Hola

Well hi everyone. How has your summer been going? Mine's been okay. Mostly classes, which are boring, but they need to get done. It's been hot, but where in the country hasn't been hot?

Uh, anyway. I needed and wanted to create a post, but I realized that I didn't really paint my nails so much this summer. I really have been rocking the base coat and nothing else pretty much. I've wore lacqure a few times, but not that much. Part of is because I was too lazy to do it. Another part is because I got a crack half way down my finger. Yeah, not fun. But I did a full blown mani today. Hurrah! I'll make a post about that tomorrow (I think) but until then here are the three polishes I actually put on my nails so far this summer. (I did a fourth-RBL's Sante Fe Road but I didn't remember to take photos of it.)

Cult Nails-Feel Me Up

Orly-Lunar Eclipse

Zoya-Edyta

I liked them all. Feel Me Up was the most difficult to work with, only because it's yellow and yellows are notoriously hard to work with. That was three coats and I was okay with it enough to stop there, although I feel a fourth would have worked out all the streaks I was having still at three coats. I'm sad I waited so long to wear Lunar Eclipse. It's a beautiful polish and I understand why everyone went crazy over that collection a few years ago. Edyta was gorgeous, but my pictures don't tell the story of it. It has shimmer and glitter that just didn't get picked up. It's the perfect dark green polish. I think it's one of those must haves polishes, especially if you like greens.

See, I told y'all I wasn't really wearing polish. I have to admit it's been nice to just wear my bare nails most of the time. I imagine I'll get out of it one of these days and run back to the color, but for now this has been it. Full mani post tomorrow. Hopefully. (Maybe Tuesday.)

Well Howdy

Hey guys. Long time no write huh? To be honest there isn't a real reason I didn't blog for almost three weeks. I was finished with school (although summer semester has just started), I didn't move or start a new job or anything like that. I just needed a bit of a break. I think I was wearing nail polish for this blog's sake and not because I love it. So...yeah, needed the time to just paint my nails at my own leisure. Wear a color for a few hours or up to a week. Wear a color again if I wanted to. Stuff like that. I needed to be selfish with my polish wearing.

And with that selfishness I wore quite a few polishes. They're below, with a few notes.

Man Glaze Lesbihonest-My first Man Glaze polish and holy crap I love it. I need to get a few more in my life. It's a bright fuchsia matte with shimmer. I can't even begin to explain how much I love this one, and you guys know pink isn't my favorite color (polish or not) in the world. Two coats and it was perfect.

Zoya Marina-I wore this after it had been overcast and cloudy for days in my part of the world. Lots of summer storms (and already two named tropical storms. Yay summer) already. Marina matched the cloudy, greyish dark skies. I got this polish in a swap with Refined and Polish, who is one of the sweetest people ever. She taking a break to finish up her doctoral degree, but her blog is one of the best out there. If you follow this one, you HAVE to follow hers. Two coats as well.

Hits Hera-Honestly, I just wanted to wear one of the few holos I have backlogged in my untrieds box and we had like one day of sun. Woo. This is a teal holo. It's so pretty and the picture doesn't even begin to show how beautiful the holo is. I did three coats of this one, but they were thin coats. Dried relatively fast and no top coat.

Zoya Jancyn and OPI Servin Up Sparkle-I also have quite a few Zoyas backlogged as well and wanted to get another one out the way. Jancyn is a bright almost tangerine orange. I've wanted this one since it first came out a few years ago. Unfortunately I didn't love the formula. It needed three coats and it went on funky and just...bah. I think someone with more patience who like orange would love the color. I put on SUS to add a bit to the orange creme. I actually really liked that look after SUS was added.

Zoya Jo-Talking about a polish I've wanted forever. And I looooves it. It's a cornflower blue with lots of blue shimmer. Much more than what you see in the picture. I did three coats of this one as well, but it dried quickly and I didn't have any problems with the formula. Now I know why everyone loves this polish. I think it's a must have for a collection. It's not terribly unique (nowadays) but it's a basic color you should just have.

