Autumn Nail Art Challenge--Blue

This week's Autumn Nail Art Challenge ended up forming in a very similar manner as last week's green manicure. I took out all of my blues, played around with different combinations and then just decided to go crazy with a bunch of colors. Say 'hello' to this week's manicure for the Autumn Nail Art Challenge...

Blue

 Polishes used: Zoya Rocky, Rebel, Mosheen, Liberty, Song, Remy, Ryan

Not super autumnal, but still beautiful in its own right. :)



Take a look at the other fabulous autumn manicures:
http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=448823

 

Feel free to join in at any time!

Autunn Nail Art Challenge--Green

In the autumn most things are changing color and taking on more vibrant hues. That being said, green is not very high on my list of autumnal colors. Trying to be inspired, I took out nearly every green polish I owned, put a few away, and used the rest. Here is the result for...

Green

I think it kind of looks like leaves. Due to the leaf-like nature of this manicure, I decided to see how the leaves would look on trees...

Not sure which I prefer. It was fun to experiment and play with my greens:)

Polishes used: Zoya Neely, Vespa, Bevin, Evvie, Chita, Veruschka, Suvi, Hunter, Edyta
Take a look at the other fabulous autumn manicures:
http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=448820

Halloween Nail Art Compilation

Halloween is just 10 days away and many people might still be looking for that perfect Halloween manicure to either compliment their attire or enhance their costume. I thought it might be fun to create a link up that has a bunch of these manicures to share and to inspire others. I was going to use a link up tool that has thumbnails, however mine is not working so here is the next best thing. Please leave your link and feel free to add the link up to your blog as well!

Get the widget: <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.simply-linked.com/listwidget.aspx?l=12FFA922-5A0D-4862-9F6A-8366A9FFD685" ></script>

Halloween Nail Art

Zoya Wishes Winter/Holiday 2014 Press Release

Wishes...
 really do come true with this magical new nail polish collection for Winter/Holiday 2014! 

 

Zoya Wishes is a densely pigmented assortment featuring both traditional and Magical PixieDust* formulas in coordinating color combinations that can be worn alone or combined into stunning combinations, no matter how you wear them, this collection delivers a fanciful way to celebrate the season!

 

ZP766 - NORI: Sapphire blue Magical PixieDust* with holographic hex glitter, perfect for any holiday festivity. 
ZP767 - THEA: Deep amethyst Magical PixieDust* with an orchid flash, packed full of party-ready holographic hex glitter.
ZP768 - IMOGEN: Black crystal Magical PixieDust* with holographic hex glitter, just add an LBD and you’re off! 
ZP769 - PRIM: Velvet blue metallic, with a full coverage, high-density pigment and buttery smooth application. 
ZP770 - HAVEN: True holiday plum liquid metal with a thin vein of orchid for added brilliance. 
ZP771 - WILLA: Full-coverage, onyx black cream.

* Zoya Magical PixieDust is textured, matte and sparkling. No base coat and top coat required.

PRE-ORDER STARTS 10/20/14!
SHIPPING DATE 11/01/14.

ZOYA IS THE HEALTHY COLOR OF FASHION!

$9 (US) Standard Colors
$10 (US) - PixieDust Colors 
Available in top salons, spas and on zoya.com

SinfulColors Halloween 2014 Wicked Color Collection

Press Samples

I was fortunate enough to be able to try some of the newest polishes released by SinfulColors for their Wicked Color Halloween Collection (all polishes shown in graphic below). They sent me five of these fun polishes to try: Glow In The Dark, Mystery Moonshine, Pumpkin Spice, Cauldron Couture, and Splatter Spell.

Glow In The Dark is described as "Ghoulishly fluorescent." Shown above in indirect light and in complete darkness. I only used one coat of the polish and let the polish and my hands sit in direct sunlight before taking either photograph. In direct sunlight (below) the polish appears to have particles within it and is not completely clear.

 Mystery Moonshine is festively described as "Multi-colored confetti." This polish truly resembles confetti with its irregular foil pieces in copper, emerald, and periwinkle floating in its clear base. Above one and two coats of this MardiGras-esque polish are shown. Below, two coats of Mystery Moonshine are shown over a bright periwinkle polish (SinfulShine Alfresco).

 Pumpkin Spice is a "Twinkling fall orange." This clear polish is full of tiny gold and small copper hexagonal glitters. Shown above you can see its density in one and two coats. Below, two coats of Pumpkin Spice are shown over a black polish (SinfulColors Black on Black).

Splatter Spell, a layering polish with "Gilded black flecks," also shown above as one and two coats. This clear base has tiny, small, and large black hexagonal glitters. It is also contains small and large copper hexagonal glitters as well as irregular foil pieces of the same color. There also appear to be some irregular gold foil pieces as well. Below two coats of Spatter Spell are shown over a peach polish (Essie A Crewed Interest).

Cauldron Couture is a "Wickedly glittery emerald." Shown above in one and two coats of this glittery topcoat. This clear base has tiny, small, and large black hexagonal glitters. It is also contains small and large emerald green hexagonal glitters as well as irregular foil pieces of the same color. Below two coats of Cauldron Couture are shown over a mint green polish (Essie Mint Candy Apple).

The Verdict:

These were fun polishes to try. I enjoyed the variety of glitters and foil particles in Cauldron Couture, Splatter Spell, and Mystery Moonshine. These were also my favorites of the bunch and the most unique. If you love glitter, layering, or "jelly sandwich" manicures you should walk run to your nearest SinfulColors retailer and grab these before they're gone. They are definitely versatile and playful.

