summer 2017: zoya wanderlust swatches & review

press samples

Hey everyone! This week I’m going to be posting about a lot of summer collections and things that are just encapsulating summer for me. I initially had a perfume post scheduled for today, but I wanted to get this Zoya collection up sooner than the perfume post! Today I have for you the Wanderlust collection by Zoya for Summer 2017.

As always, Zoya polishes are cruelty-free, 5-free, and vegan! What’s also awesome is that they’re made right here in Ohio, in my hometown of Cleveland. Thanks so much to Zoya for sending these my way!

On to the swatches!

First up we have Zoya Arbor. Arbor is a fitting name, because when I hear it I think green. Zoya describes this as a rich olive green creme and I agree with their assessment on that. What I love most about Zoya cremes is that they’re so saturated and wonderfully formulated that you can usually get away with just one coat. This was the case with Arbor – just one coat with no topcoat is shown here, and isn’t it gorgeous?

Zoya Byrdie (like the singer) is described as a muted fuchsia pink creme. This wasn’t muted at all to me, but it was definitely fuchsia pink! This one had a bit of a thinner formula than Arbor, and so I needed two coats for my swatch. As with my other swatches, this is with no topcoat as well. I have a lot of colors like this, but I think it fits in the collection quite well.

Zoya Cora, a muted coral creme, was such a stunner for me. It was bright like it had a drop of neon in it, but was so totally wearable and I was really impressed. The formula was great, not streaky or had to deal with at all. This was JUST ONE COAT, no topcoat.

Next up we have Zoya Esty, which Zoya aptly describes as a rich bubblegum pink. This one had the same buttery-smooth formula as the others but I found it was just the tiniest bit sheerer as well. I used two coats with this swatch, but you could definitely get away with one if you’re careful. This is two coats with no topcoat. Also not unique in my collection, but really pretty and summery nonetheless!

Zoya Journey is a shimmering strawberry red. This has Zoya’s amazing “glass fleck” type formula, it looks like crushed up crystals on your nails. This is definitely strawberry to me, and I see red, and even gold shimmers in there. I used two thin coats without topcoat for this swatch. These shimmers have some of the best formulas – but Zoya sets a high bar with formulas anyway.

Zoya Lois is a magenta violet creme and it was the ONE exception formula-wise in the whole collection. The above swatch is only one coat with no topcoat, but this formula for Lois was pretty bad. It was really thick, a bit gloppy, and it resulted in a thicker coat than I’d like. I’m not sure if my sample is a bad one or if it’s affected by humidity or something, but I was not a fan of the formula of this one. The color is GORGEOUS though. I wonder if this would benefit from me using some nail polish thinner.

Next up we have Zoya Mandy, which is a shimmering berry pink. I feel like Zoya has put out a lot of these shimmery pink ones, but it doesn’t stop me from loving them when I try them. This is one coat with no topcoat – I found it a bit more opaque than the other shimmers in this collection.

Why hello there, Zoya River. River is a shimmering cobalt blue and is very true to description! I am such a sucker for blue nail polishes and this was no exception. Two coats with no topcoat in this swatch. This is way more multi-dimensional in person than it is in this photo. It was bright and shimmery and beautiful and definitely reminded me of summer.

Zoya Sawyer, a soft taffy orange creme, was my standout #1 favorite of this collection. I’m not usually one to gravitate towards too many oranges or corals because they can go so weird on my pink skin tone. This one was gorgeous – it reminds me of circus peanuts and the formula was AMAZING. This was two coats with no topcoat. I will definitely be revisiting this one in a manicure or pedicure!

Zoya Scout, a shimmering moss green, really intrigued me in the press release photos because it looked different than anything I’ve seen Zoya offer in a long long time, in all of my years of being a swatcher for them. When I got the polish, it certainly did not disappoint! This is a moss green with a gold shimmer, that sometimes can give it a bit of a yellowy-green look. This is one of those “ugly pretty” polish colors that I love so much. Two easy coats with no topcoat, and this is a favorite of mine.

Next up we have Zoya Sonja, described as a summery crimson red. If Journey was a shimmery strawberry, then Sonja is a strawberry creme to me. This was ONE coat with no topcoat, and had a really beautifully smooth formula. I really like this color!

