Matte About Zoya Savita

Hey, all! I will be posting from the new site from here going forward, and I'll only be updating with links on this site until the end of the week. To read the full post, go to http://www.thoughtsofamidwesterngirliegirl.com/2012/03/20/matte-about-zoya-savita/.

 Hope you like the new page!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! (Zoya Holly & Julep Oscar)

 Happy St. Patty's Day! As mentioned previously, I'm on a pastels-only kick until my nails regain a healthy pink glow, but what kind of polish junkie passes up a holiday? Especially a holiday where bright, awesome green is encouraged and even required? Not this girl. No way. Throw in some glitz, and I'm good to go.

 For my St. Patty's Day fun, I started with a coat of Essie Grow Faster base coat, then two coats of Zoya Holly. Holly was released as part of the Gems & Jewels Holiday 2011 Collection, and as the name indicates, is a lovely green the color of holly. Holly is well-pigmented and goes on like buttah. The shimmer is gorgeous, and I barely noticed when I put the top coat on. It took me an hour before I decided my nails really were dry. It's that glossy.

 If the photos look a little awkward, it's because my Holly is a mini bottle, courtesy of my December Birchbox. If you don't know about Birchbox, you should. I blogged about my January Birchbox here.

 The accent nail is one of my favorite trends in nail polish, so having received a new glitter last month, I figured this would be the time to bust it out. For the accent nail, I used Julep Oscar. Julep's Maven subscription is another great service. I've blogged about their polish quite a bit. More info here.

 There are two things you need to know about me: 1. I do not wear yellow gold. Like, ever. 2. Glitter polish usually requires 8,000 coats of topcoat to feel smooth.

I was actually a little bummed when I got my February Maven box. Red carpet glam: a red shimmer and a yellow gold glitter. Meh. Put 'em in the drawer and didn't even swatch. I thought Oscar might be an okay accent nail, so I put it on. SO sparkly. I wish it was a little softer, as I can't say the color is incredibly flattering, but it's really glittery. Oscar also goes on really smooth, and could probably be opaque in 2-3 coats. One coat of top coat, and I the nail was pretty smooth. I took some closeups of Oscar to give you a better idea of the color and shine. I would love, LOVE a pewter or gunmetal glitter like this.

 And there you have it: My St. Patrick's Day manicure! Not too fancy, but nice and festive.

What shade of green did YOU choose for St. Patty's Day?

Whitney Eve - Zoya NY Fashion Week

 Continuing coverage of the New York Fashion Week nail looks from Zoya, today's post features the look worn by models in the Whitney Eve show. The following is information directly from Zoya.com about how the look came to fruition:

This look is really fun and youthful AND easy to recreate. Unlike a lot of the NYFW looks, these colors are not limited edition, so you can still get them.

 Kristen is a pale blue cream polish, and is easily opaque in two coats. It's actually close in one, so if you're layering, a thick coat may actually do the trick if applied carefully.

Maisie is pretty blue/green shifting flakie glitter suspended in a pale aqua jelly polish. Maisie will make a subtle change in the color of your base polish, and can be made opaque on its own, thought it takes a few coats.

For the photos, I used one coat of Maisie over two coats of Kristen.

Zoya Sparkle Gloss Top Coat vs. Essie Pure Pearlfection

 Good day! I have a very sparkly comparison post for you today. Along with my Bibhu Mohapatra Color Box from Zoya was included the lovely Sparkle Gloss Top Coat you see below.

Pure Pearlfection & Sparkle Gloss Top Coat

 My first thought was "This has been done, but a nice freebie." I also thought it looked a lot about Pure Pearlfection from Essie's Luxe Effects collection. And so the comparison began...

Zoya Sparkle Gloss Top Coat over Zoya Evvie, Pure Pearlfection over Evvie and Evvie by herself.

 While the shimmer particles in both polishes are nearly identical, the density of the particles is another story. Pure Pearlfection is a lot more opaque and adds a different effect to the color. I layered one coat of each polish over Zoya Evvie, which is a nice green cream. The Sparkle Gloss Top Coat doesn't alter the base color at all, just adds some additional sparkle, which is really cool. I like that the shimmer particles are very small, too. There's no real texture added, so a layer of clear top coat is all you need. Pure Pearlfection applies very evenly, as well.

