Zoya Bubbly Collection, Summer 2014. Swatches and reviews of Alma, Binx, Harper, Jesy, Muse, and Staasi

Today, I am bringing you swatches and reviews for the new Bubbly collection from Zoya Nail Polish. Every polish in the collection features what Zoya calls an exclusive liquid-metal holographic jelly formula. I think that's a pretty accurate description for this, as they really are quite juicy, and have a lot of metallic glitter throughout the collection. The holographic glitter is more obvious in some than others, but I think you'll understand once you see the swatches.

Zoya Binx, sun

Zoya Jesy, sun

I have to squee a bit here, as I actually received these as a press sample, so that I could review these collections. My first press samples are actually from my favorite polish company, so I had to let you all know that. All the previous collections reviewed were ones I picked up on my own over time (or as a Christmas present, like the Naturel collection), and if you see polishes older than Summer 2014, they're all polishes I totally needed to buy. That being said, I'd say I would have purchased a good chunk of the Bubbly collection on my own, though I was completely surprised as to which polishes were my favorites from Bubbly.

 

Zoya Muse, sun

Zoya Staasi, sun

Let's do this alphabetically for a change. I usually go light to dark, but feel like a little variety. As always, the first descriptions are Zoya's, then I write my impressions of it.

Zoya Alma, sun

Zoya Harper, sun

Alma is described as a golden peach metallic. When I think of peaches, I generally think of the outside of the fruit, which has a lot of pink running through it. Zoya was clearly looking at the flesh, which is generally a bright, orange-y yellow. Alma is super bright, and the gold metallic really catches the light. I think the holo glitter in Alma actually gets overpowered by the gold in it. There definitely is holo glitter in it, don't get me wrong, but it's a little swallowed in this shade. The formula covered to opaque in two coats, and went on the nail beautifully.

Zoya Alma, shade

Zoya Alma indoors, in natural light

Alma isn't a color I normally reach towards in a polish. I think it might be fun on the toes, but I don't know if it's right for me. Oddly, because my skin leans so pink and pale, Alma actually flattered my skin tone pretty well. I could see it being a seriously funky accessory for a fancier event: a little black dress, yellow gold jewelry, and Alma on the nails. I also think that on people with darker skin tones, or even those with deep tans, this would be an incredible polish. I could see Lupita Nyong'o rocking Alma like it was made just for her--the contrast of really bright on really dark would be so gorgeous.

Zoya Alma, flash

Zoya Alma indoors, in artificial light

Binx is described as a spicy orchid purple dappled with gold metallic and holo sparkles. I would place this more on the pink side with purple notes. Maybe fuchsia? It definitely is spicy, though. The gold is evident in direct lighting, lending an interesting quality. I don't normally see much gold in purple polishes, but this does really work. The holo glitter really comes through, particularly in natural lighting.

Zoya Binx, shade

Zoya Binx indoors, artificial light

Binx is one of my favorites in this collection. I don't know which I would put higher--this, or Jesy. It's definitely fun and bright, but it's dark enough to fit with everyday wear. The collection is pretty bold, overall, and while Binx certainly can fit that descriptor, it's a bit more versatile. I was a bit disappointed that it doesn't have more of a purple tone, but honestly, I think that's more a product of the gold metallic and holographic glitter. Still, it's a beautiful color, and definitely on trend. I used two coats for the swatches, though I almost only used one. It wasn't because one wasn't well sufficient, but rather that I wanted to see if the purple would come out more with more coats. It did, and I'm glad to see that. It's clear that Binx is based on a Radiant Orchid, and is actually closer to the Pantone color than I expected it to be, given how pink it looks in some lights. It didn't photograph as beautiful as it is on the nail, but I think you can still see how lovely it is.

Zoya Binx indoors, artificial light

Zoya Binx, flash

Harper is described as a cotton candy pink with a spun gold shimmer. This is a pretty accurate description. The formula was thicker than the others in the collection in Harper. I'm not sure if it was just my bottle, but I could probably have used just one coat of this. The pink is pretty unashamed of its pinkness, but the gold in it actually tempers it nicely. Harper has the strongest holo presence. I don't know if it's because it's paler, but the rainbow in the sparkles really catch the light often, making a very nice effect. Also, the gold is enough to add a bit of metal, but doesn't overpower it.

Zoya Harper, shade

Zoya Harper indoors, natural light

I was a bit scared of the pink when I saw Harper in the bottle. It's fairly bubblegum, and it makes no apologies about it. Once I painted it on my nails, Harper really gained beautiful dimension. It's still pink, and there's no way around that, but it has a lot of other notes and interest in the polish. It might not be the polish I'd pick out first, but it is quite lovely. I think that this against a tan, or darker skin tones, might make it seem more sophisticated, or at least temper it a bit. It's quite pretty, but I think I'll be saving this for bold moods, or fun occasions. It grew on me the longer I wore it, which is a nice thing. It'll probably enter my rotation more as the days get warmer.

