Zoya Touch Collection Swatches

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I have swatches of the upcoming limited edition Zoya Touch Collection, which Zoya sent for review.  The sun peeked out for a moment between storms, which means I hadn't been planning on swatching and hadn't fixed up my pinky yet, so the pictures leave that out, but at least they're in the sun so you can get a good look at the polishes.

All three Zoya Touch shades are extremely well pigmented, so much so that I think with careful application, one coat would be enough for them to be opaque.  Because there's a lot of pigment, they weren't perfectly smooth without top coat, so all three of these swatches are with both base and top (which did smooth them out perfectly), and I gave the top coat a couple of minutes to dry before taking the pictures.  Without the top coat, they dry surprisingly quickly and shiny, but I figured not using it wouldn't be a fair representation of the polishes.  I left the last one on the four fingers I swatched, and it's dried well in a reasonable period of time.

Minka is the palest of the three, which Zoya describes as "latte beige cream with a metallic kiss."  I think it's a light beige shimmer.  The color would likely be a very good match for many people's skin (it's darker than mine), and the shimmer in it is that very fine, subtle kind, but there's a whole lot of it so it shows up quite well.  Here's Zoya Minka.

Zoya Minka Nail Polish, Two Coats

Shay is next in line, and it's a shade darker than Minka and more rose, but has the same cool shimmer.  Zoya calls it "desert rose sand beige cream with a metallic kiss," and I'd call "cream with a metallic kiss" shimmer, but description of the shade is probably more clearly explanatory than any other words I'd choose.  Here is Shay in sunlight.

Zoya Shay Nail Polish, Two Coats

The third and last in the Zoya Touch Collection is Pandora, which Zoya describes as "mauve beige cream with a metallic kiss."  Again, I'd scratch "cream with a metallic kiss" and go with "shimmer," but I'm glad for the suggestion of "mauve beige" because that's a very accurate way to put it.  Here is Pandora, which has the same subtle but dense shimmer as the previous two.

Zoya Pandora Nail Polish, Two Coats

As I mentioned, the sunlight I had was just peeking out between clouds, so it wasn't glaringly bright.  When taking the pictures, I was lamenting that, thinking it wouldn't show the shimmer, but it actually worked out very well.  You can see how the shimmer in these really glows when the light hits it, and that they're distinctly shimmers even without bright light, and the colors didn't get all washed out.

I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite of these because all three of them are really cool, and they're coming out just in time for my renewed love of shimmers.  The Zoya Touch Collection is available for pre-order on Zoya's site now, with a release date and pre-order ship date of June 1st.  They're $8 each and the little boxed set of three is $24.

That's my Zoya Touch review, so until next time, love and nail polish to you!

Zoya Touch Collection Pre-Order

Hello, Dear Reader!

[Here are Zoya Touch Collection Swatches]

I'm fast asleep by now, but I have some news I couldn't give you until May 25th Eastern time, and since that's now, I wrote this several hours ago so you could get the word promptly. Today begins the pre-order for Zoya's upcoming limited edition Touch Collection.

Zoya Touch consists of three opaque nude shades, but not our mamas' kind. They're the kind of edgy, muddied variation of neutrals that are really taking off now, with the cool twist being what appears to be a downright killer shimmer in each. I'll be swatching these for you as soon as I can because I'm really fired up about them based upon the press pictures - I'm a big fan of traditional shades with a good twist, and these appear to be just that. Since I don't have them yet, I'll share with you the press image and video (assuming I embed it properly, I've never posted one here before) that have me excited about this release from Zoya.

Just so you know what you're looking at, here's Zoya's description of the three polish colors:

Minka - latte beige cream with a metallic kiss
Shay - desert rose sand beige cream with a metallic kiss
Pandora - mauve beige cream with a metallic kiss

This is the promotional image I have, which you can click to open in a larger size in a new tab.

