Archive for category Zoya
Happy Easter Everyone!! (with a Celebatory Mani!)
Posted by Latoya in butter London, Essie, Holiday, MAC, Nail Art, Nail Polish, Revlon, Sally Hansen, Zoya on March 29, 2013
Wishing you all a lovely long weekend and some good time spent with friends and family! 
I just cooked a full-on brunch for a handful of my friends at my place (with ingredients contributed by my guests!) and it was the perfect way to kick off the weekend. I’m not back to work until Wednesday and I am SO looking forward to maxin’ and relaxin’!
If the weather is like this all weekend, I will be one happy gal! See how little snow is left?!
Last night I multi-tasked (surprize) by painting an Easter egg mani – last year I did all different pastel shades, so I had to think of something new this time around. I think they came out pretty well for freehand – I probably should invest in some doting tools etc. to actually make nail art look really good, but I do it so infrequently I probably won’t bother lol. Hope you enjoy!
All shades used: butter London Jasper, MAC Mischievous Mint, Sally Hansen Barracuda, Zoya Marley, Essie Muchi Muchi, Revlon Whimsical
Whether or not you celebrate the religious holiday or just use the days off as like mini-vacay, I hope you take the time to relax and enjoy it – and I hope you have some spring-like weather!! This is what I’m being treated to today (and it’s actually *warm-ish* – a balmy 7 degrees, woohoo!). Have faith – summer is right around the corner
Oh – I forgot to mention: since Google Reader is eventually going kaput, I’m now linked in to Bloglovin’ (check out my sidebar) – feel free to follow me there ’till your heart’s content 
xo!
The Ever-Helpful Filler Post: A FOTD, Polish, and Nail Art!
Hiiii guys! I have been hiding out and trying to minimize the time in front of my computer zombifying…seriously, these damn electronics can suck you in and eat your brain big time. I’ve been drafting up posts here and there but not sitting down for too long because I just need a break. S’OK? And plus, I want to show you some fab looks with all of my new(ish) pretties! Here’s one look that I wore out this weekend:
Forgive me for less than stellar shots, as usual I was running late and took these in the bathroom of the party I was at while trying to remain inconspicuous lol. And I probably had a few rum & cokes by this point… I’m a lost cause ~sigh~ Anyway, I took this look directly from this tutorial of Lisa Eldridge’s – I ADORED how it came out, another one of those looks that made me feel badass and awesome all evening (and isn’t that the point?). I’ve been really getting into colored shadows again lately, so fun! FYI – I’m wearing MAC’s Blue Edge (discontinued) topped with Shimmermoss on my top lid and Beautiful Iris on my lower lash lines. Oh, and also, I used the Alterna Bamboo Smooth Kendi Oil in my hair and HOLY SMOKES. I LOVE THIS STUFF – look at my hair! Just look at it!!!!!
I’ve also got a spring-themed post in the works that I’ve been thinking of for ages but haven’t had all the pieces to put it together. If I’m not too, um…under the weather after Paddy’s Day on Sunday, I plan to get it done that Monday as I’m off work. It involves some very pretty polishes that I’m totally diggin’ – unlike this polish, which sadly did NOT do it for me:
I know, an it’s an a-England polish too! Tess d’Urbervilles, a blackened green shimmer. It looks nice here but I couldn’t wait to take it off. I’m just not a fan of green hued polishes, unless they’re pale /pastel-toned or more of a teal green. Ah well, can’t win ‘em all!
I have been trying to do things that are good for my well-being as much as possible – this semi-computer break being one of them, as well as joining a yoga studio that had an awesome deal: $108 for three months of unlimited classes. Heck YES! I went today after work; the focus was shoulders and OMG I feel so effing great!! My back and neck are always sore from working at a computer (and being at one at home too) and this worked it out so well. I am feeling particularly SUPER WOMAN LIKE today because I also went for a run at lunch. So YAY for mental & physical health! 
