Zoya Godiva

So, it's been almost a month since I last posted - and guess what I've been doing since then? As I'm sure will shock you all, schoolwork. You may notice a pattern in my posts that come after a month-long absence, which is that I'm not any less busy, I've just reached the point where I have to blog because I can't stand not doing it any more. That is once again the case today, partly because I have an 8-10 page paper due tomorrow that I don't want to write. Instead, I'm writing this post about Zoya Godiva, a polish I tried out about a month ago (bottle shot to the left). It wasn't one I thought I'd like, but as it turns out, Godiva is classy and has an understated beauty that I very much like.

indoors, artificial light

Blue & Brown Plaid

Remember how I said in my last post that I've only done two manis since I got to college that didn't have blue in them? This is a continuation of that trend. I honestly do consider other colors, but I seem to always end up picking blue. Today's post is a result of my thinking that I hadn't done proper nail art in a while, so I did a plaid pattern with Sally Hansen Blue-Away, Maybelline Natural Beauty, and Orly Prince Charming.

indoors, natural light

indoors, natural light

Again, no sunlight pictures because the ones I took turned out like crap. In case you're wondering how I did this, I pulled the brush out of a gold glitter Kiss striper, wiped it off, used it, cleaned it, and put it back in the bottle. It's my cheap way of avoiding actually buying a proper striper brush, and so far, it's worked pretty well for me. Also, is it just me, or would a fuzzy plaid blanket in these colors be totally awesome?

Zoya Smoke Swatches and Review

Zoya Smoke is one half of Zoya's Fall 2011 collection set, Smoke & Mirrors. Smoke is made up of creme polishes, and Mirrors is made up of shimmers and glass-flecked polishes. I really like the concept for this collection, and there are several that I'll be adding to my "take to college" list - which, at the rate it's going, will be far too long come August 24. And now, the polishes! I did not use top coat in any of these pictures, and as you can see, they're all very shiny without it.

outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

Jana is what Zoya calls a "smoky mauve quartz cream" - frankly, I'm quite sure where the quartz part comes from, but it's a very pretty color. It's not a particularly unique color, but it stands out from all the other trendy mushroom taupes for its opacity. I used one coat on all nails except the ring finger, because I dripped acetone on that one and it dulled the polish. As you can see, there's absolutely no difference in opacity between the finger with two coats and the rest. A classy, one-coat-and-done taupe? I'm definitely taking this one to college.

 outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

Petra, a "smoky eggplant mauve cream," is a very pretty purpley, greyish, brownish, mauvey polish that's hard to define when you see it in person - and I think that's partly what I like about it. In some lights it looks mostly grey, but in different light, it takes on different tones. I did use two coats with this one, but it barely needed the second.

 outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

Look at that shine! If I didn't know this didn't have top coat, I'm not sure I'd believe it. Anyway, Codie is a "smoky brown taupe cream," though I'm not sure I agree with Zoya on the taupe part - taupe is grey tinged with brown, and if this has any grey in it, I'm missing it. This is probably the darkest brown I own, and I think I prefer them a little lighter, à la Barielle Coco Bar. I used two coats.

 outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

Zoya calls Anja a "smoky palatinate purple cream" - I call it lovely. Though it doesn't really have any relevance to the polish itself, I do like that they used "palatinate" in the description. I used one coat of Anja here, which suited me just fine. My only (slight) complaint is that I had one too-long, slightly wonky bristle in Anja's brush, but I trimmed it down and the brush works perfectly normally now.

 outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

Cynthia is a "smoky Prussian blue cream" that reminds me of a considerably more blackened American Apparel Peacock. I keep getting this one mixed up with Anja, because I feel like the one that's described as Prussian should have the Russian name. Anyway, that's irrelevant as well - Cynthia is a lovely color, and perfect for those of you who are particularly fond of vampy polishes. It's a bit too dark for my taste, but I like the touch of teal it has. Cynthia is opaque in two coats.

 outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

Dree is the final polish in Smoke, and by far my favorite. A "smoky camouflage green cream," Dree is the kind of color I just can't resist - I just can't resist a good khaki green, so I'll definitely be carting this one off to SLU as well. Dree reaches opacity with two coats - I baaarely needed the second, but it is a tad sheer without it, so I do recommend two coats. Like all the others, it's uncannily glassy without top coat. I'm in love.

I planned on doing more Harry Potter nail art today, but when the Smoke & Mirrors package arrived, I ended up spending all my free time at home swatching them instead. I will still be doing the nail art I'd planned (even though it's almost 11:00...eek!), but I'm not sure I'll be able to get it up tonight.