Zoya's Touch Collection

In this video, there are closer pictures of the color swatches that give you a better idea of the shimmer in them. I think the shimmer looks awesome.

How cool do those look??? I think the reason I'm hyped up is that they're totally wearable, office-appropriate shades for any profession at all, but the cool shimmer is like a secret over-the-top element. I just think that's really fun.

Zoya's polishes are all free of formaldehyde and formaldehyde resin, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, and camphor, so in addition to being cool, these are safe to wear. For me, being devoid of formaldehyde has mattered for a couple of years since I saw what a difference it makes in discoloring my nails. Quite frankly, vanity aside, all carcinogens are really on my mind a lot more lately because my closest cousin, a breast cancer survivor who's been diligent about check-ups and all, very recently had a sudden aggressive recurrence that spread to her bones and lungs before it was caught. I don't want any one of us to deal with that, so I'm becoming far more conscious in general of risk factors, so having cool nail stuff that's not adding to the problem matters to me, and these don't.

These three limited edition shades will be available for pre-order starting today on Zoya's site, and I'll have swatches for you as soon as samples arrive. Until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

Japanese OPI DS Design

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I have the last of my Japanese OPI Designer Series polishes, OPI DS Design (DS 012-JP).  This one is holographic like the others, but the holo pigment is much finer in Design.  Its main color is kind of a beige, very subdued.  The polish was a bit thinner than the others, and Design needed three coats to be good.

Japanese OPI DS Design Nail Polish, Three Coats

I really like polishes like this when I don't want something too over the top but still want something fun to peek it, like holiday gatherings (other than Christmas, as Christmas nails are my equivalent to Christmas sweaters).  DS Design's holo effect is quite strong (light bright enough to show the color washed out the holo a bit in the picture), so it's one of those that's really entertaining to play with in the light.

That's what I know this morning.  I bet I'll know a little more after some coffee, and I'd wager I'll be fully equipped to face the day after some vitamins.  Since the coffee and vitamins have yet to happen, you know what I know so far today, so until next time,  love and nail polish to you!  

RBL The Real Housewives of the Tudor Dynasty

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I'm back with swatches of the Fall 2010 Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polishes (samples from RBL), and they are fantastic.  All were good in two coats, and all four are gorgeous shimmers.  You can read about Ji Baek's inspiration for the collection here. RBL will announce their availability on Facebook.

Jane is a pale neutral with a hint of pink and lavender, and just the perfect subtle shimmer.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Jane Nail Polish, Two Coats

Anne is a grey green with just a hint of pink shimmer.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Anne Nail Polish, Two Coats

Catherine H. is a gorgeous Wedgewood blue shimmer.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Catherine H. Nail Polish, Two Coats

My favorite is a real stunner, Catherine, which is a deep purple shimmer.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Catherine Nail Polish, Two Coats

I am absolutely in love with all four of these!  What do you think?

That's it for the RBL Extravaganza today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

Estee Lauder Surreal Violet

Good evening, Dear Reader!

I'd planned on leaving Lippmann Across the Universe on all day today, but this afternoon I got no less than five chips, one of them giant, in it.  That was kind of a bummer - I use SpaRitual Lacquer Lock base coat, which even works with the old chippy Chanels.  Ah, well... It gave me a chance to use Estee Lauder's Surreal Violet, so it's not all bad!

Surreal Violet is another neutral with purple shade, and a really nice one.  It's darker, has a more purple base, and a different shimmer than Essie Demure Vixen, the closest thing I can think of to it.  I used two coats of Surreal Violet, and this is it with a top coat.

Estee Lauder Surreal Violet Nail Polish, Two Coats

I really like this one a lot, even though I wouldn't call it violet by a long shot.

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

Urban Decay Summer of Love Nail Polish Set

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Yesterday I got the Urban Decay Summer of Love nail polish set.  I suppose it's a collection, but when they're 0.17 oz minis, it's hard to call it that.  When I showed you swatches of the Urban Decay Apocalyptic set, there were requests to see the packaging as well, so here it is for the Summer of Love set.