I feel all zingy – kinda like this nail art I did a few weeks ago:
This could have been SO much better – the concept and colors I totally liked, but I used french manicure strips that kept pulling up the polish beneath it, no matter if I let it dry for 5 minutes for 15. SO irritating! Half of this ended up being freehand and the other is just a mess of me trying to fix the peeled polish areas. Urgh. For reference, the shades I used there Revlon’s Sterling, Essie No More Film, and Zoya’s Wednesday.
And there you have it! My very best attempt at giving you something to look at while simultaneously chattering away with abandon, and trying to link the two. Successful? Probably not, but I wasn’t sure when or how I’d post these photos, so it worked for me!
I hope everyone had a great Monday!!!
Mmmm…Chocolately Goodness with Zoya’s Dea
Posted by Latoya in Brown, Nail Polish, Zoya on September 10, 2012
A few weeks ago, while browsing looks created for the fall 2012 runways searching for inspiration, I stumbled upon this photo from Cynthia Rowley with a fabulous yet simple nail look:
…Also – how happy and cute does this model look?!
As a fan of the random alternate shade as part of a manicure, this appealed to me so much. I also loved the cocoa shade the model wore, which was surprizing to me since I usually have nointerest in brown nail polish. Brown skin + brown polish = bo-ring! However, this one seemed somehow elegant on her (although I’m sure her long, slender fingers helped immensely), and the juxtaposition of the dark accent nail really made the entire look. When I found out that the polish used was by Zoya, and that I owned one of the shades already – Cynthia, an deep teal from last fall’s collection – I knew I had to buy the other color, stat!
And so I came to own Zoya’s Dea
Indoor light, no flash
Dea is a milk chocolate shade with a hint of red in it’s base, which seems to really flatter my olive-leaning skin. It’s not so close to my skintone as to look like a ‘mannequin hands’ shade, but not so dark that it looks drab, which is how I usually find brown or brown-leaning shades to look like on me. While I love a good dark chocolate shade on fair skin (see Temptalia), on me it just falls flat. Not so with Dea! Its the very first brown polish I’ve owned and I absolutely LOVE it!
Indoor light, flash
Formula on Dea was typical Zoya cream, which is to say it goes on a tad bit fussy but overall dries to a lovely, self-leveling finish. Lately I’ve been noticing that the base coat I pair with my polish makes a difference in the wear of the polish, so I’ve been accumulating various base coats from each brand. This time around when I ordered Dea from Nail Polish Canada, I also ordered Zoya’s Anchor base coat, and it made a HUGE difference in how long the polish lasted on me. Normally I get about 3 days wear with most polishes before it starts to chip, but I wore Dea for almost a week with only minor tip wear (the photos below are on day 4, I believe). I attribute that to pairing the base coat and polish of the same brand together – though I will do a few trial runs with other brands and the Anchor base to see how they fare.
Indoor light, flash
As this was my first time wearing Dea, I didn’t do the accent nail because I wanted to wear the polish on it’s own to see how I felt. As you probably can tell, I was totally pleased with it as is and so now I can’t waitto wear it with Cynthia as I think it’s going to be the most amazing combination ever! I’ll be sure to post pics when I do
For anyone wondering, I did a quick bottle comparison of this shade with OPI’s San Tan-tonio, because at first I thought they might be similar. However, as you can see, the two are NOT dupes or even close, with OPI’s shade being obviously lighter, and I find it leans more yellow overall. And, erm…Dea is all kinds of more awesome, guys!!!
I think you’re probably getting the picture here now – Dea is totally awesome! It’s always the best when you have little or no expectations, its much easier to be pleasantly surprized and impressed I will concur that it may be a shade that doesn’t work for everyone…but in that instance, I’d say to investigate the brown shade I linked to above, or some other similar colors – I’m totally a brown polish convert now and think everyone should own at least one!
What shade of polish has pleasantly surprized you in the past? Do you care for brown polish at all, or steer clear?
