Color Club Beyond the Mistletoe

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Color Club sent their Beyond the Mistletoe Collection for review, and I'm wearing the namesake of the collection today.

Beyond the Mistletoe is a very pale, barely green medium-fine glitter that's loaded up with some really exceptional holographic glitter.  The base is clear and the glitter provides full coverage in just two coats.  I applied it late last night, and since the glitter's pretty fine I'd hoped the one coat of Essie Good to Go I'd used to dry it would be enough, but this morning it was totally dull and felt like sand.  I kept adding one coat of top coat as I sat here doing other things, and at five coats of top coat, it's smooth.  That's a lot, but not terribly high maintenance since adding each coat to a dry manicure takes about one minute and dries really fast, and the finished manicure is totally worth it.

It's cloudy (and snowing!) here today, so the pictures are just a hint at the glitter - it's really blazing, and I have yet to see a picture of it that really shows just how cool the polish is.  I'll toss my own inadequate representations onto the pile and give you my cloudy-day pics of Beyond the Mistletoe.

Color Club Beyond the Mistletoe Nail Polish, Two Coats

I chose this picture because the middle of the polish bottle gives you a glimpse of how this really looks on all nails - the bright colors reflected show up well even in indoor lighting.  Here is a closer look at part of one nail so you can see the glitter a little better.

Color Club Beyond the Mistletoe Nail Polish, Closer Look at Two Coats

A polish that looks like this under a cloudy, snowy sky is a winner in my book.  I've already chosen another from this collection to wear when I present this project I'm working on - I figure even if I completely bomb, I have a solid shot at mesmerizing them all with my mani and no one will notice!

That's Color Club Beyond the Mistletoe and the first of the collection, so until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Color Club Beyond the Mistletoe

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Color Club sent their Beyond the Mistletoe Collection for review, and I'm wearing the namesake of the collection today.

Beyond the Mistletoe is a very pale, barely green medium-fine glitter that's loaded up with some really exceptional holographic glitter.  The base is clear and the glitter provides full coverage in just two coats.  I applied it late last night, and since the glitter's pretty fine I'd hoped the one coat of Essie Good to Go I'd used to dry it would be enough, but this morning it was totally dull and felt like sand.  I kept adding one coat of top coat as I sat here doing other things, and at five coats of top coat, it's smooth.  That's a lot, but not terribly high maintenance since adding each coat to a dry manicure takes about one minute and dries really fast, and the finished manicure is totally worth it.

It's cloudy (and snowing!) here today, so the pictures are just a hint at the glitter - it's really blazing, and I have yet to see a picture of it that really shows just how cool the polish is.  I'll toss my own inadequate representations onto the pile and give you my cloudy-day pics of Beyond the Mistletoe.

Color Club Beyond the Mistletoe Nail Polish, Two Coats

I chose this picture because the middle of the polish bottle gives you a glimpse of how this really looks on all nails - the bright colors reflected show up well even in indoor lighting.  Here is a closer look at part of one nail so you can see the glitter a little better.

Color Club Beyond the Mistletoe Nail Polish, Closer Look at Two Coats

A polish that looks like this under a cloudy, snowy sky is a winner in my book.  I've already chosen another from this collection to wear when I present this project I'm working on - I figure even if I completely bomb, I have a solid shot at mesmerizing them all with my mani and no one will notice!

That's Color Club Beyond the Mistletoe and the first of the collection, so until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Sally Hansen Sweet Tart-an Salon Effects

Good evening, Dear Reader!

I came across some new Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips while grocery shopping today, and they seemed like a good choice after soaking off OPI Divine Swine - I was up for low maintenance after that!

I've found that there's significant variation from one pattern to the next in how easy or difficult Sally Hansen Salon Effects are to apply, and these seem to be at the more difficult end of the spectrum  With Sweet Tart-an, I ended up with wrinkles, air bubbles, or both on every single nail, and none of the usual tricks to fix them up after the fact were particularly successful.  I didn't use base coat under them, and most of the others I've used have been really easy to apply smoothly all alone, but that wasn't the case here.  I considered taking them off right away since they're not perfectly smooth and will likely get on my nerves, but figured what the heck, I have red tartan nails whether they're perfect or not, added a coat of top coat, and called it finished.

