Zoya Julie

Gonna try to get back into this, but now that I'm in grad school (probably should have thought that through a little more, but I'm in and I'm working hard) I have next to no time to paint my nails. I miss it though.

Why Zoya discontinued Julie I have no idea. It's gorgeous. Bright, spring-y, sparkly, and perfect. This was 3 very thin coats. It's going on my toes this upcoming weekend.

Zoya Nyx

Doesn't this color remind you of spring rain? Or is it just me?

I wanted something sort of ethereal since it's been drizzly and cool the past week or so. I've worn Nyx a lot over the past year, but never took blog pictures. Here it is in all its glory: a little stormy, a little soft, and a lot of sparkle.

It's a cornflower/periwinkle blue with silvery, sugary sparkle. 3 effortless coats, no clean up, no top coat. I freaking love textures.

Zoya Portia

Not a particularly exciting shade, but like I've said before, it suits me just fine. 

Portia is a cool-leaning, soft, creamy pink. Like most light pinks, it can look different in different lights, and runs the gamut from sweet and pale to classic pink and polished. I know I'm not describing it well, but rest assured this shade will look good on every skin tone. It's so flattering. And the fact that it's not white-based makes me so happy. 

Application was a breeze too. If you're light-handed and you like your pinks a little sheer, two thin coats will get you what you want, but I wanted a more opaque look, so I did three. I didn't have a problem with streaks because of the creme-jelly formula. 

Zoya Sansa

Well I'm almost a month into 2015 and haven't managed to get pictures of what I'm wearing until today.Up until last night I've been wearing the same Nails Inc. manicure...there wasn't much left of it, but it was sooooo pretty, and I was also sooooo lazy. I'll probably have it up here next month. 

Sansa is all kinds of gorgeous, but unfortunately the weather was a little spotty, so I can't show it to you in all its glimmery glory. You get the idea though. It's a rich purple base, slightly red-based, and is full to bursting with different colored rough shimmer. I hesitate to say glass fleck, so I'm saying rough shimmer, because the pieces are large and you can sort of see where they begin and end. The most prominent is the gold-lemon shimmer, but I also see pink, purple, green, and coppery-orange. 

I did two coats (probably should have done three, I see a bit of balding in the pictures, but in real life two is more than enough) and topped it with the O.P.I. top coat. It's an okay top coat, I wouldn't have bought it if I didn't have a coupon, but my CVS Extrabucks were stacking up and I thought why not? I'll probably use it when I do my toes. 

Zoya London

To the small few who read this blog, sorry for the hiatus. September has been a weird month for me. I've been in a sort of meditative state for most of it, and haven't felt the need to paint my nails. There have been some definite positive changes, namely my grandmother's increasing mobility, and something inside me has been telling me to slow down and just enjoy each day-even if the day is bad. There are a lot of things that will be happening soon; my best friend is getting married on the 6th and I've been asked to be witness, etc. Then some October birthdays to plan for (bestie again, and my godson), and I'm beginning to research teaching programs. 

Yes, ladies and gentlemen; after many long years of confusion about what I want to dedicate my life to, I have finally figured out that I want to teach. Ideally, I'd go in for between kindergarten and second grade; I love children and I feel that they're really the most fun during those years. I vividly remember my second grade teacher, and she was an incredibly caring and nurturing woman, and if I could be half the teacher she is/was, I would consider myself very fortunate.

Anyway.

I've actually enjoyed having bare nails, but I found London while I was *trying* to organize my poorly stored polish, and couldn't resist putting it on. It's a lovely, sparkly, medium grey texture with a classic Zoya formula. Three thin coats, sans top coat, and I was good to go. It is my humble opinion that Zoya textures are the best out there. 

Oh. And it's also fall. Excuse me while I go do some muppet-style freaking out. 

Zoya Maya

I really need to come to terms with the fact that colors like this just won't photograph as pretty as they are in real life. 

Maya is a subdued, peachy coral true jelly. The formula is thick, but not unmanageable. Don't be surprised if I go ahead and wear this for the rest of the summer. 

I did three coats. It was still a bit patchy after, and unfortunately I got some bubbling; the heat and humidity right now are just disgusting. However my top coat took care of them! I don't know how, but one coat of European Secrets Rock Top Coat and it was like they never happened.  Mayhaps the bubbling of summers past will no longer plague me?

Zoya Stevie

Happy Memorial Day! For those of you luxuriating in a 3-day weekend, I envy you. A lot. A 3-day weekend is a concept I no longer understand. My boyfriend and I were thinking of making our way to the Santa Monica Pier later today though, so that's something nice.

When textures started blowing up, I began waiting for someone to do a cute-sy lavender. There were many things I loved as a child, but the standout was anything purple or lavender. Even now I notice my eyes will seek out the purple in a nail polish collection before any other color. I know Nicole by O.P.I. did a cute lavender in their Gumdrops collection, but Zoya friggin' knocked it out of the park with Stevie. 

This color is going to give me diabetes, I swear. It's a perfect, soft lavender/lilac with sparkling silver texture. It's sweet and girly does that supersparkle thing that Zoya textures do when you blur them:

I could zone out all day and just watch my fingers sparkle. When I wear a L'Oreal texture, I swear up and down they're my favorite textures. Now I'm doing that when I wear Zoya textures. Guys, they're my faaaaaaave. 

This was three coats on my once-again shortened nails. No matter what I do, I can't seem to get them past my free edge without them breaking, splitting, chipping, or peeling. They're bad, bad nails. 

Various Polish Hauls of 2014 (Update: Flakie Goodness at the end!)

