Zoya Sunshine Summer 2018 Collection Makes Me B-A-N-A-N-A-S

The Not So Sunny Side

Dear readers, before I amaze and astound you with the beautiful and bright Zoya Summer 2018 Collection, I have some news. Some rather life-changing news. Some rock your world, or at least my world, kind of news. 

Since the beginning of Nailed It, you've seen posts and words about my life, which involved a long-time boyfriend. As of late March, that's all changed. That boy and I have broken up, after a decade of being with one another. I've ridden and will continue to ride the rollercoaster of emotions that comes with terminating such a big part of my early adult life. There's good times and bad, but I know this needed to happen. I won't bore you with the nitty gritty of it all, and if you're dying to know, I can be reached by email. Ultimately, I'll be ok. Just know that this has been the focus of my life, and it's been all-consuming. Sorry about that. Friendships have been tested over it. Belonging have been lost over it. Tears have been shed over it. Gallons and gallons of tears. But it's happened and I'm coping. Healthy or not, I'm coping. 

A wonderful, special, serendipitous client of mine suggested I read Tiny Beautiful Things when she learned what I was going through. To those of you who are, have, or will soon be going through something equally world-shattering, I couldn't recommend this book more. If you're familiar with Wild (the book-turned-movie starring Reese Witherspoon), you're familiar with Cheryl Strayed, whose excerpts from an advice column make up Tiny Beautiful Things. This book has helped me learn things about myself and everyone around me that I was otherwise blind to, willingly or obliviously. Her words aren't perfect, and her advice stings sometimes, but both provided a lot of insight I needed. 

One coping mechanism gained through Tiny Beautiful Things is to focus on the things you have, and the triumphs you have achieved. My coworkers constantly remind me that humble or not, I have achieved some pretty amazing things in my life as a nail blogger. After listing those things for myself, I know that pouring my empty heart into something I love is what will help fill it again. Nail art does that for me. 

So bear with me as I go through construction of a new life, and let me know you enjoy this. I certainly do, and nothing can change that but me. There you go, and there you have it. 

Now some nail polish.

The Sunny Side

Today's review is full of bright pinks that make me smile - the Zoya Sunshine collection for Summer 2018. There was lots of things I could do with the organic gradient of pinks it offers, but all I've been wanting to do is bananas. Every single home decorating store I've walked into or Googled has some accent of banana leaves or similar fern. So I used a few colors as the basis for my tropical getaway and ran with it. For the base of the leaves, introducing Jack. For the base of the fruit, introducing Minnie. 

I used an entire Zoya palette (except the black) for the nail art too. Darcy is the tireless yellow. I've accented the greens, Ness and Wyatt, with Snow White. Freehand, of course.

Swatches of Zoya Sunshine

Zoya - Clementine

Clementine (2 coats) is a warm peachy pink with gold shimmer throughout, warming it up even more. Like a fresh sunburn slathered up with shimmering aloe gel. 

Zoya - Delia

Delia (2 coats) is a rich and bold lilac creme. And speaking of lilac, the bushes in Boulder are all in FULL bloom right now. It might be the most intoxicating smell that's ever passed under my nose.

Zoya - Ellie

Ellie (2 coats) is a very vibrant fuchsia that was almost a one-coat polish. And speaking of flowers, I recently learned that the word "fuchsia" not only describes a color, but also a genus of flowering plants named the same. I ask, which came first, the genus or the color?  

Zoya - Jack

Jack (2 coats) is a nude creme, a bit on the fair side. And speaking of Jack, Zoya must be running out of girl names for their polishes. May I submit "Katy" for consideration? 

Zoya - Karen

We all know at least one Karen in our life. You KNOW the one. Dane Cook said it best. Luckily, this Karen (2 coats) is not "a bag of douche", and is a great cherry poppin' red creme. 

Zoya - Marigold

Marigold (2 coats) is aptly named, because this red-orange creme is swimming with gold shimmer.

Zoya - Minnie

Minnie (2 coats) is a really fun neon salmon creme, and used for the banana base in my coco loco nail art. Ok, and this is something specific I noticed immediately about this color. It's so very similar to an old OPI color from the Couture de Minnie collection, which was a collection inspired by, you guessed it, Minnie Mouse. The color, Chic from Ears to Tail, is practically a dupe!

Zoya - Missy

Missy (2 coats) is Minnie's cool sister, literally. Same finish, just a few drops cooler. 