Also, if anyone has successfully used a glow-in-the-dark polish, I would love to hear any tips and tricks that you may have!

Available for $1.99 exclusively at Walgreens & Target stores in October 2014

Autumn Nail Art Challenge--Yellow

I love how happy the color yellow is. However, I do not own many yellow polishes. Also, I recently did a yellow manicure so I was stumped on finding something new to do! I eventually decided that I wanted to use a yellow and grey color scheme and created this for this week's challenge...

Yellow

I like how Darcy brings out the golden/yellow flecks in Yuna. I'm also happy that I decided not to use a cream grey, the shimmer definitely adds interest and depth to this manicure.

Polishes used: Zoya Darcy, Yuna, Seraphina

Take a look at the other fabulous autumn manicures:
http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=448818

Zoya Matte Velvet Re-release

Press Samples

Matte is back!
Zoya decided to re-release their two, three piece collections from fall and winter of 2009 as one, big, happy family of 6 matte polishes! There is also a new matte topcoat and a red matte lipstick out there. In a way, Zoya is going all-in when it comes to matte (right on the heels of the Ultra PixieDusts). Due to this matte obsession, I have included a "perfect pairing" of PixieDust to embellish or to wear as an accent nail with these lovelies. Enjoy!

Posh is a "medium cool-toned wine red with metallic red shimmer and a velvety MATTEVELVET finish." This rich red is truly glamorous. This is what I think of when I hear of velvet, a soft red. This was two buttery, smooth coats.
Perfect Pairing: Zoya Arianna

Harlow, a "rich, saturated rose plum packed with sparkling metallic shimmer in a velvety MATTEVELVET finish," was probably the most anticipated re-release. This pinky hue had the chunkiest shimmer of the bunch but was still opaque in 2 coats. She must be related to Zoya Mason, they are both a cool, saturated rosy plum!
Perfect Pairing: Zoya Noir

Savita is described as a "bold, vibrant medium purple with strong red and gold shimmer with a velvet MATTEVELVET finish." This is such a royal hue. The color and shimmer remind me of Zoya Carter...I think they may be sisters:) Again, two easy coats.
Perfect Pairing: Zoya Carter

Veruschka is "a deep evergreen garnished with strong metallic shimmer in a velvety MATTEVELVET finish." This is gorgeous. I am not someone who wears green on my fingers often, but I would love to wear this every day! It seems to glow like emerald sea-glass on your tips (2 coats).
Perfect Pairing: Zoya Chita

Dovima is described as a "smoky charcoal-black with strong silver shimmer and a velvety MATTEVELVET finish." I have a soft spot for not-quite-black shades. This is perfection in two buttery coats.
Perfect Pairing: Zoya Dahlia

Loredana, a "medium gunmetal grey, packed with silvery shimmer and a velvety MATTEVELVET finish," was the only one that needed three coats. This polish had the wateriest consistency but still stunned after applied and dried. Something about this one reminded me of graphite, maybe it was the chunkier shimmer.
Perfect Pairing: Zoya London


The Verdict:
I am in love, "matte-ly" in love. I adore watching this polish dry to its velvety, matte finish. The shimmer is what makes this polish, without it these would be quite bland and one-dimensional. All of these beauties applied easily and flawlessly. Please note the following:
MATTEVELVET nail color by Zoya is not intended to be worn with a base coat, top coat or speed dryer of any kind. Due to the unique matte formulation, color is not as long-wearing as traditional nail color. A completely clean, dry nail surface yields the best results for matte nail color wear.
If you MUST wear a basecoat, most ridge-filling basecoats are matte so they will not alter the finish of this polish. Also if you have an uneven nail surface the matte polish might accentuate the flaws. My favorites (if I HAD to choose) were Posh, Dovima, and Veruschka. Also, love the frosted bottles. Well done, Zoya!

MatteVelvet polishes are available at zoya.com and at select retailers for $9 each.

Autumn Nail Art Challenge--Orange

Another autumn manicure, another bottle of polish:)

I never realized how many "orange" nail polishes I had. Creme, shimmer, texture, pastel, red-leaning, neon...all orange. I sat there pondering which colors to use, let alone how to make it autumnal. Then I just grabbed three and decided to play. Here is what I came up for...

Orange

I know, I wasn't THAT creative on this one. A gradient with orange, big deal. But I do like how it kind of ended up resembling candy corn (despite my distaste for the stuff).

Polishes used: Zoya Tomoko, Beatrix, Dhara

Take a look at the other fabulous autumn manicures:
http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=448817

A Tell Tale Manicure

It's no secret that Halloween is not my favorite holiday. I have never enjoyed being scared and I have always been on the squeamish side. However, I have always loved the creepy, insanity and darkness of some classic literature. I have shown this in some of my past Halloween inspired manicures including Jabberwocky and The Raven. This time I bring you another Edgar Allan Poe classic, The Tell Tale Heart. It's a short story about a character who is rather insane and paranoid after committing a crime. If you have never read it, here it is in its glory.

I included EKG lines to show the beating heart, blood spatter and smear, the words "like the sound a watch makes," and a heart of course. I apologize for the smearing that occurred when I added my topcoat :-(

Polishes used: Zoya Jacqueline, Livingston, Pepper, Claire, Harley, and Dot

Here are some other Halloween inspired manicures (& enter your own while you're at it leave a comment and I will vote for you!):
http://www.nailpolishcanada.com/halloween-nail-art-challenge/