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