Zoya Mystery Box

If I can pimp one deal or product this season, it's the Zoya Mystery Box. Last year, it was so chuck full of goodies, my head spun. I got three mini polishes, a "minicure" set perfect for doing your nails while traveling, and a matte velvet lipstick, just to name a few products. They sell out like hotcakes, and once they are sold out, they are GONE, so POUNCE, people! Pounce!

Emily, the Manic Paintress.

Zoya Mystery Box

Zoya Yana Review and Swatches

So, Zoya Yana is getting its own post.

Zoya Yana, outside in sunlight

Why? Because I REALLY love this polish right now, and I want to. That, and I don't have any of her friends. She's part of the Sunning Collection from Summer 2013. I think I only have Tinsley from the sister Irresistible Collection. It was the early day's of my manic obsession with Zoya. I didn't really know that I would fall this hard. Honestly, I didn't even buy Yana until this past weekend, so I'm really out of excuses there...

Zoya Yana, outside in shade

Yana is beyond words, really. Zoya describes her as a "full coverage, Geranium pink cream." I don't really know if I've ever really seen a geranium before. I'm not into flowers on any level. I kill any plant that I come into contact with (I don't try to!) I'm just not good with them. I'd call it a pretty pink with a hint of coral. It actually reminds me of OPI's A Definite Mouse-t Have. There's a very subtle line of shimmer running through it that catches the light every now and again.

Zoya Yana, indoors in natural light

This was a two coats to opaque for me. I saw a definite visible nail line after one coat, but two coats took care of that, no problem. The formula was super smooth, and, as always, Zoya just nailed it. I really love their polish. So premium. I found a shop in the mall that sells Zoya (where I actually bought Yana), and there was a girl debating whether to buy a gold colored OPI or Zoya Ziv, and I inserted my opinion. Clearly, go with Zoya. Not only is it Big5Free (yay non-toxic!), but your mani will last a good week without any chipping, and OPI lasts MAYBE two days if you're lucky.

Zoya Yana, indoors in artificial light

If you think I'm exaggerating about Zoya's staying power, I'd like to draw your attention to these photos. I painted my nails on Monday. These were taken on Saturday. That's FIVE DAYS. Note the lack of tip wear. I didn't touch them up. I know some people like to reapply topcoat to keep the polish looking fresh, but I don't actually bother with that. Frankly, I even forget 99% of the time to wrap the tips. So yeah... Zoya lasts for a really long time. It's why it's all I ever really wear.

Zoya Yana, flash

(Except for the really cute bottles of Yves Rocher that my neighbors brought me back from their vacation in Paris, but that's because they're presents, and I'm not mean, and it's PARIS, people. That stuff lasted oddly well, too, actually...)

So, the moral of this post is to go to zoya.com and pick up a bottle of Yana. It's worth it. As always, hit up blog.zoya.com and zoya's twitter page to see if they have any promos going on, or just to see what is going on in the world of Zoya. It's a magical place, people. I promise you won't be disappointed.

I'm going to be posting a bunch for a while, I think. I have some pics of polish that I've been sitting on, and I should get them up for you all to see, so expect to see me fairly regularly. I also may have gotten my hands on the fall PixieDusts, and will try to preview them for you as soon as I get my hands on some press material from Zoya (like descriptions. We've had zero communication from Zoya about this, so I'll get this up as soon as I'm able. Suffice to say, they're incredible.)

Soon, my darlings,
Emily, the Manic Paintress

Zoya Payton and Zoya Storm: Reviews and Swatches

Here are two of my all-time favorite dark polishes: Zoya Storm and Zoya Payton. They're both holographic from Holiday collections, but Payton is from the 2013 Zenith Collection, and Storm is from the 2012 Ornate Collection. I love both of these to pieces, so let me get on with the swatches and reviews:

Zoya Storm, outdoors in sunlight

Zoya Payton, outdoors in sunlight

First up is Storm. She's described as "a full coverage, holiday black with a high concentration of micro fine diamond holographic glitter." Accurate. Dead accurate. The rainbow of colors really comes out beautifully in Storm; my guess is because there's nothing to compete with it? In low lighting, the holo looks white, which just gives the black a bit of dimension.