Last but not least is Zoya Winnie, a soft watermelon pink creme. This one is really bright and vivid, and the formula was buttery smooth as well. Two coats, no topcoat. It really is a watermelon, and I don’t think that shows up in this photo. It’s not as bubblegum-y as Esty or Byrdie. It’s really gorgeous!

What do you guys think of the collection? I’m really partial to Sawyer, Scout, Cora, and Winnie! These all had amazing formulas with the exception of Lois, which I think could easily be fixed with some polish thinner. Nevertheless, this summer collection has me really feeling summery and I’ve been playing around with them all summer to bring you this review.

The collection also includes three lipsticks, which I may or may not be including in an upcoming post this week about summery makeup! 😉

These are summer in a bottle, and I highly recommend you pick them up! If you’re interested in the collection, feel free to hop on over and check them out on Zoya’s site for $10 each.

zoya nail polish 2017 earth day exchange!

This just in from the lovely folks at Zoya!

Zoya Earth Day Exchange 2017

With over 300 shades rooted in a healthy philosophy, it’s no surprise that we’re committed to helping you green your beauty routine! That’s why each year we give you the opportunity to exchange any old nail polish bottles (any brand) that you may have laying around your house collecting dust, or that are not BIG10FREE formulas, for brand new toxin-free* Zoya Nail Polish shades to celebrate Earth Day.

Rest assured that your unwanted polishes will be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. Make Mother Nature proud by following the instructions below and get started by picking out your NEW Zoya colors at http://www.zoya.com! Please note this promo excludes Zoya Treatments and Naked Manicure Base and Top Coats.

How The Exchange Works…

1. Visit www.zoya.com and add your desired nail polish colors to your cart.

Consumer Accounts: Minimum 6, maximum 24 bottles
Professional Accounts: Minimum 12, maximum 48 bottles

2. Apply Code: EARTHLUV and a 50% credit will be added to your exchange order – free shipping included! Offer valid 4/10/17- 5/10/17 (11:59pm EST)

3. Complete checkout and you’re all set! Please see details below for instructions on sending back your unwanted polish.

USE CODE: EARTHLUV
Offer valid 4/10/17 – 5/10/17 (11:59pm EST)

Want to see some of my favorite Zoya polishes? Check out my Zoya collection swatches HERE.

 

zoya naturel 3 collection review & photos

Happy 2017 everyone! I hope the holidays were amazing for all of you. They kind of went by in a whirlwind for me, and before I knew it, the first week of January came and went. What are your New Year’s resolutions? One of my 2017 goals is to definitely blog more consistently, which is why I’m here today to bring you the freshest and latest from Zoya Nail Polish – the fresh, creamy beautiful new Naturel 3 collection! The Naturel collections from Zoya have long been some of my favorites – creamy, pigmented polishes that act as palate cleansers from all of the holiday glitz and glam. The Naturel 3 collection is no exception.

Zoya’s creme finishes are probably my favorite creme finishes of any nail polishes in production today. Even better than Essie and OPI, I usually find Zoya creme finishes easily able to pack full pigmentation into one coat. Most of the polishes in the Naturel 3 collection were one-coaters for me, not that I was surprised! For the purposes of all of these swatches, I used two coats over a base coat (Rainbow Honey All Your Base). I didn’t use topcoat for these swatches – the polishes are plenty shiny on their own. The formulas were all creamy and easily spreadable and were very easy to clean up. On to the swatches!

First up is Zoya Cathy, which I had to gasp at as I was putting it on. This is pretty much my perfect mannequin-hands shade! It may now show through with my lighting, but this is the same pink-tinged nude color as my hands, so it gives me that mannequin-hands look I’ve always been seeking. Zoya describes it as a light pinky nude cream and that pretty much describes it to a t. I will be reaching for this one more and more, since it’s close to my skintone IRL, it’ll be a great nude for me and even a great base for glitter polishes.

Zoya Debbie is described as a plum brown creme. I’d say Zoya’s description is rather spot-on, as this neutral polish has a brown base, but definitely is more of a plummy/cool-toned brown. It looks relatively similar to Gina, the next polish in the collection, but to the naked eye in real life, they are definitely different.

Here’s Zoya Gina, described by Zoya as a medium brown neutral creme. If you look at the photos of Debbie and Gina together, you see that Debbie definitely has a cool-toned, more purple undertone, while Gina has a pretty neutral undertone. Gina looks like melted milk chocolate to me. And I’m here for it. Both shades are beautiful and glide onto the nail rather effortlessly.