I took a picture of them under artificial light once they were done, and this is my Sally Hansen Sweet Tart-an Salon Effects manicure.

Sally Hansen Sweet Tart-an Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips

You can see the bubbles and wrinkles in the picture, but without the magnification they really don't show.  The only real trouble I anticipate is the unevenness getting on my nerves, but for a day or two, I can live with it.  Although this is one of my favorite Salon Effects patterns, the manicure with them is probably my least favorite  Salon Effects manis so far.

That's my Sweet Tart-an Salon Effects manicure and the update for today, so until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Sally Hansen Sweet Tart-an Salon Effects

Good evening, Dear Reader!

I came across some new Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips while grocery shopping today, and they seemed like a good choice after soaking off OPI Divine Swine - I was up for low maintenance after that!

I've found that there's significant variation from one pattern to the next in how easy or difficult Sally Hansen Salon Effects are to apply, and these seem to be at the more difficult end of the spectrum  With Sweet Tart-an, I ended up with wrinkles, air bubbles, or both on every single nail, and none of the usual tricks to fix them up after the fact were particularly successful.  I didn't use base coat under them, and most of the others I've used have been really easy to apply smoothly all alone, but that wasn't the case here.  I considered taking them off right away since they're not perfectly smooth and will likely get on my nerves, but figured what the heck, I have red tartan nails whether they're perfect or not, added a coat of top coat, and called it finished.

I took a picture of them under artificial light once they were done, and this is my Sally Hansen Sweet Tart-an Salon Effects manicure.

Sally Hansen Sweet Tart-an Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips

You can see the bubbles and wrinkles in the picture, but without the magnification they really don't show.  The only real trouble I anticipate is the unevenness getting on my nerves, but for a day or two, I can live with it.  Although this is one of my favorite Salon Effects patterns, the manicure with them is probably my least favorite  Salon Effects manis so far.

That's my Sweet Tart-an Salon Effects manicure and the update for today, so until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Chick Wild Rooster

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I have another from Chick Nail Polish to show you today, a red creme called Wild Rooster.  I think red cremes are a good way to evaluate a line of polish since everybody has one and there's a good bit of variance in how pigmented they can be.  Wild Rooster is a great classic red, easy to apply and control and opaque in two coats. I finished it off with Essie Good to Go when I applied it last night, then took pictures this afternoon.

Chick Wild Rooster Nail Polish, Two Coats

I love a good red creme, and this one fits the bill.

That's Chick's Wild Rooster and the update for today, so until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Chick Wild Rooster

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I have another from Chick Nail Polish to show you today, a red creme called Wild Rooster.  I think red cremes are a good way to evaluate a line of polish since everybody has one and there's a good bit of variance in how pigmented they can be.  Wild Rooster is a great classic red, easy to apply and control and opaque in two coats. I finished it off with Essie Good to Go when I applied it last night, then took pictures this afternoon.

Chick Wild Rooster Nail Polish, Two Coats

I love a good red creme, and this one fits the bill.

That's Chick's Wild Rooster and the update for today, so until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Color Club Kiss Me Mistletoe

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

Last night I had to do a quickie gel and color change, and the polish I used was Color Club Kiss Me Mistletoe from their Scent-suous Holiday Collection.  It's a light green foil, very well pigmented (two coats was plenty), and it smells like a mistletoe scented candle.  I've had it on for close to twenty-four hours, and it's worth noting that the fragrance is pretty much gone while the others I've tried from this collection have stayed pleasantly scented for a couple of days.