Urban Decay Summer of Love Nail Polish Set in Its Packaging

The best light I had was on the sidewalk, so that's why there are grass bits there.  I didn't crop them out because they add to the whole earthy crunchy Summer of Love theme.  The colors are, left to right, Shine On, Woodstock, Love Light, Hashbury, Magic Bus, Aquarius, and Psychedelic Sister.

For minis, these are great.  They have a normal sized brush attached to the smaller handle and stem, so they're easier to apply than the average mini.  The formula was a little thin, but I still only needed two coats of each.  I wore Aquarius as a full manicure, and its dry time was quite good.

Shine On is kind of a neutral/metallic hybrid shimmer.

Urban Decay Shine On Nail Polish, Two Coats

Woodstock is a hot pink creme.

Urban Decay Woodstock Nail Polish, Two Coats

Love Light is a sheer neutral shimmer, and I layered it over Essie Walk Down the Aisle.

Urban Decay Love Light Nail Polish, Two Coats over Essie Walk Down the Aisle

Hashbury is a reddish violet shimmer.

Urban Decay Hashbury Nail Polish, Two Coats

Magic Bus is a bright orange creme, kind of pumpkin colored.

Urban Decay Magic Bus Nail Polish, Two Coats

Aquarius is a teal shimmer that is almost a foil when dry.  This one is a manicure with top coat.

Urban Decay Aquarius Nail Polish, Two Coats

Psychedelic Sister is a bright, slightly coral pink creme.

Urban Decay Psychedelic Sister Nail Polish, Two Coats

I really like these colors, and the quality of the polish seems to be high.  What strikes me as funny is the juxtaposition of the terms "Urban Decay" and "Summer of Love," especially when "Summer of Love" was preceded by "Apocalyptic."  But who am I to complain about that, right?

I got the set on UD's website, and it wasn't easy to find.  The Summer of Love Collection lists all the makeup but not the nail polish.  I had to search the term "nail" to find it - I have no idea how to browse to it.

That's all I have for you for now, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

Barielle High Steppin' Collection

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I'm late showing you this collection, but samples from Barielle arrived, and so I have it for you today.  High Steppin' is the Shades by Barielle Summer 2010 collection.  It's all shimmers and glitters, not a creme to be found.

As for application, I thought it was above average.  The Shades by Barielle formula is quite thick, but the brush is good and the polish is very easy to control.  I know some people thin thicker polishes right off the bat, but I find no need to here.  All six shades are well pigmented, so each only took two coats.  The dry time varies on these - I've worn two, Electric Boogie and Freestyle, and Electric Boogie dried in normal time, Freestyle was a bit slower.  The color was worth the wait.

The pictures are all in natural light, and Electric Boogie is a full day-old manicure, with the other five being swatches.

Electric Boogie is a midnight blue shimmer with lighter blue glitter.

Shades by Barielle Electric Boogie Nail Polish, Two Coats

Slow Motion is a pinkish neutral frost.

Shades by Barielle Slow Motion Nail Polish, Two Coats

Night Moves is a foily silver shimmer along the lines of Orly Shine and Zoya Trixie.

Shades by Barielle Night Moves Nail Polish, Two Coats

Belly Dance is an especially cool one - it's the putty color we've seen so much of this year, but the twist is it's a shimmer.

Shades by Barielle Belly Dance Nail Polish, Two Coats

Passion Pirouette is a pinkish purple frost.

Shades by Barielle Passion Pirouette Nail Polish, Two Coats

Freestyle is another really good one.  Rather than the mint green that we've been bombarded with, Freestyle is more of a light spring green shimmer with glitter.