I was stunned by Zoya Jill when applying it. It’s described by Zoya as a lighter mauve cream nude and I would definitely say it’s a bit mauve-y, but it’s kind of a blush rose nude to me. This one had an absolutely perfect formula and it truly was beautiful on the nail.

Zoya Mary, described as a medium raisin creme, was another absolute stunner on the nail. This glided on effortlessly. I’d say Zoya’s color description is pretty accurate. This one reminded me a lot of an Essie polish in the formula and tone, but I’m not sure which one – maybe Merino Cool? Either way, this is gorgeous.

Last but not least, we have Zoya Tatum, a medium light nude creme with a warm base. Compared to Jill and Cathy, you can definitely see that this is more warm, more yellow-toned in the undertones, than those two. This was still an effortlessly beautiful nude and I’m still wearing this one.

This entire collection was, as all of the other Naturel collections have been, a total win for me. I’m all about that fresh, new take on nail polish after the glitter and glimmer of all the holiday polish. The Naturel 3, as well as the other Naturel collections, can be found here for $10 each. Excitingly enough, the Naturel 3 collection also has 3 coordinating lipsticks, and I have a post coming up on those very soon!

What did you think of the Zoya Naturel 3 collection? I’m all about it!

zoya urban grunge collection – the metallic holos

*press samples* 

As promised yesterday, here’s the second half of the Zoya Urban Grunge collection for fall 2016 – the Metallic Holos! When I saw press release photos for these, I gasped in exdcitement because I love anything holo and sparkly. Trust, I LOVE me some Zoya cremes, because they’re FANTASTIC, but their sparkly polishes just are so magical for me. Without further ado – here’s the sparkly half of their awesome fall collection!

First up, this breathtakingly beautiful baby. This is Zoya Alicia, described by Zoya as a linear holo with a touch of gold. This is one of the most unique polishes in my collection of 1000+ polishes. This truly is a beautiful delicate silver holo with this AMAZING gold shift to it. My photos do it no justice, but I captured it as best I could. It’s a truly angelic shade, and I found myself not wanting to remove it at all after swatching. This was two thin coats with no topcoat. Beautiful formula, this one is just overall a stunner.

Next up we have Zoya Ash, described as a vibrant cherry with a red and gold metallic shimmer. This was a beautiful pink-leaning raspberry/berry color on me. The shimmer in it is pretty insane – it gives it a lot of dimension. This one is definitely more metallic than holo, but it’s beautiful and very seasonally appropriate nonethelesss. This was two easy coats with no topcoat – with more of that perfect Zoya formula that’s a bit on the thicker side but easily workable.

Zoya Britta was another stunner for me. Britta is a berry metallic with a red and purple fuchsia flash. This was really just breathtaking for me. Sure it’s got a plummy purple thing going on but there’s also this pink and purple and gold shimmer in there that just gives it such a depth. Under my light, the sparkles in this one shone, but in natural light it’s a bit more muted, with more of that gold shimmer coming out. Perfect formula – two coats with no topcoat.

Oh hi, Zoya Finley! Finley is a deep royal purple scattered holo. Royal she is – this purple is very vibrant and with just enough blue for my camera to freak out a little bit when trying to take pictures of this polish. It does have a beautiful scattered holo finish, and the holo particles in the jelly-ish formula give it so much depth and make it look like you’re staring into a royal purple night sky. My photo is a bit blue-leaning. This is a very royal purple. Pictured here is two coats with no topcoat.

In the same vein as Finley was Zoya Merida, a fitting name for this brilliant lush evergreen scattered holo. This really is lush – it’s a deep evergreen and those holo bits just give it so much – you guessed it – depth. I love the way holographic particles play with the light. This was stunning, and it was two easy coats with no topcoat. This was almost a one-coater, but I preferred two for that jellylike depth.

Last but not least we have Zoya Troy. Troy is a liquid pewter with a foil finish and an edgy touch of black and gold. If you look closely, you can see those black and gold microshimmer particles as well. I felt that the black and gold definitely made it interesting as pewter has been done multiple times by multiple companies. This was just interesting enough to catch my attention and I wore it for a full six days with no chips! This was two coats with no topcoat.

