Crystal (Zoya Winter 2010 Flame Collection)

Indoors

Well peachies...I'm not giving up on Zoya just yet.  From Zoya's Winter 2010 Flame collection, Crystal is a steel, dusty metallic blue with gold flecks floating throughout it. The blue is very cool but gorgeous nonetheless.  Anything involving gold flecks is guaranteed to get my approval;-) The formula is great, it dried quickly and the application is darn near perfect.  I opted for three coats but two coats would have been just fine.  Crystal is absolutely beautiful...I've heard that this is an exact dupe for obscure UK and Asia exclusive OPI's Reflecting Pool and by the looks of things, Crystal is definitely a dupe.  Although it's not uber-unique, it is still not run of the mill, only one other polish looks exactly like it and that polish is not readily available like Crystal. Want Crystal? Get it at http://www.zoya.com/ for $8.

OPI Reflecting Pool

Both outdoors









Zoya Spring 2011 Intimate Collection "Marley" and "Jules" Update

Sunlight

Hey peachies! It's been way too long;-) Just in time for Easter, I decided to finally try this muted lavender.  I love the name Marley, this was my top girl name pick but I ended up with a boy. I know random but whatever;-) When I look at Marley in the bottle, the first polish I thought of was OPI Rumple's Wiggin from the Shrek collection, a pretty saturated lavender but Marley is definitely is more subdued with silvery undertones. Zoya is a 4-free brand (free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP and camphor) and has an award-winning vegan friendly formula.  The application went without a hitch and the formula was great, I only needed two coats with this baby. My beef I have with Marley and some of Zoya polishes is that the durability is not great AT ALL! I did my mani on Saturday and today I have major chippage. This is very disappointing because I do like the line, the variety of colors and the formula that Zoya offers. My suspicion is Zoya polishes probably that last way longer when used with their base and top coat from Zoya Color Lock System and was designed that way.  (Side eyeing Zoya) Well, I am going to test this theory out only because I love their colors and give y'all an update.  Although Marley didn't last long, I did enjoy it while it lasted. 



Indoors



 

UPDATE:  Now on to Jules, if you are an avid reader of my blog (if you not, you need to be;-) refer to my  for my review on Jules), you know that I had tons of problems with the application of Jules and it was such a spectacular color. Well, I did a pedi with Jules and YES! The application was darn near perfect!  I can't wait to try Jules for my mani again!

Just a pic to remind y'all of what a beautiful color Jules is:-)

Ice Cream Cake - MAC 2011 Quite Cute Collection

Hello peachies! I feel so bad that I haven't posted anything since last Wednesday...I am going to do better, I promise:-)  Ice Cream Cake is a very pigmented cool (bluish undertones) bubblegum pink creme. It's so packed with color sort of reminds like Pepto Bismol. I needed another color like this in my collection so I couldn't resist. Ice Cream Cake did not disappoint! The application was good, it is a bit streaky but not extremely and it took 3 coats to achieve the perfect look although it probably would be okay with 2 coats. My brush bristles were flawed, I had to pluck one out because it was bent but this issue may be isolated.  I love MAC nail polish bottle design; easy to roll between your hands and the rubberized top makes it easy to screw the top off.  I decided to also do an accent finger with OPI Black Shatter on my right index finger to give my mani an edge.  The color is not uber-unique although I haven't thought of a dupe yet, I am definitely leaning towards one of Essie's polishes. I do think the coolness of Ice Cream Cake is unique and I like how the bluish unertones makes it very bright and pops right off of the nails.  MAC 's Quite Cute Collection debuted in stores on April 7.  It is +limited edition so if you want it, hurry up and get it.     

San Tan-Tonio (OPI Spring 2011 Texas Collection)

Hello peachies! I had to take that flukie mani off and I chose to try OPI San Tan-Tonio (ST-T for now on) from OPI's Spring 2011 Texas collection.  ST-T is a caramel brown creme, darker sandy brown. ST-T is one of those polishes that you will either love or hate. I'm totally in love! ST-T reminds me of Claire Huxtable: demure, classic, and chic definitely not for little girls.  ST-T is a true woman's color. Honestly, I can't stop looking at my nails. ST-T applies effortlessly and with OPI's signature Pro-Wide brush and formula, I completed this mani in record time. It dries quickly too! Although I see this color not working for everyone, it is effortlessly chic. As you know I love neutral colors on my toes, so I will definitely try ST-T on them in the near future.  ST-T is definitely a must-have! 

Zoya "Jules"

Hello fellow polish lovers! This time I went with Zoya "Jules." Zoya is a 4-free brand (free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP and camphor) and has an award-winning vegan friendly formula.  Jules is the EXACT color of my car, I mean exact color.  Jules color is a beautiful metallic pewter-taupe polish with gold, silver and champagne shimmer throughout the polish. Although the color on my complexion is okay (honestly I can wear almost any color), I can see Jules being tough for other gals to pull off.  The formula is a bit thick making the application very tricky.  If you are not careful, this will be "bubble-city" on your nails.  Apply thin coats with as few strokes as possible.  Because of the thickness, I only applied two coats.  I had the worst luck applying this baby. On the first try, no bubbles but I manage the get smudges on them and the second try was "bubble-city."  I was so frustrated that I left the bubble horror show on my nails for one day.  Maybe I will try Jules again tonight as a mani or...not maybe I will try it as a pedi color next. So because the color is hard to pull off for most and the formula/application issues that comes with Jules, this is not a WHOA NAILY! polish in my eyes...so dissappointing because I was so sure that this beautiful color would be:-( Sorry peachies, there is no dupe that I can think for this one, very unique and not many gals will be able to wear this color making it a cool color to have. I will definitely try it again and give you an update if the application issues change.