Mani-Pedi Combo Using a Fave and a Dud
Posted by Latoya in butter London, Nail Polish, Summer Polish Combos, Zoya on July 24, 2012
In my challenge to post original Summer polish combo’s, I decided to create a pairing using one of my favorite shades, butter London’s Snog (which also happens to be the number one ‘search’ for people who stumble upon the blog), and match it with a total snooze of a shade, Zoya’s Cho – which if you recall, totally left me cold. I learned last year from some of my favorite fellow bloggers, that sometimes a shade which falls flat on the hand can work as a pedicure shade just fine, so I gave Cho one more chance to WOW me and used it as the pedi shade in this instance. Before I give you my judgement, let me give you time to view the results:
I actually liked this combo a lot!! I find it can be tricky when wearing a lot of bright shades, not to overdo it, so I’ve been pairing them with more neutral colors – and this works quite well, I think. The contrast of Snog’s brightness makes Cho look appropriately subdued but not so boring. Also, Cho worn on the toes looks WAY nicer than on my hands – it makes them look so clean and sophisticated. I particularly liked how it looked with these sandals:
I’m really happy that Cho ended up being less lame then originally thought – I may never wear it on my hands again, but as a pretty pedi shade, it means that it’ll stay in my collection rather than getting the boot (I was sorely tempted before!). Snog is just all-around fabulous, and isn’t going anywhere. I actually think this is one of the few products in my beauty life that I would repurchase once it ran out (which is a strong possibility!). It’s just so juicy and vibrant and shiny and awesome! I highly recommend picking up a bottle.
What mani/pedi combo do you favour? What is your ultimate Summer polish shade?
So Many Products, Not Enough Time…Interim Quickie Polish Post
Posted by Latoya in Aqua/Teal, Blue, China Glaze, Comparisons, Nail Polish, Orange, Summer 2012, Zoya on July 13, 2012
Hello everyone! I have an insane backlog of products I want to show you desperately, but have just NOT had the time to take photos of anything – such is the way Summer goes, I guess! We’ve been having just the most spectacular weather you could imagine which means I’m outside as much as possible, which is absolutely lovely Tomorrow I plan to get up and do a major photo and swatch session so hopefully in the coming days you’ll have a ton of eye candy to ogle In the meantime, I’m going to do a post a la Liz (aka Beauty Reductionista) to fill the void. Enjoy!
Zoya Arizona
It looks different in different light eh? I’d say the last photo is the most color-accurate. This is a sad polish. The formula was atrocious, gloppy and streaky (this is three coats) and while I liked the color, I didn’t love it so much that the crappy formula was worth dealing with. I wore two full mani’s with this, but I’m am DONE. Swap!
China Glaze For Audrey
Another slight color-shifter. It’s most like the second photo I would say. Since I broke the seal on aqua polishes with Zoya Wednesday (which was a counterpart AWESOME to Arizona’s TOTAL FAIL), I decided to go all in and pick up this cult shade to wade in the aqua pool a bit further. I like it! I don’t think aqua will ever be a ‘go to’ shade for me – I still this it looks much better on fairer skin – but it’s a fun shade to wear in Summer, and I’m glad I found a few to play nice with This was an easy-to-use formula, no issues. Here it is compared to Wednesday:
(No, I did not wear these as a mani/pedi combo LOL!) In the first photo, with flash, they look quite similar, but in the second you can see that Wednesday is dustier and more muted. I think I’d actually prefer the reverse to this – Wednesday on fingernails and For Audrey on toes. But they’re both pretty
China Glaze Ridin’ the Waves
I’ve already shown swatches of Ridin’ the Waves, but I wanted to show it again when I wore it as a full mani, with a coat of white polish underneath to make it really pop! Although I don’t like the sheerness of this polish – it tends to be a bit streaky, so even over white it was tricky (as you can see in the first & second photos) – I love the shade; it’s vibrant without being too in-your-face, and the jelly texture is a nice switch-up. It’s not quite as bright as shades like Nails Inc. Baker Street, but it comes close.
Speaking of nail polish, I would be remiss if I didn’t let you know about the contest going on at Nail Polish Canada – they’re giving away a lifetime supply (approx. 25 years worth) of CND Shellac to one winner! Though I know a few people were a bit offended by the somewhat poorly delivered joke about living too long to surpass the ‘lifetime’ claims, regardless, this is a pretty sweet giveaway for anyone who loves having their nails polished to perfection but doesn’t want to deal with the hassle of upkeep. “CND Shellac is a cross between nail polish and gel. Shellac is applied like regular nail polish and then cured using a UV lamp. Shellac lasts much longer than your regular manicure; up to 14 days without chipping or peeling. Dry time is instant, making the application process fast and ensuring your polish doesn’t smudge.” This would almost be a sort of hell for me because I love changing my nails so frequently, and so the fabulous technology would be completely lost on someone like myself, but I can think of a number of gals who would LOVE to win something like this and put it to very good use!
