Review: Spring 2014 Zoya Magical Pixies

*press sample*

Hello lovelies!

I finally have my review of Zoya's new PixieDust polishes for Spring 2014: the Magical Pixies! These are a new take on the classic Pixies, they still have a textured finish but have been amped up with larger hex glitters and holographic glitter. See for yourself! (all photos are shown with 2 coats over Duri Rejuvacote and no top coat)

First we have Cosmo which is described as:

a silver crystal sparkle, textured PixieDust with mega hex iridescent particles

Next is Lux which is described as:

a rose quartz sparkle textured PixieDust with mega hex iridescent particles

And the final color is Vega which is described as:

a blue opal sparkle, textured PixieDust with mega hex iridescent particles

I have to admit I was not that excited about these at first. I thought the texture might be too much and assumed that application and removal would be a pain. But I was wrong! Application was great and required little to no clean up. Removal was also much easier than I expected. And even more of a surprise was how much I actually loved this super textured and blingy look! Cosmo is the big winner for me as it is more versatile and I could see myself wearing it to some type of an event! Now I am even more excited about the Summer colors that are being released!

You can purchase the new Zoya Magical Pixies for $10 each 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

Have you tried any of the new Pixies yet? What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

xo

Brittany Raquel

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

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*

Review: Zoya Winter/Holiday 2013 Zenith Collection

Hello lovelies!

*Press Sample*

I have my first official Zoya review for you today! I am honored to have this opportunity to be a blogger for Zoya, it was this brand that really started my nail polish addiction!

A couple of things, these are quick and dirty swatches and my cuticles are suffering with this cold weather! Also I have 5 pets in my house, I can't seem to do anything without some sort of animal hair being involved too! Please ignore this and simply focus on the fabulous colors! :)Without further ado, let's check out the Zenith Collection for Winter 2013!

First up is Belinda which is described as:

a full-coverage, cosmic purple metallic

Shown is 2 coats of Belinda over Duri Rejuvacote. (For all photos I used this base coat and did not use top coat) I could have easily gotten away with 1 thick coat but I applied 2 thin layers and the 2nd layer just helped darken it up a bit. This applied wonderfully and needed little cleanup. No pooling at all! There is a somewhat hidden pink and blue shimmer that really adds depth and lends to the metallic (ish) finish. Belinda is gorgeous, so regal!

Next up is Cassedy which is described as:

a full-coverage, celestial pewter metallic

This is 1 coat of Cassedy! That's right, just 1! Application was also a breeze! My only complaint is that it does slightly show brushstrokes. A good top coat might help level that all out. But otherwise I love this! Almost a gunmetal gray and in some lights has a bit of a greenish tint to it. Definitely one of my favorites from this collection!

On to Seraphina which is described as:

a full-coverage, Polaris silver metallic

Shown is 3 coats of Seraphina. I was going to stop at 2 but did a 3rd to cover up the pesky VNL. This applied easily but did pool a bit and the shimmer particles were a major pain for clean up! They got everywhere! A steadier hand is definitely needed a thinner coats would probably help avoid any pooling. Regardless, this color ended up being a surprise favorite for me! Even though they are a pain I love the added shimmer and this is such a gorgeous shade!

Moving on to Payton which is described as:

a full-coverage, galactic cranberry with holographic glitter

Shown is 2 coats of Payton. This had a very jelly like application, which I love! Application was flawless! I love how the jellyness of it allows the glitter to really come through and doesn't dull the holo! Just look at how sparkly it is! I had to include a 3rd pic with it blurred so you can really see the holo! Love this! 

Next is Dream which is described as:

a full-coverage, deep space blue with holographic glitter

Shown is 2 coats of Dream. This is Payton's younger sister! Identical application and sparkle! Amazing depth! I think this one ended up being my favorite of them all!

Finally here is Mosheen which is described as:

an astro ice blue topper, great for layering over other hues

Shown is 2 coats of Mosheen over Belinda, my ring finger is 4 coats alone. This is absolutely best used as a layering polish but if you don't mind VNL she does look great on her own! I am not usually a fan of bar glitter but these little mini bars are so fun! The bars did want to stick over the top of my nail but I smoothed down the edges with my finger as I was going and it was no longer an issue. Overall, a gorgeous and unique polish!

Want to purchase some of these babies for your own collection? They retail for $8 each and can be purchased here. Want to see what else Zoya has to offer or maybe just see what they are up to? Then be sure to check them out here:

Website

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I hope you all had a great holiday with your loved ones! I'll be back soon with a huge haul post!

xo

Brittany Raquel

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

NOTD: piCture pOlish Siren Song

Hello lovelies!

I'm finally back again with a quick NOTD post for you!