Bubble City:-(





See! The exact same color as my car...

My New Quest (sigh) & WHOA NAILY! Zoya "Gemma"

As a self-proclaimed product junkie, I am always on the quest for better products. Now that I'm a mom, I have to ramp it up a bit. Being a borderline germaphobe, I wash my hands A LOT! I mean I may even rival with healthcare professionals as much as I wash my hands. So being a mom of a 1-year-old adventurous boy who plays in dirt and other germ-filled discoveries, I wash my hands twice as much as I did pre-motherhood. In addition to all that comes with maintaining a home, my mani doesn't last as long as it used to so I am trying new products (mostly base and top coats) to perfect my manicures. I will definitely keep y'all posted on my awesome finds and my not-so awesome ones.

Now off to my Zoya "Gemma" swatch. This is my first WHOA NAILY! review (which means after you read this post, run out and grab pronto.) The pictures don't do this wonderful bottle of olive green goodness ANY justice. Joining the khakish, olive green polish family with the likes of Chanel Khaki Vert, Rescue Beauty Lounge Diddy Mow and Essie Sew Pysched, Zoya Gemma followed suit along with the three aforementioned lacquers by including hidden shimmer but manage to offer a softer take on this color than the others. Gemma has a hidden blue and violet duo-chrome glimmer which contributes to the delicateness of this beautiful muted green. In the sunlight, it looks like heaven:-) Not to mention, the formula is wonderful making the application a breeze.  Gemma is my favorite out of the similar greens and the least expensive out of the bunch. You can find this beauty, on Zoya's website (http://www.zoya.com/).  So there you have it...WHOA NAILY!



Indoor light, notice it looks like a olive green creme but...

...in the sunlight, the shimmer shows its face...WHOA NAILY!

Shut the front door AND the windows!  I love this polish!



My Mani for the Week - Zoya "Dannii"

Indirect sunlight

Hello Lovelies! This week I decided to go with one of the colors from one of Zoya's latest collections, Intimate.  Dannii is a warm violet with golden shimmer.  In some cases (indirect sunlight),  it registers as a cool purple but it's actually more on the warmer side. Although Dannii is a beautiful color, it is not a must-have in my eyes.  Zoya is a 4-free brand (free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP and camphor) and has an award-winning vegan friendly formula.  Dannii applies like a dream, I only had to apply two coats to achieve nice even coats.  Although I never had a problem child from Zoya, the formula is not too thick, not too thin, just perfect.  Usually I have to order Zoya online, however I actually pick up this baby from my local Ulta (they only had the Intimate collection though.)  Although Dannii is not a "Whoa Naily!" color in my opinion, I can't wait to try the rest of the Intimate collection, especially Jules.

Indoor light



Spring is in the Air! The Must-Have Colors for Spring 2011 Season...

Besides the annoying pollen (I live in the South), I love spring and being a nail fanatic, I am always excited for the new nail polish spring collections.  Typically, the spring collections are airy palettes including pastel colors and sheer finishes and this year is no exception. However, from perfect nude cremes to top coat effects, an array of the new polish trends are blooming this spring.



New Neutrals



Chanel Black Pearl & Butter London Chimney Sweep

Two welcomed additions to this year's spring nail trends are the nude and charcoal grey polishes. Like the emerging nude shoe trend, nude polish perfectly compliments the punchy brights trending in the fashion world like cobalt blue and Kelly green. Nude cremes like Essie nail polish in Sand Tropez will enable you to pull this look off with perfection. An unlikely spring neutral, charcoal grey shows up as an ideal pair with bright spring colors. Smoky charcoals like Chanel Black Pearl or Butter London Chimney Sweep are perfect candidates to achieve this look.







Essie Sand Tropez

Pastels

A staple look for spring, pastels such as sky blues, lovely lavenders and perfect peaches are definitely must-haves for this season. You will definitely see more creamy and metallic pastels than the usual sheer ones. Essie's Spring 2011 French Affair Collection and Zoya's Spring 2011 Intimate Collection includes the perfect pastels.  MAC's "Quite Cute" collection, debuting April 7, also contain three beautiful pastel cremes even a minty green creme (swoon!). 



Topcoat Effects

Wanna take your manicure to another level? Indulge in the topcoat effect trend. The biggest topcoat effect is the Shatter/Crackle. Holographic and subtle shimmers can also take your manicure up a few notches. Of course, China Glaze and OPI offers their spin on the crackle/shatter craze and Chanel's Pearl Drop is the perfect shimmer topcoat to achieve that added glamour.



China Glaze Crackle Collection



OPI Shatter Collection

What do y'all think about the Spring 2011 trends? Which ones would you try?  With the major variances, I think there is a trend for everyone to try.  I have already tried the shatter/crackle trend and count me in!  As far as the other trends, I am gearing up to try them ASAP:-)