Zoya Earthday Promo 2013 Haul

Zoya - If loving you is wrong, I don't wanna be right...

My Earthday Promo haul arrived today and I couldn't be more pleased with these gorgeous nail polish colors that I picked out! I don't have too many Zoya nail polishes in my collection, and now I see just what I've been missing out on. These will definitely keep me busy with swatching and nail art for a while. Now I've just got to stop admiring them long enough to package up and send back my old toxic polishes! Zoya for the win!

Pictured from left to right:
Micky, Wednesday, Dove, Charisma, Caitlin, Lo, Josie, Thandie, Mira, Ali, Darcy, Rocky, Kelly, Kennedy, and Kieko.

Wet N' Wild Violet and Lavender Color Blocked Nail Art

Today I have a great Springtime look that I put together using two of the new Wet N' Wild Megalast nail polishes - On a Trip and Through the Grapevine. Both of these purple polishes caught my eye and were just too lovely for me to pass up and leave sitting there on the shelf.

I don't have too much experience with the Wet N' Wild brand, so I was a bit surprised when I pulled the cap off and got a good look at the brush. The brush is a bit on the thick side and is also awkwardly shaped in an uneven arch. According to the sticker on the top of the bottle this is called their "ManiCurve Pro Brush," and unfortunately I have to say that I am not a fan at all. I found that the bristles are way too stiff and the brush itself was also too thick, which made polishing a very messy task. For that reason alone, I think I'll be staying clear of the Megalast polishes for a while.

I started this look off by painting my nails with two thin coats of the lighter lavender polish, called On a Trip. If you are recreating this look, you will want to be be absolutely certain that the first layer of nail polish is completely dry before moving on, or you're going to have a bad time. Once the lavender layer had dried completely, I started to move on to the next step.

    

  

Using short strips of manicure tape, first I started by dividing each nail up into four equal quadrants. Next, I used the darker violet color that is called Through the Grapevine to fill in both the top and bottom sections. While the polish was still wet, I pulled the tape off and let the violet sections dry completely. A little pearlized bead glued smack dab in the middle finished off the look, and viola, adorable Springtime color block nail art!

Green Camouflage Nail Art With China Glaze and OPI

Those of you that follow me on Facebook and Twitter may already know that I got a little overanxious yesterday and decided that I was going to leave my nails naked and bare without nail polish until my Zoya Earth Day Promo polishes arrived. Upon noticing that my nail polish order is not due to arrive until the 29th, I suppose that was a bit over-ambitious. 

We all know I can't go that long without painting my nails, I just can't. Based on that and that alone, I present to you my camo inspired manicure for today's nail art look!

I decided to start out with painting a base coat of one of my lesser used polishes, a light Army green color called Kaki by a brand called IrisColors. I found this polish at a small neighborhood beauty supply store a while back and always forget I have it. My apologies that you will probably not be able to locate this exact color easily, but any light Army green will do for this look.

Next, I just used my polish brushes to begin to randomly splotch small areas of the nail in three accent colors, which are:
O.P.I - Did You Ear About Van Gogh? 
O.P.I. Don't Mess With OPI
China Glaze - Holly Day

Polishes used: OPI - Don't Mess With OPI & Did You Ear About Van Gogh? China Glaze- Holly Days, IrisColors - Kaki

In order to increase the randomness of the splotches, I layered up a few of them. I found that this really helped give my nail art the authentic camouflage look.

At this point, my manicure began to look a bit bumpy from the different layers of polish that I had dabbed on. Not to worry though, one good thick coat of Seche Vite (what I consider to be my miracle topcoat) smoothed everything right out and left me with a high shine glossy finish.

Zoya Earth Day 2013 Promo - 50% off polishes!

Have old toxic polishes that you've been meaning to get rid of? Here's your chance! If you are a fan of Zoya, then this is surely enough to make you jump around like a mad woman and possibly even wet your pants; Until April 26, Zoya is offering 50% off on TONS of their nail polishes in exchange for your old, unwanted ones. Does it get any better than that?

Zoya is asking that fans mail back old and unwanted polishes from their collections that may not be BIG5FREE so that they may be disposed of safely and properly. Kudos to Zoya for thinking about both consumers safety and the safety of the environment. All Zoya nail polishes are both Vegan friendly and Big5Free, which means that they do not contain Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toluene, DBP or Camphor - which are all toxic chemicals. 

While the promo is designed to encourage us all to make a move towards healthier beauty products and recycle toxic chemicals properly, Zoya states that the offer is NOT contingent on the customer returning polishes, so anyone can take advantage of this great deal whether you have polishes you'd like to return to them or not.

In order to take advantage of this great deal simply visit Zoya.com, create your account and enter the code ZOYAEARTH2013 at checkout.