Sinful Colors Athens-I just gushed about Jo and now I have to go to this. I don't like this polish. I didn't like the color once I had it on my nails, I didn't like the formula. It looked better in the bottle than on me. Meh. No need to really talk about this one more.

A-England Order of the Garter-A denim blue with glass flecks. Yes. Just a beautiful polish from a great company. OotG is from the latest A-England collection, The Legends. It's the one non-holo and what a non-holo polish it is. I needed three coats, but other than that it was great. Drying time was a bit slow, but I don't know how much of that is the polish or the fact that I used three coats, with the second and third coats being relatively thick. But other than that it's a great polish.

So as you can see I did indeed wear a good bit of polish during the past three weeks. I also wore IKB again because, well I could and it needs to be worn as often as possible. I don't know how blogging will go from now on. I guess when the mood strikes me. I might do a post with just one polish, I may do one with seven again. At least I'll have an excuse this time? Anyway, I hope things have been going well with all of you. Any plans for the summer? I hope it's more interesting then taking summer classes like me.

Zoya-Gemma

Another quick post. Just have to make it through this week and then I'm free. Well, for a month and then it's summer semester. Sigh.

Anyway, Gemma is a muted green base with purple shimmer in it. The base actually reminds me of a lighter Dree. The shimmer glows and it gives the polish that lit from within look. I see why everyone and their mama loved this polish when it was first released Spring 2011. (Do the kids still say that phrase?)

Hoping the shimmer is more visible with this one. A bit.

The formula on this was nice and buttery like most Zoya polishes. It took three coats for complete coverage, but that's okay. Dry time was slower than most Zoyas, but I chalk that up to the three coats. This is a fantastic polish and if you like green or shimmers then this is a must have. Kind of pissed it took me this long to get and wear this polish. Fail moment right there.

Zoya-Lotus

I know everyone has seen this a lot already. But bare with me here.

Lotus is a medium to dark purple polish with pink shimmer. I love this so much. It's one of those where you think the darkness of the base color would overtake the shimmer, but it doesn't. The shimmer is beautiful in the light and give a bit of a lit from within look.

The formula on this was perfect. It was smooth going on and I had no problems. I maybe could have done one coat, but I did two. It dried well; not the fastest but not the slowest. Basically the typical awesome Zoya polish. This is my Easter mani. Not a cute design, but it's springy and pretty and that's enough for me. Hope you all have a Happy Easter! :)

Zoya-Dree and Finger Paints-Flecked

Because Zoya is having a nice little promotion for the new year and since I just bought that and will be buying the new spring colors soon as well I thought I'd wear my last Zoya just sitting there. And I'm so disappointed in myself that I didn't wear this sooner.

indoors, artificial light

Dree is a dark olive/army green creme. Not much to describe it but it's so beautiful. I love these types of colors and it was a big trend during the fall so Zoya was right on time with this one. The formula was okay. Not amazing, but good. Two coats was all I needed and it dried well. I'd been lusting after this color the minute I saw swatches of it on blogs last, what, September I think. And yet I didn't wear it until now. I have no idea why, but I tend to be weird like that. Anyway, this is great polish. I know not everyone is a fan of greens but if you are this is definitely one that needs to be in your collection.

indoors, artificial light

Since I have the Finger Paints flakies still just hanging out (I know they have an official collection name, but you all know what I'm talking about anyway) I decided to top this off with Flecked. Flecked is the green/blue flakie. With this mani I definitely see more green, but in the right light the blue comes out as well.

blurry. sorry. but i was trying to show the green and blue in the flakies.

Now, my pictures of this is crap and I know it. This is one that looks 100x better in person than in the picture. The green and the blue just wouldn't show up on my camera for some reason. But the shock of light emerald green and blue on the olive/army base is just awesome to me.

another shot. hoping yall can see more blue in this one.