I was dreading changing the soak-off gel base I've had for a little over a week because I initially applied it to repair two cracks, and I really hate doing repairs.  I took a short nap yesterday and in that weird half-asleep state waking up, saw a teeny edge of gel lifted from a nail, decided I'd change it when I got home late, and peeled off a big piece.  I have no idea why it would make sense to do the last part, but evidently it did.  On this gel application, I violated all manufacturers' suggestions and didn't do any of the prep (buffing, primer, bonder) to see if it would hold and make the removal easier.  It turned out to be a good but inconvenient decision - when I was washing my hair to go out last night, I kept feeling that peeled edge snag, so once I was done with my hair I peeled it again, and the soak off gel and polish peeled off just like a regular manicure will in the pool after you've been swimming for a couple of hours.

When the that one came off completely, I started trying to get the others to do the same while still under the super hot shower, and it worked surprisingly easily - I scraped a corner of each nail with the opposite thumbnail to get an edge to come up, and once the edge lifted I could peel it right off with ease.  So that made for one of the easiest removals of anything I've ever had, but had to be somewhere shortly and suddenly had bare nails.  With the cold, they'd break right away while bare, so I went with drip-dry hair and no makeup in order to at least get some gel on them.  I felt like I was in one of those Lee nail repair kit commercials from the 80's.

Re-doing the glue on the cracks then applying and curing the Gelicure base and sealer took only twenty minutes, so I figured I'd get the polish on and be done with it.  I used two coats of Kiss Me Mistletoe and one of Essie Good to Go, and it dried fast and smelled really good.  I'm a little sad that the smell is gone, because I kept finding myself sniffing it!  I took a picture just a bit ago in the last afternoon sunlight.

Color Club Kiss Me Mistletoe Nail Polish, Two Coats

Even without the fragrance, Kiss Me Mistletoe is a pretty polish - I'd wear this one even if it were not scented.

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader, so until next time, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Color Club Kiss Me Mistletoe

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

Last night I had to do a quickie gel and color change, and the polish I used was Color Club Kiss Me Mistletoe from their Scent-suous Holiday Collection.  It's a light green foil, very well pigmented (two coats was plenty), and it smells like a mistletoe scented candle.  I've had it on for close to twenty-four hours, and it's worth noting that the fragrance is pretty much gone while the others I've tried from this collection have stayed pleasantly scented for a couple of days.

I was dreading changing the soak-off gel base I've had for a little over a week because I initially applied it to repair two cracks, and I really hate doing repairs.  I took a short nap yesterday and in that weird half-asleep state waking up, saw a teeny edge of gel lifted from a nail, decided I'd change it when I got home late, and peeled off a big piece.  I have no idea why it would make sense to do the last part, but evidently it did.  On this gel application, I violated all manufacturers' suggestions and didn't do any of the prep (buffing, primer, bonder) to see if it would hold and make the removal easier.  It turned out to be a good but inconvenient decision - when I was washing my hair to go out last night, I kept feeling that peeled edge snag, so once I was done with my hair I peeled it again, and the soak off gel and polish peeled off just like a regular manicure will in the pool after you've been swimming for a couple of hours.

When the that one came off completely, I started trying to get the others to do the same while still under the super hot shower, and it worked surprisingly easily - I scraped a corner of each nail with the opposite thumbnail to get an edge to come up, and once the edge lifted I could peel it right off with ease.  So that made for one of the easiest removals of anything I've ever had, but had to be somewhere shortly and suddenly had bare nails.  With the cold, they'd break right away while bare, so I went with drip-dry hair and no makeup in order to at least get some gel on them.  I felt like I was in one of those Lee nail repair kit commercials from the 80's.

Re-doing the glue on the cracks then applying and curing the Gelicure base and sealer took only twenty minutes, so I figured I'd get the polish on and be done with it.  I used two coats of Kiss Me Mistletoe and one of Essie Good to Go, and it dried fast and smelled really good.  I'm a little sad that the smell is gone, because I kept finding myself sniffing it!  I took a picture just a bit ago in the last afternoon sunlight.

Color Club Kiss Me Mistletoe Nail Polish, Two Coats

Even without the fragrance, Kiss Me Mistletoe is a pretty polish - I'd wear this one even if it were not scented.

