Zoya Posh with Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure and China Glaze Matte Magic

Ohhh man. This was such a gorgeous manicure to wear. I know most of you are probably tired of seeing Hidden Treasure manis, but I haven't posted one yet! For this, I applied one coat of Posh and let it dry completely. Then I applied one slightly thick coat of Hidden Treasure, and also let that dry completely. Then I applied a thin coat of Matte Magic.

 I really love the end result. It reminded me of red jasper, which is one of my favorite semi-precious stones.

So pretty. I love all the different facets of color in Hidden Treasure. It goes from green to orange to gold, and is sometimes all three at once. I really need to get my hands on more flakies. Or I guess I should say I really need to get more flakies on my hands, haha.

Zoya Swatchapalooza!

Finally! I'm able to post my Zoya Polish Exchange swatches! I wanted to get these up as soon as possible, so that, if you're thinking about participating in the Exchange, you'd have an idea of some of their shades. (Mixed in with my 10 Exchange polishes [the other 6 went to my mom] are my 3 polishes I got from the LIPPY code a while back.) Also: Sorry for the messiness of these swatches! I did my best to keep them clean, but, well, I was running on very little sleep, haha. Oh, and if you have any questions about a particular polish (application, opacity, etc.), just ask!

Note: All are taken in lighting that allows for their true colors to be shown. All polishes are shown without basecoat or topcoat, except for Roxy, which has one coat of basecoat, then two coats polish, then one coat of topcoat. Also, I apologize for the random pieces of fuzz/cat hair. Those always seem to sneak into pictures somehow!

My Zoya collection.

I just wanted to show you all some quick nail wheel swatches of my Zoya collection, to give you an idea of a few more Zoya colors that you could add to your Zoya Polish Exchange order. All of these except for Akyra, Anastasia, and Cassi have been swatched on my blog.

From L to R: Akyra, Anastasia, Cassi, Envy, Gwin, Irene, Kaufda, Posh, Richelle, Suvi

(without flash)

(with flash)

1. Akyra - metallic blackened teal with blue undertones
2. Anasasia - purple/brown with golden brown and plum duochrome (has glitter)
3. Cassi - strawberry milkshake pink (has glitter)
4. Envy - dark, almost black green
5. Gwin - melon/orange with gold, green, and yellow flash
6. Irene - metallic moss green with golden brown undertones
7. Kaufda - metallic rustic orange/copper/red
8. Posh - matte wine red with slight matte shimmer
9. Richelle - shimmery, slightly bronzed gold with foil finish
10. Suvi - metallic smoky evergreen

I will have 16 more Zoyas to swatch once I get my Polish Exchange order, so keep an eye out for that post!

Zoya Kaufda.

Kaufda is one of what I like to call the "unsung heroes" of the Zoya polish family. Seriously, this color is gorgeous. It's a wonderful rustic orangey reddish copper. I just love colors like this. Really earthy, but still super pretty.

Application was flawless, as usual. It was a teensy bit sheer on the first coat, so I ended up doing two more, just to even things out. And it's seriously long-wearing! Mine lasted seven days before I finally took it off because I was starting to get sick of it, haha. The worst wear I had was from where my nails were growing out.

Also, note the nubbins. They were even worse. In fact, they were so bad, they hurt whenever I bumped my fingertips. They're doing so much better now. I've got some growth past my fingertips again, which is great.

Now. I know I had promised to swatch Akyra for you all. HOWEVER. When I went to put it on, that sucker would not dry! Seriously, I didn't do anything different than what I normally do, and I didn't pile on an excessive amount of polish. It just wouldn't dry! It actually ended up peeling off. Literally peeling. It was awful.

I'll get my Zoya nail wheel up soon, so that you guys can have an idea of a few more of Zoyas colors, just in case you're planning on participating in the Polish Exchange.

Zoya Gwin.

This is seriously one pretty polish. I picked it up during that NYFW sale that Zoya had a while back, along with Akyra, a new basecoat, and Anastasia (for my mom). My swatch definitely doesn't show half the beauty of this polish. It's an amazing melon/orange with green and gold flash.

I really wish I would have gotten better pictures of this polish. At least you can somewhat see the yellow-gold flash.

My ankle is doing much better today! I think maybe I didn't actually sprain it. It just definitely felt like I did. Really, I'm surprised it didn't break. I've sprained this ankle before, meaning it's weaker, meaning it's more prone to breakage.