The winner will be selected August 7th, and contest is open to residents of Canada and the US (excluding Quebec), so boogie on over to NPC and check out the full details! Best of luck to all who enter!
I hope everyone has a lovely weekend full of tons of sunshine!! Get ready for a barrage of posts coming next week – it’s gonna get a little crazy
Thoughts? (about Arizona/For Audrey/Ridin’ the Waves/Nail Polish Canada joke/life in general)???
My First Aqua Polish: Zoya’s Wednesday
Posted by Latoya in Aqua/Teal, Nail Polish, Summer 2012, Zoya on May 30, 2012
Ok, I know that sounds highly unlikely – someone who has over 100 bottles of polish (yes, I’ve passed that mark now!) somehow doesn’t own an aqua shade?! But seriously guys – I’ve purposely avoided that color for a long time. I just don’t think it looks that great on me! The one polish that I have that could probably be classified as a teal/aqua, LA Colors in Atomic, is kind of an fabulously ugly shade that probably doesn’t look good on most people, yet it draws the eye anyway. I’m not counting it because it’s just not what I envision when I think aqua. You know, shades like China Glaze For Audrey, Chanel Nouvelle Vague, or more lately, Dior’s St. Tropez (which I desperately wanted to jump on the bandwagon for, but couldn’t bring myself to pay $23 for a polish I might hate on my skintone). These shades are what come to mind for a fabulous aqua-blue Summer polish. But until now, I had nothing of the sort.
Zoya’s Wednesday, from the Beach & Surf Summer collection, somehow got under my defenses against aqua polish. It was a bit more dusty – while still retaining it’s Summery goodness – and not quite as bright and glaring as some of the other offerings; it seemed like if I was finally going to take a chance, this should be the polish I choose to do it with.
Zoya takes AGES to arrive here in Canada, which makes me absolutely crazy as it’s one of my favorite polish brands. To wait for it to *maybe* arrive in salons here (as not all collections do), it takes probably two months – as it was, it took well over a month for it to arrive on Nail Polish Canada, at which time I instantly ordered it sight unseen.
Indoor lighting
Once it arrived, with a little trepidation I did a full manicure with the shade. At first, I was unsure how I felt – it still seemed to obvious on my skintone, and it doesn’t fall within the pale/bright/dark category of polishes – tones that I find look best on me. It’s a mid-range shade that leans slightly green – also not a great color on me – but the slightly muted quality of it tones down any potential harshness.
With flash
I’m just wrapping up day two with this polish on, and I can now confidently say that I love it. Within the hour of application it grew on me – the creaminess, the pop of color against my skin that can only make me think of the sea and sun…it really can’t be beat! And the formula itself is quite good – two thin coats to opacity, and it’s self-leveling so any slight lumps and bumps get smoothed out to glossy perfection.
I’m loving this on my hands, but I think I will absolutely adore how this will look as a pedicure – bliss! I’m just so happy that I’ve found an aqua shade that I feel comfortable and confident sporting – yea for joining the rest of the population! I know I’m fussy when it comes to finding colors I feel are flattering, but if you’re not feeling good in what your wearing, then that sort of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?
What do you think of Wednesday? Can it join other aqua hall-of-famers? What’s your favorite aqua shade?
