Monet on the Hudson

Today I have one of my favorites from the new Zoya Awaken line - Hudson.  Hudson is a lavender shimmer metallic polish that just screams spring.   I used the new special effects topper, Monet, on an accent finger.

I applied 2 coats of Hudson and one coat of Monet on top.  All polishes appear with a top coat.

I was very happy with the coverage of Hudson, I thought it applied easily, and with 2 coats had perfect coverage.  Next time I use Monet I may try to use two coats, one was a tad bit sparse on parts of the nail.  

The combination of the two polishes worked well together, it was hard to get a good photo of Monet that really does it justice, it is like a pastel party on my nail.  

with flash

macro of Hudson

macro of Hudson with Monet on top, look at the glitter party!

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Cold Leather Cures Cancer, Bitch!

The wonderful Sarah from My Lacquer Family sent me a custom polish for Christmas.  It is aptly named "Yes, I Cure Cancer, Bitch!".  

This is a tongue in cheek reference to how anytime drama comes along in the community (drama?  in the nail polish community?  never!) how someone always comes along and says "I wish we could just put all of this energy into curing cancer!".  

Which always prompts me to say "well, I work in cancer research, so does that give me the right to complain all I want?"   Clearly this is the flaw in that statement, because working in cancer research does nothing to allow me to complain about something about a nail polish or not.  I also tend to turn into Jessie Pinkman when I have been, ah, imbibing a bit, so adding bitch onto the end of things?  Is so me!  

I started out with two coats of Sinful Cold Leather.  This is one of their leather effect polishes that dries to a satiny finish.  I thought the coverage was good for this polish and the color was pretty spectacular.  I did feel that it dried with some imperfections though, likely user error on my part.  However a good self-leveling polish usually hides my user errors!   I'm a sucker for these blues.  

Then I used Yes, I Cure Cancer, Bitch! on an accent finger.  

macro shot of Sinful Cold Leather

Macro Shot of Yes, I Cure Cancer, Bitch!

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Mae gets Minced

Today I have a pairing I really loved.

I started off with 2 coats of Julep Mae, a satin finish lavender.  I was very happy with this color and finish.  It was something unique and fun in my collection.

I added an accent finger of Lynnderella Mince.  Mince has a beautiful green shimmer with a variety of glitter shapes and sizes.  I loved the way this polish worked over Mae.  As with all of my Lynnderellas, the application was perfect!

With Flash:

No Flash

macro shot of Mae

macro shot of Mince, look at that shimmer!!!  

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Octavia loves Mantis Shrimp

Today I have a special custom polish that Sarah from My Lacquer Family made a batch of and I was lucky enough to get one!  (Click the link to see her facebook fan page, she has AMAZING swatches!) 

I started off with one coat of Julep Octavia, a beautiful blurble cream.  I thought the application on this was very easy, self leveled and one coat was enough.  I really have great luck with Julep polishes!

Then I put one coat of Mantis Shrimp from My Lacquer Family on top.  This was meant to recall the amazing Oatmeal post about how incredible the mantis shrimp is.   

I loved this combo and I got so many compliments over it.

Look at the awesome spread of glitter here!

I liked this one, even thought it is blurry, because it shows off the sparkly holo goodness.

macro shot

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Zoya Magical Pixies!

Today I have the Zoya Magical Pixie Dust Collection.

If there was one texture polish that rules them all, it is the Zoya Pixie Dusts.  I feel that the sparkle they impart along with the coverage and the wear time, makes them the premier out of all of the textures.

As with all of the pixies, these are easy to apply, two coats for full coverage.  With these I imagine you can also use one coat over a base as well for a different look.  The coverage is great and the application is a dream.

Ever since the pixie collection came out, I have worn them almost exclusively for my pedicures.  They wear awesome and always get a ton of attention.

I'll start off with Zoya Cosmo, a gorgeous silvery gold polish.  I love how they added the bigger holographic glitter to this batch, it really makes the sparkle just off the charts.

Two coats, no top coat

Macro shot!

The next two have a top coat, which really gives you another great option for the look.

Next we have Zoya Lux, a baby pink with a ton of sparkle.  I'm generally not a fan of baby pinks, but this one is amazing.  I think all of the shine really brings it all together.