Zoya - Nahla

I've labeled Nahla (2 coats) as a "gold glitter bash with some holoness". I think that covers it. And speaking of coverage, it looks great at 2 coats!

Zoya - Saldana

Saldana (2 coats) doesn't cover as well as Nahla, but it's a similar idea. A layerable light blue glitter mix with a festival of different sized glitter chunks. Very Frozen-esque. 

Zoya - Sandy

Sandy (2 coats) is my favorite creme from the collection, even if it does scream "HEY PEPTO-BISMOL!"  

Zoya - Virginia

Last but not least, Virginia (2 coats). Which is maybe 0.2348797 percent lighter than Karen. But for all intents and purposes, Virginia and Karen are twins. Maybe separated at birth, but still twins. 

The products in this post were given for review purposes. The reviews are based entirely on my experience with the products and were in no way influenced by anyone.

Zoya Bridal Bliss Collection with Freehand Doily Nail Art

Generally, Zoya collections present interesting colors each time they're released. But in the instance of Bridal Bliss, the colors are actually repeats, but they've been curated into a collection that's perfect for a soon-to-be bride in need of look for her big day.

Bridal Bliss is rife with sheer pinks that make the nail look cleaned up, but neutral. I've recently been obsessing over shades like this after transitioning into my old square nail shape. It gives me dainty vibes. With that in mind, here's the dainty doily nail art I did for Bridal Bliss.

Using Bela and Snow White from Bridal Bliss, I hand-painted these subtle designs, and I'm obsessed! I think these are the perfect bridal nails, and can be reworked in a few ways to meet a bride's needs. For example, you could move the design towards the tip if the bride wants a more classic French look. Or, you could expand the design on the ring finger across all 10 fingers. Or, make the bride's big-day preparations easy by just offering one of the colors from Bridal Bliss. She's sure to find one that fits her theme best!

Bridal Bliss Swatches

Zoya - Abby

Abby (2 coats) is a repeat, soft pastel lavender creme. Use this as floral accents for the other shades in Bridal Bliss.

Zoya - Avril

Avril (2 coats) may be the most opaque sheer (if that makes any sense). It's a fleshy, creamy nude. 

Zoya - Bela

Bela (2 coats) is my favorite sheer in Bridal Bliss. I used this for my the doily nail art because its ultra-sheer, milky pink finish screams femininity. 

Zoya - Blu

Blu (2 coats) is another repeat you may recognize from 2013! Blu is a very light, pastel baby blue creme.

Zoya - Brighton

Brighton (2 coats) is the star of this collection, in that it outshines all the other shades with its NUDE and HOLOGRAPHIC finish. I'll say it again...NUDE. AND. HOLOGRAPHIC. Yeah.

Zoya - Chantal

Chantal (2 coats) is a nude creme that works with any skin color. It's light enough for the fairest fairy, and would contrast beautifully with the darkest divas. 

Zoya - Erika

Erika (2 coats) has so many levels. She is a milky pink semi-sheer with gold shimmer. I think this might be the go-to shade for any outdoor summer weddings - the gold shimmer would catch the camera's eyes when the photographer started snapping.

Zoya - Leia

Leia (2 coats) might be a good winter topper for a bride, as the cool iridescent shimmer can go over any of these Bridal Bliss shades. I did it on its own to show how it looks, but it would probably be better as a top coat.

Zoya - Loretta

Loretta (2 coats) is the MOST sheer color from Bridal Bliss. This is 2 coats, but as you can see, it's a barely there pink.

Zoya - McKenna

McKenna (2 coats) is a greyish-nude creme with a slight pearl finish.

Zoya - Rue

Rue (2 coats) is a soft mauve-y blush creme. It's almost sheer, but it's definitely still a creme.

Zoya - Snow White

Snow White (2 coats) is a classic, white creme polish. It worked wonderfully for the doily nail art too. 

The Bridal Bliss curated collection can be picked up here. And if you're patient, you'll get a tutorial for the nail art soon! It's not as difficult as it looks...with patience! 

The products in this post were given for review purposes. The reviews are based entirely on my experience with the products and were in no way influenced by anyone.

Zoya Party Girls Winter/Holiday 2017 Collection and a Party Icon

If you follow me on Instagram, a little while ago I shared this massive package from Zoya I'd received, bewildered about what could possibly come from a nail polish company that required that big of a box! Then, after opening it, I realized I'd been sent the Party Girls collection, in unique packaging I hadn't seen from Zoya before.