It’s Over For Another Year…Lent 2012 Conclusion and Considerations
Posted by Latoya in Benefit, China Glaze, Eyeshadow, FOTD, Holiday, Lips, Lise Watier, MAC, Make Up For Ever, Make-up, Musings, Nail Polish, Rescue Beauty Lounge, The Lent Experiment, theBalm, Zoya on April 5, 2012
Well another year has passed, and that means another Lent and a challenge to embark on. Six weeks ago, I revealed my plan to you for this year’s Lent, which was MUCH tamer than last year (giving up buying cosmetics cold turkey – gah! What was I thinking!?):
1) Write a blog post every single day, with the exception of Sundays
2) Wear every single makeup item in my stash at least once
3) Post regular FOTD pictures with the evidence
It was a pretty easy year, I have to say, which is why you didn’t get many updates from me as the weeks passed. I started strong with the FOTD pics (though failed at making them look good!), but as time wore on I found myself still mostly wearing the same old looks and products I always do. It was an unsuccessful Lent in that respect, but not entirely a waste – I did learn a few lessons!
First, I came to some conclusions about blogging and how I plan to proceed with writing posts. While I almost always have a plethora of things I’d like to write about, near the end of the 6 weeks I found that I was feeling less enthused about blogging – working on a computer all day to come home to work for another few hours, every single day, started to get to me. Could have been year-end as well, but in order for me to maintain my blogging integrity and the quality of posts I want to produce, I think every second day or so is more reasonable for where I’m at right now. I really want to engage with more people, either our in the community making myself present, or through my own posts, and I’m barely finding the time to write a post, take good quality (as I’m able) photos, respond to comments, read others blogs and comment….it’s a lot of time and as I’m no night-owl…it gets pretty strained. So while I tried and mostly succeeded to write every day, it’s just not feasible for me if I want to still enjoy blogging as much as I do. I hope you all understand!
Second, and much more entertaining, I did experiment with makeup more than normal, working with shades that I had deemed unwearable and pairing them with different products to ‘figure them out.’ With the exception of a handful of shades, I’m pleased to say I did wear everything in my stash at least once. I had some particular successes:
- Wore MUFE Aqua Liner #5 (an aqua), a bold shade I was hesitant to wear, on the top lash line with minimal other makeup, and actually ADORED how it looked – and how wearable it turned out to be! A perfect look for Summer!
- Paired MAC’s Shimmermoss, another aqua shade, with MAC’s Petrol Blue liner (smudged at the lash line) to create a deeper, more intense teal shade which looked much better on my darker skin tone.
- Wore UD’s Kush (kelly green) from the BoSIII palette on Saint Paddy’s Day, along with Lise Watier’s Folie de Pomme loose shadow (golden green), and it looks absolutely amazing!
As to be expected, I also had some failures:
- I struggled to find ways to wear MAC’s Madly Magenta Cream Color Base, a deeply saturated violet pink (tried it on lips as well as cheeks, and I’m not too sure…*see below*).
- Several shades from the UD BoSIII palette continued to be completely unworn: Perversion (matte black), Uzi (glittering white), Midnight Cowboy Rides Again (glittering champagne), and Money (pale aqua-blue with a touch of glitter)…can you see a trend here? The shades with glitter (hello, fall-out!) are just so tough to pull off!
- Still haven’t taken the time to figure out NARS Habanera…I feel like the lack of effort I’m putting into it might be indicative of it’s fate.
Overall, while there were some shades I discovered new uses for, or learned how to wear them properly, there were also shades that just aren’t going to and won’t work for me. A lot of the more cool-toned, blue-based shades I own I think will have to go – I just don’t feel comfortable wearing them. The UD palette also is a bit of a thorn in my side, because while half the shades I love, the other half are essentially useless to me. It’s a bit frustrating! However, there are still some items that are a work in progress, and I’m going to continue to investigate whether or not I should hang on to them, such as Tarte’s Blushing Bride Cheek Stain (I think I’m too dark to make this work, as it’s quite sheer); Smashbox On Trend Cream Eye Liner, a deep khaki (I’m bringing it to Jamaica to try smudging it out a ton, as that feels like the just right look for the trip); and Clinique’s Salt & Pepper Lid Smoothie (a shimmering silver-grey that would be a great base for certain looks).