Zoya Pixiedust Summer Edition Swatches and Review

I finally received my Zoya Pixiedust Summer Edition, and I can definitely say that they arrived not a moment too soon! I don't think I could take much more daily mailbox stalking! Let me tell you, these new polishes are well worth the wait. One of the best things about the Pixiedust nail polishes is the fact that you are really getting two nail polishes in one.

You can use the Zoya Pixiedust Summer Edition as intended (without a base or top coat) and you will be left with a textured, matte, and sugary finish which is very on trend right now; or you may choose to add a topcoat such as Seche Vite, which will bring out all the sparkle and shine of the nail polish collection and give it a high gloss finish. 

For your viewing pleasure, I've snapped a few pics of each of the new Zoya Pixiedust Summer Edition nail polishes, both with and without a topcoat so that you can compare for yourself.

STEVIE - Stevie is a gorgeous light violet polish with tons of silvery sparkles. This is one of my top pics from the collection for sure, as I would wear it regularly both as a matte and with a glossy topcoat. Once the topcoat is applied, the depth of the polish really starts to shine through. The pretty pastel shade is perfect for Summer, but also demure enough to wear during Spring as well. I know this polish will definitely be in my regular rotation.

LIBERTY - Liberty is, in a word... gorgeous. I absolutely love the shade of this bright blue nail polish. While I do enjoy it in its natural, matte pixiedust form, I have to admit that I am a complete sucker for what it becomes once I added a topcoat of Seche Vite. The only way to describe it is like having the complete depths of a stunning blue ocean on my fingertips. The sparkle really comes alive with the topcoat, and seems to shift shades when the sunlight hits it from certain angles. This is a must have, and my number one favorite from the collection.

MIRANDA - Miranda can best be described as a pretty rose colored nail polish with tiny plum undertones. I have always considered myself someone that cannot pull off the look of certain shades of rose polish, but this one seems to go along with my skin just right. Following in the footsteps of the previous Zoya Pixiedust swatches, Miranda is also quite stunning both as a matte Pixiedust and with a shiny topcoat. I loved the way the glitter flakes become more present with the topcoat, but also enjoy the bright and sugary matte finish as well. This particular shade is wonderful for Summer, but would also transition perfectly into Fall.

BEATRIX - Beatrix is, in my opinion, one of the ultimate Summer shades. The colors of orange and tangerine are so on trend right now, and this nail polish fits in perfectly. I love how bright and eye catching it is. When applied without topcoat, Beatrix is a lighter tangerine color with hidden sugary sparkles. Once topcoat is applied the shade seems to deepen a bit to a darker and warmer shade of orange, but the color change is well worth the trade for the depth the polish gains. This one would be perfect with a light and airy white outfit for a day out in the Summer sun.

DESTINY - Destiny is lovely bright color that I would describe as being halfway between a coral and a red. While I do enjoy the overall shade of the nail polish, I'm not so sure that this shade loves me back. I noticed that it seemed to look a bit funny against my particular skin tone, but I think it would look absolutely amazing of I spotted the shade on someone else. I'm not sure if it was just my eyes playing tricks on me, but I kept noticing little golden undertones that were very pretty when the sun would hit my nails and pick up the foil flecks. I can see this color becoming quite popular once the warm weather hits around here.

 

SOLANGE - Solange is the final swatch in the Zoya Pixiedust Summer Edition, and it is definitely last but not least.  Zoya states that this particular nail polish features an exclusive gold pigment, and I'm not sure exactly what that means, but what I do know is that when they say gold, they mean gold. Based on the pictures I saw, I expected this gold metal foil polish to be more yellowy than golden, but it really looks like someone shaved down a bar of gold and planted it right on the tops of my nails. There was not a dramatic difference in the overall look of this polish once I added the topcoat, but it is noticeably different and appears to have more depth, much like the other swatches.

Overall, I'd have to say that Zoya has done it again with the Pixiedust Summer Edition polishes. I'm so glad that I went ahead and purchased the entire collection. I know that I will be putting each and every one of these to good use in the upcoming months. All I know is that Zoya has really set the scene, so I'm hoping they will blow my socks off by creating  fantastic Fall and Winter editions. I can't get enough of the Pixiedust formula, and don't see my obsession fading away anytime soon.

Zoya Pixiedust Summer Edition polishes can be purchased directly on Zoya.com and retail for $9 each.

China Glaze Aquadelic and Sinful Colors Lush Life

Today I have two gorgeous blue nail polishes to share with you all! After being on vacation in beautiful, sunny Florida I needed a manicure that would bring some of the beach home with me. This combination of aqua colored nail polish and bright micro and hexagon sparkles definitely did the trick!

 

Polishes used: China Glaze - Aquadelic and Sinful Colors - Lush Life. Seche Vite topcoat.

The camera truly can't capture the real life sparkle of this nail polish combo. In the light, the polishes have depth and sparkle just like gorgeously clear water. Perfect for a summer day at the beach! Would you wear this?