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader, so until next time, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Models Own Beetle Juice Purple Blue

Good evening, Dear Reader!

I changed polish tonight to Models Own Beetle Juice Purple Blue from their latest collection, which are duochromes.  Purple Blue isn't particularly impressive in the bottle, but it's a lot cooler applied.  Rather than the usual color shifting duochrome pigment, Purple Blue has a bunch of purple and blue shimmery pigment throughout, so both colors are pretty consistently reflected.  I think it works out well.

For the manicure, I used three coats of color and finished it off with Essie Good to Go.  The soak-of gel base I've had for seven days is starting to have a bit of lifting on one nail (still impressive after five color changes with acetone-based remover used), and Essie Super Bossa Nova wore very well on it  for three days with no chips or tip wear at all.  I liked the gel, so when I remove the worn application, I'll put on a new one.  Anyhow, back to Beetle Juice Purple Blue, after it dried I took pictures under artificial light.

Models Own Beetle Juice Purple Blue Nail Polish, Three Coats

Here are a couple of closer looks at the shimmer, where you can get a better look and the purple and blue shimmery bits.

Models Own Beetle Juice Purple Blue Nail Polish, Closer Look at Shimmer

Models Own Beetle Juice Purple Blue Nail Polish, Even Closer Look at Shimmer

It's not quite what I'd expected, but the name is accurate and it definitely shows two distinct colors at the same time.

That's the next Models Own Beetle Juice and all I have for you today, Dear Reader, so until next time, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Models Own Beetle Juice Purple Blue

Good evening, Dear Reader!

I changed polish tonight to Models Own Beetle Juice Purple Blue from their latest collection, which are duochromes.  Purple Blue isn't particularly impressive in the bottle, but it's a lot cooler applied.  Rather than the usual color shifting duochrome pigment, Purple Blue has a bunch of purple and blue shimmery pigment throughout, so both colors are pretty consistently reflected.  I think it works out well.

For the manicure, I used three coats of color and finished it off with Essie Good to Go.  The soak-of gel base I've had for seven days is starting to have a bit of lifting on one nail (still impressive after five color changes with acetone-based remover used), and Essie Super Bossa Nova wore very well on it  for three days with no chips or tip wear at all.  I liked the gel, so when I remove the worn application, I'll put on a new one.  Anyhow, back to Beetle Juice Purple Blue, after it dried I took pictures under artificial light.

Models Own Beetle Juice Purple Blue Nail Polish, Three Coats

Here are a couple of closer looks at the shimmer, where you can get a better look and the purple and blue shimmery bits.

Models Own Beetle Juice Purple Blue Nail Polish, Closer Look at Shimmer

Models Own Beetle Juice Purple Blue Nail Polish, Even Closer Look at Shimmer

It's not quite what I'd expected, but the name is accurate and it definitely shows two distinct colors at the same time.

That's the next Models Own Beetle Juice and all I have for you today, Dear Reader, so until next time, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Essie Super Bossa Nova

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

Today brings a bright polish, Essie Super Bossa Nova.  I think this one is from Summer 2011, but I'm not positive of that.  It's relatively recent, in any case.

Super Bossa Nova is a bright, kind of fuchsia pink shimmer, not anything terribly unique but it has a really pretty shimmer that I like.  I used two coats and finished it with Essie Good to Go, and although the application of the color was just fine, it's not too shiny once dry.  It's not matte or anything, it just lacks the really glossy finish of quite a few recent manicures, and I prefer shinier.

After giving the manicure a few minutes to dry, I took a picture in sunlight.

Essie Super Bossa Nova Nail Polish, Two Coats

A good vivid pink was overdue, so even though it's not the shiniest ever, I like it.

That's all I have for you today, so until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Essie Super Bossa Nova

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

Today brings a bright polish, Essie Super Bossa Nova.  I think this one is from Summer 2011, but I'm not positive of that.  It's relatively recent, in any case.

