Showing posts with label Zoya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zoya. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Zoya Summer 2009 Sneak Peek

Here is a sneak peek of the Summer 2009 collection from Zoya. Or rather 2 collections! Ohh-La-La is a collection of bright cremes and La-Di-Da is a collection of bright metallics. These will ship April 1st. 

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Reader Requests: Comparison Swatches Part 2

Happy Saturday!

I have more comparison swatches for you today. If you don't see your request here, do not worry, I still have more in the works.

First, OPI Miami Beet (pinky and middle fingers) and Zoya Moxie (ring and index fingers):

It was so sunny yesterday that photographing these colors was nearly impossible outside. The bright sun was really distorting the colors for me. So this pic was taken in my laundry room where I get really nice natural light from the huge window. As you can see, these two colors are extremely similar. OPI Miami Beet has a brighter appearance and Zoya Moxie is slightly dusty or muted. Both are great colors! Do you need both? That is your choice.

Essie Eternal Optimist (pinky and middle fingers) and OPI Tickle My France-Y (ring and index fingers):

Two totally different colors. The only thing they have in common is that they are nudeish shades with a creme finish. I personally prefer Tickle My France-Y but I also like Eternal Optimist and will definitely wear it. But if you already have Tickle My France-Y, and were wondering if it was a dupe for Eternal Optimist so that you did not have to buy it, well clearly it is not a dupe. Sorry ;) 

Sorry that I only have two comparisons for you today! Our weather here in the greater San Diego area has been freaking amazing for the last week or so. We have been having high temps in the low to mid 80's and it has been super sunny. When we get a streak of weather like this in January, as much as I like playing with my nail polish, I just can't bring myself to sit in the house and swatch. Our 2nd floor deck overlooks a lagoon and the ocean, and I just love to sit out there and catch some rays. My cats Cleo and Vincent usually join me outside and sit under the chairs for some shade. As I have mentioned before, we moved to California from Michigan back in July. I am not used to living in such a beautiful climate, especially in the dead of winter!

I'll have more comparison swatches soon in the next few days. Feel free to comment or email me if you have any special requests! I will also have more spring 2009 new releases to share with you.

Hope that all of you have a fab weekend and if you are in the mid-west or somewhere else chilly, stay warm! I know my fam back in MI has been getting some ugly weather. Junk.

xoxo,
Katee

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Reader Requests: Comparison Swatches Part 1

Hi everyone!

Hope you all are having a wonderful day so far. My recent posting of spring collections from Zoya, Essie and OPI inspired many of you to write me and request comparison swatches. I am happy to oblige! If you do not see the swatches posted that you requested, do not fret. I will be bringing you more comparison swatches in the next week or so. As always, feel free to e-mail me (nailpolishfan@gmail.com) anytime or just leave a comment if you would like to see a comparison swatch. If I have it, I'll swatch it! If I don't, I'll let you know.

First up, we have OPI Feelin' Hot Hot Hot! and OPI Party In My Cabana, both from their new South Beach collection:

OPI Feelin' Hot Hot Hot! is on my pinky and middle fingers. OPI Party In My Cabana is on my ring and index fingers. As you can see, Feelin' Hot Hot Hot! is a bit lighter and brighter than OPI Party In My Cabana. PIMC is slightly darker and dustier than FHHH (excuse my abbreviations, I get tired of typing the long names over and over again). I prefer OPI Feelin' Hot Hot Hot! out of the two, but if you love pinks, of course they are different enough to justify purchasing both.

Next, we have China Glaze Pink Underground from the fall 2008 Operation Colour collection and Zoya Barbie from their latest collection, Twist:

China Glaze Pink Underground is on my middle and pinky fingers. Zoya Barbie is on my ring and index fingers. Both Pink Underground and Barbie are pinks with a similar magenta shimmer, only Pink Underground is darker. Personally, I prefer China Glaze Pink Underground. But again, if you love your pinks, go ahead and get Zoya Barbie even if you already have China Glaze Pink Underground.

Moving right along to Zoya Harley (spring 2009 Twist collection) and Sephora by OPI Run With It!:

Zoya Harley is on my pinky and middle fingers. Sephora by OPI Run With It! is on my ring and index fingers. Clearly you can see the difference between these too, Harley is a cool toned grey shimmer and RWI has a golden look to it. Funny, before swatching these two side by side, I always knew that RWI was a warmer grey, but I never thought of it as golden. I don't think I will ever think of Run With It as grey again.

