Coming in January: Zoya Naturel Satins

press release

ZOYA NATUREL SATINS

The next generation of Zoya Naturel is almost here! Introducing, Zoya Naturel Satins, a collection of six new, neutral nail polish colors in an ultra-wearable, low-sheen, chic satin finish. A hybrid between matte and glossy polishes, the new Zoya Satin* formula provides opaque coverage and is longer lasting than traditional matte shades. The flawlessly smooth finish hides imperfections and creates a luxurious, satin finish nail look.

Leah: Lavender tinged taupe, exclusive Zoya Satin* finish.
Rowan: Creamy suede taupe, exclusive Zoya Satin* finish.
Sage: Mossy sage green, exclusive Zoya Satin* finish.
Tove: Misty slate grey, exclusive Zoya Satin* finish.
Brittany: Rose mauve cream, exclusive Zoya Satin* finish.
Ana: Light toasted almond, exclusive Zoya Satin* finish.

*Zoya Satin is not intended to be worn with a top coat. For best results: Prep nail with Zoya Remove Plus Nail Polish Remover, apply base coat and finish with 2 thin coats of any Zoya Satin Nail Polish.

AVAILABLE 01/15/15!

ZOYA IS THE HEALTHY COLOR OF FASHION!
$9 (US), Available in top salons, spas and on zoya.com

WANT MORE?
COMING SOON -  Zoya Satin Seal Topcoat!
Turn any color into an elegant Satin finish beauty with just one coat!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing all of my readers and friends a happy holiday!

A sample stash from Santa!

gift from a friend

My Goodreads friend Youndy drew my name in our holiday swap, and sent me a treasure trove of goodies from New Beauty.

In addition to a copy of the magazine, there were samples.  Lots and lots of high-end samples!

Clockwise, beginning from top left: StriVectin Present Perfect face lotion, Jenna Hipp nail polish in Throwing Shade, supersmile whitening toothpaste and ergonomic toothbrush, Stila Smudge Stick eye liner in graphite, Tan Towel towelettes, balanced guru No Frizz Oil and Mally Beauty Undermakeup Perfector Duo in Peach Light.

Unlike my Ipsy bags, there is nothing in here I'm not going to use. :-)

Thank you, Youndy, for a perfect gift!

The 2014 blog sale I'm not having

nothing to disclose

Another year, another 18 cosmetic bags and 55 bottles of polish went to Good Neighbors for their holiday store.  One of these years I'm going to take a vacation day and work the store with my mom.

Barry M Silk Effects: Poppy

purchased by me

Poppy is the final polish I got from the Barry M Silk Effects collection, and she's a gorgeous pink-toned red.  She's also slightly shinier than her sisters Forest and Orchid, but still with more of a satin sheen than a diamond shine.  Poppy also has the same perfect formula as the other two I've tried from this collection and was opaque in two coats.

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If you agree with me that Barry M hit it out of the park with these polishes, you can find Poppy and all of her siblings at Llarowe for $8 each + shipping.

Barry M Silk Effects: Orchid

purchased by me

Next up in the British Polish Invasion is Orchid, from the Barry M Silk Effects collection.  The name is simple but perfect, as this is a radiant orchid color Pantone would be proud of!  The satin matte finish is beautiful, the formula is flawless, and it covered in two easy coats.

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You can find the Silk Effects collection at Llarowe for $8 each + shipping.

Barry M Silk Effects: Forest

purchased by me

Today's polish is a dreamy deep teal beauty from Barry M.  Forest is part of the Silk Effects collection and has a satin matte finish, a well-behaved formula and reaches bottle color in two coats.

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Forest and the other polishes in the Silk Effects collection are available at Llarowe for $8 each + shipping.

Butter London Stroppy

purchased by me

Continuing with the British (polish) Invasion, next up is Butter London Stroppy.  Stroppy is slang for cranky, but thankfully, the polish is anything but.  It's a bright, blue-shimmered purple (almost neon except that it doesn't dry matte) glassfleck which, like its Airy Fairy sister was opaque in two well-mannered coats.

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Stroppy was part of the same limited edition summer collection as Airy Fairy, and it's still available at the Last Orders section of the Butter London website, but it won't be around long!

Butter London Airy Fairy

purchased by me

This week is a bit of a mini British Invasion, since I took advantage of the Butter London Black Friday sales and a re-stock on Llarowe to grab some polishes I've been wanting for a while.  First up is Airy Fairy, Brit slang for lightweight/frivolous.  This polish is frivolous in color but not a lightweight in terms of formula.  It's a gorgeous turquoise-leaning medium blue glassfleck with a perfect, easily controlled formula that was thin but pigmented enough to be opaque in two coats.

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Although this was part of a limited edition summer collection from Butter London, the color is also suitable as an icy winter blue.  If you like it, it's available at the Last Orders section of the Butter London website, which means it won't be around long!

Last chance for Zoya's Mystery Box!

press release

Due to the mind-blowing initial response to the Zoya Mystery for Cyber Monday, (the first group of ZOYA MYSTERY GIFTS have already SOLD OUT), the powers that be at Zoya have decided to extend the offer thru Wednesday, 12/03/14 (or while supplies last)… The Zoya warehouse is already busy assembling more mystery items to make sure everyone has a chance to participate – So hurry, at the rate they are selling, they won’t last long!

Also, to avoid spoiling the fun for everyone, we have also moved the reveal date of the Zoya Mystery Gift from tomorrow (Tuesday, 12/2/14) to the end of this week.

Keep an eye on Zoya Social Media (@ZoyaNailPolish) for more updates and details.

The best thing about a surprise is the anticipation that builds when you don’t know what it is – right? Ahhh… That wonderful feeling of knowing you have something really special coming your way and the excitement that builds as the contents are finally revealed.

Zoya captures that special feeling with…THE ZOYA CYBER MONDAY MYSTERY Bag & Box. A special mystery grouping of items from your friends here at Zoya for just $15 (plus FREE SHIPPING). We can’t tell you what it is except to say that when you see it your will say “Wow, that was one heck of a deal!” – we guarantee it! All we can say is that it is a bag and box in a box - we promise you won’t get any socks and we won’t send you a fox (no matter what he says)!

Formula X The X Look: Holiday Edition

purchased by me

The X Look: Holiday Edition is a set of 4 mini polishes Obsessed (opaque classic merlot), Impassioned (purple pearl), Thrilling (opaque heather grey), and Temptation (iridescent gold pearl).

Impassioned is definitely my favorite--it's a burgundy shimmer with blue and pink highlights which looks like more of a pinky-bronze in lower light.  The formula was great, opaque in two easy coats and very well-behaved.

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Obsessed is a nice, functional blue-toned red with an unfussy formula and a ton of shine.  It took two coats to reach bottle color.

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Thrilling must be one of them-there ironic names, because I don't find anything thrilling about a plain warm grey crème.  It's a nice, useful polish, with a smooth formula, opaque in two coats, but not really a thrill for me.

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Temptation is a very good gold foil.  It was almost opaque in one coat, although I did two for my swatches, and very reflective.  However, like most foils, it's also very revealing of nail flaws.

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In the sun and reflecting my green shirt:

The X Look: Holiday Edition is available at Sephora for $25.00 + applicable tax and shipping.  Obsessed and Thrilling are available on their own, but as far as I can tell, Impassioned and Temptation are only available in this set.