Zoya Sparkle Gloss Top Coat over Zoya Evvie, Pure Pearlfection over Evvie and Evvie by herself.

Evvie, Pure Pearlfection over Evvie and Sparkle Gloss Top Coat over Evvie

 I think these last two shots show the difference in opacity really well, even if they're not very well-focused. The bottles in the last shot show the similarity in color better than the first shot, too.

I REALLY hope Zoya decides to keep this top coat around. It's really pretty, and I can see myself using it a lot. The good news is, though, if you missed the NY Fashion Week Limited Edition collections, you could probably mix Pure Pearlfection with some clear top coat and get a similar effect.

Zoya - Bibhu Mohapatra Color Box from NY Fashion Week

 If you read regularly or follow me on twitter (@MWGirlieGirl), you MAY have seen my approximately 6,000 tweets about how jazzed I was to get my hands on Zoya's New York Fashion Week color boxes. I may not be able to afford the clothes, I can afford the nails. I posted pictures of the Peter Som color box here and here. Today, we'll be checking out the collection for Bibhu Mohapatra.

I have to admit, the color palette didn't thrill me initially. Red creme, a shimmery nude and a light shimmery gray. Not very unique, right? About that...

 Parveen is a sheer shimmery nude. It offers more coverage than the gel-like colors from the Peter Som box, but seems to have a similar quality. I honestly didn't think this one would look very good on me, but the pictures make it look warmer than it is on the nail. The subtle shimmer stops it from being just like every nude out there. It's a very sparkly shimmer. I like it.

 Zeenat is a shimmery pale pewter. This is by far my favorite color of all the NY Fashion Week collections. The color is so delicate and the shimmer is absolutely beautiful. I pray Zoya brings this one back as a permanent add, or I'm going to have to ration this one very carefully. It takes a few coats to build up, and I didn't take the time to completely cover the nail line. I don't mind it, but it would probably take five coats to cover. The pictures are three coats. 

 Rehka was described by many Twitterers as the most beautiful red they've ever seen. I can't say I can really argue that. It's a red cream with perfect application and is easily opaque in two coats. I compared it to every red in my collection and couldn't find an exact match. My camera can't seem to figure reds and pinks out very well. It's a little darker than the pictures show. If you've seen Sooki, think a shade darker and a hair more blue-toned. I think this one could be universally flattering, and it actually has a cool story to go with it. Here is some information from Zoya.com about how this color collection came to be:

 And a few shots of the box and the limited edition booklets.

Zeenat, Parveen and Rehka

 This picture probably shows the colors the most accurately, Rehka for sure.

The Bibhu Mohapatra collection also came with a free bottle of Zoya's Sparkle Gloss Topcoat. I actually have another post on the way especially for that beauty.

Zoya Evvie & Katharine (Peter Som Color Box, Continued)

Now that the giddy has worn off a bit, I've got a little more detail for you on my Peter Som Color Box from Zoya's New York Fashion Week sets. To start, a screen shot from the website with a little more about the box:

Courtesy of Zoya.com

If you missed the last post, here is a picture of the bottles in their pretty velvety box.

Evvie, Audrey and Katharine

 I posted pictures of Audrey a few days ago (see here), but I hadn't had a chance to swatch the other two.

 Evvie is a very pretty green. I know it was the fall/winter 2012 show, but the color is a good transition to spring. Dark enough not to look premature in February, but light enough I'll be able to wear it in April. I'm really excited to have a green that actually flatters me. Usually, they take a bit more of an olive tone, but this eucalyptus is a little cleaner and brighter, which works well on me. Application was a dream, as usual with Zoya cream polishes. I'm wearing it on my toes, so I'll let you know how it holds up.

 Katharine is a really interesting color. My initial impression was that it looked just like Anja from Smoke and Mirrors, until I looked a little closer. It's a jelly. Not even a normal semi-opaque jelly. It's even more sheer. It took me 4 coats to get the bottle color. You can see the bubbles. Application was interesting. This was my first attempt, I didn't practice at all before taking pictures.