Finally, Zoya Harley and OPI "Sheer" Your Toys!:

Zoya Harley is on my pinky and middle fingers. OPI "Sheer" Your Toys! is on my ring and middle fingers. Wow! I never thought that these two would look so similar! You can see that SYT has a bit of a more blue or steel tone to it. Both nail polishes have similar copper flecks, but the ones in Harley are finer and more of a shimmer. The copper flecks in "Sheer" Your Toys are larger, chunkier, and more noticeable. Click the picture to enlarge it so you can see what I am talking about. Again though, I am very surprised at how similar the two of these are. If you are on a low/no buy right now, I really don't think you need both of these. But if you are a grey lover, you'll probably still want both.

That wraps up this round of comparison swatches. I'll have more coming soon! 

Also, just wanted to remind all of you about my random giveaways. I am cleaning out my stash of nail polishe, the unopened ones, and you guys are going to benefit from it! Every now and then, when I am in a random mood, I am going to randomly pick an e-mail subscriber to win the unopened nail polish of my choice. If you are not an e-mail subscriber yet, you should definitely sign up. Just enter your e-mail address in the box below to subscribe.

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Ok, gotta run... talk to you all later! (it's 75 and sunny outside)

xoxo,
Katee

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Zoya Twist Collection Spring 2009 Swatches

Hello, dear readers!

Today I have for you my swatches of the Zoya Twist collection for Spring 2009. These are so pretty! As always, click my pics to enlarge them. Enjoy!

Zoya Cassi:
Peachy pink with awesome shimmer. For some reason this reminds me of sherbert! I don't know why, but it looks good enough to eat. Call me crazy. The shimmer in this is totally insane, it is like Zoya chopped up little golden diamonds and put them in the polish. Amazing! You could definitely get away with two coats of this nail color but I used three because I was really digging it.

Zoya Malia:

Gorgeous lavender creme. This applied super smooth like butter. Actually, all of these did. This swatch is two coats. I am a habitual three coater but there was absolutely no need for a third coat, that would have been wasteful. 

Zoya Barbie:
zoya barbie swatch
Cutsey pink with magenta shimmer. For me, this is a perfect summer pedicure color. When you enlarge the picture you can see the shimmer much better.

Zoya Harley:
zoya harley swatch
Flawless shimmering grey. I knew I would be in love with this one from the second I saw the promo pics. Oh Harley, where have you been all my life?

Zoya Moxie:
zoya moxie swatch
Vibrant red plum creme. This is one that I was not excited about when I saw the promo pics but as soon as I put it on I was in love. What was I thinking? This color rocks!

Zoya Jo:

zoya jo swatch
Fabulous shimmering blue that falls somewhere between cornflower and periwinkle. Funny thing about this color, I love blue nail polish and my boyfriend hates blue nail polish. But when he saw me wearing this one, he actually liked it. Not that I really care what he thinks, I wear what I want! Thank you Zoya for putting a blue in your Spring collection!

Overall, I have nothing but compliments for Zoya on this collection. Flawless application? Check. Fabulous, vibrant colors? Check. Pause from typical Spring colors? Double check. I don't know what else to say. The colors speak for themselves. 


Also, don't forget about the awesome nail polish exchange that Zoya has going on right now. In a nutshell, you send Zoya your old, crappy polishes (non Zoya polishes of course) and then they send you brand new the brand new Zoya polishes of your choice in return. All you have to pay is $3 per bottle processing plus your end of the shipping to send them your old stuff. But basically this offer amounts to a 50% discount, which rocks. I believe there is a 6 bottle minimum and 200 bottle maximum limit. Thanks again Zoya for a fabulous offer. Check out full details on their program at www.zoya.com/exchange.

Ok guys, I mean gals, let me know what you are getting! Guys reading, if you are out there, you can let me know what you want too :)

That is all for today!

xoxo,
Katee

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Zoya Spring 2009 Twist Collection

Good morning, dear readers!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I know that I said that I would not be posting normally until January 5th, but this is just a quickie drive by posting.

I was just at Zoya's website and I noticed that you can pre-order their Spring 2009 collection set to ship January 5th. 
I am actually excited by all of these nail colors except for Barbie and Moxie, but I am sure I'll end up liking them too. I bought the sampler collection of all 6 nail polishes ($36) and also a huge bottle of Remove, the best nail polish remover ever. That is all for now.

xoxo,
Katee

Friday, December 19, 2008

Unveiling My New Short Vampy Nails With Zoya Sloane

Good morning or afternoon dear readers depending on where you are!!

First of all, I just want to say THANK YOU to all of the lovely, caring and thoughtful readers that left me such positive comments yesterday. I was really feeling traumatized yesterday by the short length of my nails but this morning, I am happy to say, that I am feeling much better about them. It is much easier to type and take out my contacts now. 

