Zoya Ornate Collection Part 2- A Foil, A Shimmer, and A Glitter

   Today I have the second half of the Zoya Ornate collection to show you.  This half consists of a foil, a shimmer, and a glitter.  These all applied easily and I had no issues with any of the formulas.  I used Finger Paints base coat and no top coat for all three.

Ziv

   Ziv is a cool toned gold foil with tiny warmer gold flecks.  I can't decide if I like this one on me or not.  Yellows and golds usually don't work with my skin tone, but Ziv doesn't immediately make me go ick like I usually do.  There are minimal brushstrokes visible, which I really like.  I want to say this is 2 coats in the below photos, but I forgot to write it down so I'm not 100% certain.

Direct Sun

 Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

Logan

   Logan is an Emerald green base with gold shimmer.  The gold shimmer gives Logan a lovely glow.  This polish simultaneously reminds me of Christmas and The Emerald City from The Wizard of OZ.  The Emerald color really comes out in the sun, although the shimmer makes my camera freak out a bit.  This is 2 coats.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

Electra

   Electra is a glitter top coat with small silver and holo bar glitters.  The glitters like to hang off the edge of your nails, so you might want to gently run a finger along your nail edge while the polish is still wet to push any strays onto your nail.  I used 1 coat of Electra over Logan and it reminds me a bit of tinsel on a Christmas tree.  I am not a fan of this one.  I have never liked the look of bar glitter and Electra doesn't change my mind.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   From the second half of Ornate, Logan is by far the stand out for me.  If you can only get a couple of polishes from this collection my vote goes to Aurora and Logan.  If you're a fan of bar glitter, Electra has a great formula and would be a good addition to your collection.  

Disclaimer: The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the company for consideration.

 

China Glaze Tranzitions Press Release

   Please enjoy the following press release from China Glaze for their new Tranzitions collection:

COLOR + TOP COAT = ENDLESS CREATIVITY

China Glaze® Introduces Tranzitions Color Changing Collection

 Los Angeles, CA – (December 2012): There’s nail art and then there’s China Glaze® nail couture.  Reverse French manicure, half moons, ombre, basket weave, dots or racing stripes: nail designs are intricate and multi-colored. China Glaze® introduces a new way to get multi-color, unique nail art with fewer bottles of polish with the new color-changing Tranzitions collection!

China Glaze® Tranzitions’ revolutionary new nail lacquer reacts when a clear top coat is applied, changing the color from one shade to another for a stunning effect. Wear any of the six beautiful, color-shifting shades alone, or allow your creativity to run wild and create intricate nail designs by applying a top coat in specific places. Try different looks using nail art brushes, free-hand designs or nail guides. Because each shade changes color, you get two lacquers in one, creating an entirely new look with just one swipe.

The China Glaze® Tranzitions collection features six shades, though with the color transition, you get 12 unique shades including:

Split Perso-NAIL-ity – Dusty pink shifts to fuchsia

Duplicityy – Mint green shifts to vibrant teal

Modify Me – Periwinkle blue shifts to indigo blue

Altered Reality – Teal blue shifts to turquoise

Metallic Metamorphosis – Silvery grey shifts to bluish-charcoal grey

Shape Shifter – Smokey violet shifts to dark purple

How It Works:

• Step 1: Apply a base coat.
• Step 2: Apply two coats of China Glaze® Tranzitions shade of choice. Allow to completely dry.
• Step 3: Lastly, apply one coat of clear top coat such as China Glaze® Fast Forward and watch the color change right before your eyes.

The China Glaze® Tranzitions collection will be available in January 2013 at fine salons and beauty supply stores nationwide.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde, and is never tested on animals.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, please visit www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook (@ChinaGlazeOfficial), Twitter (@ChinaGlaze) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/chinaglaze).

China Glaze® is a division of American International Industries.

About American International Industries
For 42 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women.  Our product lines include Andrea, Ardell, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, Checi, China Glaze, Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, It’s So Easy, Jeris-Lustray, LASH BeLONG, Nail Tek, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, Poshe, Prolinc, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Waterworks, Winning Nails, Woltra, Woody’s, and Youthair. For more information, visit our website: www.aiibeauty.com.