Super Bossa Nova is a bright, kind of fuchsia pink shimmer, not anything terribly unique but it has a really pretty shimmer that I like.  I used two coats and finished it with Essie Good to Go, and although the application of the color was just fine, it's not too shiny once dry.  It's not matte or anything, it just lacks the really glossy finish of quite a few recent manicures, and I prefer shinier.

After giving the manicure a few minutes to dry, I took a picture in sunlight.

Essie Super Bossa Nova Nail Polish, Two Coats

A good vivid pink was overdue, so even though it's not the shiniest ever, I like it.

That's all I have for you today, so until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Orly Rococo A-Go-Go

Happy Thanksgiving, Dear Reader!

I thought I'd give you a look at my Thanksgiving manicure, Orly Rococo A-Go-Go, because the color is really cool.  I'm so late posting it that it the Orly Mineral FX Collection is probably not even in brick and mortar stores anymore, but it's pretty and still available online.

The color is kind of a red plum with the same cool finish as the other Mineral FX shades, and it seemed like a good Thanksgiving color to me.  I used two coats with a coat of Essie Good to Go and gave it some time to dry before taking pictures in the sunlight.

Orly Rococo A-Go-Go Nail Polish, Two Coats

That's my Thanksgiving manicure, and now I'm off to enjoy Thanksgiving.  I hope yours is happy, Dear Reader, and until next time, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Orly Rococo A-Go-Go

Happy Thanksgiving, Dear Reader!

I thought I'd give you a look at my Thanksgiving manicure, Orly Rococo A-Go-Go, because the color is really cool.  I'm so late posting it that it the Orly Mineral FX Collection is probably not even in brick and mortar stores anymore, but it's pretty and still available online.

The color is kind of a red plum with the same cool finish as the other Mineral FX shades, and it seemed like a good Thanksgiving color to me.  I used two coats with a coat of Essie Good to Go and gave it some time to dry before taking pictures in the sunlight.

Orly Rococo A-Go-Go Nail Polish, Two Coats

That's my Thanksgiving manicure, and now I'm off to enjoy Thanksgiving.  I hope yours is happy, Dear Reader, and until next time, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Wet n Wild Diamond in the Rough

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

It seemed than an especially blingtastic mani was in order today, and that called for a Wet n Wild Color Icon nail polish.  I picked up three of them weeks and weeks ago, and today I'm wearing Diamond in the Rough, the charcoal one that's loaded up with tiny silver regular and holo hex glitter.  The hex glitter in Diamond in the Rough throws off more bright colors than any other I have, it's really cool.

Because I wanted to make the removal a little easier since I have a coat of soak off gel on, I started with a foundation of two coats of Illamasqua Boosh, their black creme.  I let each coat dry for a few minutes, then added one coat of Wet n Wild Diamond in the Rough.  I was prepared to part with two coats from the little 0.34 oz bottle, but the glitter in it is very dense and one was all I needed for layering.  I added a coat of Essie Good to Go to dry it, and I'm really impressed with the top coat.  It really dries polish fast without shrinking it and the brush doesn't pick up and color at all, which is ideal.   It's still a new one for me, so I'll continue to mention anything noteworthy about it as I try it for various things.

Despite the fact that its glitter is fine, Diamond in the Rough was surprisingly gritty after drying.  I did the manicure last night, added one additional coat of top coat to even it out before bed, and needed a third this morning.  It's still not glassy smooth, but it's smooth enough that it isn't annoying and looks shiny.  I took pictures maybe 12 hours or so after applying it in natural light.  The one I chose here is not the clearest of them, but the most accurate in terms of what Diamond in the Rough really looks like.

Wet n Wild Diamond in the Rough Nail Polish, One Coat over Black

See the bright colors reflected off the hex glitter in the center of the bottle?  That's the most accurate representation of what it really looks like - the reflected colors are very vivid, and shift from color to color as I move my hands.  I got a WTF??? look from a guy next to me in traffic at a light today as I was playing with it (I'm sure the look was about the idiot fascinated that she could move her hand rather than the polish!), and it's not even especially sunny today.  Here's a closer look at the glitter so you can see how I could get lost for a moment having fun with it.