Shades by Barielle Freestyle Nail Polish, Two Coats

That is the High Steppin' Collection from Shades by Barielle.  I like the fact that the polishes are colors have a twist on them, for the most part, and I'm pleased with them.  I have to try Passion Pirouette on its own to see if the frostiness dies down a bit when it's dry, but to have one questionable polish out of six ain't bad.

These are Big Three Free, and they're $8 each on Barielle.com.

That's all for now, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

Essie 2010 Resort Collection

Good evening, Dear Reader!

I got a package from Essie just a bit ago, and inside was a box of sample bottles of The 2010 Resort Collection. I was looking forward to this collection from the promo materials I'd seen. This is a snippet of the press release with the images and color descriptions that piqued my interest.

Essie 2010 Resort Collection

The promotional pictures and descriptions sound good, but I tell you, it sells the nail polishes short. They are fabulous. You can evaluate the colors yourself from the pictures, which were taken in moderate sunlight, but I can only say good things about every aspect of this collection. The formula is a bit thick, but easy to work with and sort of guides itself into an appropriately thick coat. All four shades, which are cremes, required only two coats to be even and opaque, and the one I did a manicure with at the end of swatching dried very quickly. There is simply nothing to complain about with the polishes themselves.

As for the theme and names, I love them. The colors really do remind me of different things about a resort (I've been to one once, I'm no grand traveler!), and the names are descriptive of the colors, fit the theme, and are cute without being so over the top that I roll my eyes. Here's my one and only complaint about Essie's Resort Collection: its release date is May 2010, and it's only March 29th.

All that's left is to look at the colors, and you'll see why I'm excited about them. Essie can do a color like Mesmerize and thrill me, and I had the same reaction to all four shades of The Resort Collection. I'll just follow the press release left to right with the order here.

Lapis of Luxury is described as "a dreamy ocean blue," and I'd agree with that. It's just dark enough to fall short of being pastel, although lighter than the promo image.

Essie 2010 Resort Collection, Lapis of Luxury

Essie Lapis of Luxury Nail Polish, Two Coats

Splash of Grenadine is the one I'm wearing. Described as "a playful magenta pink," it's both softer and more purple than the promotional picture. The closest I think I have to this is Nubar's Isis Purple, but Splash of Grenadine is a bit darker and more purple. I absolutely adore this one.

Essie 2010 Resort Collection, Splash of Grenadine

Essie Splash of Grenadine Nail Polish, Two Coats

Playa Del Platinum is called "an elegant and sheer sandy gray." I'd agree with elegant sandy gray, but it was opaque in two coats for me. It's the color of the beach sand at the one and only resort I've been to, and strikes me as a warm weather greige.

Essie 2010 Resort Collection, Playa Del Platinum

Essie Playa Del Platinum Nail Polish, Two Coats

The last color in this collection is Turquoise & Caicos, an almost (but not quite) minty turquoise creme. It's like a much darker twist on all the mint shades we've seen this year, another home run.

Essie 2010 Resort Collection, Turquoise & Caicos

Essie Playa Turquoise & Caicos, Two Coats

That, Dear Reader, is Essie's 2010 Resort Collection, and the whole thing knocked my socks off. We'll begin the countdown to May when the collection is released! Normally, I wait to wear pre-release samples after showing them to you until the release date (when everyone can have them), but I'm sure that won't be the case with these. I'm just too pleased with each of them to hold off that long, so you'll see completed manicured with all four between now and May.

That's all for today, Dear Reader. Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

SpaRitual Nail Polish Swatches, Part II

Good morning, Dear Reader!

The sun decided to come out late yesterday afternoon, so rather than "enhance" the gold SpaRitual I was wearing, I considered swatching another six, and was surprised to discover I had it in me.

You've seen some of these before, but not recently. Two are from last year's Spring collection, one's just a classic that had to be shown in the sun, and the other three, I don't think I've shown you before. These are more from the $2 each thing I explained yesterday. They had the full collections for $10, I think it was, so I just got the whole Spring one from last year since I wanted to replace a few and a backup of one.