With all that said, I think I like Dree as a polish on its own. The color is so unique you don't need something else with it. However, if you wanted to add some flash I would recommend Flecked. The brighter green in the flakie really does pop off the dark olive base. And that's it. If you don't have Dree make sure to pick it up during Zoya's promotion. $6.95 for two polishes? You should already be sold on it by now (unless you're overseas at which case, sorry guys. :( )

Zoya-Yara

This is going to be another quick post because, as always, I have no time. At least this time it's not because of school. At least not primarily.

indoors, artificial light

Yara is a part of Zoya's fall Smoke and Mirrors collection. I really only liked three colors and this is the second one of those (reviewed Neeka already). I have another to show you guys...eventually. Whenever I get to it. Anyway, Yara is a olive green creme with gold glitter in it. I know someone else (sorry I don't remember who!) said that she thought the glitter was yellow, but I think it leans more gold. It's very pretty and even though they're complimentary colors I wouldn't think of creating a polish like this.

indoors, artificial light. close up.

The formula was great. Two thin coats and it was fine. It dried pretty well too. I think the glitter shows up better in the bottle, but that's pretty par for the course with glitters/shimmers and everything like it.

indoors, artificial light.

This was a pretty crap review, but sometimes there isn't a lot to say. Great formula, good dry time, and the polish is pretty. It's a little something extra in the sea of olive/army/military greens that is in season for fall this year.

Zoya-Sienna

Late, but this is what I wore for Halloween. I actually forgot I had this polish until I was going through my untrieds box trying to find something that wasn't so dark. I'm a bit dark polish out and all I have right now is dark polishes. So even though it's probably a summer polish the orange fit the day so let's go.

indoors, artificial light

Sienna is a orange glitter/flakie/shimmer. I don't even know. I just know when I look at it I see orange and gold shining back at me. I actually wish more brands released sparkly orange polishes for Halloween instead of the greens/blacks/greys/reds. I only ever see the orange cremes (I know Wet N Wild did one this year, but eh).

outdoors

This one is sheer as you can tell. I did two coats (because I'm lazy) and you can definitely see VNL. But I don't mind it. The polish is so gorgeous you don't notice it. The formula on this was okay. A bit streaky at one thin coat; evened well at two. The drying time was average. Nothing to write home about but nothing to complain about either.

indoors. closeup

I was going to add some of those Halloween stickers or maybe a black crackle on top, just to get more into the spirit, but I didn't have the heart to do it. I love this so much I don't want to take away from the prettiness. So this will do for today.

outdoors

I'm pretty sure this is my favorite orange polish. It has to be, right?

Zoya-Neeka

So much work to do this month you guys. This whole college stuff is getting old. But to combat that I finally (FINALLY!) put on one of the three Zoyas I have from the fall collection. Every time I wear Zoya I remember why it's probably my favorite nail brand out there.

outdoors. not a great pic, but you can see the glitter.

Neeka is a dark purple creme with lots of gold glitter. I must say the color was much darker than I was anticipating. But I'm happy about that. I love dark purples and for some reason I've had this desire to see dark colors with glitters in it. The formula, as always, was amazing. Two even not too thick or thin coats that dried quickly. Serious perfection.

indoors, artificial light. closeup to see the gold glitter.

I think my top coat dulled the effect a little. The gold wasn't as prominent and that's unfortunate because it really makes the polish. However, you can definitely see it and it pops against the purple.

indoors, artificial light

I think this is one of the best colors of all the fall polishes released so far. It's pretty damn awesome and I haven't seen one bad word said against it yet. There's a reason for that.

Zoya-Caitlin

Just a quick post today because I've got a crazy amount of schoolwork to do if I actually want to enjoy the 4th. Plus, I'm pretty sure everyone has seen this polish one too many times already.

indoors

Caitlin was a part of Zoya's Spring Collection from this year. It's a muted purple grey creme. When this collection first came out this was the only one I was actually excited about and after finally getting it it doesn't disappoint.

indoors, flash

What does disappoint is the formula. Now, I've had a great streak with Zoya cremes so far. I've only had to do one coat with every one of them so far. No dice with this one. The first coat is streaky and a second is a must to even things out. And the drying time was another downer. It didn't dry as fast as other Zoya cremes for me. But again, I only used one coat with those so that's probably why.

outdoors

With all that said, I really do love this polish. I feel like this is a professional polish without having to go all the way conservative. It's a nice one to have in the collection.