Holiday 2012 Holographic Polish Comparisons

   Merry Christmas everyone.   Happy Tuesday or Movie and Chinese Food Day to everyone not celebrating.  Today I just have a quick comparison of a couple holographic polishes that have come out this season, and one older polish, for you.  

   For this comparison I used 2 coats of each polish over Finger Paints base coat and no top coat.  The polishes are Zoya Blaze on my thumb, Orly Miss Conduct on my index finger, OPI DS Extravagance on my middle finger, Zoya Aurora on my ring finger, and Color Club Gift of Sparkle on my pinky.  I noticed no significant difference in application or formula between the Zoyas, OPI, and Orly.  The Color Club was a bit thicker because of the glitter particles.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

   As you can see, there are similarities in color, but no dupes.  I'd say Aurora and Gift of Sparkle are the closest color wise.  Do you need all 5 of these?  Maybe not, but they are definitely different enough to justify buying all of them if you like all 5.

Disclaimer:  Some of the products in this post were sent to me for consideration.

Zoya Ornate Collection Part 1- The Holos

   I've been sitting here staring at my screen for the last few minutes with absolutely no idea what to write.  The fact that I can barely remember what day it is, and that I might be coming down with a cold, probably has something to do with this.  I'm looking forward to Christmas tomorrow mostly to have a day off.  And a day off where I don't have to feel guilty about not doing chores, or anything else if I don't want to.  So please forgive me if my posts are very short this week, but the retail world is rather exhausting this time of year.
   The Zoya Ornate collection for Holiday 2012 consists of 6 polishes.  Today I have the three holographic polishes for you.  The formula and application for all three of these was excellent.  I used Finger Paints base coat and no top coat for all swatches.

Aurora

   Aurora is a red-based purple base with scattered holo particles.  This one is the strongest holo.  This is 3 coats.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

Blaze

   Blaze is a cranberry base with scattered holo particles.  The holo is not as strong as Aurora, but still very noticeable.  This is 2 coats.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

Storm

   Storm is a black base with scattered holo.  This is the weakest holo of the three in my opinion.  I felt like the holo was trying to hide a bit unless my nails were directly in strong light.  This is 2 coats.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   I really liked Blaze and Storm and loved Aurora.  I would recommend all three, but if you can only get one, I'd make it Aurora.

Disclaimer: The product(s) in this post were sent to me by the company for consideration.

Color Club Gift of Sparkle

   I have another polish from the Color Club Winter Affair collection for Holiday 2012 to show you all today.

   Gift of Sparkle is a red based purple with holographic glitter.  The bottle shot shows a more red than the polish actually is.  My photos below are more accurate.  The formula is on the thick side, but that's probably because of the glitter.  Application isn't too hard, but the thicker formula does make it a little trickier.  Gift of Sparkle dries to a satin-y/matte finish.  I didn't use any top coat for these photos, but I'm guessing you will need a couple of coats of top coat for a smooth texture.  Polishes like this do tend to absorb top coat.  I used Finger Paints top coat and 2 coats of polish for these photos.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   I'm sure you can all tell why I like this polish.  But surprisingly I like Winter Affair a little bit more.

Color Club Winter Affair

   Today I have a polish from the Color Club Winter Affair collection for Holiday 2012.  Actually, I have the namesake polish of the collection for you.

   Winter Affair is a deep maroon with gold shimmer.  Application was very smooth for me.  The formula is a little thick and likes to run down the neck of the brush.  I used 1 thick coat of polish for the photos below, except on my pinkie which is a thinner coat and could have used a second.  With the thicker coats you get more running from the polish, so 2 thinner coats might be better.  I used Finger Paints base coat and no top coat for the photos.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   I LOVE the color of this polish.  I put it on just to swatch and wound up doing a full mani instead.  The Winter Affair collection can be found online at the Color Club website and other etailers.  There is also a scented version available, with a few color changes, at Sally Beauty.  I actually picked up this polish at TJ Maxx in a two pack with an unlabeled polish I believe is Covered in Diamonds from the Untamed Luxury collection.  I'm not sure why that was the second polish in a two pack labeled for the Winter Affair collection, but I've learned not to question these things too much. 