Lastly, I did improve my photography skills a bit when it comes to taking FOTD’s, though I still have a LONG way to go!! Here are a couple looks I shot over the last few weeks:
Wearing: Lise Watier Folie de Pomme loose shadow, theBalm Down Boy blush, MAC Madly Magenta CCB on lips
Wearing: MUFE #2 Yellow Eyeshadow, MUFE #0L Aqua Eyes, Benefit Bella Bamba blush, and MUFE S4 Star Gloss
So. While Lent this year wasn’t much of a big hoopla as it has always been for me in years past, nonetheless I still took something away from the experience, and it wasn’t for naught! I plan to continue to go through my stash regularly to weed out products that just aren’t right for me and could use a better home, and I’m definitely going to keep trying to experiment – with both products and photos. Blogging as a whole is a constant learning experience for me, and one that I relish and take great pleasure in. There will never be a shortage of things to discover and write about!
Oh, one last thing before I go – here was my Easter mani for the week:
Wearing (thumb to pinky): Zoya Cho, MAC Mischievous Mint, China Glaze Sea Spray, Zoya Marley, RBL Poco a Poco
(Tee hee!!) Happy Easter/Long Weekend everyone!!
A Nail Polish Fitting For It’s HP Namesake: Zoya Cho
Posted by Latoya in Comparisons, Nail Polish, Neutral, Spring 2012, Zoya on March 28, 2012
*Of course, I do not KNOW if this polish was named after Cho Chang from Harry Potter…it’s just that she’s the only Cho I know, and it seems to suit her personality (more on that below).
So, a lot of the Spring collections didn’t really grab me that much in the end; as we drawer nearer to the release of the Summer collections, I realize just how few shades in the current season piqued my interest. I considered a few from Essie’s Navigate Her collection – A Crewed Interest, Ole Caliente – but decided to pass in the end. The shades in the OPI Holland collection were quite pretty, but none seemed well suited for my skintone – I only picked out two of the twelve. I’ve been hemming and hawing over butter London’s Bossy Boots, but feel that I waited SO long that now the time has passed. However, one shade that I was certain I wanted from the beginning was Zoya’s Cho from the True collection – a French Vanilla cream with the barest hint of shimmer. 
I don’t own many true neutral shades, as I tend to favor color over subtlety, but every so often I get the urge to wear something demure, and I decided that I should broaden my choices. Cho is a lovely, warm-toned shade that I just knew would look flattering on my skintone, so I ordered it sight-unseen from Nail Polish Canada, for $8.75CAD (which is about $2 cheaper than it is here in town).
Above photos in artificial light
The first thing I noticed upon applying Cho was that it was just like many other pale, creamy shades – tricky to apply. Shades like this are notorious for applying streaky (what’s the reason for that BTW? Anyone??), and this was no exception. It wasn’t a terrible hassle, but it required three coats to reach full opacity with no patchiness or see-through spots. The formula was of medium thickness and flowed easily enough, but just didn’t want to easily cooperate. I think these are times when Zoya’s smaller brush works against it, as it would have been quick and easy with a wider brush with only a few strokes required (which would likely have minimized the streaking).
With flash
In any case, I got it on, and waited for the magic. Essie’s Jazz, a cool-toned neutral that almost leans grey, makes my hands look stunning and elegant and quite frankly, awesome for being essentially a non-color. Cho, on the other hand, was flattering but kind of…boring (and this is where the Harry Potter reference applies – Cho Chang was super lame!! Crying all the time? Helping rat out the D.A.? UNCOOL, Cho, Uncool). So uh, yea. That’s essentially how I felt about this polish. More effort than it was worth to end up not stunning me in the least. Like Cho Chang, I didn’t HATE it, because that would imply I felt strongly about it, and that I did NOT. It was just there – nice enough, but with no pizzazz for me to feel like it will ever be chosen over any of my other polishes.
Just for a quick reference, here are all three of my neutral polishes together (yes, only three…c’mon, my whole stash hasn’t even hit 100 yet! Gimme a break!):
Left to Right: Zoya Cho, Essie Jazz, OPI San-Tantonio
Left to Right: Essie Jazz, Zoya Cho, OPI San-Tantonio
The good thing is that they are vastly different from one another, so that might give Cho an extra boost in the repeat wear category, since she doesn’t have any competitors. Ah well…I rarely wear a nude polish anyway, so no big issue. And after wearing that for a few days – I’m ready for some color again!!!!