I really need to keep better track of my hauling. These are only the ones I've remembered to take pictures of:

left to right: China Glaze Sand Dolla Make You Holla, Tail Me Something, Teal the Tide Turns, & Wish on a Starfish.

left to right: Maybelline Coral Heat (Bleached Neons) & An Old Flame (incidentally, am wearing Teal the Tide Turns in photo)

Zoya Earth Day Haul: Stevie, Zara, Maya, Elodie, Rekha, Caitlin, Sooki, Bevin, & London.

Uninvited from the MAC Maleficent Collection (good lord, I wanted it ALL...am debating on whether or not to go back for the beauty powder)

left to right: O.P.I. Chillin' Like a Villain & Don't Touch My Tutu!

left to right: O.P.I. Hey Baby, I Sing in Color, & Love.Angel.Music.Baby.

left to right: A Study in Polish I Do Post-Mortems, L'Oreal In With the Nude, Red-y to Shine?, Essie Blanc (Chinchilly is next to it, and not included are Go Ginza and A Cut Above)

With everything happening in my life right now, these little polish hauls are one of the few things that remind me of that little thing called happy. Not the best way to deal with things, but I'm working with what I have. 

Also I have some super-pretty nails to share later. Or tomorrow. Depends on when it's not overcast anymore. Mind you, not complaining in the slightest; I'd rather have it be overcast and chilly than be dry-roasted alive in my own house.

EDIT: Well my nails were chip city today, so here's a photo I snapped of them last night:

You're looking at 1 coat of O.P.I...Eurso Euro and 1 generous coat of Color Club The Uptown. I had planned on wearing The Uptown over something a little lighter (You're Such a Budapest, for example), but I wasn't quite over wearing something dark on my nails. I'll definitely be sporting that manicure on here in the next couple days though. I don't wear flakies much, and oftentimes I find myself wrinkling my nose at them. But every so often the flakie mood will take me, and my eyes will end up glued to my nails for a few days. 

Zoya Bevin

Let's start May off with one of the polishes I snagged during Zoya's Earth Day Exchange. I've mentioned before that green is sorely lacking in my collection, mainly because I'm not totally convinced it looks good on me. Bevin, however, is one I can cozy up to. 

The Zoya site describes Bevin as "a dusty, medium sage green with teal tones", and I couldn't agree more. There are hints of grey in certain lights, but mostly it stays sage-colored. I'm wondering how close it is to O.P.I.'s Thanks a Windmillion...

And just looked it up. Dupes. Boo. 

Well whatever, it's a lovely color I know I'll wear a lot of. I actually think I prefer the formula of the Zoya more. The only other Zoya creme I owned before the huge Earth Day Exchange haul was Rue, and Bevin has confirmed how amazing Zoya cremes are. They're smooth, buttery, and self-leveling. Heaven. 

This was 3 coats, NYC top coat. I've got some peeling on my index and middle fingers, so the polish isn't as even there. Frankly, my nails and cuticles look like hell, but I'm too busy to bother with them much lately. 

Zoya Rue

There isn't much to say about Rue, except it's gorgeous. Sometimes you just want something clean and natural. 

As with most blush nudes, this one looks different on me depending on lighting and angles. I wanted to get it in early morning sunlight because that's when I think it looks best on me. I have no idea whether I am cool or warm toned; I'm a blend of Scottish and Armenian, so your guess is as good as mine, but whatever I am, Rue works with me. In indirect sunlight it takes on a brownish-tan hue, in sunlight it looks lovely and pinky-rose, and under my bedroom light as I type this, it's gone pinky-mauve. You'd think a basic creme would be just that; but nope, she changes things up and I like it. My hands feel so delicate and girly and demure in this shade. 

Nana got the OK to begin her physical therapy since the blood clot. We're all really excited. 

Zoya Godiva

I just can't quit textures. My boyfriend loathes them and shivers every time he touches my nails when I wear them, but I can't help it-they're easy to apply, they wear like iron on me, and I can skip top coat and not have to worry about sheet marks!

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I took advantage of the Zoya 3 free offer earlier this month and picked up Godiva, Nyx, and Rue. I was going to get London instead of Rue, but I can never say no to a blush nude. 

Another overcast day, so the pictures aren't great, but you get the idea. This was three perfect coats of Godiva, a stunning beige nude with sparkling silver texture. The sparkle is incredible...it looks as if I've dipped my nails into raw sugar. So beautiful. 

It's quiet and understated, but cheerful, which is exactly what I need right now. 

Zoya Tomoko

Some polishes are just too fancy for every day. Tomoko is one of them.

I sort of consider her the evening gown of the polish world. She's glittery and flashy, but somehow chic and understated.

What I appreciated most was the fact that Tomoko didn't goop up like a glitter polish, and even after a third coat it remained nice and thin and flowing. Definitely in my top 5 favorites of 2013.

Not much else to say about today. I'm very tired, and I've developed some pretty ugly dark circles under my eyes.

Edited to add: Okay, so why has no one talked about how easy it is to take the PixieDust polishes off???? This is vital information! As much as I love the Liquid Sand's I've amassed, I dread removal because it takes pure acetone, 50 cotton pads, elbow grease, and often about 15 minutes to get them off my nails. That's what I was fully expecting when I sat down to remove Tomoko about 8 minutes ago. Imagine my surprise when I attempt to rub off the polish with an acetone-soaked pad and just having it fade off in less than 5 seconds!!! There wasn't even glitter left behind!!! I may never use another brand of texture polish again (this is totally a lie...my favorite texture is O.P.I. Baby Please Come Home, and it remains my favorite no matter what)!