Wet n Wild Diamond in the Rough Nail Polish, Closer Look at One Coat

Even though the density of one coat points to Diamond in the Rough only requiring 2-3 coats for opaque coverage, it's pretty likely I'll be using it for layering to savor my precious 0.34 oz of it.

The six-day Zoya Feel break from glitters and dramatic colors made Diamond in the Rough over black far more fun to wear than it otherwise would have been, so I'm glad for the timing.  It's something I'll have to remember when nothing seems to be much fun to wear no matter how fabulous it is - that's a hint that a change to neutrals for a bit is in order.

That's Diamond in the Rough, my return to fabulous sparkly things, and the update for today, so until next time, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Wet n Wild Diamond in the Rough

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

It seemed than an especially blingtastic mani was in order today, and that called for a Wet n Wild Color Icon nail polish.  I picked up three of them weeks and weeks ago, and today I'm wearing Diamond in the Rough, the charcoal one that's loaded up with tiny silver regular and holo hex glitter.  The hex glitter in Diamond in the Rough throws off more bright colors than any other I have, it's really cool.

Because I wanted to make the removal a little easier since I have a coat of soak off gel on, I started with a foundation of two coats of Illamasqua Boosh, their black creme.  I let each coat dry for a few minutes, then added one coat of Wet n Wild Diamond in the Rough.  I was prepared to part with two coats from the little 0.34 oz bottle, but the glitter in it is very dense and one was all I needed for layering.  I added a coat of Essie Good to Go to dry it, and I'm really impressed with the top coat.  It really dries polish fast without shrinking it and the brush doesn't pick up and color at all, which is ideal.   It's still a new one for me, so I'll continue to mention anything noteworthy about it as I try it for various things.

Despite the fact that its glitter is fine, Diamond in the Rough was surprisingly gritty after drying.  I did the manicure last night, added one additional coat of top coat to even it out before bed, and needed a third this morning.  It's still not glassy smooth, but it's smooth enough that it isn't annoying and looks shiny.  I took pictures maybe 12 hours or so after applying it in natural light.  The one I chose here is not the clearest of them, but the most accurate in terms of what Diamond in the Rough really looks like.

Wet n Wild Diamond in the Rough Nail Polish, One Coat over Black

See the bright colors reflected off the hex glitter in the center of the bottle?  That's the most accurate representation of what it really looks like - the reflected colors are very vivid, and shift from color to color as I move my hands.  I got a WTF??? look from a guy next to me in traffic at a light today as I was playing with it (I'm sure the look was about the idiot fascinated that she could move her hand rather than the polish!), and it's not even especially sunny today.  Here's a closer look at the glitter so you can see how I could get lost for a moment having fun with it.

Wet n Wild Diamond in the Rough Nail Polish, Closer Look at One Coat

Even though the density of one coat points to Diamond in the Rough only requiring 2-3 coats for opaque coverage, it's pretty likely I'll be using it for layering to savor my precious 0.34 oz of it.

The six-day Zoya Feel break from glitters and dramatic colors made Diamond in the Rough over black far more fun to wear than it otherwise would have been, so I'm glad for the timing.  It's something I'll have to remember when nothing seems to be much fun to wear no matter how fabulous it is - that's a hint that a change to neutrals for a bit is in order.

That's Diamond in the Rough, my return to fabulous sparkly things, and the update for today, so until next time, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Zoya Feel Collection

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I have the last of the Zoya Feel Collection to show you today, and that's Zoya Megan.  Zoya describes it as "taupe gray cream," and I can sign on for that.  I also see a bit of a lavender tinge in the bottle, but that really doesn't show up nearly as much on my hands.