I have so many packages on the way with stuff to review for you all! My Zoya Exchange picks (Well, actually, those won't be here for a while. I'm mailing out my trade-ins tomorrow.), four lip lustre samples from Fyrinnae (Type A, Bloodstains, Hair Dye, and Meloncholy. These probably won't be here for a while, either), OPI Damone Roberts 1968, Demeter Honeysuckle (from HauteLook), A few things from the LORAC HauteLook sale (Sheer Peach Gloss Stick, Sheer Berry Gloss Stick, and Groovy Fruit Lip Polish)..

And two other amazing packages! The first is a swap with Stephanie of Imperfectly Painted. She had a spare Hidden Treasure and offered to swap with me for Opulent Cloud! I'm insanely excited about this.

Also on the way is an RAOK from an amazing woman on MUA. She saw I was new to MUA, and offered to send me a decant of BPAL's The Unicorn. Huzzah! My first BPAL!

What's really exciting, though, is that I barely spent any money on all of these packages. The most expensive will be the Zoyas, but I'm also recycling a ton of polishes, so it pretty much evens out.

Whew. That's a lot of stuff. Tons of posts for those weeks in June, which is awesome. Oh, and I should have more Zoya for you tomorrow.

Oh! If you haven't yet, add me on twitter! I'm having so much fun talking to those of you who are following me on there. :D

Zoya Irene.

Zoya Irene was actually my St. Patrick's Day manicure. I know, that was over a month ago. I've actually got a few manicures stored away that are even older than that. I told you I was behind!

I got this polish during Zoya's Green Friday event, and I can't believe I waited so long to try it out. It's gorgeous! It's an amazing olive-toned green that even has a bit of gold in it. It reminds me of caramel apples. Mmm. Application and formula were both wonderful.

Speaking of Zoya, I finally have figured out the colors I'm getting for the exchange!

Adina, Jo, Kiki, Kotori, Mimi, Roxy, Savita, Yasmeen, Yummy, and Zara are mine. Drew, Evangeline, Harley, Marcella, Midori, and Shivon are my mom's. I'm also giving six old polishes to each of my sisters-in-law so that they can get some polishes from the exchange, as well.

So if you follow me on twitter, you know that I sprained my ankle today. I was helping my mom carry some stuff down some stairs, and I tripped on the last frakking stair and landed on my ankle. Yeah, it hurt. So now I'm stuck in bed and am going crazy. On the plus side, I'll be getting a ton of blogging done in the next few weeks. And hopefully I'll be able to get my posts queued up for my trip in June.

In addition to spraining my ankle, another crappy thing that happened to me? I STILL can't find Hidden Treasure! It's so frustrating. My Walgreens around town don't even have the display for it! Ughhh.

Anyway, I hope you all had a better day than I did! And if not, hopefully the following pictures of my sleepy cat will put a smile on your face!

Zoya Nail Polish Exchange

I know by now you all have heard about the Zoya Polish Exchange. I didn't know about Zoya last year, so obviously I didn't participate. I plan on joining in on the fun this year, though, and I think I have figured out the polishes I'm going to swap.

All of these polishes are absolutely craptastic. I suppose my utterly craptastic webcam photo is appropriate then, haha.

From L to R: Orly Tennis Anyone?, Sally Hansen Lightening, Sally Hansen Unnamed sheer ugly nude, Sally Hansen Disco Ball, Ms. Manicure White, Sally Hansen Cinna-snap, Ms. Manicure sheer pink, Avon Herringbone

Seriously, these colors are horrible. Actually, I have so many polishes that I'd love to swap out, but I don't want the bill to get too hefty, you know?

I plan on swapping these for Ivanka, Ivy, Kiki, Kotori, Roxy, Savita, Yasmeen, and Yummy.

Are you going to participate? What are you going to swap/swap for?

(Just in case you have no idea what I'm talking about, click here to learn more about the Zoya Polish Exchange.)

ETA: Yeah, I just went through my stash again, and found eight more polishes I'd love to exchange. Maybe I'll hold onto those until June, and exchange them then.

The other eight:

From L to R: Covergirl Wedding White, Sally Hansen Liberated Lilac, Sally Hansen Brick Wall, Sally Hansen Crushed, Sally Hansen Clearly Quick, Finger Paints Papier-Mâché, Covergirl Electric Blue, Sally Hansen Whirlwind White

Zoya sale!

Just letting you all know, Zoya is having a sale in honor of New York Fashion Week. Spend $10 and get two polishes free! Just use code NYFW. I took the opportunity to order a new bottle of basecoat, Gwin and Akyra (both of which I've been wanting for some time), and then Anastasia for my mom (..and for me. It looks so pretty!). Their blog says it goes from Wednesday until Friday, but I just used it, and it worked fine. If you've never tried Zoya, I suggest taking this opportunity to try a few polishes. Or if you have tried them before, get even more! They're a newish brand to me, but their color range is so extensive, and I really like their formula.