Katharine is really sheer like Audrey, but unlike her lighter sister, Katharine is dark enough to show brushstrokes if you're not careful. I found the best way to get a somewhat even-looking coat was to fan the brush on the edge of the bottle so it would cover as much space as possible and to use thick coats with light strokes. Make sure that each coat is dry before you start the next to avoid some of the dragging and bubbling. Even at 4 coats, you can still see a little streaking under lights, but frankly, no one looks THAT close at my hands. Except my boyfriend who felt the urge to make grape Kool Aid when he saw the color. I probably would have thought black cherry, myself, but to each his own.

 

The first shot shows the sheerness and the glossy look. The second gives a pretty accurate color representation when you're not squinting up close.

Overall, I'm really glad I bought the color box. These colors are really unique, and I pray Zoya makes more of these super sheer colors. I can see a cobalt blue or a bright orange being really awesome.

Zoya Audrey - Peter Som Color Box

 I have been DYING to post these! I got myself both of the limited edition color boxes from Zoya during New York Fashion Week. I've only worn one so far, but I may be in love, and I'm super anxious to wear the rest. Today, I've got pictures of the Peter Som box, and pictures of Audrey on my nails.

Evvie, Audrey and Katherine

 For anyone who hasn't gotten a color box yet, the packaging is really classy. These would make excellent gifts. I was too anxious to check out the goods to photograph the unwrapping, but they come wrapped in Zoya printed tissue paper. There's a nice, glossy black box which contains the velvety box shown here. The inside has a nice foam holder keeping your pretty polishes in place.

 There's a booklet with information about the designer's colors inside.

 These are shots of Audrey on me. No streaking, which is unbelievable for a sheer pink. This would be an awesome french manicure color. My boyfriend saw my hands and said they look great without polish. Not quite, but close, honey. :)

Belated Blogaversary Giveaway!

After posting pictures of my polish stash the other day, it dawned on me that I've been at this awhile...and that I missed my 6 month blogaversary. I had planned to do some kind of giveaway if I managed to continue this hobby for 6 months...and I did!

Being late for stuff pretty much sums up my life some days, so I decided to give some things away. Better late than never, right? The question is...what to give away?

It dawned on me that whatever products I choose essentially constitutes an endorsement from me. Since I am purchasing the prizes with my own hard earned dough, I felt it was only right to show love to the companies who have shown me love. Retweets from Zoya, Color Club and Nicole by OPI have gotten me TONS of page views, and I love all of their products, so my prizes were chosen.

Now for the specifics:

Prize #1: One bottle of Zoya Nail Polish. You can choose any color available on their website. I will have it shipped directly to you.

Prize #2: One of the Kardashian Kolors from Nicole by OPI. Since I can't find a way to buy directly from Nicole's website, I narrowed this one down to the Kardashian Kolors so that your choice would be readily available.

Prize #3: One bottle of Color Club Nail Polish. Like Zoya, any polish available from the website is up for grabs, shipped directly to the address you provide.

How do I win these fabulous prizes, you ask? Simple. Follow the blog. This is mandatory. If that doesn't happen, you don't get any of the other bonus chances. You can also earn entries by following @MWGirlieGirl on Twitter, Retweeting about this giveaway, and by "Liking" this blog post on Facebook. 5 total chances to win per person.

Entries will be accepted until 11:59PM (Central Time) on February 15, 2012.

This is my first giveaway, so if there are any kinks along the way, please bear with me. I'm using the Rafflecopter widget below to run the giveaway, so hopefully this will be a smooth process.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Multiplication of thePolishes: How the Stash Has Grown...

So, here's the funny thing about being a beauty blogger: You accumulate a lot of stuff. I've always had a fairly well-stocked vanity, and I'm not quite at the level of having closets dedicated to my goodies, but I'm getting there fast. Case in point. My first post, the polish stash looked like this:

This was everything I had for nail supplies. Everything. All in two neat little boxes. The collection of polish alone now fills two boxes completely, and the third doesn't even come close to holding the removers, creams, decals, cotton swabs, etc. I use.

This is just the polish and a few nail-specific odds and ends. I didn't even go up to the bathroom to get the removers and magic potions. And this is after my sister raided my stash and took little pieces of the collections I wouldn't wear on a regular basis, and I gave some of the unused bottles out for stocking stuffers at Christmas. My goal is to keep everything at a manageable level so my boyfriend doesn't start refusing to come to the girl den that is my apartment. Neatly organized in three little scrapbook boxes...for now...