Zoya Paris, Rekha, Tru - Photos, Swatches

A post heavy on photos, light on text. Enjoy the loveliness that is Zoya! (All swatches are two coats.)

Zoya Paris -

Zoya Rekha -

Zoya Tru -

Formula was great on all. Zoya is one of my absolute favorite nail polish brands; it never disappoints! available at zoya.com for $8 and in Ulta stores.

Sephora Pantone Nail Polish in Cradle Pink, Parachute Purple - Swatches, Review, Photos

I was transfixed when I first saw promos for the new Sephora Pantone nail polish. They looked positively gorgeous! And shiny! and duochrome-y! As soon as I could, I ordered two - Cradle Pink and Parachute Purple.

L to R: Parachute Purple, Cradle Pink

And after getting them? I have to admit I'm sort of 'meh'. They're perfectly nice, perfectly pleasant, but I have enough lacquers now that I hate to settle for anything less than mind-blowingly rad and these fall well below that bar. Here's Cradle Pink, a shimmery pink/purple topcoat:

One coat of Cradle Pink is shown over, from pointer to pinky, CND Blackjack (black creme), OPI If You Moust You Moust (medium pink creme; also, most awkward name ever), Zoya Dove (light grey creme), and Nars Koliary (bright medium blue creme).

Cradle Pink adds a pretty veil of shimmer over a base polish, but the effect is quite subtle in natural light and only became noticeable with a heavy dose of flash (and even then it's not overwhelmingly strong). I think my favorite combo is with the grey; Cradle Pink adds a touch of sauciness to an otherwise neutral and subdued manicure, while still skirting the line of being work-appropriate. Nevertheless, if you want a wash of shimmer over an under-polish, I would recommend checking out the CND Effects line over this shade.

Parachute Purple, a violet with green-blue duochrome shimmer:

The formula was ultra-rich, barely requiring two coats. Again, though, the duochrome shimmer is quite subtle. I feel that, with the recent influx of duochrome collections, a better option is out there.

What do you think?

KBShimmer Elle, Watercolor, Vegas Bomb - Review, Swatches, Photos

Life stuff is killing me, guys :( Luckily today is a day off work and a day when I did my best impression of a lump of potato, so have some KBShimmer! :D

Elle, a gorgeous gray creme with gray, pink, gold, white, and blue glitter. Shown as two coats over one coat over Zoya Dove.

Vegas Bomb, and lemon yellow creme/jelly with an explosion of multi-colored glitter. Totally awesome. Three coats.

Watercolor, a bright, medium blue creme with some super cool bright pink glitter (and other glitter). Two coats.

Very lovely. Vegas Bomb was a bit sheer, and next time I wear it I'll make sure to undercoat with a yellow creme. But, as noted, completely awesome. Watercolor is perfect and I've never met a lacquer with a more fitting name - the glitter looks like tiny brushstroke dabs. Overall, KBShimmer offers some truly unique colors at a very reasonable indie price ($8.50). Unfortunately Vegas Bomb was discontinued, but you can purchase the others from the KBShimmer online shop here.

Thanks for sticking reading! I really appreciate it :)

Nicole by OPI I Love You Cherry Much - Photos, Review, Swatches

Today I have an oldie(ish) but goodie, one of my very very favorite reds - Nicole by OPI I Love You Cherry Much! This is a Target exclusive. It's a bright red shimmer (with large shimmer, if that makes sense?) that reminds me of cherry candy. It also freaks my camera out so that I can't focus to get very good photos, boo.

Formula is smooth and perfect, and truly this is a lovely polish. Props to Nicole by OPI for making a red that I actually find interesting enough to wear regularly :D! I believe lacquer is from the Fall 2011, but is still available. It's worth checking out, even for you non-traditional polish lovers -this color has a kick to it. Definitely not your grandmother's red (unless your grandma is Grandma Opal from 'Doug' - my favorite childhood show! ;).

365 Days of Color Polish in Summer Dream, Cotton Candy - Swatches, Review, Photos

Two more lovely indie polishes! These are from 365 Days of Color and, to the surprise of absolutely no one, I love them!

This is Cotton Candy, an adorable white creme with sparse hexagonal blue and pink glitters:

Isn't this super fun? I think I may not have shaken the bottle well enough; other swatches I've seen contain slightly more glitter, but I love this nonetheless. The white is rich, creamy, and non-streaky. Fabulous formula and application.

This is Summer Dream, an aqua blue jelly with a cacophony of glitter:

Once again, gorgeous. So great for summer! The colorful glitter works well with the understated light blue base. Both of these are so spectacular, I can't wait to try more 365 Days of Color polishes!

These are available here!

What do you think?

Julep Nail Polishes in Lauren, Claire - Swatches, Review, Photos

Two Julep polishes today! I've been collecting these from the awesome monthly Julep Maven box (seriously - which other subscription service allows you to change the items assigned to you, skip months without penalty, and add items at a discounted price?), but have kept them sadly underused. That doesn't make them any less lovely, however!

Lauren, a bright pink fuchsia with a semi-matte/rubbery finish:

Claire, a creamy and bright sky blue:

The formula on both of these is smooth and even. Great, vibrant colors, and I love the finish on Lauren! The bottle is a bit awkward, though; I keep thinking I'm going to knock it over!

Julep nail polishes are available at Sephora and at julep.com for $14 each.