Dupe Check: Zoya Ginni and Zoya Bar against Zoya Tomoko, Zoya Godiva, Zoya Cosmo, Zoya Lux, and Zoya Miranda

Hello my lovelies,

I know it's hard to rationalize buying polish when you know you have something similar sitting in your stash at home. And when I looked at both Ginni and Bar from their Summer 2014 Magical Pixie collection, I have to admit that I was a little surprised that they were doing two polishes so close to others that they have already made. Then they arrived on my doorstep, and I realized that they aren't really dupes, and that I probably should prove that to you all, since I know I was worried about that, myself. I mean, at $10 a pop, I myself wonder if it's really necessary to have three "nude" polishes, and three in the pink family.

Miranda, Ginni, Lux, sunlight

I compared Zoya Ginni against Zoya Miranda and Zoya Lux (from the Summer Texture PixieDust 2013  collection and Spring 2014 Magical Pixie collection, respectively). I didn't think that Miranda would be too close to Ginni, in all honesty. That being said, however, Miranda dries pretty light, and I wear it most often with only one coat, so I thought it might be good to really rule it out as a dupe once and for all.

Miranda, Ginni, Lux, natural light

Miranda, Ginni, Lux, artificial light

The photos are as follows: From pinky to index, we have Miranda, Ginni with two coats, Ginni with only one coat, and Lux with two coats. I know I'm going to be wearing Ginni with only one coat pretty frequently, so I wanted to show that it still has a lot more pink pigment than Lux, even with only one coat. See how silver Lux is in tone? I still think Miranda is a stunning color, personally. There are only a select few polishes that I have a backup bottle of, and Miranda and Godiva are among them.

Zoya Miranda, Zoya Ginni, Zoya Lux, natural light

Zoya Miranda, Zoya Ginni, Zoya Lux, artificial light

Zoya Miranda, Zoya Ginni, Zoya Lux, sunlight

Cosmos, Tomoko, Godiva, Bar, natural light

The next pics are comparing Zoya Bar against Zoya Godiva, Zoya Tomoko, and Zoya Cosmo. I threw in Cosmo in the last minute because they have always called Tomoko a champagne silver, and Cosmo a real silver, and I thought I'd set that to rest once and for all. I'm just going to step up off the bat and say that there are no dupes here, either. Not even a little bit. They're all pretty distinctive in their own way, even the two I've always felt were the closest: Tomoko and Godiva. Bar is certainly very different from both Tomoko and Godiva, and Cosmo is almost white in comparison with the other three. It sort of doesn't belong in the dupe check, but I want it here, so it's staying.

Cosmo, Tomoko, Godiva, Bar, artificial light

Cosmo, Tomoko, Godiva, Bar, sunlight

The colors are as follows from pinky to index: Zoya Cosmo (one coat), Zoya Tomoko (two coats), Zoya Godiva (two coats), and Zoya Bar (one coat). Note that both Cosmo and Bar only have one coat versus the others. This is because I think both of these Magical Pixies actually lend themselves to single coats really well, particularly Bar. Cosmo with two coats is very opaque, and almost white-silver in color. Bar is more opaque and darker, as well, but I'm pretty sure that in my everyday wear, I'll mostly be using just one coat of Bar. Again, I really don't think there's a single dupe in the bunch here. Tomoko is much more yellow than all the others. Godiva and Bar are the most similar, but Bar is darker, browner, and the holo glitter really sets it apart, so I don't see it as a dupe in any way. Cosmo is just in its own galaxy.

Zoya Bar, Zoya Godiva, Zoya Tomoko, Zoya Cosmo

Zoya Bar, Zoya Godiva, Zoya Tomoko, and Zoya Cosmo, artificial light

Zoya Bar, Zoya Godiva, Zoya Tomoko, Zoya Godiva, sunlight

The moral here is that you really can buy these with confidence, my darlings. Bar and Ginni are nothing like the other PixieDusts and Magical Pixies before them. The Zoya fairies? They did some very nice work with this Magical Pixie collection.

As always, I feel obliged to tell you to head on over to Zoya's blog and follow @ZoyaNailPolish on twitter, as they have frequent promos, contests, and giveaways. They're pretty awesome like that.

I'll be back soon, my lovely ladies. Until then, happy polishing!

Emily, the Manic Paintress

Zoya Cosmo, Zoya Lux, and Zoya Vega: Spring 2014 Magical Pixie Collection

This post is dedicated to Zoya Nail Polish's 2014 Magical Pixie collection: Vega, Lux, and Cosmo.