Zoya-Areej

This is going to be a short post. I have no idea what's going on with Blogger and I don't want to congest it. Areej was a part of the Summertime Summer collection from Zoya that was released this April. It's a medium dark pink creme that's pretty true in color on the nail as in the bottle. It's a bit darker in real life than in the pictures.

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Like every Zoya creme I've used, this was great. One coat. Dried quick. No problems whatsoever. My biggest problem with this polish is that I don't love he color. I don't know why, but to me I feel that it's a bit mature for my 25 years. Although I'm also a bit crazy so who knows? Anyway, I added a little something to it after it dried.

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Silver Shatter. I found it at my local Ulta and said what the hell and bought it. I'm a bit in love with it. It shatters really well, but not so quick that you can't go over and make sure you cover the entire nail. I liked this, but no one else did. Eh, oh well. What are you going to do?

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Anyway, that's Areej. It's a nice color and if you're getting the entire collection I see no reason not to have it. Another perfect Zoya creme.

Zoya-Raven

Even though blue is my favorite color (and my favorite nail polish color) and for the past few months I've been feeling oranges like whoa, I love black nail polish. LOVE IT. It started in middle school when my mother wouldn't allow me to buy any black clothing (I don't know y'all) so I put the black on my nails. It continued through high school and college until my polish hiatus. So even though I haven't worn it in about a year and a half I still love it. What's a shame is that I haven't seen too many people in the blogging community wear it. But I came on the nail blogging scene about a year ago so maybe I just missed everyone rocking the black.

Anyhoo, I've been in a black nail polish mood recently so I decided to paint them black. I haven't taken it off yet because, again, I love it so much and I don't really want to yet. I guess I'll have to eventually. And since I had Zoya Raven sitting in my untried pile I decided to finally try it.

indoors

The first thing I noticed about Raven was that it was thick. Which is a bit surprising to me cause I have yet to meet a Zoya polish that was thick. I mean, it wasn't so thick that it caused me trouble, but it definitely wasn't the Zoya cremes norm. I did get it off of a blogsale, so maybe the previous owner had it for a long time? I don't know. Anyway, because of the thick/sticky nature of it I only did one coat. I probably should have done two, but I was satisfied with the look with one.

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Again, it wasn't a problem to deal with in applying. Relatively easy. It dried fast, which is the norm for Zoya cremes. However, I didn't get too much wear out of it. It chipped like hell. Now, maybe this is because I started using an old base coat I had put away for winter (Barielle Hydrating Ridge Filler) but I didn't like that it chipped after less than a day. Oh well. I'll be changing it soon anyway.

After having it on for about a day I decided to pull out my Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure and do a bit of an accent. I like the look, but you guys tell me. I usually can't judge these things too well.

indoors

Can I go on a mini rant here? Whatever happened to Hidden Treasure in the blog community? I remember when this was all the rage and everyone just HAD to have it. Now? I don't hear too much about it. I think I've seen one person use it recently. I'm just saying we move on so quickly we forget about some of the awesome stuff we bought. And I'm definitely including myself in that. If I hadn't happen to glance at it out the corner of my eye I wouldn't have used it. I don't know, I'm just saying maybe we need to remember some of the awesome polishes we have in our collection.

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Okay, rant over. In fact, if you totally disagree with me forget I ever said it. Anyway, I like this. I wish it was as thick as it was, but all I need to do is add some polish thinner to my bottle. I still haven't gotten Wet N Wild Black (*hangs head in shame*) and when I do you guys better believe there'll be a post. :D I miss wearing black nails all time. Glad I used this.

