Zoya Summer 2012 Beach Swatches and Review!

Hi there!

I've got a treat for you today, swatches of the brand spankin' new Zoya Beach collection!

There are two full collections being released this summer and in this bunch, we see lovely creme colors with the exception of a single shimmer. Lets get this review started =]!

 

Reagan

"Deep cerise pink cream"

2 coats

This uber opaque deep pink creme is a beauty! It has 1 coater potential and I know many of you guys LOVE that. My camera was being annoying and made it look more of a fuchsia/purple shade, but in person it has a true pink tone. At first glance I thought it would be similar to Zoya Kieko, but its not a dupe; it is significantly more pink. Love this =]!

 

 

Lara

"Vivid cerise pink cream"

2 coats

Again, my camera didn't perfectly photograph this one. In person, this is a vibrant almost-but-not-quite hot pink shade. I seriously loved how it looked on my skin tone! I can totally see myself wearing this to the pool this summer, haha =] It had a fabulous opaque formula (as most Zoya's do), no complaints about this polish from this girl!

 

 

Shelby

"Soft pinky pink cream"

3 coats

I looooove a pretty light pink =]! This completely girly candy pink practically screams adorable...the pictures are -almost- right on but I think it appears slightly warmer in person. Of the three pinks in this collection, this is my favorite! It was a little less opaque than the other pinks, but 3 thin coats worked out just fine for me! I can't wait to try some layering combos with this beauty =]!

 

 

Arizona

"Soft coral orange cream"

3 coats

Welp, you guys know my thoughts on orange...I just don't think it suits me for some reason! However, there are few things I really like about this polish; first off, the name...REPRESEEEENT (if you aren't aware, I live in Arizona =P)!!! Also, since I do a lot of nail art, it's really handy to have the basics of each color family. This not too bright, not too dull orange creme will be perfect for me to use in my nail art =]! Those of you who are orange fans would REALLY enjoy this one, though! It has a great formula, decent opacity, and makes for a lovely, summery, citrusy shade!

 

 

Tracie

"Sea grass metallic"

2 coats

Here it is, the lone shimmer in this group! This yellow-based light green shimmer is really unique, and although I normally love greens, this isn't my absolute favorite. Don't get me wrong, it isn't bad and I'm sure some of you will fall in love with this shade! I normally love shimmers, but I don't like the streaky finish of this one. However, kudos to Zoya for trying something different =]!

 

 

Wednesday

"Soft aqua cream"

2 coats

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOOOOOVE this one! It's bright but not super vibrant, it feels very Victorian and classy to me. I don't care that this was released in a Summer collection...I will wear this ALLLLL year round! Some were concerned if this would be too close of a match the Zoya Bevin, but rest easy knowing that that are in fact different...you need both =P! It appears similar to the often-duped Tiffany blue (Orly Gumball, China Glaze For Audrey, and so on...), but it's dustier than that. Trust me...do not hesitate. Order this ASAP =P!

 

There you have it! This collection has it's ups and downs for me, but overall, I'm pretty impressed with the formulas and variety. This collection will be released at Zoya.com on April 1st and the will sell for $8.00 each.

Go like Zoya on Facebook for updates and promotions, click here!

Check back soon for swatches of the other Zoya Summer collection, Surf =]!

<3,

Lindsey

*The products in this review was sent to me by Zoya in exchange for my honest opinion. The opinions within this review are completely my own.* 

Girly Girl Challenge - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Hiiiii!

It's the very last day of the Girly-Girl Challenge! This has been so incredibly fun, I'm sad to see it end!

 

Today's (final) challenge is all about FUUUUN! I had a little trouble coming up with an idea for this one for some reason, but I settled on a technique I haven't done very much, water marbling! I'm not the best marbler out there, but I always have a fun time doing it =]! I used OPI Pink Flamenco, Bettina Aqua, and Wet N Wild Black Creme for this mani. Take a looksie!

 

 

I think this represents fun quite nicely =]! Like I said, I'm no marbling pro, but I think I'm fairly decent at it...decent enough to share at least =P!

Be sure to check out everyone's final challenge...

Ashley of Follow The Yellow Polish Road

Stephanie of A Little Polish

Kelly of DevilishPolish

Jodi of Captivating Claws

Danielle of Polish. Glitter. Rock & Roll!

