Zoya Hits and Misses

Happy Friday!

I FINALLY received my Zoya mystery box promo (along with the three polishes I picked out). All I have to say is what a disappointment! I was so excited to find out that Zoya now ships internationally and I could finally participate in their promos without shipping to relatives in the States. Accompanying this news, they announced a "Mystery Mini Trio" promo which included three polishes of your choice, plus three "free" mystery polishes all for $15. Great deal right? Well, they didn't mention that there is an additional fee for shipping internationally, that kind of sucks. On top of that I waited over a month to receive my polishes! And the "mystery minis"... Lets just say they were not worth the wait. I am usually very happy with Zoya, I love their formula, polish selection and formulation (3+free) but this was a disappointment...

End rant..

...probably more to come in a separate post about the polishes I received.

 

Now on to one of the polishes I picked up, NYX. I had been considering picking up some pixi dusts for a while now, but with the increased price (and the low Canadian dollar) I couldn't see my self sending that much. Lucky for me I picked up three pixi dusts for practically half off retail with this promo, definitely a win.

NYX is a cornflower/periwinkle blue textured polish with silver/gold shimmer that changes depening on the lighting source. I love the matte sand finish, it really makes the shimmer sparkle. The formula was a bit on the thinner side, but I usually apply thinner coats of textures polishes anyways, I find the finish it a lot more matte and textured. I used between 2-3 coats for full opacity.

Overall wear was great, it only started chipping on some of my weaker nails (which I find has been the case for all polishes I have been wearing recently). I love that it is an option for a quick and easy mani, not topcoat is needed and it dries pretty quickly compared to regular polishes. It is also easy to touch up should any small chips arise, it blends in well.

I'm excited to try the rest of the polishes I purchased, which I will mention in an upcoming post along with the mystery minis (which were most of the disappointment!).

Bahama Mama

I am totally in love with this polish! It is not something I would normally pick up for myself, however I received it as a gift and I couldn't be happier. This is Essie Bahama Mama.

 

Bahama Mama is a rich burgundy leaning purple cream with jelly tenancies (crelly maybe?). The formula was excellent, needing two thin to medium coats for full opacity, however It I wanted to I could have gotten away with one thicker coat.

It's very vampy and had great wear, I didn't want to take it off! I got a small chip hear and there during the week I wore it and was able to touch it up easily for seamless blending.

I kind of what to wear this shade again very soon, such a great shade, good formula and overall awesome polish!

Valentines Nails

I kept it simple and sweet this Valentines on my nails. I was feeling like something girly and spring-like, even though it is still FREEZING and snowy out... Spring cannot come soon enough for me!

I decided on a bright pastel pink, China Glaze Spring in my Step. It was a little finicky formula wise, but a good two coats provided me with even enough coverage for a glitter topper. I chose an awesome glitter topper for the occasion, Sinful Colors Love Sprinkles which is a mixture of matte white glitter and pastel pink glitter of various sizes in a clear base. sprinkled throughout are some matte white glitter hearts.

I was hoping that Love Sprinkles would be a dense glitter topper, but it had a thicker clear base that didn't allow for much glitter on the brush. To remedy this I added some thinner to the polish and stored the bottle upside down so the glitter would float to the top of the bottle. This helped a bit, but I had to fish around a little to get those cute heart shaped glitters on the nail.

Although it did not apply as great as other Sinful Color polishes I own, it definitely was no the worst! Overall I am happy with the dainty feminine look of this mani.

Minty Fresh

Sinful Colors Mint Apple had been a lemming of mind for a long time. Another one of those polishes I would pick up at the store and put down again before leaving, not sure it it was something I really, REALLY wanted. I finally picked this up at Big Lots in mid-December and was inspired by the cold (snowy) weather to wear it.

Mint Apple is a light and dusty teal creme with a very interesting microshimmer running throughout. This was a factor in me not purchasing it earlier. In online photos I saw this lovely gold shimmer that caught the light, in the bottle, however, the shimmer appeared to be a faint silver. No gold at all! On my nails I am happy to say that the gold shimmer shines. So pretty! It actually reminds me of another Sinful Colors share, Treasure Chest.

The formula was great, very smooth. The first coat went on a little bit thin, but the second coat evened out the opacity perfectly. I will be layering a frosty glitter on top of this miny shade in my next post.

Mint Blizzard!

I saw Funky Fingers Elsa online late last year and knew I wanted it! Not for the movie reference, I have got to be the only person who has NOT seen Frozen at this point lol. Elsa is a pretty and delicate glitter made up of various shapes and sizes of matte white glitter and baby blue glitter with some white snowflake glitter scattered throughout. My mani was not lucky enough to get some of those snowflake glitters :(

I applied one generous coat to each nail trying my best to get the most glitter on each nail. I love the look but think I would get the specific effect I was going for had I layered it over a pale blue shade. Either way, the white glitter pieces are very blizzard like on nail.

Due to recent snowfalls last week I have been inspired for snowy and frosty nails. I am a little behind (again). I am hoping to have my Valentines themed mani up soon!