What do you think of Cho? Lame like the HP character? Or are you totally digging it??
Unconventional Holiday Beauty
Posted by Latoya in Bobbi Brown, Color Club, CoverFX, Make-up, Nail Polish, Pink, Sephora Brand, Zoya on December 18, 2011
I started to write a post about some of the products I’m planning on using throughout the holiday season that are festive and season-appropriate. However, during a two-hour meeting this week, as usual my mind started to wander…and I thought, “What about the holiday looks that are a bit unexpected?” Sure, the typical red lips/nails and gold/silver eyeshadow are typical for this time of year, but you guys already know that stuff. I’ve been making an effort to use my creative muscles lately, and as a result, I came up with a few different looks I’d like to try out this season!
Not Flushed Cheeks, but….
Of course, you know all about bronzer and the wonders it can do year-round to keeping your skin from looking sallow – which can be a particular problem during the colder months of the year. However, I’m partial to wearing blush, especially in the Winter as I really love the flushed, just-out-in-the-cold look. Additionally, a little bit of shimmer never hurt anyone during the holidays. To get the best of all worlds, why not try a shimmering bronze blush? My particular fave which I wear consistently throughout the year is CoverFX Bronzed FX in Garnet – a gorgeous terracotta shade with golden shimmer:
You can see how much wear I get out of it – I’ve even hit pan, which is a huge feat when it comes to blush. It looks great in pretty much every season, but I really love it in the cooler months, and the shimmer isn’t over-the-top so its even wearable during the day. With a touch of champagne, gold or bronze eyeshadow and a nude lip, this bronzer/blush/highlight gets you holiday-ready in a flash.
Not Red Lips, but…
Rather than opting for the traditional red lip during the holidays, what about going with a more dramatic look of deep burgundy? I’m picturing it with a shimmering gold or bronze gloss on top, which would give it a luxurious, plush feel. I picked up this Sephora brand gold gloss last week and its give the perfect hint of golden glow:
Or, have the best of both worlds with a lipstick like MAC’s “O,” which is described as a purplish-red with golden pearl. I’m loving the whole look Michelle Trachtenberg has going on in the photo below:
With the thick black liner and gold necklace as well, this whole look says holiday to me!
Not Gold or Silver Eyeshadow, but…
Pewter or rose gold shades. Particularly for skin tones like mine (leaning more olive/caramel), silver can look terribly stark. I have Bobbi Brown’s Chrome Eyeshadow in Pewter, a Limited Edition shade from a couple years ago, and it’s the perfect color, as it has somewhat yellow tones that look better with a warmer complexion – though it looks good on most all skin tones, too. 
Rose gold tones seem to be all the rage right now, in everything from cosmetics (hello, LM Rose Rendezvous!) to accessories (still loving my Michael Kors watch!). And again, this is an uber-flattering shade that looks good on pretty much anyone because it works for both cool and warm skin tones. Sadly, I don’t have anything in this shade but I’m hoping to change this soon!
Not Red Nails, but…
Glitter! While it’s can be an obvious choice during the holidays, a way to make it fresh is to try some of the more untraditional colors like hot pink or aqua. I picked up Zoya’s Kissy and fell in love big time:
Oh, so pretty!! Here I have it layered over China Glaze Ahoy, as it’s glitter in a sheer pink base. The glitter is sort of holographic and is super eye-catching. The only problem with this is that because it’s bar glitter, its pretty gritty, and if you’re not careful it can catch on your clothing!! I ended up putting three coats of top coat on so that it felt relatively smooth. NOT so fun to take off! But still well worth it in my books.
Another fun shade I picked up this season is Color Club’s Beyond the Mistletoe (purchased from Nail Polish Canada – fast becoming one of my favorite nail polish sites ever!), a pale glittering holographic aqua. I have yet to wear this but I am beyond excited to do so – it’s truly gorgeous. This also needs to be layered as it’s relatively sheer, though it could be worn on its own with several coats. 
Now of course, I’ll still be rocking the red nails (I have a fabulous one on now I’ll show you soon!) and lips, and getting good use out of my gold MAC Amber Lights eyeshadow, but I always like a change, and doing things that are unexpected. These are just some ideas I had that I’d thought I’d share with you – hope you liked them!