Also, I'm planning on doing a comparison post for these polishes at some point (I'd do one for Mirrors, too, but I honestly can't think of any really similar colors in my collection), so if you have any suggestions, please put them in the comments, shoot me an email, or sent me a tweet. Thanks for reading!

These samples were provided to me by the PR company for review. However, this will never influence what I say in a review. For more information, see my disclosure policy.

Franken Week Day 5: My Favorite Trench

I frankened this at the same time I made WASP...so, yeah, it's been a while. Unlike WASP, it's not intended to be a dupe of anything else - I just wanted a nice mousey taupe brown. I think I got it. Sorry for my messy application and gross cuticles. Eurgh. I never realize how terribly bad they are until I look at the pictures on my computer. This was two coats without top coat.

indoors, artificial light

My Favorite Trench is a bit warmer than the photo - and for the record, I'd love to have a trench coat this color. It compliments my skin tone really well, and while I'm not sure why I thought I needed another taupe in my collection, I don't think I have another exactly like it.

Sally Hansen Commander in Chic

I fixed my nail! Sort of. It's a bit of a shoddy job, but hopefully it will hold my nail together until it grows out. I used base coat, a bit of a teabag, more base coat, and one Incoco French manicure strip (on clearance at Walgreens!) to smooth it out, then put polish on top as usual.

I am so behind the times on this one...I think I must be one of the last nail bloggers on the planet to review Sally Hansen Commander in Chic. I've been really reluctant to by Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes (as of now I only have this and Hidden Treasure), even when I love the color, because they cost more than I generally feel like paying for a drugstore polish. However, when I found Commander in Chic in a clearance bin at Walmart for $5 awhile back, I had to pick it up. It's a greige, taupe-y color, and I don't have anything quite like it, though I know there are several near-dupes out there. The closest color I have is Orly Prince Charming, but Commander in Chic is lighter and greyer than the Orly.

indoors, artificial light

outdoors, shade

outdoors, sunlight

This was two coats of Commander in Chic with top coat. I may be in the minority on this one, but I love the wide brush Sally Hansen uses for their Complete Salon Manicure and Insta-Dri polishes. Maybe I have wide nail beds or something, but they work perfectly for me. The formula was very good to work with, too, and it dried reasonably quickly. I think Commander in Chic is one of those colors that is not only pretty, but is also almost universally flattering - I haven't seen a single swatch of this where it didn't suit the person's skin tone. I'm very glad I got this color, and I have no doubt that it will become one of my go-to polishes.

Charlotte Russe...um...

I really hate it when polishes aren't named. Really. A lot. I mean, numbers for names are bad enough, but no name at all? Come on! *sigh* However, its namelessness doesn't make me love this particular polish any less. It's a silvery taupe-y greige that I got in spring 2009 before all the greige craziness started. It's a bit of a pain to apply - kind of thick, though nothing a little thinner wouldn't fix - and a bit streaky, but I think it's pretty nonetheless.

 outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

Okay, so these pictures make it look green for some reason, but there's no green in it in real life. But, wait...where are the indoor pictures? Well, I took these pictures around 8:00 this morning, and didn't get back to my desk lamp (where I take my indoor pictures) until about half an hour ago. By that time, my thumbnail had split all the way into my nail bed, and I am now in the process of doing some sort of mending job on it. So far it's not going terribly well, but hopefully my nail will be mended tomorrow!

L.A. Colors Antique Rose

I went shopping for some L.A. Colors polishes for my friend's birthday the other day, and of course I had to get some for myself! I ended up buying an extra bottle of Vintage Rose, which I tried today.

indoors, artificial light

outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

The two outdoor pictures are very accurate, and the indoor picture is rather too orangey. I really like this color - it's grandma-friendly, but I don't think it's a "grandma" color. It looks more taupe than rose in most lights, though it is certainly a pinky taupe, and there is a very subtle gold shimmer that is not easy to see, but is definitely there. The color is fairly opaque - I used three medium coats. While it's light enough to be worn in spring and summer, it will be one polish that I will be pulling out more often in fall. I don't have China Glaze Ingrid yet (come ON, Sally Beauty Supply, stock Vintage Vixen!!), but I imagine Vintage Rose as being a light, pinky second cousin of Ingrid. Definitely a pretty color, and one I'm glad to have bought - and Kayla, if you're reading this, I hope you like it too! :)