Elly of Polishable

Olivia of Unprofessional Nails

Kate of This Charming Kate

Bethany of  A Plethora of Nails

Lizzy of The Do It Yourself Lady

Eugenia of Talon-ted

Johanna of Neues vom Kellerkind

Amanda of Nox Nails

Ashley of Smashley Sparkles

Sarah of See Sarah Swatch

Emily of The Lacquerologist

Jess of LuvMyLacquer

Tressa of O' Natur Nail

ChiChi of I'm just me...ChiChi

CR of Color Me Silly

Amanda of Berry Polished 

Robin, Erin, and Anna of Polished Cousins

Bonny of Over Stuffed 

Taylor of REJOICE! 

Jess of Nearly Natural Nails  

I'd like to take a minute and thank ALL of the participants for joining me on this creative journey =]! I was so impressed with everyone's interpretations of the themes! I came across some great blogs during this challenge; you guys are awesome =]!

I've had a few requests for a round two of some sort...please let me know in the comments if you're interested! I was thinking of making another Girly-Girl Challenge with differently themed days...let me know your thoughts =]!

<3,

Lindsey

Glitter-Framed Nails!

Hey there!

Sometimes being a copy-cat is a good thing...right? I recently saw this FABULOUS glitter-framed mani over at The Nailasaurus and instantly fell in love...so much, in fact, that I used the same technique for today's mani! I used 2 coats of my current favorite green, Dr.'s Remedy ESSENTIAL Emerald and used an itty bitty dotting tool to pick up loose blue hex glitter particles (Glam and Glits Luscious Blue is the actual name, I picked up an ounce at my local nail supply) to gently place them around my nails. See for yourself =]!

 

 

 

 

I need to pair green and blue more often, I love it! I've been LOVING this framed nail look lately, I can't get enough! You WILL be seeing this technique again soon =]!

Have a great day =]!

♥,

Lindsey

*Some of these products were provided for previous consideration and review. The opinions within this post are COMPLETELY my own.*

Girly Girl Challenge - Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice!

Hi there!

It's day 7 of the Girly-Girly Challenge!

 

With today's challenge being sugar, spice, and everything nice, only ONE thing came to mind...let me give you a little blast from the past, 90's kids!

The Powerpuff Girls =D! I LOVED this show as a kid. If you aren't familiar with it, the reason I thought of this for today's theme is because these 3 young superheros got their powers from a mix of sugar, spice, everything nice, and "chemical X". I used a lot of colors...so if you'd like to know one in particular, please ask in the comments! Check out my AWESOME mani =D!

 

 

 

I LOVE how this turned out! As you can see, I was inspired by the heart background, the three little dresses they wear, and chemical X. This was a super fun challenge to create =]!

Check out the other participants in this challenge...

Ashley of Follow The Yellow Polish Road

Stephanie of A Little Polish

Kelly of DevilishPolish

Jodi of Captivating Claws

Danielle of Polish. Glitter. Rock & Roll!

Elly of Polishable

Olivia of Unprofessional Nails

Kate of This Charming Kate

Bethany of  A Plethora of Nails

Lizzy of The Do It Yourself Lady

Eugenia of Talon-ted

Johanna of Neues vom Kellerkind

Amanda of Nox Nails

Ashley of Smashley Sparkles

Sarah of See Sarah Swatch

Emily of The Lacquerologist

Jess of LuvMyLacquer

Tressa of O' Natur Nail

ChiChi of I'm just me...ChiChi

CR of Color Me Silly

Amanda of Berry Polished 

Robin, Erin, and Anna of Polished Cousins

Bonny of Over Stuffed 

Taylor of REJOICE! 

Jess of Nearly Natural Nails  

See ya next time!

<3,

Lindsey

Rainbow Honey Frozen Flame Swatch and Review!

Hey =]!

The week after Spring Break is possibly the hardest week of the semester for the simple fact that my brain hasn't switched back to school mode yet. I've been distracted by pretty nails, Facebook, and funny things on Pinterest like this...