This manicure is slightly different than the prior five in terms of the base used.  I cracked a couple nails on my right hand putting clean sheets on the bed over the weekend, so I did the long term repair of gluing the cracks and adding soak off gel.  With the weather changing, I figured I'd ward off additional cracks by just using one thin coat of Nubar Gelicure base coat and one of their soak off sealer on all ten nails.  It ended up being a really good ridge filling base, and I just applied two coats of Zoya Megan, which went on just as well as the previous five, and a coat of Essie Good to Go to dry it.  Over a very smooth base, Zoya Megan is even shinier than the others were.  I applied the color when I did the repairs yesterday, and it's raining today so I took this morning's picture under artificial light.

Zoya Megan Nail Polish, Two Coats

As promised, I'll put all of them in one place so you don't have to flip between pages to compare any.  To summarize, I'm just putting Zoya's color description, the picture, and a link to my full review of each, and I've tried to order them so similar colors are close together.

I think Carey is closest to Megan, and that's the "periwinkle gray cream."

Zoya Carey Nail Polish, Two Coats

Kristen is the "gull gray cream."

Zoya Kristen Nail Polish, Two Coats

Kendal moves us to the beiges, a "rose quartz beige cream."

Zoya Kendal Nail Polish, Two Coats

Kennedy is the "pale french beige cream."

Zoya Kennedy Nail Polish, Two Coats

The last is Avery, the "blonde beige cream."

Zoya Avery Nail Polish, Two Coats

The review summary is that I found all six to be exceptionally easy to apply and control, even, opaque, and super glossy in two coats, and to have a better than average drying time.  I think making choices from this collection really boils down to which colors seem like they'd work best for you, and even though Avery isn't great with my coloring, I think all six are solid updated versions of good neutral basics.

Wearing neutral cremes was a good break from glitter, just what I needed!  I'm ready for something more exciting though, and fortunately, I have good things to show you.  Until then, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

These products were sent by the manufacturer for review.

Zoya Feel Collection

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I have the last of the Zoya Feel Collection to show you today, and that's Zoya Megan.  Zoya describes it as "taupe gray cream," and I can sign on for that.  I also see a bit of a lavender tinge in the bottle, but that really doesn't show up nearly as much on my hands.

This manicure is slightly different than the prior five in terms of the base used.  I cracked a couple nails on my right hand putting clean sheets on the bed over the weekend, so I did the long term repair of gluing the cracks and adding soak off gel.  With the weather changing, I figured I'd ward off additional cracks by just using one thin coat of Nubar Gelicure base coat and one of their soak off sealer on all ten nails.  It ended up being a really good ridge filling base, and I just applied two coats of Zoya Megan, which went on just as well as the previous five, and a coat of Essie Good to Go to dry it.  Over a very smooth base, Zoya Megan is even shinier than the others were.  I applied the color when I did the repairs yesterday, and it's raining today so I took this morning's picture under artificial light.

Zoya Megan Nail Polish, Two Coats

As promised, I'll put all of them in one place so you don't have to flip between pages to compare any.  To summarize, I'm just putting Zoya's color description, the picture, and a link to my full review of each, and I've tried to order them so similar colors are close together.

I think Carey is closest to Megan, and that's the "periwinkle gray cream."

Zoya Carey Nail Polish, Two Coats

Kristen is the "gull gray cream."

Zoya Kristen Nail Polish, Two Coats

Kendal moves us to the beiges, a "rose quartz beige cream."

Zoya Kendal Nail Polish, Two Coats

Kennedy is the "pale french beige cream."

Zoya Kennedy Nail Polish, Two Coats

The last is Avery, the "blonde beige cream."

Zoya Avery Nail Polish, Two Coats

The review summary is that I found all six to be exceptionally easy to apply and control, even, opaque, and super glossy in two coats, and to have a better than average drying time.  I think making choices from this collection really boils down to which colors seem like they'd work best for you, and even though Avery isn't great with my coloring, I think all six are solid updated versions of good neutral basics.

Wearing neutral cremes was a good break from glitter, just what I needed!  I'm ready for something more exciting though, and fortunately, I have good things to show you.  Until then, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

These products were sent by the manufacturer for review.