Zoya Harper indoors, in artificial light

Zoya Harper, flash

Jesy is described as a fiery coral orange metallic holo. The photos Zoya put out for Jesy made me think it was going to basically be orange, despite the coral description. I don't always agree with what companies say things are (case in point, OPI's A Definite Mouse-t Have, that claimed its coral color was fuchsia), but Zoya did nail Jesy perfectly. The metallic orange and red tones really do look a bit like flames. Like Alma, I think the gold and orange metallic shimmer sort of overpowers the holo particles, though you can see them, especially if you look for them. Sometimes, when it catches the light just right, those holo sparkles really throw pretty colors into the polish. The formula was perfect, as I've come to expect from Zoya. Two coats made it opaque.

Zoya Jesy indoors, in natural light

Zoya Jesy, shade

Jesy actually managed to be a real favorite in the collection. Based on how orange it looked on Zoya's site and the press releases, I don't know if I would have bought the bullet and ordered this for myself. Seeing it in person was such a nice surprise--the coral is really pronounced, particularly in comparison to Alma. It has a softness that I wasn't expecting; it's what I wanted the Summer 2013 PixieDust Beatrix to be--coral, but not too in-your-face. Beatrix clearly is a different color, but it has the same softer feel that Jesy does, but Beatrix doesn't have any of the pink or coral tones that Jesy does. This looked beautiful against my super pale skin, but I think it will flatter tans very well, too. This is a perfect pedicure color, too. This is a fantastic summer color. I think Zoya knocked this one out of the park. My neighbor (and art buddy) noticed this color right away, and thought it was lovely, and trust me when I say that he isn't the sort to notice a woman's nail polish.

Zoya Jesy indoors, in artificial light

Zoya Jesy, flash

Muse is described as a blue raspberry holographic fizz with a subtle vein of gold. I think that's pretty accurate. It does remind me of blue raspberry Pop Rocks. It has an interesting effervescent quality that isn't easy to describe, and I had really thought Zoya was being flowery when they used "fizz" as an adjective for it, but they weren't. It's almost a royal blue in some lights, and electric in others. Then again, there's also an almost teal note to Muse that's lovely--maybe the holo glitter glinting green? All I know is that it's super complex and the depth of color is amazing. It's definitely the darkest of the Summer 2014 polishes, but it's still definitely fun enough to fit itself in the season. Needless to say, the formula was amazing, and is even enough with the first coat to act as a topper itself. It was perfectly opaque in two coats.

Zoya Muse indoors, in natural light

Zoya Muse, shade

Muse is actually the biggest surprise for me in the collection. I was instantly drawn to Jesy when I saw it, and had been looking forward to Binx and Harper from the onset, but Muse might be the most stunning of the Bubbly collection. In the bottle, it's pretty, but on the nail, it's so striking. It didn't photograph nearly as beautifully as it is on. Personally, I think of the band Muse when I hear the name, because I actually really like them, and I oddly think they would totally approve. I know Matt Bellamy has worn some flashy pants in concerts, and I could actually see him owning this as a namesake and wearing it. It's very fun, and it wants to be noticed and worn by me all the time. I'm not really a blue nail polish person, but it's so beautiful, it'll be in my regular rotation.

Zoya Muse indoors, in artificial light

Zoya Muse, flash

Staasi is described as a brilliant citron green with a gold metallic glaze and holographic finish. It's pretty much the perfect key lime green (the fruit, not the pie) to me--lime, but not quite as dark as a regular lime. It would work well through the holiday season, too, even though it's not quite Christmas green. The gold metallic is mostly present in direct lighting, but the holo really comes through well. They seem to catch the blue colors the most, which adds a bit of an edge to the color. The formula was awesome on this. I actually could see this as a top layer on another color, because it was super even.

Zoya Staasi, shade

Zoya Staasi indoors, in natural light

Green is my favorite color, but I have to admit that I'm not usually a huge fan of it on the nails. Staasi is really pretty, but I'm not sure it'll be a frequent friend on my nails. I do completely plan on breaking it out for the holiday season, though. It's very summery and happy, though. I do think I'll play with it on my toes, though. I tend to stick a bit more traditional on my fingers, and play with my pedicures, and I think Staasi will fit that bill perfectly. Beautiful, but not what I gravitate towards on my fingers.

Zoya Staasi indoors, in artificial light

Zoya Staasi, flash

Tomorrow, I will be posting swatches and reviews of the Tickled collection. Last thoughts are that I think Alma and Staasi are lovely, but not what I'd reach for first. Harper and Binx were my early faves when I first glimpsed them in the press releases, and they remained very pretty--with Binx totally living up to my expectations of beauty. Jesy and Muse are the surprising standouts of the collection. They're gorgeous, and so eye-catching and dynamic. Zoya really nailed this collection, in my opinion. Perfect for the season, and full of lovely, fun color.

As always, Zoya is Big 5 Free: Free of Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate, and Camphor. I strongly urge everyone to go follow @ZoyaNailPolish on Twitter, and to check out Zoya's Blog. They frequently have great contests and promotions, and they offer tons of great tips and advice there, too.  All of the Bubbly collection is available to pre-order on zoya.com for $9 each. They are scheduled to ship out on May 15.


Until tomorrow, my darlings,
Emily, the Manic Paintress