Do you have any traditional looks you rely on during the holidays? Or any new looks and ideas you’ve tried or are hoping to try out? I’d love to hear about them!
Nothin’ Like a Good Haul to Warm the Cockles of My (Cold) Heart
Posted by Latoya in Nail Polish, Zoya on November 28, 2011
Remember how I said last week that I change my mind constantly? Yeah, well, here we go again. I was all set to write a post about how my love for nail polish seems to be waning, how I just haven’t been ~feeling~ it lately; most of the new shades coming out aren’t piquing my interest at all. OPI’s Muppet collection – hated it; Deborah Lippmann’s festive glitters and shimmers – fun but a little OTT for me; China Glaze’s Let It Snow polishes – same old (snooooze). Not that I’m all Grinch-y/Ebenezer Scrooge-y during the holiday season – Christmas is my favorite time of year and I’m getting super pumped and in the spirit in most other ways. It’s just that lately, the lacquers have been… lacking for me (sorry, I had to ).
But, thankfully, there is a silver-lining to my ramblings story. For the past few weeks, I have been checking Nail Polish Canada every day, waiting for the new Zoya Holiday collection to come out (it takes forever for us to get the collections in-store here). While I appreciated the whole collection, I fell madly and deeply in love with Kissy, a hot pink & holographic bar glitter polish. Finally, today was my day – there it was, the Gems and Jewels collection in all it’s glittering glory. The appearance of this collection also meant something else – that I could finally order the other shades I had on my wish list too! Aside from Kissy, I will concede that there are a few other polishes that have caught my eye, though I’ll be up front – I just like to have one or two polishes from each collection, even if I don’t love them…I dunno, kind of a weird beauty OCD or something (though I’m REALLY not going for any of the Muppets collex, no way, jose). Also, the polishes I wanted are not readily available in stores around Halifax, so it made sense to wait and just do one order, as you get free shipping after $29. It would have been silly and impatient of me to order them sooner, though admittedly I came close to the breaking point a few times. I managed to keep my composure/will power intact, but just barely. It’s been a hard couple of weeks.
Zoya Kissy
ANYWAY. Kissy finally being available online is not the only YAY! part of this story. Aside from ordering Color Club’s Beyond the Mistletoe (a pretty pale seafoam green glitter from their current holiday collection), due to a promo running until Nov. 30 (code TRYSOULSTICE446), I was also able to choose a free polish from the new vegan brand Soulstice Spa (I selected Milan, an orange-based red with gold microshimmer). On top of that, the site miraculously had in-stock and on sale the Color Club shade Wild At Heart (from the same named collection), a vibrant purple holo I’ve been stalking for a while. And on top of THAT (I know, right?!), they also had the Color Club duochrome Alias (from the Alter Ego collection) on sale as well. WTF!? It’s just too much goodness at once, I know, hard to believe. Two brands of polish I’ve never tried; all 5 for about $30 (tax incl. & free shipping). It’s been kind of a great day, what can I say?
Here are some shots of the mini-haul shades for your viewing pleasure
Color Club Alias
Color Club Wild at Heart
Color Club Beyond the Mistletoe
Soulstice Spa Milan
Needless to say, I will have a lot of inspiration coming my way in the nexk week or so to pull me out of my polish doldrums. I have only 9 polishes left that I haven’t yet swatched for the blog, which also puts a smile on my face as I originally had around 25-30, and that number was static for a while because I kept buying new polish LOL. I hope to swatch the rest of them before these new ones come in – I’d like to keep the non-swatch pile down to a manageable level if I can! So, be on the lookout for a deluge of polish posts coming your way
Quick details on the above mentioned polishes and CAD prices (on nailpolishcanada.com):
Color Club Polish – regular $8.00, select shades $4.80-$6.00 on sale
Zoya Polish – $8.75 (in-store between $9.00-$11.00)
Soulstice Spa Polish – $8.50
-
You are currently browsing the archives for the Zoya category.
Top Posts
-
SERIES
I WANT!!