There you have it! The final half of this amazing Zoya fall collection. If I had to pick favorites? Well, that’s tough. From the creme half, I’d choose August, Courtney, and Tara. From this half, I’d choose Alicia, Britta, and Merida. What were your favorites from the collection?

The polishes can be found here and they are all $10 apiece. Sets are also available. As always, Zoya nail polishes are vegan and cruelty-free, and they are also 5-free. They’ve been my favorite nail polish brand for years, and if you check out this link, you can see what Zoya reviews I’ve done on beauty out loud.

Thanks for checking out my swatches! What will you be picking up from the Zoya Urban Grunge collection?

zoya urban grunge collection: the cremes

*press sample*

Hey there everyone! It’s that time again – my favorite time of the year – fall! Every fall, Zoya puts out a 12-piece collection that’s always on trend. This year’s collection, Urban Grunge, was no exception. The collection was separated into two parts – One-Coat Cremes and Metallic Holos. I’m going to showcase the cremes today and the holos/metallics are a-comin’! I’ve had this collection for a few weeks, thanks to Zoya, and have been wear testing them to see how well they wear. Onward for my review and photos of the Urban Grunge cremes!

First up we have Zoya August. August is described by Zoya as a full-coverage gray like a fine, expensive leather with mid-ranged, balanced tone. This is definitely a medium gray, and leans neutral to blue on me. This polish is gorgeous and totally a one-coater if you’re careful. I did two coats without topcoat for the purposes of this swatch/review here. This was one of my favorite colors. It encompasses fall for me – it’s sophisticated, more interesting than neutral. Very beautiful!

Zoya Courtney is described by Zoya as a deep red beetroot shade and I’d say they’re spot-on. It’s slightly less purple than a beet color, with some warm brown tones to really give this a rich and sophisticated vibe. Application was a dream – deep reds like this can sometimes be tough. This one was a bit jelly-like for me, so two coats without topcoat are shown here. Such a fall beauty!

Then there’s Zoya Mallory, described as a full-bodied, Prussian blue with deeply saturated color. Again, pretty spot-on with the description here. This one was a surprise stunner for me – but then again, it always seems like blue polishes are surprise stunners for me. This was just one coat – no topcoat – and it applied so smoothly and effortlessly. The formula was a bit thick but truly workable and flowed over the nail like buttah. A beautiful pop of color for a richly hued fall collection! BEWARE: This one stained my nails a bit upon removal, and that was with the use of a base coat. This usually happens with saturated blue shades like this.

When I saw Zoya Noah, I inwardly groaned, but once I put it on, it was a different story for me. Noah is a mid-range taupe evenly balanced between yellow and grey. Taupes/nudes usually go WAY weird on me due to my outrageously pink skintone. This went the tiniest bit khaki, but still ended up being a beautiful, effortless nude shade on me. A bit yellow for my coloring, but it was the odd sort of shade that had me looking at it going, “hmmm,” longer than the others. (And in this case, that’s a good thing.) ONE coat here, beautiful formula, and no topcoat.

I knew I’d love Zoya Tara as soon as I saw it. Tara is a purple plum with a balanced tone between red and purple. I’m not sure what exactly Zoya meant by all that, but it works. When I see plums like this, I definitely think fall. This has just enough red in it to be jewel-toned rather than vampy. It’s a beautiful shade that covered perfectly in just one coat with no topcoat. Yummy fall goodness here.

Rounding out the creme half of the collection is Zoya Wyatt. Wyatt is a true racing green with a deep pigment. This is a bit lighter than the other British racing greens I’ve seen. However, it’s a rich emeraldy green that fits well with the other jewel-toned shades in this part of the collection, and the fall collection as a whole. This one had that same gel-like thicker formula that was both highly pigmented and easy to work with. One coat, no topcoat.

Well, there we have it – the first half of this amazing Zoya fall collection! I found these to be all highly pigmented with one-coat capability. I wear-tested August and got 5 solid days wear with one tiny bit of tip wear on Day 5. (I usually can’t get nail polish to last more than 2 days on me.)

These nail polishes are available from Zoya.com for $10 each. You can check them out here on the collection page. As always, Zoya nail polishes are vegan and cruelty-free, and they are also 5-free. They’ve been my favorite nail polish brand for years and if you check out this link, you can see what Zoya reviews I’ve done on beauty out loud.

I’ll be posting the holos/metallics very soon!