Click here to read more, and happy shopping!

(I am in no way associated with Zoya, Art of Beauty, Qtica, or any of their affiliates. I just enjoy sharing information about sales with my fellow beauty-lovers. I get no commission whatsoever.)

Triple review, oh my.

I'm still attempting to catch up on all the posts I promised. I've still got..four? polish reviews left, and one product review. It'll be nice to be all caught up!

First up: Nina Ultra Pro Sailor

This polish..The color is beautiful. Application was great. Wear, however, was not. It started chipping almost right away, and didn't stop until I finally took it off (on the third day). I think the topcoat is to blame in this case, though. I was running low on Poshe, so I was trying to use it sparingly, and then, stupid me, put a polish lid on the Poshe bottle. A yellow polish lid. So, as you can imagine, that was disastrous. There was yellow in my topcoat! It was horrible. So I had to revert back to Seche Vite, which I barely had any of. It just..it was a disaster. That's also why these nails look all scratched and dull and, well, crappy. Let this be a lesson for you all! Always have a good bottle of topcoat on hand! Topcoats work wonders. This polish is also insanely difficult to photograph. None of the pictures were turning out color-accurate! The second one is probably the closest, though. I think. It's just this great true navy that's navy in every light.

Second: Orly Iron Butterfly

I did this polish at night, at about 10:00 PM. I needed something that would dry quickly, since I was exhausted from a long day at the university. I like this color. It had a nice edge to it, while still being pretty. I wasn't blown away by it, though. Application was good, this was, I think, two coats. It was pretty much opaque in one coat, though. Wear time, as with most mattes, was not so great. I think it lasted a little over a day. Anyway, onto the pictures. This first picture is pre-cleanup, two coats, no topcoat. Since my nails look so horribly messy, I decided to use my bottle of Le Petit Prince EDT, to add a little bit of cute into the picture and to detract from my messy nails, haha. I ended up adding a topcoat (Iron Butterfly with topcoat is the second picture), though, because I was going to a facial the next day and in that process, my hands get covered in lotion and then put into these little hand warmer things. Lotion would have ruined the matte finish of this polish.

And lastly: Zoya Envy

Great, great color. Sort of a mossy, dark green. In a way, it reminded me of pool algae. Is that weird? It was a bit darker than I had anticipated, but it was still pretty. It only really showed up as green in certain lights, though, which was a bit of a bummer. Application was nice, and it was opaque in two coats. Wear was not so great, but I blame this on lack-of-good-topcoat, once again. With this polish, I was actually using Orly Sec 'N' Dry, which I really do not like. It definitely did not dry my polish quickly. At all. I'm probably just going to end up using it for my toes, because I really don't want to waste it. It also seriously dulled the shininess of this polish, and made it get scuffed really easily. I'm so happy I got my hands on a new bottle of Poshe on Thursday. Also, I only have one picture of this polish, and it's a bit blurry. I was in a hurry when I was taking these pictures, and didn't realize they were all horrible until it was too late. This picture is pretty color-accurate, though. Oh, and one other thing. This polish STAINED. Seriously, staining was horrific. My nails, my fingers, everything was mossy green. And I used a basecoat! I just don't get it.

Woohoo! I'm almost caught up! I'm really sorry for the lack of posts this past month. Things have been crazy here! It's getting better, though, so hopefully posting will be back to normal soon.

Double Review: Essie Mint Candy Apple and Zoya Richelle

Happy New Year! Yes, I know this is quite a few days late, but I just haven't had the time until now to post. Sorry about that! Actually, things are going to be crazy these next few days. I'm starting my second semester at the university tomorrow. I also have a little party happening on Friday, and then Saturday's my birthday. So, yeah, this week is going to be kind of hectic. Anyway, onto the review!

I know I promised to review Essie Mint Candy Apple, but, sadly, I had to delete my pictures before I could get them on my computer. Well, actually, it's not all that sad. They were horrible pictures. Definitely not color-accurate at all. I had to delete them, though, because I went on a scavenger hunt on New Year's Eve with a bunch of my friends, and I had to use my camera to take pictures and videos for the hunt. I had a blast. Probably one of the best New Year's parties I've been to.

Anyway, I guess I can just tell you my thoughts on MCA. The color is great. A very, very pale mint green with blue undertones. I can see this color in the spring, but it's also most definitely a winter color. There's something very cold and wintry about it. Super cute. However. Application was horrendous. The polish was thick, and it took forever to dry, even with a fast-dry top coat. I think I had to use four coats, and it still kind of looked like crap, especially around the cuticle area. It just..wasn't good. The color was pretty, though, so I'll try it again at some point, and possibly get some pictures into this post for it.