Party Girls is a full, 12-piece collection with lots of shimmer to sport for occasions that call for a little razzle dazzle. The shimmers are gorgeous, but my favorite color stood out right away...Danielle. I used that as my primary inspiration for this look I'm calling "Party Icon", named for the icon art created by Made by Made on Creative Market.

Party Icon

Party Icon - thumbnail

I used accents of a few shades from Party Girls, including Fallon, Nadia, Isadora, and Kelsey. Even though the thumb turned out a little bit more like a ketchup bottle than a champage bottle, I still like it. Patterns make me happy!

Swatches

Zoya - Blake

Blake (2 coats) is a dark navy creme with fine green shimmer accenting it in the right light. 

Zoya - Danielle

Danielle (2 coats) is a very pretty purple creme, with a deep finish that has an almost neon blue appearance. I adore this one!

Zoya - Delaney

Delaney (2 coats) is a chrome purple with subtle blue and green duochrome. I didn't capture it well on my nails, but the effect is there, albeit subtle.

Zoya - Fallon

Fallon (2 coats) is a light magenta, and at the same time, dark pink duochrome. The light magenta has a bit of iridescence to it.

Zoya - Isadora

Isadora (2 coats) is a dark shimmering purple chrome with blue iridescent sheen to it. 

Zoya - Kelsey

Kelsey (2 coats) is a bright, medium pink creme. Nice opacity with this pink!

Zoya - Landon

Landon (2 coats) is a darker medium purple creme. 

Zoya - Ming

Ming (2 coats) is a very bright cherry red creme. It's almost a crelly. You can see my nails through the polish ever so slightly.

Zoya - Nadia

Nadia (3 coats) is a coppery gold shimmer that's semi sheer. I needed 3 coats for the coverage shown  here.

Zoya - Sheri

Sheri (2 coats) is a darker, more brick-like red creme...like fresh blood.

Zoya - Solstice

Solstice (2 coats) is a coral creme with pink and gold shimmer.

Zoya - Tawny

Tawny (2 coats) has copper microglitter sprinkled in a dark red chrome base. 

If you're looking to add something to a holiday wishlist, then Party Girls might be just the thing for all the upcoming holidays and celebrations. Grab the colors from the Zoya shop, or wherever you normally find your Zoyas!

The products in this post were given for review purposes. The reviews are based entirely on my experience with the products and were in no way influenced by anyone.

China Glaze - Happily Never After and The Enchanted Forest

I know that Christmas has already reared its beautifully snowy head around most of the US. In fact, the MORNING after Halloween, I went to Target to see what sort of Halloween candy wasn't picked over yet. To my complete surprise, not only had the Halloween section been ravaged of everything other than pretzel sticks, all but one aisle had already been transformed to Christmas-mode. Full blown Christmas mode. 

Let's pay tribute to Halloween's memory tonight with China Glaze's Halloween 2017 collection, Happily Never After. The theme is a little more "evil queen" and a little less "gloom and doom", but the shades are a little spooky when they're put together in this 6-piece collection. You could make an argument for some as winter colors. 

I was stuck for ideas the night I did the nail art for Happily Never After. I started with a falling leaves and floral look, but as I got going, I thought my tree was looking a little more fauna than flora, so I call this look "Enchanted Forest" because the tree could be a deer, and the leaves could be birds. It's a spellbinding mystery you're welcome to solve yourself. 

Enchanted Forest

The forest green shade is Life's Grimm, and you're seeing Sin-derella layered with Queen, Please! for the thumb and background. Isn't it enchanting? ;)

Swatches

China Glaze - Crown for Whatever (with Seche Vite top coat)

China Glaze - Crown for Whatever (with no top coat)

Crown for Whatever (2 coats) could have probably been a 1-coat color, and as you can see, it dries much differently than a normal polish. The bottom swatch is NO top coat. It's completely matte! Then, when you add a top coat (top picture) the polish gains interesting dimension with gold and purple shimmer over the deep navy/purple base.

China Glaze - Do You, Boo!

Do You, Boo! (2 thick coats) is a sheer base with black matte glitter (thick bar glitter and larger hex glitter) and gold glitter (thin bar glitter and hex glitter), plus tiny specs of both. 

One character immediately came to mind when I saw the name of the polish too...

Image Source

China Glaze - Life's Grimm

Life's Grimm (2 coats) turned out lighter than I thought it'd be after seeing it in the bottle. That's what swatches are for! Though it's a black base, the poisonous green shimmer catches the light and reflects it back.