As in Part I, some of these are older and only labelled "DBP-Free" (again, not my punctuation), and a while back I peeled a label on an older one to find toluene and formaldehyde in it, so I'll make mention of whether each is Big Three Free for those of you who care as I go through them.

Also as in Part I, most were all two-coaters, with the one exception being a three-coat jelly, and all applied just beautifully. Again, the shimmers can look frosty when wet, which is when I took the pictures, but that dies down to a strong shimmer without brush strokes.

Bohemian Rhapsody is a delicate champagne shimmer, and I had to have it for the name. This one's labelled "DBP-Free."

SpaRitual Bohemian Rhapsody Nail Lacquer

SpaRitual Bohemian Rhapsody Nail Polish, Two Coats

Enlightened is a girly pink shimmer with a subtle blue flash, a great Springy one, also only DBP free.

SpaRitual Enlightened Nail Lacquer

SpaRitual Enlightened Nail Polish, Two Coats

Revere is one from last Spring, an orange shimmer that absolutely glows like hot embers, and is Big Three Free.

SpaRitual Revere Nail Lacquer

SpaRitual Revere Nail Polish, Two Coats

Against the Grain is a deep red wine shimmer that's labelled "DBP-Free," but one of my favorites just the same.

SpaRitual Against the Grain Nail Lacquer

SpaRitual Against the Grain Nail Polish, Two Coats

Steel Magnolia is the classic, and was hard to find for quite a while. I suppose that's because a ton of it was sitting in a warehouse somewhere. It's a steel blurple shimmer that lights up in the sun, also labelled "DBP-Free."

SpaRitual Steel Magnolia Nail Lacquer

SpaRitual Steel Magnolia Nail Polish, Two Coats

The last is also from last Spring, Love. It's a slightly peachy pink jelly, and it's the one for which I needed three coats.

SpaRitual Love Nail Lacquer

SpaRitual Love Nail Polish, Two Coats

I think now I've shown you the colors from that order that you hadn't seen before. I should have some others to show you later this week, but we'll get there then...

Since most of these are more recent, if you "need" any, sparkling*nails on ebay probably has them in stock. If not, you can ask her about a color via email, and she's really helpful.

That's what I have for you for now, Dear Reader. Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

SpaRitual Nail Polish Swatches, Part I

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I'm having a lazy Sunday afternoon on a cold rainy day watching a marathon of a TV show I like, so I thought I'd swatch some of those SpaRitual nail polishes I'd mentioned to you recently. If you missed that, a site was selling them for two days at $2 each, but I'd never ordered from them before, so I didn't want to tell you about it until I tested the company to see how they did (after that epic etailer fail that happened last time I didn't test a company first). It took a month to ship and they OOS'd me on one item (of many, many), but overall, it was good. If I get another notice of a sale, I'll let you know about it.

So now I have a bunch of SpaRituals to show you! Since my attention span for swatching is somewhat limited, I swatched six of them today. They're all two-coaters, a testament to their quality, but I did notice one thing - the formula on the older ones from a few years back, though free of DBP, does contain formaldehyde and toluene. Some bottles are labelled "DBP-Free" and some "DBP, Formaldehyde and Toluene Free." I didn't peel a label on any of these, but I did a while back on an older one that just had "DBP-Free" (with the hyphen being the label, not mine) and the ingredients did include formaldehyde and toluene. I know many people don't care, but formaldehyde stains the heck out of my nails, and I know there are people with an allergy to it, so I'll let you know what each bottle indicates as we go through the pictures.

One caveat on the pictures: some of the shimmers look frosty, but I've found that with SpaRituals, that diminishes to a strong shimmer with no frosty look or brush strokes once they dry (I didn't wait for these to dry). I'm wearing one now that looks a little frosty in the picture, but it's not at all now. The same holds true for the classic SpaRitual Steel Magnolia - wet, it's one big brush stroke, dry, it's gorgeous. Now that you have all the background info, let's look at nail polish!