Zoya Lovely Press Release

   Winter is upon us, but in the beauty world it's already time to start thinking about spring.  Zoya is bringing us a collection of 6 cremes and metallics to remind us of warmer days.  Please enjoy the following press release for the Lovely collection for Spring 2013:

Zoya Lovely
Beauty is a lovely state of mind

Lovely, just LOVELY!

Spring is awash in six soft and lovely new Zoya shades including three dewy metallics and three fresh blooms of cream. Poetic in nature, this collection is sure to capture the beauty of the season like no other....

Zoya Lovely – spRING 2013

Piaf (ZP652) - Fresh Forsythia Yellow Metallic - Full Coverage (Originally designed for Fashion Designer Zang Toi)

GeiGei (ZP651) - Blushing Cherry Blossom Pink Metallic - Full Coverage (Originally designed for Zang Toi/SS13).

Julie (ZP650) - Soft Wisteria Purple Metallic - Full Coverage (Originally designed for Zang Toi/SS13).

Blu (ZP653) - Lucky Hyacinth Blue Cream - Full Coverage

Neely (ZP655) - Earliest Spring Green Cream - Full Coverage (Originally designed for Peter Som/SS13).

Jacqueline (ZP654) - Perfect Magnolia Nude Cream - Full Coverage (Originally designed for Peter Som/SS13)

 

Shipping January 01, 2013

 

Ultra long-wearing, nail lacquers by Zoya are BIG5FREE - all formulas are completely free of harmful industrial chemicals such as toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Zoya Lovely $8 (US)

Follow the Zoya Nail Polish and Treatments Blog and stay tuned on Twitter (@Zoyanailpolish) and Facebook for release date updates.

Hashtags: #ZoyaLovely and #nailpolish.

   Are any of these shades calling to you?  I'm looking forward to Julie and Neely personally.  Julie intrested me when it was first released in a Custom NYFW Trio a few months ago, so I'm glad I'll be able to get it now.

China Glaze Holiday Joy Swatches and Review

   It's officially one week until Christmas.  Has everyone finished their shopping?  If you're celebrating or giving gifts that is.  In celebration, today I have 5 of the new China Glaze Holiday Joy polishes for you.  
   Sadly, I do not have any direct sun shots of these polishes though.  I swear the only time the sun has been out in the last few weeks around here is when I've been at work or had an appointment.  But I wanted to get these up for you before Christmas so instead of my normal direct sun and indoor with natural light photos I did outdoor photos in natural overcast light.  The first photo will be the overcast shot and the second photo will be indoors with flash.  I used Finger Paints base coat and no top coat for all swatches.

Red Satin

   Red Satin is a medium red creme.  Application is smooth and the formula flows nicely, though it is a little thin so you should be careful of pooling.  This is 2 coats.

Pure Joy

   Pure Joy is a red and gold glitter.  The mix is heavier on the small round red glitters, but the small gold hex glitters stand out a lot.  This is 2 coats over Red Satin.  I had no problems or issues with formula or application.  This is probably best as a layering polish.  I think it would take too many coats to build opacity on its own.

Merry Berry

   Merry Berry is a dark red creme with some purple hints to give it a berry tone.  I had a few issues with this one.  Application was mostly smooth.  The formula tends to pool however and thicker areas dry slowly.  This caused some drag and pulling on the second coat.  I recommend using thin even coats and waiting a little longer than normal between coats with this polish.  I used 2 coats.

Blue Bells Ring

   Blue Bells Ring is a blue foil.  The color is very vibrant yet still feels wintery, at least to me.  Formula and application are both very nice with this one.  I did get a bit of drag around my cuticles when I went back over an area I'd already covered to even out brush strokes.  I used 1 coat in these pictures.

Glitter All The Way

   Glitter All The Way is a multi color glitter.  There are small round red, gold, and purple glitters and small green hex glitters.  The color mix is Mardi Gras in a bottle.  Formula and application are both good.  This is 2 coats over Blue Bells Ring.  You could probably get this one opaque without too many coats, but I think it works great as a layering polish as well.

Disclaimer: The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the company for consideration.