Thursday, November 28, 2013

Review: Zoya Winter/Holiday 2013 Zenith Collection

Hello lovelies!
*Press Sample*
I have my first official Zoya review for you today! I am honored to have this opportunity to be a blogger for Zoya, it was this brand that really started my nail polish addiction!

A couple of things, these are quick and dirty swatches and my cuticles are suffering with this cold weather! Also I have 5 pets in my house, I can't seem to do anything without some sort of animal hair being involved too! Please ignore this and simply focus on the fabulous colors! :)Without further ado, let's check out the Zenith Collection for Winter 2013!

First up is Belinda which is described as:

a full-coverage, cosmic purple metallic




Shown is 2 coats of Belinda over Duri Rejuvacote. (For all photos I used this base coat and did not use top coat) I could have easily gotten away with 1 thick coat but I applied 2 thin layers and the 2nd layer just helped darken it up a bit. This applied wonderfully and needed little cleanup. No pooling at all! There is a somewhat hidden pink and blue shimmer that really adds depth and lends to the metallic (ish) finish. Belinda is gorgeous, so regal!

Next up is Cassedy which is described as:

a full-coverage, celestial pewter metallic




This is 1 coat of Cassedy! That's right, just 1! Application was also a breeze! My only complaint is that it does slightly show brushstrokes. A good top coat might help level that all out. But otherwise I love this! Almost a gunmetal gray and in some lights has a bit of a greenish tint to it. Definitely one of my favorites from this collection!

On to Seraphina which is described as:

a full-coverage, Polaris silver metallic




Shown is 3 coats of Seraphina. I was going to stop at 2 but did a 3rd to cover up the pesky VNL. This applied easily but did pool a bit and the shimmer particles were a major pain for clean up! They got everywhere! A steadier hand is definitely needed a thinner coats would probably help avoid any pooling. Regardless, this color ended up being a surprise favorite for me! Even though they are a pain I love the added shimmer and this is such a gorgeous shade!

Moving on to Payton which is described as:

a full-coverage, galactic cranberry with holographic glitter





Shown is 2 coats of Payton. This had a very jelly like application, which I love! Application was flawless! I love how the jellyness of it allows the glitter to really come through and doesn't dull the holo! Just look at how sparkly it is! I had to include a 3rd pic with it blurred so you can really see the holo! Love this! 

Next is Dream which is described as:

a full-coverage, deep space blue with holographic glitter




Shown is 2 coats of Dream. This is Payton's younger sister! Identical application and sparkle! Amazing depth! I think this one ended up being my favorite of them all!

Finally here is Mosheen which is described as:

an astro ice blue topper, great for layering over other hues




Shown is 2 coats of Mosheen over Belinda, my ring finger is 4 coats alone. This is absolutely best used as a layering polish but if you don't mind VNL she does look great on her own! I am not usually a fan of bar glitter but these little mini bars are so fun! The bars did want to stick over the top of my nail but I smoothed down the edges with my finger as I was going and it was no longer an issue. Overall, a gorgeous and unique polish!

Want to purchase some of these babies for your own collection? They retail for $8 each and can be purchased here. Want to see what else Zoya has to offer or maybe just see what they are up to? Then be sure to check them out here:


I hope you all had a great holiday with your loved ones! I'll be back soon with a huge haul post!

xo

Brittany Raquel

*These polishes were provided to me in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

NOTD: Colors by Llarowe Unorthodox Annie

Hello lovelies!

I have an absolutely beautiful polish to show to you today! I have fallen hard for Colors by Llarowe and have added quite a few of them to my collection recently! I had a hard time choosing which one I wanted to wear!

Colors by Llarowe Unorthodox Annie is AMAZING! It is described as:

This color is really hard to describe.  I see a deep bronzed plum.  We'll go with deep bronzed plum/eggplant duochrome linear holo.







Shown is 2 coats of Unorthodox Annie over Duri Rejuvacote and topped with HK Girl. The polish was a little thick but is intended that way for maximum opacity. In fact this was perfect with just 1 coat!. I should also note that the flat wide brush was a little difficult to use since I have somewhat narrow nail beds. That paired with the thickness of the polish created a little more clean up but was totally worth it because this color and the super strong holo effect is out of this world! Next time I will add a couple drops of thinner to help make application a little easier. One thing is for sure, expect to see much more of this brand featured on my blog! :)

xo

Brittany Raquel


Sunday, November 24, 2013

NOTD: piCture pOlish Siren Song

Hello lovelies!

I'm finally back again with a quick NOTD post for you!

As soon as I saw Picture Polish Siren Song I knew that it was a must have for my collection! The tag line says it all: sea foam dreams are made of these. Obviously I needed it! Here is some more info about Siren Song from the piCture pOlish website:

Siren Song was created with Rebecca aka Rebecca Likes Nails  
Inspiration:  An electric guitar with shades of mint and silver within its make up! 
Siren Song is a stunning combination of mint green and silver particles melded together to form a metallic textured shade that just glides on your nail with a totally sparkling finish!




Shown is 2 coats of Siren Song over Duri Rejuvacote and topped with HK Girl topcoat. It applied easily and would have been good with just 1 thick coat but I am a creature of habit and did 2 anyways. :) I love this polish so much and actually had a very special reason for wearing it!

Doesn't it look perfect with my new engagement ring? :) I knew it would be a great match (mint and diamonds, Tiffany got it it right!) to show off my ring to my friends and family for the first time! The silver glitter makes it even more perfect! <3

xo

Brittany Raquel

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Review: La Bella Vernice

Hello lovelies!
*Press Sample*
Before I get into this review I just wanted to say I am so sorry for my sparse posts lately! I have been having a hard time finding the time to post as regularly as I would like but am making it a goal to post at least once a week although I am hoping for much more!

I received a couple polishes from Roni at La Bella Vernice a couple weeks ago and I am so excited to share them with you!

First up is Mr. Grinch, just in time for the holiday season! Mr. Grinch is from the Pucker Up Santa collection and is described as:

a beautiful Christmas green polish





Shown is 2 coats of Mr. Grinch over Duri Rejuvacote and topped with HK Girl. This is a perfect Christmas green with a slight shimmer. It applied easily but is a little brush stroke-y due to the somewhat frosty finish. Too much so for my taste but still a beautiful color!

Next up is Rachel from the La Bella Ragazze / Best Friends collection. Rachel is described as:

This dazzling hot pink beauty is full of sparkle and shine! Is it haute in here? 





Shown is 2 coats of Rachel over Duri Rejuvacote. I only used HK Girl on my middle and pinky fingers. Without topcoat it had a textured finish due to the holo particles but top coat smoothed that right out! Either way Rachel is stunning and even though I am super picky with pinks, this one I can get behind! Application was perfect on this one!

This is just a very small sampling of what La Bella Vernice has to offer! Check out more here:


Also thank you to Roni for sending me these beauties to review!

xo

Brittany Raquel

*This product was provided to me in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

NOTD: Different Dimension Homeboy & Enchanted Polish Djinn In A Bottle

Hello lovelies!

A quick NOTD post for you today! Not many words but lots of photos! :)

I still have not managed to get my hands on Enchanted Polish Water for Unicorns but I heard that Different Dimension Homeboy is a near dupe so I decided to wear it finally! Love this blue!!






Shown is 2 coats of Homeboy over Duri Rejuvacote. No top coat here because I knew I wanted to amp up the holo with a coat of Enchanted Polish Djinn In A Bottle!






So gorgeous!! This will hold me over until I can get my hands on the real thing! ;)
 

 xo

Brittany Raquel