Jet Setter is a slightly peach neutral with a strong shimmer, and has a low-level SpaRitual glow. This one came in a two-pack with one I really, really wanted and have been unable to find forever, so I sprung for the $3.50 for the two-pack and got this as a bonus. The happy surprise is that I like it. This one is Big Three Free.

SpaRitual Jet Setter Nail Lacquer

SpaRitual Jet Setter Nail Polish, Two Coats

Smart Cookie is a great one. It's a deep burgundy creme that looks brown at first glance, but it's much richer and more interesting than a brown this dark would be. It's certainly not a traditional Spring/Summer color, but I need a break from the bright shades pretty often, and this will be a good one to break things up. Tragically, this one says only "DBP-Free," so I'll suffer stains.

SpaRitual Smart Cookie Nail Lacquer

SpaRitual Smart Cookie Nail Polish, Two Coats

Foxy Lady is a pinkish red with a strong shimmer, a nice lighter red for the warmer weather than I'm truly hoping is coming soon. Foxy Lady has that special SpaRitual glow that is unique to this line. Why the manufacturer doesn't ever toss this glow into their other brands, I'll never know - it's what initially got me hooked on SpaRituals. This one is only "DBP-Free."

SpaRitual Foxy Lady Nail Lacquer

SpaRitual Foxy Lady Nail Polish, Two Coats

Never Say Never is a fantastic bright pink creme. Although it's bright, it's nowhere near neon and therefore a good bit more wearable for most people. It's just a perfect bright, vivid pink creme, and great for Spring and Summer (can you tell I'm hung up on that? It's freezing in this house...). Again, only "DBP-Free" on this label.

SpaRitual Never Say Never Nail Lacquer

SpaRitual Never Say Never Nail Polish, Two Coats

Gold Digger is the one I'm wearing, a somewhat light gold with a strong glowy shimmer. I plan to add a few things to it shortly, when I resume watching my marathon, so you might see it dry tomorrow. If I mess it up getting a little too creative, then you won't (not after I showed you the doily mani yesterday...)! Gold Digger is Big Three Free.

SpaRitual Gold Digger Nail Lacquer

SpaRitual Gold Digger Nail Polish, Two Coats

Finally, the last one is the one I mentioned with Jet Setter, the one I've wanted like crazy but never seen available. It's called Ice Ice Baby, but the polish itself makes me forgive the name, the earworm, and the visual of Vanilla Ice with the decoratively shaved eyebrow. Essentially, it's Lippmann Collection Rhapsody in White without the brush strokes that so characterize Rhapsody in White. It's a clean opaque white with a strong shimmer with a bit of a glow. That sounds so simple, but I've never seen one quite like this, and it's a great year-round color. Ice Ice Baby is Big Three Free.

SpaRitual Ice Ice Baby Nail Lacquer

SpaRitual Ice Ice Baby Nail Polish, Two Coats

This is half of the bunch I ordered that I don't think I've shown to you before. Some might be worth showing you again anyhow. The application of these is excellent, and I'm a huge fan of the formula, particularly the Big Three Free (which is really what counts, since that's what they make now). It's a bit on the thick side, but is very easy to work with. I does not have that thick-yet-runny quality that so many three free formulas have. Since it is thicker than average, some might be tempted to thin them, but they really don't need it. Two coats and they're good with a great dry time, just the way the come on the bottle.

That's Part I of my cheapo SpaRitual haul. I'll have Part II for you later this week. Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!

A little afterthought: although the sale on these is done, if there are any you "need," I've found sparkling*nails on ebay to have the broadest selection of SpaRitual nail polish, and she charges less than retail. She also ships internationally, and for free within the US over $100 and for $10 to Canada over $100. If you don't see a color you're after in her store, she's incredibly helpful about hunting things down - just email her and she'll let you know.