These are a bit of a departure from the PixieDusts in Spring, Summer, and Fall of 2013. They have added mega hex glitter to the formula, and the glitter is holographic--both in the hex pieces, as well as the small glitter throughout the polish. The base is still technically matte, but it's hard to find light low enough to not catch any of the glitter--they're super sparkly. They are also significantly bumpier than their earlier PixieDust sisters. I think it's the hex glitter that doesn't lie as flat as the small glitter, and creates more bumps.

Personally, I've found that they tend to chip a bit easier than the regular PixieDust formulas. To combat this and the extra roughness, I like to press on them while they're still slightly tacky, and they smooth out a bit. This isn't a Zoya approved method by any imagination, but I think it increases the wear, without sacrificing the look.

Also, you should know that they're a bit hard to remove. If you let a bunch chip off, it actually helps a bit, but the best way I've found is to soak a cotton pad, and then press it onto your nail for about ten to fifteen seconds. Once that's done, I scrub up and down pretty vigorously until it's gone. I know it might seem a pain, but I honestly believe these are completely worth the potential extra hassle.

That said, here are the colors:

Zoya Cosmo, outdoor, shade

Zoya Cosmo, outdoor, sun

Zoya Cosmo is described by Zoya as a silver crystal sparkle in their matte, ultra-textured, sparkling Magical Pixie formula. It's a very pale silver, that looks just about white on my nails. The holographic glitter is amazing in it--it really shines and sparkles from any angle, and gives the color a lot of depth. It really elevates it.

Zoya Cosmo, indoor, artificial light

Zoya Cosmo, flash

It's been a crazy winter here in Massachusetts--we even had snow on the ground last week. This is totally a spring color, but I think it was really fabulous wearing Cosmo, since it sparkled a lot like fresh snow.

Zoya Cosmo, indoor, natural light

I personally like this color, and Lux, with only one layer. It's gorgeous with two to get full coverage, but it adds just a hint of sparkle with a thin coat. It's subtle, which is quite lovely. For example, here's Lux with only one coat (lighting is indoor, and a "natural light" Ott light lamp):

Zoya Lux, one coat

Lux is described as a rose quartz sparkle in the ultra-textured Magical Pixie, matte formula with mega hex holographic glitter. It's a beautiful pink that has some slight lavender/mauve undertones. It's a bit silvery, too. This is an absolutely stunning color. I can't even tell you how many compliments I get on this polish--it's super flattering for my skin tone, but I don't think you need to have very pale, cool pink skin to make this seem gorgeous.

Zoya Lux, outdoor, shade

Zoya Lux, outdoor, sun

It's almost Easter, and I'm currently wearing Lux, and I keep thinking it's a bit like wearing happy Easter eggs on my fingers. That said, it's also sophisticated for a glittery polish. It's a great pop of shimmery goodness, and a pink that won't make you feel like you should be a thirteen year old girl wearing it. Definitely not cloying. It really is quite lovely. It's probably my favorite from this collection, to be honest, even though I like all of them quite a bit.

Zoya Lux, indoor, natural light

Zoya Lux, indoor, artificial light

Zoya Lux, flash

Vega is described as a blue opal sparkle in the matte, ultra-textured Magical Pixie formula with mega hex holographic glitter. In person, it has quite a bit of a green tones to it, making it a couple steps away from aqua. Again, the holo glitter is amazing in this polish. The sparkle is pretty out of this world. It's definitely a spring-friendly color, as it's a bit like the Caribbean Ocean's sparkly blue waters.

Zoya Vega, outdoors, shade

Zoya Vega, outdoors, sun

 

Zoya Vega, indoor, artificial light

Zoya Vega, indoor, natural light

 I may be prone to hyperbole, but it's a pretty apt comparison. It would also be a nice icy color in the winter, and absolutely perfect in the summer. I don't know if I'd reach for it in the fall, but I'm also never one to base my colors solely on seasonal appropriateness. I tend to pick things out that suit my mood, and Vega will suit multiple moods of mine--to make me happy, calm me down, or really anything. I like blue. I like shiny. I like rainbows, which the holo provides. It's just a fun, sweet color, that is a neutral enough blue to flatter a lot of skin tones.

Zoya Vega, flash

I might be biased overall, because these all tend to look great on me, but I love this collection. I do like my method of smoothing it a bit in order to reduce chipping, as well as toning down the roughness. I particularly love Lux, but all three really are stunning on. I get compliments on them all the time, and I personally find them very lovely. I'm really looking forward for Arlo, Ginni, and Bar, too.

Soon, I'll have a post on Zoya's Naturel Collection (Late Winter, 2014). Until then, I seriously suggest you run out and get these three Magical Pixies. If you pressed me for a favorite, I'd have to say Lux, because it just looks amazing on me.

Until then,
Emily, the Manic Paintress