 

Cat humor ALWAYS brightens my day =P! Anyway, time to get distracted by something else... a goooorgeous Etsy polish from Rainbow Honey! This new-to-me shop has ADORABLE packaging and glitters like I've never seen before...I just about drooled all over my keyboard when I discovered this shop! I have a lovely swatch of Frozen Flame (2 coats) which is a layering polish full of orange and color-shifting blue microglitter along with holo bar glitter (for this swatch, I layered it over Dr.'s Remedy NOBLE Navy). Now, I'd never be brave enough to mix up an orange and blue glitter polish...but WOW. This baby is craaaazy! Check it out!

 

 

 

Fuuuun! If you're an orange fan, you'll absolutely adore this one! I will say that I am not the biggest fan of orange normally...but to be honest, I'm in LOVE with the color-shifting blue pieces so much that I really could see myself wearing this on occasion if I ever get stuck in a rut with my normal purples, blues, and pinks. Also, I think this polish would look GREAT as a layered summer pedi! The formula was a teeny bit thick, but that's how it goes with glitter polish normally...you know how it works ;)

Unfortunately, Rainbow Honey is in vacation mode at the moment...but rumor has it that the shop will reopen in early April. Be sure to visit the shop and sign up for a notification when it reopens by clicking here. Also, go ahead and check out Rainbow Honey on Facebook by clicking here. 

See ya later =]!

<3,

Lindsey

*The product in this review was sent to me by Rainbow Honey in exchange for my honest opinion. The opinions within this review are completely my own.* 

Blue Dot Ombre Mani!

Hi Ladies and Gents!

I took the plunge and FINALLY bought real dotting tools; before I got these, I was using ends of paint brushes, bobby pins, and toothpicks. Those did the job...but I'm happy with the real deal. It might be a mental thing, but I somehow think these are better and easier to work with =P To celebrate my new nail toys, I used them to create a cute ombre dot mani with Zoya Carey, OPI What's With The Cattitude?, OPI Ogre The Top Blue, and Dr.'s Remedy NOBLE Navy! Check it out!

 

 

 

This mani was sooo adorable! Dotting tools might just be my new best friend...I feel sort of lame for being late to the dotting tool game, but better late than never, right =P? Have a great Saturday =]!

♥,

Lindsey

*Some of these products were provided for previous consideration and review. The opinions within this post are COMPLETELY my own.*

Crumpled Paper Stamping!

Hello!

Happy Friday! I hope you have a fun-filled weekend ahead of you! Those of you who will be seeing The Hunger Games...you're in for a TREAT! I saw it at midnight and it was absolutely incredible =]! Today, I think I have a brand new technique to show you. I was literally sitting at my desk, staring at a piece of paper when it hit me like a truck..."I wonder how it would look if I used crumpled paper to stamp with?" I gave it a shot and WOW, the outcome is really cool!

Basically, I painted my nails with Wet N Wild Black Creme, and then I crumpled three nickel-sized pieces of paper (one for each color) so that there were no perfectly flat sides. To do that,  I wrapped all the edges into the middle until the paper was in a misshapen ball. Then, I dabbed a fairly generous amount of polish on the paper ball and gently applied the colors (Bettina Aqua, Essence Mellow Yellow, and Zoya Dita) by repeatedly dotting them on my nail one at a time until I achieved the desired look. To make sure that the pattern was different on each nail, I kept rotating the stamping surface of the paper ball after each stamp. I think it looks sort of like bright watercolor meets splatter nails...if that doesn't make sense, just take a look below...you'll see what I mean =]!

 

 

Whenever I do a mani that I believe hasn't been done before, I always search around and see if anyone else had the same fabulous idea before I did. While I haven't seen anyone do this with paper (PLEASE don't hesitate to let me know if someone has!), I did come across a similar technique over at ChromaCraze where she used plastic wrap to make a pretty, light, sponged mani. Although her technique is related to what I did, the outcomes are VERY different! I really like the unusual effect from this technique! For those of you struggling to get the hang of the splatter mani, this might be an easier alternative for you to achieve colorful, random, and FUN nails!

Have a great weekend =]!

<3,
Lindsey

Girly Girl Challenge - Who Inspires You?

Hey there!

It's day 6 of the Girly-Girl Challenge!