What a perfect opportunity, as a lot of you suggested, to break out the dark and vampy colors. I couldn't agree with you more! So I got out my big shoe box of untried polishes last night and picked out a perfect one: Zoya Sloane. I polished my nails with Zoya Sloane last night but snapped the pictures this morning at about 9:45 a.m. Pacific Time. The sun is out and shining strong this morning! Still a bit chilly here though. Although I cannot complain too much. My friends and family back in Michigan are getting hit with snow big time right now.

 Zoya Sloane:

zoya sloane swatch nail polish
This is a gorgeous, deep, purple &  vampy shimmer. I cannot believe that I had this one sitting in my untried box! This is the perfect color to rock on my new short nails. Although, even with long nails, I had no qualms about wearing colors like this. I guess now I am more "in style" or whatever now. 

A bunch of you also suggested to me that this would be a great opportunity to track how fast my nails are growing as inspiration for all of the ladies that might be trying to grow out their nails. Great idea! I am going to call it "Nail Growth Watch 2009" (we only have 2 weeks of 2008 left ok). I would love to encourage all of you ladies who are trying to grow your nails out to participate with me and let me know how you are doing!


It was much harder than I thought it would be to take a picture of me measuring my nails. I really needed a 3rd hand for this. So this picture is just an approximation. I am going to use my left hand, middle finger, as the benchmark for "Nail Growth Watch 2009". Right now this nail is approximately a five eights of an inch long, measuring from cuticle to tip. I will post a new measurement once a week. I would love for all of you to participate with me! Let me know how you are doing each week in the comments.

Also, just a reminder, you have until Sunday night to enter my giveaway. Click here for all of the details. 

Thanks again everyone for your support. I love you! Time to do some serious Christmas shopping now. I have not started yet.

xoxo,
Katee


Saturday, December 6, 2008

NOTD: Zoya Richelle

Good Morning!

Today my NOTD is from Zoya's Flourish collection for Holiday 2008: Zoya Richelle.


Zoya Richelle is what I will be wearing this evening to my boyfriend's company Christmas party. Application was flawless and this is the perfect nail color for a holiday or special occasion. I am usually not that into gold nail colors but this one has serious character. It is super shimmery in the sun and has a foil like finish. Just gorgeous! 

Wow! It is hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner. In just a few short weeks I'll be traveling home to Michigan to be with my family for the holiday. I am getting excited!! What is everyone else looking forward to this holiday season? What do you have on your wish list? I want to know!

That is all for now. Thank you for reading!

xoxo,
Katee

p.s. Have you entered my giveaway yet? I am taking entries until Sunday, December 7th, 11:59 p.m. pacific time :)



Friday, November 21, 2008

Nail Polish Suggestions for Darren Garnick's Next Pedicure

A few days ago, the lovely, witty and talented Boston Herald blogger Darren Garnick was brave enough to get a Fish Pedicure. Even braver than that, he chose OPI Osaka To Me Orange over a traditional buff and shine.

While I don't want to see nail polish on my boyfriend's feet, my motto is "to each their own"! I think people should be able to do whatever the heck they want, and if Darren, or any other guy for that matter, wants to wear nail polish, more power to them! 

So Darren, I have come up with some unsolicited nail polish suggestions for your next pedicure.

OPI's Osaka To Me Orange was nice but I think you'd like BB Couture for Nails Tangerine Scream better:

Or how about BB Couture for Nails Poison Ivy:

If you are brave enough for some shimmer, BB Couture for Nails Blue Suede Shoes:

Or because you are so charming, BB Couture for Nails Prince Charming Blue:

Black on a guys toes is what we expect to see, but gunmetal gray is much cooler, so how about Zoya Freja:
zoya freja nail polish swatch
Darren, let me know what you think! I want to know which one you are going to try out next time. Please do not hesitate to let me know if you need any more suggestions. 

Everyone else, go and check out full coverage on Darren's fish pedicure here. This is a MUST read! 

That is all for now. Thanks for reading and see you soon!

xoxo,
Katee

Monday, November 10, 2008

Behold, the Most Perfect Brown: Zoya Kalista

Hello and good morning!

Today I am sharing with you a color that I was really excited to get my tips on! Why? I have been on a search for a perfect, wearable, brown shimmer. After the most sought after, shall we say "hautest" (you know which one) color of the Holiday 2008 releases left me disappointed with flat, muddy looking tips, Zoya Kalista delivers the most perfect, wearable brown.

Zoya Kalista in the sun:

Zoya Kalista

Zoya Kalista (from the Flourish collection) is a gorgeous mahogany nail color that is so shimmery, so intense and so gorgeous. If you have also been looking for a go-to brown for this upcoming holiday season, get Zoya Kalista. Before you order, make sure you check out my post from this past Saturday for a wonderful November promo code from Art of Beauty, the makers of Zoya.