Zoya Storm, indoor in natural light

Zoya Storm, outdoor in shade

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this polish. It's so, so much. I have the matte velvet, Dovmita, which is cool, and looks like leather on your nails, but there is nothing that compares to Storm. Storm catches the light at times and just shines and shines, but doesn't take away from your favorite LBD. I just... love the heck out of this polish. It's one of my favorite in my stash, and I go back to it quite often. I even have worn it in the Spring and Summer, when I feel a little dark. Because, you know, you can with a quality black polish. You can go punk or goth, and the sparkles say "I don't care if I'm supposed to be emo, I can still taste the rainbow!"

Zoya Storm, indoors in artificial lighting

Zoya Sorm, flash

Well, maybe only I think they can, but I stand by my statement. Somewhat.

Storm is available on zoya.com for $9. Seriously, go buy it. You won't be sorry.

Payton is another amazing polish by Zoya. It's sort of like Blaze, Storm, and Aurora had a menage a trois, and Payton was their love child. Zoya describes her as "a full-coverage, galactic cranberry with holographic glitter." My description is so much more fun than theirs, but cranberry is pretty apt.

Zoya Payton, indoors in natural lighting

Zoya Payton, outdoors in shade

Payton is much darker on than Blaze. Like all the holos, I could get away with only one coat, but it was much deeper in tone, that I almost went with two. I have a heavy hand, though, so those of you who don't may want to use two coats. Or, if you're my mother, three. Otherwise, you might streak this a bit. Payton could be a bit finicky if you aren't careful. But, boy, her high maintenance streak is totally worth it if it does come out for you.

Zoya Payton, indoors in artificial lighting

Zoya Payton, flash

Here's a bonus shot of Payton, in low sunlight. It's just not as rainbow-y as I wanted, but it really captures how lovely she looks in all levels of outdoor light. Thought you might appreciate it, so I included it.

Zoya Payton in low sunlight

Zoya Payton is available at zoya.com for $9. Go. Buy her. You won't be sorry.

I adore these two polishes. They're so darn pretty. They shine. They sparkle. They aren't too in-your-face that you can't wear them any time. Just... buy them.  You really won't regret it.

'Til next time, which will be very soon (again),
Emily, the Manic Paintress

Zoya Astra and Nova: The Ultra Glitter Polishes, Winter 2009 Reviews and swatches

Zoya Nova, outdoors in shade

Zoya Astra, outdoors in shade

Today, I have the two Ultra Glitter polishes by Zoya, Nova, and Astra. Well, I have the two that I own of the collection. Luna is no longer sold by Zoya. It was a silver, I believe. Nova and Astra are pretty darn gorgeous, if you ask me. What's unique about Zoya's glitter polishes are that they actually dry smooth, so they tend not to chip off too quickly. That tended to be a problem for me when I still wore OPI and essie polishes.

 First, let's look at Astra. Zoya describes it as "a deep, rosy warm pink tinted translucent base with lots of dark and light pink glitter." I think the base polish didn't really come out too much for me. It was pretty sheer, but was pink when you could glimpse it. The glitter was both dark and light pink.

Zoya Astra, indoors in natural light

Zoya Astra, outdoors in full sun

For me, I like Astra, but not as much as its sister polish. I think the light pink glitter really comes off as rather silvery, and almost looks polka-dotted, rather than a cohesive color. I really wanted to like it more than I actually did. It's pretty bright, and looks really nice for a night out, though. Perfect for a party.

Zoya Astra, flash

Zoya Astra, indoors in artificial lighting

Astra is available on zoya.com for $9. Again, it's a pretty pink color, more leaning towards the red and berry side. Very, very shiny and sparkly. Not for the faint of heart.

I am not even going to pretend that I don't love Nova more. Zoya describes it as "a medium royal fuchsia-purple tinted translucent base packed with dark and light pink glitter." Pretty accurate description, really. I love, love, love Nova. While the light glitter is still pretty silvery, it seems to meld with the dark glitter better, and doesn't look quite so polka-dotty as Astra. Maybe the base overlays better and actually tones it down?