As soon as I saw Picture Polish Siren Song I knew that it was a must have for my collection! The tag line says it all: sea foam dreams are made of these. Obviously I needed it! Here is some more info about Siren Song from the piCture pOlish website:

Siren Song was created with Rebecca aka Rebecca Likes Nails  

Inspiration:  An electric guitar with shades of mint and silver within its make up! 

Siren Song is a stunning combination of mint green and silver particles melded together to form a metallic textured shade that just glides on your nail with a totally sparkling finish!

Shown is 2 coats of Siren Song over Duri Rejuvacote and topped with HK Girl topcoat. It applied easily and would have been good with just 1 thick coat but I am a creature of habit and did 2 anyways. :) I love this polish so much and actually had a very special reason for wearing it!

Doesn't it look perfect with my new engagement ring? :) I knew it would be a great match (mint and diamonds, Tiffany got it it right!) to show off my ring to my friends and family for the first time! The silver glitter makes it even more perfect! <3

xo

Brittany Raquel

Review: Colors by Laura K.

Hello lovelies!

Press Sample

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend! I had planned on posting this review over the weekend but I ended up with some unexpected plans! I'll post more about that tomorrow! :)

In the meantime I am excited to introduce you to a new indie brand: Colors by Laura K! Laura just launched her site a few days ago and sent me a few of her colors to test and I am happy to share them with you! She was also looking for very specific feedback to help her create the best polishes for her customers. I am doing that part on a 1-5 rating scale and left extra notes if necessary.

A heads up regarding photos. . .I had a very hard time getting good photographs due to the weather not cooperating and one of my bulbs going out. The first two I struggled with the most, luckily the sun came out a bit for the others. All are shown using 2 coats and Julep Nail Therapy base coat and HK Girl top coat. Ready to take a look?

First up is Landshark which is described as: An aqua and silver textured polish in a shimmer base.

• Color Payoff: 4
• Ease of Application: 4
• Dry Time: 5
• Staining: 5 (as in no staining!)
• Texture: 4 (until you add topcoat of course!)

I had a really hard time photographing this polish, it is even better in person! I could have used a 3rd coat as the tip of my nail is visible when viewing up close. But I honestly couldn't even tell until I looked at photos. I'm sure Landshark would look great layered too! (This polish made me think of Jenna Marbles and her landshark video. I love Jenna!)

Next polish is Wangernumb which is described as: A brown leaning brick red polish with a subtle holo effect.

• Color Payoff: 5
• Ease of Application: 5
• Dry Time: 4
• Holo Strength: 2
• Staining: 4 (barely noticable but there was some slight red near my cuticles)
• Texture: 3 (this is rating the smoothness since it is not a textured polish. There were lumps in my bottle as you can see on the nail but I believe this is due to a bad mix)

You won't find this polish on Laura's website. But you will find a revamped polish by the name of Numberwang! Wangernumb was gorgeous and appears to be even more so after the revamp! The color brings to mind A England Briar Wood and is a great fall shade!

Moving on to He Took Me To A Leafs Game which is described as: A deep blue holo, with a sprinkling of light blue glitter.

• Color Payoff: 5
• Ease of Application: 5
• Dry Time: 4
• Holo Strength: 3
• Staining: 5
• Texture: 4 (polish was nice and smooth but did have a tiny bit of texture due to the glitters, completely fixed with topcoat though)

This was definitely one of my favorites! I love how the glitter gives it a nice dimension even when the holo isn't visible. He Took Me To A Leafs Game deserves a spot in every blue lover's collection! I was sad to take it off and can't wait to wear again!

The final color I have to show you is The Bucket Of Truth which is described as: An apple green holographic polish.

• Color Payoff: 5
• Ease of Application: 5
• Dry Time: 4
• Holo Strength: 4
• Staining: 5 (edit: I now have to give this a 2. I wore it for two days and ended up with really bad staining! Definitely need to use 2 layers of base coat!)
• Texture: 5 (perfect smoothness!!)

This one was my favorite! I'm sure that's not surprising since it is green! :) The Bucket Of Truth reminds me of Enchanted Polish Gummy Worm. Which I am so excited about because I got rid of my Gummy Worm and wish that I hadn't! This is very close in color but seems to have a better holo effect, win! This is my current mani and I love it!

Colors by Laura K. go for $9.50 a bottle and can be purchased here:

 

Colors by Laura K. website

 

You can also keep up to date on restocks and other happenings here:

 

Colors by Laura K. Facebook

 

To celebrate her launch Laura is offering a 20% off of all orders through the end of September! Use code cblklaunch13. Don't miss your chance to try this great new indie brand!

Also just wanted to send a thank you to Laura! I can't wait to see what else you create for us! :)

xo

Brittany Raquel