauty products you receive a $5 coupon to use on anything). So of course off I went in search of Penny Talk, the copper beauty from the Mirror Metallics collection. 

Unfortunately, I struck out on the first 2 stores. But the 3rd store had 2 bottles left and I happily snatched those up, informing the cashier that no, I did not need a bag lol. 

I read that the formula for these was difficult, so I was prepared when I started painting. BUT! Have no fear, in my opinion the formula is not difficult in these if you're an experienced "foil" user. Being a metallic they show brush strokes and if you're working at a slowish speed they'll pull and become ugly. My solution is to pull enough on the brush to try to do the entire nail in one brush dip or 3 paint strokes. 

***Pay attention***

These Mirror Metallics can be a one and done!

I did two coats because it's in my nature to always do 2 coats but truly I could've gotten away with 1 coat. 

In my car but also in the indirect light to show how shiny and pretty!!

I also have the blue Mirror Metallics, Blue Rhapsody, but I haven't worn it yet. I can't decide if I want to put it on next or something else... I might've gotten some Sticks n' Stones in the mail ;) so.... :D

gratuitous bottle shot :D

Thanks to all of you lovely followers and the fact that you keep coming back to check on us. Dom & I haven't forgotten all of you and believe me we have much love...  

xo, 

Wet n' Wild... are they Be Jeweled or Prismatic colors? (pic heavy)

On this late saturday afternoon I've had the most wonderful husband in the world show me just how much he loves me by giving me a pedicure, my 1 year old son gave me kisses (willingly!), and a great lunch. Life is good and colorful!

That being said, during a recent trip to Rite Aid I was able to pick up the Wet n' Wild LE Chrome Collection and while that was a great haul, I did happen to see this other collection, Be Jeweled.

I almost didn't pick one up since as soon as I took a closer look I realized that they looked JUST LIKE my new China Glaze Prismatics. However, a love of all things glittery and the desire to share with our readers the similarities and differences I felt compelled to grab just one.

L to R: Wet n' Wild - Speak When Spoken To, China Glaze - Liquid Crystal (w flash)

The one I chose was Speak When Spoken To. It is a lovely blue/pink/purple shift with a great mix of small, round multi-colored glitter. It is a very pretty color and at $2.99 definitely not a hardship on the wallet for it's short round 9ml bottle. The cap is an odd shape but... oddly comfortable to hold!

2 coats of each color on each nail, no undies

To compare the two in my opinion is like trying to find a decent bra... some cups fit better and give you great looking boobs but the straps and banding might be the devil. Then you have the bras that are so comfy it feels like you're not even wearing one... except you've got Grandma boobs! Which do you choose? Looks over comfort or comfort over looks?

1 coat of each color on each nail, no undies

2 coats of each color on each nail, no undies

2 coats of each color on each nail, no undies

2 coats of each color on each nail, no undies, natural light

1 coat of each color on each nail, Barielle - Expressive (2 coats) as undies

2 coats of each color on each nail, Barielle - Expressive (2 coats) as undies

I guess it comes down to this... in what way do you want to wear the color should dictate your choice. China Glaze - Liquid Crystal has a darker base color and definitely a ton more glitter. On top of the Barielle color I used as undies the China Glaze - Liquid Crystal definitely covered up more of the color than the Wet n' Wild - Speak When Spoken To, but it bounced colors off of it and sort of ate the color; which helped to sort of gel it all into one look. The Wet n' Wild - Speak When Spoken To on top of the Barielle color merely accented the Barielle color.

I love them both, but if I had to choose one to go with me on a desert island I would probably grab my China Glaze - Liquid Crystal and run, it seems to have more versatility.

P.S. China Glaze was a bastard to take off being more gritty than the Wet n' Wild lol ahhh thank god for the foil trick!