Two coats, no top coat:

Macro shot of the amazing blend

Adding on a top coat

Finally we have Zoya Vega, a gorgeous spring green that really wows on the nail.  This color just really screams spring to me, so a perfect collection to come out right in time for flip flops again!

Two coats, no top coat:

Macro shot of the gorgeous!

With a top coat!

As you can see all three of these polishes are amazing.  I love the way the top coat changes the look to the polish and all three of these are just must have polishes!

Clicking on the photos will enlarge them. These polishes were received for review.  My review is my honest opinion.  

Longing to be Incognito in Sausalito

Today I have one of my preeeecccioooooouuuuuus polishes, So Long Longing by Lynnderella.  This is one of her Limited Edition polishes.  It has square, hex and a ton of shimmer packed in this purple paradise.  

I put one coat over two coats of OPI Incognito in Sausalito, a deep blue creme that has amazing coverage and shine.  

I was very happy with So Long Longing, it had great coverage and a little went a long way.  It is also very versatile and will look good over a range of bases.  On my swatch wheel I put it over Zoya Dove and I loved the look of it, but I needed this one to be purple.  A friend's daughter was in the hospital and several of us did purple manis for her.  The good news is she is doing much better and almost ready to go home!  

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Climbing the Zenith for Zoya

Today I have the Zoya Winter 2013 Zenith Collection.  

This collection, much like last years winter collection, completely wowed me.  I loved it.  Such a fun and versatile group that are perfect for the season.  

Starting out here is Zoya Belinda, a bluple metallic that has both purple, blue and pink shimmer.  The coverage on this was fantastic, one coat would have probably been enough but I used two in the photos.  I thought this was a great attention getting shade that work well alone and under another polish.  

Next up we have Seraphina, a greyish-silver metallic polish.  This was one that to me I wasn't that enthused about looking at the bottle, but on the nail it was perfect.  I love it for winter because it reminds me of snow.  I can use this in so many manicures as well for winter.  I was very happy with the coverage on this as well, easy to apply and great coverage, which can be hard to come by in the lighter polishes.  Surprisingly I don't have much like this in my collection either.  I love it!

I decided to take Mosheen and wear it on top of Seraphina.  Mosheen is a very sheer special effects topper with bar and hex glitter.  It is too sheer to wear on its own but I think it would be stunning over so many colors to give a fun pop of iridescence.    

Next up is Cassedy, a pewter metallic shade that has a slight hint of green.   The coverage was outstanding and it was very easy to apply.  Again, I could have used only one coat.  This is another shade I don't seem to have in my collection (which is nearly mind-blowing), so I am happy to have it.  I think this would be great to use in a lot of nail art because of its opacity and shimmer.

Next I have Dream, a gorgeous deep blue holographic polish.  The coverage was amazing and the effect was show stopping.  I have a great many holos in my collection, and I'm proud to say this one is among my favorites for scattered holos.  This is a definitely must buy!  It was just absolutely breathtaking.  I loved the finish on both of the holos as well, the gloss on them was outstanding!

Saving my favorite for last, Payton, a cranberry polish with a scattered holographic effect.  This one is also stunning on the nail.  Perfect for winter polishes or any time you just want to go back to the deep vampy colors with a nice fun pop of the holographics.  

I definitely think this collection is truly outstanding and Zoya has once again outdone themselves.  A great mixed group of finishes and colors that are fantastic for the holiday season, but also versatile enough that they can be worn outside of the holidays.  

Clicking on the photos will enlarge them. Please see the disclaimer for this blog.  These polishes were provided for my honest review.  

The Epidote for a Case of the Missing Blogger

GAH, 5 months.  

I had a massive computer failure the end of May which lost hundreds of mani photos.  I just couldn't bring myself to re-start, I felt like I was painting my nails more for untried and not always what I wanted, so I needed a break.

But lately I've gotten bitten by the bug again and felt like I wanted to blog.  So here I am!

I can't promise I'll be as active as I was, but my hope is every other day or so.

So here is Elevation Epidote, a gorgeous olive green holo.  This color is very unique in my collection, I don't have anything like it.  I thought it applied like a dream and went on easily.  I got a ton of compliments!

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