Urban Outfitters Sea Dust

   Until recently I didn't live near an Urban Outfitters.  I kept hearing about fun stuff they had and brands that could occasionally be found there that weren't normally easy to find.  So of course now that there is one where I live I had to stop in.  Their house brand polishes were $5 each or 2 for $8.  So obviously I grabbed 2.  The polishes come in nice heavy square bottles.  I like how sturdy they feel and that they stack next to each other well.

   Sea Dust is a Sea Green metallic foil with small aqua hex glitter.

   The formula on Sea Dust was good, nice consistency, which lead to good application.   The color builds well and doesn't need a base color.  In the sun this is a VERY shiny and sparkly polish.  It was difficult to capture with my camera in direct sun, but I think you should be able to get the idea.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   The indoor natural light shot gives you a good sense of the base color.  The color might look a little familiar to some of you.  That's because Sea Dust is EXTREMELY close to Deborah Lippmann's Mermaid's Dream polish.  They aren't exactly the same, the base colors are slightly different, but Sea Dust is close enough that I don't feel the need for Mermaid's Dream as well.  Especially with the $13 price difference.

   I was impressed with this polish.  If the rest of the Urban Outfitters polishes are this nice I will definitely be buying more.

 

Zoya Tracie and Meg

   Today I bring you the last set of polishes from the Zoya Beach and Surf collections.  These two are definitely my favorites from the collections.

   Tracie is the only non-creme in the Beach collection.  It's a pistachio green with silver microshimmer.

   Unlike a lot of microshimmers, the one in Tracie shows well on the nail giving a nice pearl-like finish to the polish.  But it does mean you can see brushstrokes, so you'll want to be careful with application.  The formula and application were both great, aside from the brushstrokes, and Tracie dries bottle color.  I used Finger Paints base coat, 2 coats of polish, and no top coat.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   Meg is a celery colored metallic foil with silver shimmer from the Surf collection.  Zoya calls Meg a mermaid green which might be the best description.  It's a little hard to pinpoint the exact shade of Meg.

   Meg is the most foil like of all the Surf polishes.  It shows any flaws you have in your nails so I would recommend a ridge filling base coat.  Brushstrokes show on this one as well, so again be careful with application.  The formula is ok on Meg, but the 1st coat goes on a bit streaky and you need to use thicker coats for best application.  I used Finger Paints base coat, 2 coats of polish, and no top coat.  Meg also dries to bottle color.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   Because it's the most foil like, Meg is super shiny, even without top coat.  As I said at the beginning, these two polishes are my favorites from the Summer collections.  If you like greens, I definitely recommend grabbing both of these.

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

Zoya Lara and Kimber

   I have 2 more pinks for you today from the Zoya Beach and Surf collections.  These are darker pinks, bordering on berry even. 

   Lara is a medium pink creme from the Beach collection.

   Lara is very red/purple tinged and warm toned.  Formula and application were very good and the polish dries bottle color.  I used Finger Paints base coat, 1 coat of Lara, and no top coat.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   Kimber is a raspberry metallic foil with gold and silver shimmer from the Surf collection.

   Kimber is very warm toned, probably from the gold shimmer, and dries bottle color as well.  It reminds me a bit of a fruity tropical drink with a little paper umbrella- I may need to hit the beach soon.  I had no issues with formula or application.  I used Finger Paints base coat, 2 coats of polish, and no top coat.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   Unlike Shelby and Rory, I really like Lara and Kimber.  In fact, Kimber is one of my favorite polishes from these collections.  If you only pick up a couple polishes from the Summer collections, Kimber should be one of them.

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

Zoya Shelby and Rory

   Today I'm bringing you Shelby and Rory from the Zoya Beach and Surf Summer 2012 collections.  

   Shelby is a bright pink creme, with a tiny tinge of blue for a cool tone, from the Beach collection.

   Formula and application were good and the polish dries darker than bottle color.  Because Shelby dries darker, it becomes a pretty standard Barbie or bubblegum pink shade.  I used Finger Paints base coat, 2 coats of polish, and no top coat.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   Rory is a cool toned rose pink metallic foil with silver shimmer from the Surf collection. 

