Review: Zoya Spring 2014 Awaken Collection & Monet

Hello lovelies!

*Press Sample*

I am super behind on this review but hey it's still Spring, right?! And the Summer collection has not arrived yet so I'm not THAT behind! ;)

I love spring time! Rain showers, leaves returning, flowers blooming, birds chirping, more daylight...it just all makes me so happy! And of course I love Spring nail polish collections! Zoya's Awaken Collection has some beautiful colors that are so perfect for this time of the year, and honestly many of them I would wear all year round! Let's get to the swatches and at the end I will share my attempt at some nail art using these beauties as well! :)

All swatches are shown with 2 coats over Duri Rejuvacote, no top coat.

First up is Dot which is described as:

a full-coverage pink petal cream

Application was perfect! Zoya has such a great cream formula! I actually really like this light shade of pink too, so subtle and girly!

Next we have Cole which is described as:

a full-coverage peach whisper cream

Another perfect Zoya cream! It was hard to capture this shade accurately, it's definitely in between the 2 I captured here. It reminds me so much of orange sherbet! I love it!

Next up is Brooklyn which is described as:

a full-coverage, white-gold shimmer metallic

Application was a bit tricky and even though it has such a lovely molten gold effect I have a hard time with the brushstrokes. I should note that the spots on my pinky and ring were no fault of the polish, I'm pretty sure I had a piece of fuzz that got stuck in the base coat. I really did like this shade of gold on me but I won't wear again due to application.

Next we have Dillon which is described as:

a full-coverage, green mint metallic with a silver shimmer

I'm sure it's no surprise that this was one of my favorites of the bunch! I can never have too many minty greens! Application was great as well even though the shimmery particles were a little more difficult to clean up.

Next is Rebel which is described as:

a full-coverage blue sky metallic with a silver shimmer

Another instant favorite! I have really been loving these sky blue shades lately! Application was also great and not much clean up was needed.

Now for the last of the metallics we have Hudson which is described as:

a full-coverage, purple orchid metallic with a silver shimmer

Another really gorgeous metallic! Same application as the last 2, the 3 of them make a lovely trio!

Zoya also created a Special Effects Topper for Spring, Monet is described as:

a multi-colored, cellophane holographic special effect topper

I wasn't sure how I would feel about it but I actually really love this topper over the creams! It gives it a nice touch without being over the top. It kind of has a princess-y feel to it and I adore it!

Before I go I did promise to share some nail art that I did to test out some of these. I am very much a newbie when it comes to nail art but I had fun with it and do love how well these shades go together!

Next time I will be sure to let my base coat dry completely before using nail vinyls and striping tape! I had never done any sponging or a dotticure before so I had fun playing around with those ideas and am excited to do some more in the future!

Do you have any of the Zoya Awaken Collection or Monet yet? If you would like to own them you can purchase them for $9 each (Monet is $10) here:

Zoya Website

And also be sure to check out the following links to keep up with everything Zoya:

Facebook

Blog

Twitter

Pinterest

Instagram

YouTube

What are your thoughts on this collection? Any favorites? Also do you have any nail art tips or tricks for beginners? Let me know in the comments!

xo

Brittany Raquel

*These polishes were provided to me in exchange for an honest and unbiased review*

My Quest to Purge Polish Turns Into An Accidental Ombre!

Hello lovelies!

So I have been trying to be good and get rid of colors that are dupes and/or colors that I won't wear. I usually know if I will keep it as soon as I swatch it on a nail wheel (this is the first thing I do when I get a new polish) but have found that I actually need to try on a polish to know for sure.

So the other day I was looking at my nail racks (because these are on the wall next to my bed I do this way too often) I knew there were a few polishes I needed to try to see if I should keep them. These couple of polishes were also similar in color to some others I have so I decided to try all 4 of them together to compare. The following polishes were used in my test (2 coats of each, no top or base coat):

Colors by Llarowe Zipper on my index finger
Lacquer Lust Sky's The Limit on my middle finger
Liquid Lacquer The Rain Song on my ring finger
Aly's Dream Polish Tiffanytea on my pinky

On to the photos!

So based on the bottle I really thought that Zipper and Sky's The Limit were going to be dupes. And yeah they are close, but still different enough for me to justify keeping them both! They both apply like a jelly and were much more opaque than I expected them to be in just 2 coats! As you can see from the zoomed in shot the only difference really is that Sky's The Limit is a little darker and has a hint of green. They both have just about the same amount of scattered holo.

These 2 really aren't even close to being dupes but I wanted to include them anyways. The Rain Song is definitely more blue than Tiffanytea. The application was very similar with these too! Not at all jelly like, more of a creme application. The Rain Song was nearly opaque in 1 coat and Tiffanytea could have used another thin coat since there was just the teensiest bit of vnl but I'm sure I'm the only one that noticed.

I had my 4 fingers done and was admiring the colors when I realized I had created a beautiful ombre and just needed to add something to my thumb to finish it off! I almost used Enchanted Polish July 2013 but then realized A Little Fishy Told Me would be a better fit. Fishy applied like a dream in 2 coats and is so gorgeous in person!

In the end I decided that all of these beauties were meant to stay in my collection. I love them all and am excited to use each one in a full mani! This is my first ombre and I love how it turned out, even if it was unintentional!

What is your favorite light blue holo that I featured today? Have you ever created "accidental" nail art?

xo

Brittany Raquel

Shimmer Polish Review Part 3: Jasmine

Hello lovelies!

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I hope you all had a great Sunday! I watched some football and started to watch Once Upon A Time on Netflix, one episode and I am pretty hooked! I just started Sons of Anarchy a week or two ago and am all caught up on that already so I needed a new show since I have to wait a week between new SoA episodes now!