Zoya Nova, outdoors in sun

Zoya Nova, flash

Either way, Nova is sort of what I will always reach for if I'm looking for a super shiny Holiday polish. Recently, I've tended towards the holos, mainly because they're amazing, but glitter polishes do have their place. Sometimes a girl just needs to legit sparkle. When that call hits you, Nova is my clear choice. The color is such an interesting plummy pink. They call it fuchsia-purple, but I don't know if I'd say that. It's almost more wine. Either way, it's stunning and sparkly.

Zoya Nova, indoors in natural light

Zoya Nova, indoors with artificial lighting

Nova is available on zoya.com for $9. It's super glittery, super pretty, and super necessary. Go out and get yourself a bottle.

The Ultra Glitter polishes are really unique in that they're not annoying to touch like a lot of glitters--they're smooth, not gritty, and they don't really chip so easily. Zoya really nailed the formulation for these, as usual. I think, if you try them, you'll be very pleasantly surprised.

I'll be back quite soon,
Emily, the Manic Paintress

Zoya Naturel Deux Announced!

Did you love Zoya's super popular Naturel collection like I did? Well, get ready for the fabulous Fall-ready sequel, Naturel Deux. The collection will consist of three mauve based creams, and three rich brown creams. Gorgeous! Here's the run-down:

Spencer is a Camel cream

 Emilia is a Dark Chocolate cream

Chanelle is a Toasted Almond cream 

Madeline is a muted Rose cream

Marnie is a  deep, warm Plum cream

Aubrey is a medium Mauve cream

So, what do you plan on picking up? I think Emilia, Aubrey, Marnie, and Madeline are necessary for my stash. Beautiful. I also am really intrigued by Chanelle. Honestly, I think Spencer is going to be like Taylor and Chantal from Natruel Une... lovely, but not on my skin tone, but I will have to swatch to be sure. I am excited to see for sure, though! Yay!

Hopefully, I will have something up for you soon. It's been a manic summer so far!

Until then,
Emily, the Manic Paintress

Zoya Dillon Review and Swatches

Hello my lovelies. Today I'm going to talk about a lovely little green color called Zoya Dillon. It's part of their Spring 2014 Awaken Collection. It's sort of a sister shade to Hudson and Rebel (gorgeous versions of purple and blue, respectively).

Zoya Dillon, in the shade

Zoya describes Dillon as a "full-coverage, green mint metallic with a silver shimmer." I'd say that's pretty perfect as far as descriptions go, for the most part. There's definitely a minty quality to it, and it went opaque in two coats; it does have really strong blue undertones to it. My coats were a bit on the thicker side for Dillon than some other Zoya colors. In some lights, particularly artificial, the blue undertones of Dillon make it seem almost aqua, but, for the most part, I think it does read as mint green.

Zoya Dillon, direct sunlight

As I said when I reviewed Rebel, and Tilda for that matter, I don't tend to go for green and blue polishes, because I invariably am disappointed on them on. Tilda was a rarity for me--I didn't even like it in the bottle, but it was so gorgeous on that I'll wear it regularly this summer. Rebel is just straight up stunning, and I don't think I've ever gotten so many compliments on a color. I've worn Dillon two days, and so far, I've gotten a few compliments on it, but no one has made me write down the name of it...yet.

Zoya Dillon, indoors in natural lighting

There's something about the unusual colors that Zoya has been putting out recently that I seriously love. Dillon, Rebel, Muse, Tilda, Rocha, Jesy. They're striking and pretty, and actually wearable in a strange way. They still are very green, blue, and, well, orange, but they have a certain softness to them, or are too striking to look anything but lovely on the nail. They're good polishes for the girl who wants to wear a more daring color but doesn't know how to start.

Zoya Dillon, indoors in artificial lighting

I might do a dupe comparison later on between Zuza and Dillon if people want it. Here's a picture of the two bottles; Zuza is substantially darker than Dillon, in my opinion. Personally, I wasn't wild about Zuza on the nail even if it's a pretty color, but Dillon is quite stunning.

