Lady Godiva in the cabana

If you read my last post, you know that I was very unhappy with essie's in the cab-ana nail polish. I wanted to like it. Really, I did. It just looked odd on my nails, and they were driving me nuts. So I did what anyone who hates to waste nail polish that costs $8 a pop would do: I painted over it and hoped to make it palatable.

I was seriously successful. I present to you Lady Godiva in the cabana!

Lady Godiva in the cabana, indoor, natural light

After deciding that I didn't want to look at in the cab-ana for a couple or few days, I looked into my stash. I could have put a glitter polish over it. I had a couple of contenders lined up: OPI's Lights of Emerald City, Pirouette My Whistle (which are two of my all-time favorite glitters), and Gone Gonzo all had possibilities. Essie's pure pearlfection was a definite option. I debated whether Zoya's holographic top coat Maisie, or their new iridescent blue glitter top coat Mosheen (available in winter, 2013) would be nice, but I really wanted to tone down the blue, not add a ton more. I should note that Maisie is no longer available on Zoya's website, but I did find a bottle for sale on Amazon.com. Then I looked at Zoya's PixieDusts in my arsenal. The Spring 2013 collection of PixieDusts tend to be more sheer than the Summer 2013 collection, so I gravitated towards them. I wasn't sure if Vespa would be too much of a clash with the bright blue, and Nyx is a bit too purple since in the cab-ana is almost teal-like. Then I looked at Godiva.

essie pure pearlfection

O.P.I glitters: Lights of Emerald City (left), Pirouette My Whistle (center), Gone Gonzo (right)

Zoya PixieDust in Godiva (left), Vespa (center), Nyx (right)

Zoya Mosheen (left), Maisie (right)

One time, I decided to layer Godiva over Zoya's Crystal, and was quite happy with the results, so I tried to see if Godiva would work its magic once again. It really did. I think that Godiva is the cure for any nail polish that you aren't terribly fond of. It's a bit sheer, so you still get the character of the original polish shining through, but it's not too overpowering. Godiva is amazing on its own, but it plays well with others. After this, I've decided that Zoya's Godiva PixieDust is the cure for any nail polish that I don't like. I may have to get another two or three bottles.

Lady Godiva in the cabana, outdoor, sun

The combination creates a twinkly, sparkly, textured polish that is less blue than in the cab-ana on its own, but becomes a really pretty teal color. I think that Zoya should create a PixieDust that is teal. It's really gorgeous, particularly in the light. And Zoya fairies, if you're reading this, if you DO make a teal PixieDust, Emily is a fantastic name to use, and you've yet to make an Emily. Just saying.

Lady Godiva in the cabana, closeup, shade

I have to say that I really do love essie nail polishes. They generally have a great formula, and I like a lot of their shades. Most of the essie in my stash are more winter colored, with the occasional fall inserted. I'll be posting about them later, when they are more seasonally appropriate.

Lady Godiva in the cabana, artificial light

Lady Godiva in the cabana, natural light

Okay kiddies, I'm signing off for now. Go and take advantage of the Zoya buy one get one free promo that they have going. It's amazing beyond words.

Until next time,
Emily, the Manic Paintress

Zoya Nyx

Zoya Nyx

Today, I am once again going to discuss one of Zoya's fabulous Pixie Dust nail polishes: Nyx. Now, I don't know what kind of name Nyx is, but it sort of reminds me of phoenix--or a nickname thereof. Now, I'm not sure if we're talking the mythical bird, the X-Men alter-ego of Jean Grey, or the city in Arizona. I don't think it rises up out of its own ashes, so I think the bird has to be out. The city DOES have a lot of sand, so it could be a nod to the texture, but I think of beige for that. I really doubt they were going for X-Men, so maybe they actually knew a lady with that name. Then again, they do have a color named Storm that is on my list for when I'm allowed to purchase more nail polish again. I think I'm over-thinking it again. Maybe I'm just bitter that they have a polish named Nyx, but are lacking in Emily. Seriously--it's a common name, but I'd but whatever color they had in a hot minute --cut-off or not-- if it bore my name. Just saying.

Zoya describes Nyx as a perfect periwinkle, and it of course has the matte textured sparkle finish that all of their Pixie Dusts have. This is from the first round of Pixie Dusts, and has a silver glitter/sparkle. This is one of those polishes that I was really underwhelmed by online, but had this hope that it would be better than I expected. Now that I've put it on--I totally am glad I went for it. I got it during the Liberty promo on the Fourth of July, where if you bought Liberty, you could get two free polishes. The other polish I got was Destiny, and I can't even bring myself to try it on. They called it coral, but I don't see anything but bright-ass orange with bonus gold, in case I want to be seen from a mile away by my nails. But I wasn't really supposed to be talking about Destiny; I want to talk about Nyx.

Zoya Nyx, Outside, shade

Online, I thought Nyx looked grey. Maybe slightly blue, but mainly grey. In the bottle, I think it looks more like what I would consider "silver" than how Tomoko looks (which I've yet to try on, but will). On my nails, I finally get the whole periwinkle thing. It's probably one of the most environmentally dependent nail polishes I've ever worn. It really is blue. Unless there is no natural light whatsoever, it does default blue (and if there is dim lighting, it can almost look green, which is odd but really cool to me). It definitely gets brighter blue in the sun, and in the shade outside, I can see the lavender overtones. It's not ever in-your-face purple, so my sister-in-law wouldn't automatically love it like she does anything else purple, but it definitely can be placed in the periwinkle category.

Zoya Nyx, Outside, full sun

Zoya Nyx, Outside, full sun as well

Zoya Nyx, Inside, flash

I'm really glad I tried Nyx. It's just... lovely. It's soft, and fairly neutral, particularly if you're pale, have a cool complexion, and wear lots of cool-toned clothes. Basically, it's a great shade for me. It's not the most dramatic color, so if you're looking to make a statement, I'd go brighter like Liberty, or Arabella, or something like that. It is, however, oddly elegant. That's a fairly impressive feat for a blue nail polish, I think. It's a win for me, overall.

Zoya Nyx, Inside, artificial light, no flash

Zoya Nyx, Inside, natural light, no flash

Next post, I might highlight my current pedicure: OPI's A Definite Moust-Have. They advertise fuchsia, but achieve a really pretty pinky coral. Who knew.

Until then, paint on, my friends. Paint on.

Emily, the Manic Paintress