 

The theme for this challenge is "Who Inspires You?" and I decided to base my mani on my mommy =]! She's been through so much and she works so hard in everything, I love her =]! Since her favorite color is blue, I used 3 coats of Nubar Blue Hydrangea and 1 coat of OPI Gone Gonzo! Also, since shes a fellow Disney nut like me, I made a few "hidden Mickey's" on my ring finger with OPI Swimsuit...Nailed It! Check it out =]!

 

 

 

I love how these turned out, but more importantly, my mom loved them =]! Hooray =]!

Check out the other Girly-Girl Challenge participants...

Ashley of Follow The Yellow Polish Road

Stephanie of A Little Polish

Kelly of DevilishPolish

Jodi of Captivating Claws

Danielle of Polish. Glitter. Rock & Roll!

Elly of Polishable

Olivia of Unprofessional Nails

Kate of This Charming Kate

Bethany of  A Plethora of Nails

Lizzy of The Do It Yourself Lady

Eugenia of Talon-ted

Johanna of Neues vom Kellerkind

Amanda of Nox Nails

Ashley of Smashley Sparkles

Sarah of See Sarah Swatch

Emily of The Lacquerologist

Jess of LuvMyLacquer

Tressa of O' Natur Nail

ChiChi of I'm just me...ChiChi

CR of Color Me Silly

Amanda of Berry Polished 

Robin, Erin, and Anna of Polished Cousins

Bonny of Over Stuffed 

Taylor of REJOICE! 

Jess of Nearly Natural Nails  

See ya later =]!

<3,

Lindsey

 

Girl On Fire Mani!

Happy Hunger Games...

In order to look my very best for the Games, I've created 'Girl on Fire' nails in support of my favorite tribute, Katniss Everdeen. After taking her sister's place and dazzling everyone with her fiery outfits and personality, the entire Capitol has been buzzing about this girl...she'll be the one to beat! I used 2 coats of Wet N Wild Black Creme as the base and OPI Color So Hot It Berns with Dr.'s Remedy TRANQUIL Tangerine for the flames. One of Panem's best nail artists, Cutepolish, has made an easy tutorial for the rest of us to follow. Although my interpretation of the flames is marbled and random instead of structured, I used the same technique as in this video...

Now, take a look at my HOT nails! I believe Cinna, Octavia, Flavius, and Venia would be proud!

 

 

 

Fiery, right? When the Games begin tomorrow at midnight, everyone will know that I am rooting for District 12!

Until next time, and may the odds be ever in your favor...

♥,

Lindsey

*Some of these products were provided for previous consideration and review. The opinions within this post are COMPLETELY my own.*

Girly-Girl Challenge - Gotta Love Chick Flicks!

Hey there!

It's time for another Girly-Girl Challenge...and I especially emphasize challenge today...

 

For this challenge, I had to choose a favorite chick flick and create a mani based on that movie. I had a heck of a time picking a favorite, there are SO many that I love! I finally settled on Ever After, the Cinderella-like story with Drew Barrymore. I love the scene when she enters the ball and is all dressed up, like this...

 

Image courtesy of Ever After Costumes

As I said previously, this mani was challenging for me because the polish was NOT playing nice! I had many instances of wrinkling, dents, stamping uh-ohs, and just plain uuuuugliness! I FINALLY was able to get it to be decent enough to photograph, but it still isn't to my liking...maybe you guys will like it more than me, haha. I used Zoya Cho, Petites French White (*sings* Can aaaanyboooody fiiiind meeeeeee a white polish to love!?!?! Seriously, I'm having a heck of a time finding a white that doesn't have the same formula of white-out), Covergirl City Lights, and Bettina Celebrate to resemble her lovely gown. Take a look!

 

 

I was really hoping to have some patterns or flowery-lace on this one, but since this mani wouldn't cooperate, I had to give in =P I think it's still pretty, though, and it certainly said girly-girl to me =]!

Check out the other participants in the Girly-Girl Challenge...

Ashley of Follow The Yellow Polish Road

Stephanie of A Little Polish

Kelly of DevilishPolish

Jodi of Captivating Claws

Danielle of Polish. Glitter. Rock & Roll!