Zoya Dillon on left, Zoya Zuza on right

I love Dillon. It's not going to be one of the polishes that sit in my stash, never to be worn. It's particularly nice for spring and summer months. It's light enough, too, that it won't overpower an outfit, and the undertones are balanced enough that it can flatter most skin tones. It's fun enough and unusual enough to be different and eye-catching, but not overwhelming. Shades like Dillon walk a really fine line between too much and not enough, but Dillon really nails the balance in a beautiful way. I'm definitely a big fan.

Zoya Dillon, taken with a flash

Keep your eye out on the Zoya blog and follow @ZoyaNailPolish on twitter, as they have a ton of promos and contests. Last summer, Zoya was used by a few designers at the Mercedes Benz Swim Week in Miami, and they had a couple of exclusive trios, and the Luli Fama set was the entire Summer 2013 PixieDust collection that you could pick up at a seriously awesome price. Keep your eyes out to see if they do the same again this year; I'll let you know if Zoya sends out any press releases to that effect. If you haven't yet, do check out the Summer 2014 Magical Pixie line that I reviewed and swatched here... they're so incredibly pretty I can't even stand it. Arlo and Muse might currently be in a battle over my favorite pedicure color right now. As always, remember that Zoya is Big5Free, and my fave natural nail polish.

Okay, that's all for now, my darlings. Do consider Dillon. It's quite spectacular. Soon, I'll be going through my stash and swatching some of the colors I picked up during the promos in December. I really did go pretty crazy then. Colors include Zoya Lola, Zoya Purity, Zoya Celine, and then Zoya Pepper, Zoya Noot, Zoya Belinda, Zoya Payton, Zoya Storm, Zoya Ivy, Zoya Posh, Zoya Veruschka, Zoya Dovima, Zoya Savita, Zoya Astra, and Zoya Nova. Be on the lookout, and I'll bring the pretty.

Until then,
Emily, the Manic Paintress

Zoya Hudson Review and Swatches

Today, I bring to you a seriously fabulous polish, Zoya Hudson. I actually can't believe that I haven't reviewed this polish before. I think, honestly, that I forgot, because I've had the photos done for a while. It's part of the Spring 2014 Awaken Collection, along with Rebel and Dillon.

Zoya Hudson, shaded sun

Zoya describes Hudson as a "full-coverage, purple orchid metallic with a silver shimmer." This is one of those polishes that I think wanted to capitalize on Pantone naming Radiant Orchid as the color of the year. Really, I don't see this as an orchid shade. I've said this on other posts, but my mom actually grows orchids. I think her totals are in the 80s, and most of them aren't even in the purple range, but they tend to be more red-based purple than Hudson is. Hudson has a lot of really rich blue undertones, and the shimmer is nice without being overwhelming.

Zoya Hudson, direct sunlight

Orchid purple or not, I think Hudson is a seriously lovely color. It's balanced, so it doesn't read blurple like so many purples can, and it isn't too silvery, so it's more wearable than some metallic polishes. I think purple tends to toe the line between traditional polishes and the more edgy colors, like blues and greens, and Hudson is bright and metallic enough to fit in perfectly with Dillon and Rebel (the green and blue metallics in the Awaken collection), but soft enough to wear everyday and in more traditional settings.

Zoya Hudson, indoors in natural light

I hate to say it, but there's not really much to say about most purples. It's a mid-range purple, which is generally quite versatile. It's a polish that I'll wear a lot, and that will be in my regular rotation, but I really don't have an awful lot to say about it. It's a color I get complimented on when I wear it; it's not the sort that will turn lots of heads. Perhaps that's actually a plus, though. There are definitely times when I want a nail that will be beautiful, but not necessarily be too flashy or bold.

Zoya Hudson, indoors in artificial light

As always, Zoya is Big5Free (of formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, and camphor), and natural. It also will give you a good week or so of chip-free wear. Be sure to follow Zoya's blog for contests, giveaways, and promos. They also will tell you about new products and trends. It's worth checking out. Also, follow @ZoyaNailPolish on twitter. Same reasons, and because the fairies are frequently adorable beyond words. You can also follow me on twitter, @manic_paintress. Clearly, you know where my blog is. If you don't, I feel really bad about your internet skills.

Zoya Hudson, taken with flash

That's all for now. I'll be posting about Zoya Dillon soon. Promise.

Until then my darlings,
Emily, the Manic Paintress