Have a great day!
xoxo
Katee

Sunday, November 2, 2008

e-polishblog on the Zoya Nail Polish Blog!

OMG e-polishblog was just featured on Zoya's Blog! Here is a link to the post. I am so excited because this is one of my favorite blogs to keep up with due to the fact that Zoya is one of my favorite brands. I love Zoya brushes, their formulation and of course their gorgeous color selection. If you haven't been to Zoya's Blog yet, why don't you go and check it out now? Thank you Zoya!!




Monday, October 27, 2008

NOTD: Zoya Nina Nail Polish

Hello!  I am back to blogging today after having two friends visit for a long weekend.  My boyfriend and I moved to San Diego about four months ago and we do not know very many people here yet so it is nice having visitors. It is also a great excuse to do some of the wonderful "touristy" things that our area has to offer, like kayaking through the La Jolla Coves. We even did manicures Thursday night which was really fun. My friend liked Zoya Yasmeen so much that I sent it home with her. 

Today's NOTD Is Zoya Nina which is from the Fall 2008 Vibe Collection. Nina is a rich, dark brown cream that is a red based brown. You can really see the red tone come out in the sun but there is still no question that this is a brown nail polish. Even though I am a habitual three coater when it comes to nail polish I only needed two coats with Nina. It went on a bit thick but was still easy to control and applied nicely. I don't know if I have mentioned this before but I am also a big fan of Zoya's brushes. 

Zoya Nina (indoors, artificial light):


Zoya Nina (outdoors, sun):



I am really digging Zoya Nina. This is another great color for fall. It also looks like it might be a dupe to Revlon Hot for Chocolate, another one of my favorite browns. I will definitely be testing that to see and posting my comparison swatches soon.

Just a quick reminder - it isn't too late to take "The Polish Poll" and receive a coupon code for THREE FREE Zoya polishes!! Just visit my October 15th post for more info. This promo ends 10/31.

Well that is all for today. What will I wear tomorrow? You'll have to come back and see! Thanks for stopping by and see you again soon :)

Friday, October 24, 2008

Zoya Yasmeen: The Most Beautiful, Non-Vampy, Non-Blackened, Purple Nail Polish Ever!

Good morning dear readers!

Today I would like to share with you Zoya Yasmeen. I am going to use an expression that my mother loves - it's an oldie but a goodie! For all of you purple lovers out there, this is a MUST have. Zoya Yasmeen is a deep purple that I don't consider to be vampy and it isn't blackened either. It has the most fabulous sheen and shimmer to it. The shimmer that runs through Yasmeen is very interesting - sometimes it looks like a pink shimmer and sometimes it looks like a metallic gold shimmer. The application is great, as we've come to expect from Zoya; not too thick, not too thin, and opaque at one coat. All swatches below are two coats of polish and SV top coat. 

Artificial light photo - in this photo you can really see the gold and pink shimmer!


Another artificial light photo - I did some finger contortions so that you could see the deep and fabulous purple that I am seeing at home. 


The colors that you see in Yasmeen really change depending on the light. In any light though, Yasmeen is a big winner in my book! 

Thanks for looking and hope to see you again soon. I apologize if I don't post again for a few days. My boyfriend and I moved from Michigan to sunny California about 4 months ago and ever since we got here we've had a pretty steady stream of visitors (yay!) from back home. I am excited that two of our very close friends will be here visiting us for the next few days. I promise that I'll be back to posting after they leave. I certainly hope that you'll be back here reading!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Zoya Casey - Vampy Love!

I saw Zoya Casey over on the Polish Addict's site the other day and instantly fell in love. It is vampy, jelly like, glossy and gorgeous! I instantly *ran* (ok, drove) to pick it up the moment I saw it, seriously. I just put it on and I cannot stop staring at my nails! Admiring this color on my nails is like a Rachel Zoe *die* moment. I am even more in love with it now than when I first saw it on PA's site. The only thing I'll warn you about though is that this was a 4 coater for me. Most jelly like polishes are because they tend to be thin and need to be built up to achieve bottle color. I enjoy the act of polishing my nails so I don't mind 4 coaters but they probably aren't for everyone. I also had cuticle drag issues, which can happen with the jellies, which is why I really needed the 4th coat to even everything out. On to the swatches!!

This first swatch is indoors, natural lighting, and please excuse my cuticle ouchie. I had a hang nail and got a little overzealous with the nippers :( Indoors, Casey is almost black, which I love.
The second swatch is in the amazing California sun. When you take Casey outside you can see the gorgeous plum color:


I hope you enjoyed today's swatches and hope to see you back soon!