Elly of Polishable

Olivia of Unprofessional Nails

Kate of This Charming Kate

Bethany of  A Plethora of Nails

Lizzy of The Do It Yourself Lady

Eugenia of Talon-ted

Johanna of Neues vom Kellerkind

Amanda of Nox Nails

Ashley of Smashley Sparkles

Sarah of See Sarah Swatch

Emily of The Lacquerologist

Jess of LuvMyLacquer

Tressa of O' Natur Nail

ChiChi of I'm just me...ChiChi

 

CR of Color Me Silly

 

Amanda of Berry Polished 

 

Robin, Erin, and Anna of Polished Cousins

 

Bonny of Over Stuffed 

 

Taylor of REJOICE! 

 

Jess of Nearly Natural Nails  

 

 

See ya!

 

<3,

Lindsey

(Late) St. Paddy's Day Nails!

Hey there!

I'm sorry I went missing for a few days, I was busy enjoying the first weekend of my Spring Break =] Hope you don't mind ;D Today, I have my St. Paddy's Day mani to show you! Yes, I know it's late, but I spent the whole day at my local Renaissance Festival and had a blast =]! For this mani, I used 3 coats of Zoya Ivanka and the detailed were done with Petites French White, Essence Mellow Yellow, OPI Ogre The Top Blue, Zoya Dita, Wet N Wild Black Creme, and the big glitter particles from Haze Glaze Bling It. I was going for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow...check it out!

 

 

I think it was quite festive for the holiday, what do you think =]? Did any of you get pinched for not wearing green =P?

<3,

Lindsey

Zoya Summer 2012 Beach & Surf Press Release!

Please enjoy this AWESOME press release from my favorite polish company, Zoya =]!

 

New nail color - coming soon to a salon near you and Zoya.com!

Summer 2012 is going to be a super stylish season for nails with the latest offering of nail polish collections, Beach and Surf, from the new color of fashion, Zoya! This new splash of color, designed by the Zoya color experts, is kissed by sea and sand translating beautifully onto the nail in the famous, full-coverage Zoya formula.

Dive into the creamy shades of the Zoya Beach Collection or the shimmering sea foils of the Zoya Surf Collection. The choice is yours – this color palette is sure to be a splash!

Zoya BEACH Collection

• Reagan (ZP614) - deep cerise pink cream
• Lara (ZP615) - vivid cerise pink cream
• Shelby (ZP616) - soft pinky pink cream
• Arizona (ZP617) - soft coral orange cream
• Tracie (ZP618) - sea grass metallic
• Wednesday (ZP619) - soft aqua cream

 
 Zoya SURF Collection

• Rory (ZP620) - lotus pink foil metallic
• Carly (ZP621) - thalia purple foil metallic
• Kimber (ZP622) - magenta pink foil metallic
• Myrta (ZP623) - coral orange foil metallic
• Meg (ZP624) - mermaid green foil metallic
• Zuza (ZP625) - aquamarine foil metallic

 Zoya is the new color of fashion... 

The Zoya BEACH and SURF collection was designed and inspired by resort runways and tropical get-a-ways.

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are free of harmful industrial chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, resin, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects. 

Find Zoya BEACH and SURF as well as over 300 other ultra high-fashion Zoya shades at www.zoya.com. As always, each and every Zoya color is made for women so we name them after women.

BEACH and SURF by Zoya Nail Polish - 12 new colors:
Available April 1, 2012 (USA)
www.zoya.com

These look gorgeous, well done Zoya =]!

<3,

Lindsey 

The Hungry Asian Sneeze Breeze!

Hello!

I've made it through this insane week of sickness and school...and now it's spring break, yay =D! I'll get to do my nails as much as I want next week...MUAHAHAHAHH!!!! Today, I have a lovely swatch of The Hungry Asian's Sneeze Breeze (thanks to Brandon, he surprised me with it <3 =]), a super cool blue and black matte glitter polish. I layered 2 coats of Sneeze Breeze over 1 coat of OPI Ogre The Top Blue. I've heard it can be opaque on its own, but I'm all for saving polish =P! Loooooook!

 

 

 

 

ACK...SOOOO pretty! The formula for this isn't horrible, but it is a bit of a topcoat eater...for my swatch, I used a coat of Gelous and then my favorite topcoat, Nubar Diamont. This combo seemed to do the trick! If you'd like to make this or one of the other gorgeous Hungry Asian glitters your own, check out the Etsy shop here. A 12ml bottle costs $8.50, not too shabby!

Have a great Friday =]!

<3,

Lindsey