Today I have my last Shimmer Polish to show you! I saved this one for last as it was the color I was most excited to receive! Jasmine is described as:

Aquamarine Mix / Aquamarine, light blue and green Glitter Polish!

My birthstone is aquamarine so this was a given for me! It also make me think of the Disney princess and because of that I knew I wanted to pair it with gold undies. Searching through my stash I realized I have a shortage of golds! My favorite is a-england Princess Sabra (Tristam Eyes) which is perfect for sticking with the princess theme and is a special gold thanks to the scattered holo! I went with a glitter gradient again, I love the effect and how simple it is to do! On to photos!

Shown is 1-3 coats of Shimmer Polish Jasmine over 2 coats of a-england Princess Sabra. I used Julep Nail Therapy base coat and 1 coat of HK Girl topcoat. I absolutely love this with gold! It really helps the glitters pop! Jasmine would look beautiful on her own too, it would only take 2 or 3 coats for full opacity. But this really does it for me!

If you would like to buy Jasmine or any other Shimmer Polishes (or request a custom!) they are $12 each and can be purchased here:

 

Shimmer Polish Etsy

You can also see more swatches and keep up with Shimmer Polish here:

Shimmer Polish Blog

Shimmer Polish Facebook

Thanks again to Shimmer Polish for sending me these to review!

xo

Brittany Raquel

*This product was provided to me in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Shimmer Polish Review Part 2: Jennifer

Hello lovelies!

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How is your weekend so far? I meant to post earlier today but I ended up going on a tour of an old asylum near where I live. It used to be Northern State Hospital but is the campus is now used for job corps stuff. NSH was featured on an episode of Ghost Hunters due reported paranormal activity. It was a cool little tour but was more focused on the architecture. I wish it was still open to the public to tour the buildings, I would love a late night scare!

Anyways I wanted to share another Shimmer Polish with you! (If you missed the first two you can check out the post here.) Today's post is featuring Jennifer which is described as:

Light Blue Pastels / Soft Blue, Periwinkle Glitter Polish

I wanted to use a base color that would help showcase the glitters so I used Sinful Colors Island Coral for the undies and I tried out a glitter gradient again. See how it turned out!

 

Shown is 1-2 coats of Shimmer Polish Jennifer over 2 coats of Sinful Colors Island Coral. I used Julep Nail Therapy for my base coat and topped it all off with HK Girl top coat. Jennifer is beautiful and I love how well she paired with the coral base! I wish I would have started my gradient closer to my tips but I really love how it looks in person! It's like my fingertips were dipped in pot of shimmery goodness!

If you would like to buy Jennifer or any other Shimmer Polishes they are $12 each and can be purchased here:

Shimmer Polish Etsy

And to see swatches and keep up with Shimmer Polish happenings go here:

Shimmer Polish Blog

Shimmer Polish Facebook

Also don't forget you can request a custom polish for that special woman in your life! (Or for yourself!) ;)

I have 1 more Shimmer Polish that I will show you next week! See you soon!

xo

Brittany Raquel

*This product was provided to me in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Review: Shimmer Polish Part 1

Hey lovelies!

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Sorry I have been pretty absent this week! I spent the last couple days deep cleaning my house and have had zero time to paint my nails! I spent this morning finishing the 5th season of Breaking Bad on Netflix and painting my nails so I am finally back with a post for you!

I have admired Shimmer Polish from afar for months now! It seems that every blogger has posted reviews and every time I see them I ask myself why I haven't bought any. Recently I won a giveaway from Shimmer Polish, she does them randomly on Facebook as new likes come in. Imagine my surprise when I got a message saying I was a winner! I was even more excited when I was offered an opportunity to review a few polishes!

For those of you that aren't familiar with Shimmer Polish you should know that they are mostly all glitter toppers and not meant to worn alone. Also you will find that all polishes are named after Shimmer's friends and family members! I love how she takes inspiration from each of them and creates a unique glitter! You can also request a custom polish!

I have 2 to show you today and will show you the other 2 next week. I didn't want to do them all in one post because they are so gorgeous and I couldn't narrow down pics very easily! :)

First up is Jacki which is described as: Deep violet and navy mix. Violet with navy sparkle.

This is one of the few Shimmer Polishes that does not need to be layered. Shown are 2 coats of Jacki between Julep Nail Therapy base coat and HK Girl topcoat. Check her out!

I really love Jacki! The navy sparkle is more visible in person and adds an unexpected touch to the deep violet color. This is very much a fall color and one that I will wear again!

The other color I have to show you today is Astrid which is described as: Amethyst Opal

I knew that I wanted to do something special with these Shimmer Polishes. Instead of just layering over another color I decided to play with some tape on one hand and did a gradient on the other. I used 2 coats of LA Girl Delirious for my undies. I used 2 coats of Astrid on my left hand and 3 coats in the gradient. Also with Julep Nail Therapy and HK Girl. On to the photos!

This is my first full tape mani and I definitely need more practice but I love how it turned out! This is also my first glitter gradient and I am so happy with how easy it was! I actually ended up liking the gradient better than the tape mani and am excited to do more with other colors! Astrid has such a beautiful mix of glitter, she looks great over so many colors! I love the opalescent and purple glitters and there is a super fine shimmer that really pulls it all together!

Need these for yourself? Or perhaps you want to have a custom polish made? Each polish retails for $12 and can be purchased here:

Shimmer Polish Etsy

To see more swatches and keep up with colors go here:

Shimmer Polish Blog

Shimmer Polish Facebook

 

I am excited to show you the other 2, be sure to check back next week! In the meantime I will try to get a couple more posts in this weekend! :)

 

xo

 

Brittany Raquel