   I had no issues with formula and application with Rory either.  Again I used Finger Paints base coat, 2 coats of polish, and no top coat.  

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   Both Shelby and Rory are nice polishes, but are my least favorites from the Summer collection.  They feel very familiar and common to me and in Rory's case, even a little dated.  I guess I just expect more from Zoya and was a little disappointed with these two.

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

Zoya Arizona and Myrta

   Today's post is brought to you by the color orange.  Arizona and Myrta from the Zoya Beach and Surf Summer 2012 collections to be exact.  You've probably been seeing a lot of orange this year as Tangerine Tango is the Pantone color of the year.  Myrta is closer to this shade, but Arizona is a nice compliment. 

   Arizona, from the Beach set, is a medium orange/tangerine creme.

  The formula was a little thick, but that could just be my bottle.  When it arrived the polish had leaked into the cap and onto the neck a little, so I think my bottle was affected by heat, which could have caused the thickness.  Does anyone else have this polish?  What's the consistency like on your bottle?

   Application was ok, but the first coat was a bit streaky.  The second coat evened everything out though.  I used Finger Paints base coat, 2 coats of Arizona, and no top coat.  Dry, the polish is brighter than the bottle color.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   Myrta is a red-orange metallic foil with a pewter or gold/silver mix shimmer.  It's a little hard to tell which but the shimmer lends well with the polish color.  In a good way.

  

   I had no issues with the formula or application.  Like with Arizona my base coat was Finger Paints and I used 2 coats of polish.  No top coat again.  Myrta dries to bottle color.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   I think Myrta would be a great summer pedi color.  And once I add a little thinner to Arizona I can definitely see myself wearing it again.  Neither color is super unique, but both are very nice, especially if your collection could use some orange.

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

Zoya Wednesday and Zuza

   I hope everyone had a good and safe holiday this week.  Whether you grilled out with some friends or hit the beach or just stayed in out of the crazy heat affecting most of the country.  

   The second set of polishes I'm showing you from the Zoya Beach & Surf collections for Summer 2012 are Wednesday and Zuza.  

   Wednesday is a light teal creme.  The interesting thing about this polish is how much other colors around it cause the green/blue balance to shift.  When close to something blue, the polish looks more green, but when close to something green, the polish looks more blue.  The formula was excellent, application very smooth, and the polish levels itself out very nicely.  I used Finger Paints base coat, 2 coats of polish, and no top coat.

Direct Sun

Indoor with Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   Zuza is a light teal metallic foil with silver shimmer.

   Even though the shimmer is silver, I still get a sense of warmth from the polish.  Application was good, but the formula was a little thin.  I used 2 coats of polish over Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler base coat.  Please ignore any bubbles you see, I think the ridge filler is causing them.

Direct Sun

Indoor with Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   I liked both of these polishes.  But of the two I prefer Wednesday.  The creaminess and lightness appeal to me.  

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

Zoya Reagan and Carly

   Fun fact, this is my 200th post.  So yay!  Ok, enough rejoicing.  For this special post I'm bringing you the first of my Zoya Beach and Surf swatches.  My plan is to show you the corresponding colors from the two collections together.  I'm starting with Reagan from the Beach collection and Carly from the Surf collection.

Reagan

   Reagan is a red-purple creme polish.  I would almost call it a purple tinged pink.  Formula and application were excellent and it dries very shiny.  I used China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat, no top coat, and 1 coat of polish.  Yes, this is a one coat polish.

Direct Sun

Shade

Indoor

Carly

   Carly is a red-based purple metallic foil with silver micro-glitter.  Formula and application were good, but the silver micro-glitter will stick to your skin.  I again used China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat and no top coat, and like Reagan, Carly is a one coat polish.

Indirect Sun

  

Indoor

   Reagan is a very bright, fun summer shade.  Carly is much darker, but definitely my favorite of the two.  The rest of the Beach and Surf collection colors correspond more than these two do, but they could make a good mani/pedi combo.

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