Zoya-Ibiza

Another blue for Autism Awareness Month. Little story here-when I was first getting back into nail polish one of the first polishes I saw was Ibiza. I wanted it immediately. There's no way I could resist a dark navy blue creme that just looks flawless. Actually, I still can't resist it. Anyway, it took me about a year to get it. I waited until Zoya had that three polishes free promo in January to order and for some reason I never put it on. Silly since I've wanted this for a while. But I'm finally wearing it and...yeah, I'm in love.

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So, do I even need to go into the drill with a Zoya creme anymore? You guys know how it is-amazing formula, one coater, went on like a dream, dried quickly. Well, quickly for a dark color. In the bottle it looks navy blue, but on the nail it's a bit darker. In the light you can really see the blue in it, but it does have that "so dark blue it looks black" thing going on.

indoors, artificial light

The only problem I have with it is how little blue you can see without the light. It would be nice if it was a bit lighter, just so the color shows up more. But outside of that I have no complaints. How could I? It's just a gorgeous color that's right up my blue loving heart's alley.

indoors, artificial light, flash

indoors, artificial light, flash

Zoya-Faye

Whew, finally at the end of my Zoya BOGO order. I have to be honest, I was hesitant when I bought this and then when I got it. My reason for getting it was that I wanted to get something outside of my comfort zone. I decided on Faye because it seemed to be the most unique out of all the colors Zoya put out for the Summer collection. Even when my package finally came I was all "glitter? why did I get this again?" But I finally put it on this weekend and...

indoors, artificial light

Wow. Simply wow. It's a light to medium purple with gold glitter. There are also hints of pink and green glitter in there as well. The pictures DO NOT do this polish justice. And it's not just my pictures either. No swatch I've seen of this polish does it justice. It's one of those you have to have to see just how good it is. Looking at this, I finally understand why people go crazy over holos. It's just that pretty.

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Formula was okay if a bit thin. Went on very sheer, even thick coats which I did on the hand not shown here. Dried okay I supposed. Not as fast as other polishes in the Summer/Summertime/Mod collection from Zoya. I know that others who have already swatched this used three coats, but I only used two because I liked it with two coats.

I can't believe I'm saying this because glitters usually aren't my cup of tea, but I totally suggest getting this the next time you do a Zoya order. It's PERFECT for Summer, or a Winter pick me up. Or hell, just because.

outdoors, sunlight

Zoya-Mira

Another from the new Summer Collection. And I think this may be my favorite, even over the mattes.

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Mira is a medium purple creme. The formula, like with every Zoya creme I have ever tried, went on smoothly and perfectly. I could have done one coat if I really wanted to, but I opted for two just because. Drying time was good, but I used Seche Vite on top cause I didn't have the time to let this dry. With that said, the shine on the polish itself was good.

indoors, artificial light

I wish there was something more I can say. Another great Zoya creme. What more needs to be said? As much as I love my mattes, I'm thinking I love the cremes most of all in this collection. But I'm a creme polish lover anyway. I think what puts this on top for me over Breezi is that I don't have a dupe for this in my collection. The pictures don't do this justice. It shows dark purple in the pictures, but it's not that dark. It's perfect for summer.

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Zoya-Phoebe

Just a quick post today. My other mani was getting some chips so I changed to the last matte in Zoya's modmatte collection, Phoebe. Phoebe is a medium blue with shimmer. I love this one just like I like the other two mattes in this collection. It went on well in three coats-the first coat was thin but the second and third I put on thickly. It dried faster for me than both Lolly and Mitzi, which I wasn't expecting. I didn't have trouble with the formula, but like most mattes you have to work quickly.

outdoors, natural light. not true to color

I think that's it. Like I said, quick post since I changed polishes so soon after my  last one. Oh, one last thing. I got chips within two hours from both Mitzi and Lolly. I've had this on for a few hours now and no chips. And no topcoat. Phoebe wins.

indoors. truest to color but still a twinge too light