China Glaze - Lookin' Gore-geous

 Lookin' Gore-geous (2 coats) is a lushious deep dark mulberry creme. This did not dry matte like Crown for Whatever, though it's almost as dark. 

China Glaze - Queen, Please!

Queen, Please! (3 coats) is a great topper option to change up any color (for example, used in my nail art on top of Sin-derella), but needs lots of layers to cover the nail underneath. I only used 3 coats for this shot, and I liked the effect. You're not really going for full coverage with a glitter polish like this. 

China Glaze - Sin-derella

Sin-derella (2 coats) is a really interesting shade! There's so much dimension, but it's almost a grey base with pink shimmer? But there's more...the pink shimmer is iridescent, so the grey/pink shifts to gold/teal in the right light. 

Whether you get the whole collection or not, you can't deny there's some show-stopping shades to tide you over until the China Glaze winter's collection...which I'll have up here shortly! 

The products in this post were given for review purposes. The reviews are based entirely on my experience with the products and were in no way influenced by anyone.

OPI California Dreaming Collection Poppies in Infinite Shine

California's where I grew up. It was a small town in South East California, but it shaped me as a person, and I'm glad that's where I grew up. California is a colorful state from all angles, so OPI's California Dreaming collection is unsurprisingly full of bright shades! This summer collection boasts lots of pinks, corals and reds. Growing up in California, I associate the bright orange California poppy with the state, so after seeing Santa Monica Beach Peach, I knew the nail art I wanted to do.

A Poppy of Color

A Poppy of Color

I call this nail art "A Poppy of Color" and it's all drawn freehand! Apparently California poppies are popular tattoo designs, so I used tattoo sketches as inspiration and guidance for the nail art. But it was all truly inspired by the color, so let's see the swatches on their own.

Each of the swatches below is in the OPI line called Infinite Shine, which is a hybrid polish that's not a lacquer, but not a gel. Though you don't need a light to dry the polish like a gel, it wears longer and dries more quickly, unlike like a lacquer. So it's a hybrid polish. The line definitely lasts longer than a regular polish, and it definitely dries more quickly.

OPI - Barking Up the Wrong Sequoia

Barking Up the Wrong Sequoia (2 coats) is a sandy pink creme shade. It's a beautiful semi-nude that covers nicely but still feels feminine like some of the sheers.

OPI - Don't Take Yosemite for Granite

Don't Take Yosemite for Granite (2 coats) is a dark purple-d slate grey chrome with glints of rainbow shimmer - it's more unique than it initially appears in the bottle. Plus it has the best name, hands down. OPI must've hired more dads, because the dad jokes are out of control!

OPI - Excuse Me, Big Sur!

Excuse Me, Big Sur! (2 coats) is a muted, fleshy pink creme. It's the color of my skin when I'm healing from a sunburn.

OPI - Feeling Frisco

Feeling Frisco (2 coats) is a light, skin-toned beige creme. I've been wearing it on my toes, and it beautifully tans my feet in an optical illusion.

OPI - GPS I Love You

GPS I Love You (2 coats) is a bright hot pink creme, very similar to an OPI classic, Strawberry Margarita. In fact, I've held the colors up next to one another, and couldn't find a difference.

OPI - Malibu Pier Pressure

Malibu Pier Pressure (2 coats) is a hot bubblegum pink creme.

OPI - Me, Myselfie & I

Me, Myselfie & I (2 coats) is a bright orange-coral, soft creme, though it's not a harsh bright.

OPI - Santa Monica Beach Peach

Santa Monica Beach Peach (3 coats) is a tangerine peel, bright poppy orange creme. However, it is a little patchy, so I needed 3 coats for this effect.

OPI - Sweet Carmel Sunday

Sweet Carmel Sunday (2 coats) is a bronze chrome with great, full coverage.

OPI - This is Not Whine Country

This is Not Whine Country (2 coats) is a very royal magenta jelly. It's meant to show the nail underneath, so I didn't layer more than 2 coats to give it the effect it wanted.

OPI - Time for a Napa

Time for a Napa (2 coats) is a light coral creme polish. It's beautifully warm.

OPI - To the Mouse House We Go!

To the Mouse House We Go! (2 coats) is the last color - a semi-sheer orange-red jelly. I like to see reds in jellies, because it's not so harsh, freshening the whole idea of a "classic red".

California Dreaming is a summer collection, but since the colors are so versatile and classic, they can be worn any time of the year. I see this collection becoming OPI staples for years to come!

The products in this post were given for review purposes. The reviews are based entirely on my experience with the products and were in no way influenced by anyone.