Pinta

Zoya Pinta was so refreshing to wear after two weeks of creme polishes that just would not stay put on my nails! If you hadn't read my last few posts on Nails Inc. Gel Effects polishes, you can see theme here and here.

Pinta is such a great polish, not only is the colour rich and saturated but the formula is a dream and wear was just fantastic! Zoya has got to be one of my favorite brands lately. Pinta is a deep, blue based plum creme. This shade is very pigmented and opaque, however removal does not cause staining, yay!

Application was great and the formula consistence was great, not too thick, not too thin. It practically glides on the nail. I used two thin, to medium coats for full coverage and finished of my mani with a swipe of Seche Vite.

Nothing bad to say about this polish, it wore fantastic and held up great to usual daily activities; washing dishes, food prep, showering, etc. Plus it is a great shade for the awkward time between Christmas and spring... when I don't know what to wear on my nails. Does anyone else feel the same way?!

January Favorites

This is an ongoing monthly post I have incorporated in to the blog which highlights some of my favorite things from the month past. 

Today I have my most favorite things from January. Check it out below.

Favorite Scents: Saje Essential Oil Nebulizer
I received this awesome essential oil nebulizer from my boyfriend, it acts as an air purifier and humidifier while diffusing essential oils! I use it daily, more so when doing yoga and before going to bed with some lavender oil. It helps me to unwind and ease me in to sleep.

Favorite Read: The Omnivore's Dilemma - Michael Pollan 
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing where our food comes from and the evolution of agriculture through the years. It is an eye opener to those who are unaware of what is going on in our food system, especially in North America. Since reading this I have continued to pursue other books and lectures by Michael Pollan. Not only has he done in-depth, hands on research, but he is also very well spoken. If you have read this book and are looking for more like it from other authors, it would recommend The China Study by T. Colin Campbell.

Favorite Stretch: Hot Yoga
I have tried yoga off and on throughout the years but have never been more interested in it as I have been now. I have been going to an awesome studio that is not only beautiful but has an awesome staff and instructors. I believe this studio has given me a real passion for yoga and helped me to slow down in life and find some inner peace.

Favorite Glow: Himalayan Pink Salt Lamp
Another gift I received from my boyfriend for Christmas. This also acts as a natural air purifier and gives off a relaxing orange glow. I usually have this on most in the evening before bed to help naturally prepare my body for sleep. I had been having issues sleeping the last little while and found that the combination of my essential oils and salt lamp to help ease me in to sleep peacefully.

No polish favorites for last month, I had been blah with polish in January. I'm starting to get back in to it this month, hopefully I can share more favorites ext month!

Nails Inc. Gel Effect - Round 2!

Happy Friday! Today I have my second attempt at Nails Inc.'s Gel Effect formula. My last attempt wasn't the greatest.

New Oxford Street is a dusty, greyed out purple creme, the colour is really great. The formula and application of the polish was awesome. It is very opaque and although I used two coats, one thick coat probably would have been fine.

Since when I previously wore a Nails Inc. Gel Effect shade it did not last very long on me I decided to wrap the tips of my nail to see if it would help the polish last longer. I was also sure to swipe each nail bed with some polish remover before applying my base. Unfortunately, by day two... again... I started to get some chipping. The first chip was on my pinky finger nail, which is odd, because I usually start to chip on my thumbnails or pointer fingers.

I want to blame it on cooking, you washing, preparation and cleanup, but I have been able to do this with other polishes without this kind of wear to my polish. I was really disappointed that this polish started chipping so early again. It's not like all my nails chipped at once, but once a few start to show signs of wear, I am usually ready to move on to another polish.

I am seriously considering returning the full set because I believe that they have falsely advertised their product as a "gel" equivalent, which in my mind is long lasting and durable, when in fact my regular nail polish lasts longer on average.

Old Bond Street

I have a new to me formula today from Nails Inc., their " Gel Effects" line. I was given the "Be Gelous Collection" gift set as a Christmas gift and was curious to try these out. I chose to wear Old Bond Street first.

Old Bond Street is a deep navy blue creme which appears darker on the nail than it does in the bottle. The formula is smooth yet thick and easy to apply. It can easily be opaque in one coat, but I decided to go with two slightly thinner coats for full coverage. I really love the look of this polish, even without the topcoat of Seche Vite I added on top, it really shined and was super glossy.

I find branding on this product to be a little bit confusing. The term "gel" leads me to believe that this polish is glossy and long lasting since gel polish typically is. However, nowhere on the box or on their website to they refer to the polish as long lasting, only, and I quote: "formulated with revolutionary plasticizer technology to create a high shine, super glossy finish—without the UV lamp".

I am mentioning all of this because while wearing a shade from this collection, Old Bond Street, I was surprised that I started to receive chipping within 24 hours of application! What a disappointment. Could it have been because I didn't use the Nails Inc. base and topcoat? If this was a must, I'm sure it would have been mentioned somewhere or at least included in the set. Could it have been my application, were my nail beds not cleaned well enough? I also did not wrap the tip of each nail with the polish, could that be a factor? I will have to try out another shade to really be sure. Stay tuned for another post soon.