Okay, now for Richelle. This was my New Year's mani. I absolutely love this color. It's a bright, shimmery, in-your-face gold. A bit ostentatious, really. But in the best way possible. It's probably the goldest gold I've ever seen, though. Some golds can be a bit yellowy or even a bit silver or bronze. But no. This is GOLD. Application was great, too. I want to say I did three coats. I probably could have gotten away with two, but I always do three, just to be safe. I bought this polish during the Green Friday madness. Originally it was going to be my Christmas color, but when I saw it, I just knew I had to use it for New Year's. I know gold polish isn't for everyone, but I love it. In 11th grade I had a bit of an obsession, trying to find the best gold. I never did find it then. But now I think I have. It's perfect, and, in my opinion, really works with my skin tone. Here are a few pictures:

Both picture are with flash, indoors. See just how shiny it is? It's definitely got that foil effect going on.

Merry Christmas (officially)!

Merry Christmas all! I know I'm really, really late in posting this, but I've been busy since I woke up this morning with family things and whatnot. I did manage to get a few shots of my manicure, though they're a bit blurry. Oh well! I used Zoya Posh for the thumb, middle, and pinky fingers and Zoya Suvi for the index and ring fingers. These are the first Zoyas I've ever used, and I must say, I liked them okay. Suvi does not play well with others, that's for sure. But once it dried, it was gorgeous. I think I did three coats of each polish. The wear on Posh was actually pretty good. I did use a base coat, though. I know you're not supposed to, but I just let it dry all the way before applying, and it was fine. Suvi has one coat of Seche Vite. I had originally planned to do a funky french with the base being Posh and the tips being Suvi, but I completely messed it up when I was taking off the sticker guide things. I still really liked this manicure, even though it was insanely simple. My main goal was to really showcase the contrast between the matte and the glossy, and I think this did it well.

Overall, I thought it turned out really well. Like I said in my other Christmas post, I got several compliments on it. I think next up I'm going to try Essie Mint Candy Apple. Maybe. I did get new polishes for Christmas, after all!

Actually, I got a lot of great stuff for Christmas:

- OPI You Don't Know Jacques!, which I've been wanting for quite some time. Another polish I got was Essie Very Cranberry, which is a gorgeous berry red. I think I'm going to wear it for when I start classes again, because it's cute and a little sexy, but it's not insanely crazy and out there. Very pretty color.

- Lip Service Lip Deluxe Sampler, which is absolutely amazing. I've been wanting this set for so, so long. I've only had a chance to try one of them so far, the Korres Guava Lipstick in Wine Red, and I absolutely adored it. I think I'm going to do the DuWop Private Red for New Years, because it seems like it'll be the perfect red for that.

- I've been needing good makeup brushes for a long, long time, and today I received the Sephora Brand Perfect Ten brush set. It's pink! And shiny! I love it so much. I used some of the brushes tonight, and they're soo soft.

- 1960s Vintage Inspired Gold Tone Pen Necklace from 1928 Jewelry. I've been dying to have a pen necklace for so long. They're so librarian chic. Love!

- Shoes, glorious shoes! I got a pair of Candie's black suede-like platforms that have silver pointy studs all over the heel and strap. They're so similar to the Christian Louboutin Mad Marys. I love them so, so much. I also got a pair of brown patent platform penny loafers by Apt. 9. When I first saw these shoes in the store, I kind of thought they were hideous and kind of old-looking. But then I tried them on, and got a total 70s vibe! They're amazing. Cute in, once again, that librarian chic sort of way. They'll look amazing with a pair of flared jeans, too, to give them that sort of vintage look.

- Season 2 of Flight of the Conchords and Season 2 of Supernatural. I've been wanting these for a while, but they're so expensive. So when I was in Target during Black Friday, I pointed them out to my mom, because they were only about 12 dollars because of the sale. I guess she must have picked them up then.

- The Village on DVD and a Bath and Body Works gift card. I got these from my parents' friends. I've been wanting this movie for such a long time. And I absolutely love Bath and Body Works!

- And here's the big one. Chanel Coco Mademoiselle EDT! I am ecstatic about this! I thought I would never own it, but I do! I do! It smells heavenly, just like every other time I've smelled it (Recently, anyway. I actually used to hate it. I guess my preferences are evolving.)!

I had a wonderful Christmas. I got to spend time with my family, and we all just relaxed and had an overall highly enjoyable day. I really hope your day was just as good as mine.

Jean