Loving the Gray Nail Polish

I love black nails, but they're a little too dark for summer.  But sometimes you just need a break from colors, you know?  So I turned to gray - a summery black.  I'm loving it!

I have been wearing Zoya's Kelly, from the new 'Wonderful' collection on my toes.  I expected Kelly to be a little lighter, and a little less blue (kind of like the true gray in the splatter up top).  I think it's too dark to wear on my finger nails in the summer.  But it'll be a great color for fall and winter, and is great for toes.  Although I was hoping for concrete, I'm kind of digging the blue'ish hint to this one.  It looks almost navy in low lighting.  I feel like I'm too old to be sporting an in-your-face blue or turquoise.  So I'm thankful for Kelly, because the blue-gray color satisfies my blue needs in a sophisticated way.

For my fingers, I picked up Essie's Chinchilly from the Fall 2009 collection.  I am really digging this color.  It's a concrete gray with just the tiniest hint of beige - which warms it up ever so slightly and makes it very flattering with my warm skin tone (NC25).  The formula is a bit sheer, but I find that two coats are sufficient for a smooth even (non-streaky) coverage.  I am also happy to report that this formula works wonderfully with the Zoya color lock system, so my manicures have been lasting well for about a week.  Sweet!

Swatches of Zoya Kelly and Essie Chinchilly - taken in daylight.  One thing to keep in mind when shopping for a gray polish is that they tend to look lighter in the bottle than they do on your nails.

What nail polish colors have you been digging lately?

Zoya Color Lock System Revisited and Zoya Perrie Polish

I have been using the Zoya color lock system for two months now.  I liked it right from the first review, but it has now reached holy grail status for me.  I love it that much. 

When I first heard the words 'color lock system', my first thougts were: complicated, multi-layered, and very expensive.  Well, it's nothing more than a top coat and a base coat.  I also have the drying drops, because I'm impatient.  So anything that cuts drying time is great for me.  There is also a ridge filler if you need one (which I don't), and a polish remover I have yet to try (but I've read some great reviews).  What's great about this 'system' is that it was designed to work together with the nail polish so that it adheres to the nautral nail.  And the best part is that Zoya delivers on that promise. 

With the color lock system, my manicures consistently last for a full seven days with minimal chipping.  And that chipping is usually due to me playing with the dogs, or hiking, or using my nail to peel a sticker off of something.  I know, I shouldn't use my nails as tools.  But sometimes I do.

The only drawback is that your nails take quite a while to dry, even with the drying drops.  This took me a while to get used to, having switched from Seche Vite which dries almost instantaneously.    And also, the base coat bonds pretty strongly to your nail, so no picking at your polish!  I made that mistake, and ended up with some peeling.

Now here is a swatche of Zoya Perrie.

 

Perrie is from the Flash part of the Sparkle and Flash collection.  It is a creamy lavender with a definite flashy kick.  To my eye it's also more blue than the bottle in the above picture (see my swatch below), but I quite like that.  Great for summer.  However, I am not sure if I just got a dud, but this one did not apply as smoothly as my other Zoya polishes.  It was a little clumpy and did not spread well.  But the application imperfections were fixed by the top coat so it's ok.  And it is a very opaque polish, so I only needed two thin coats.

This swatch is about 5 days into the mani, on the right hand (I'm right handed), and still going strong.  Please excuse the cuticles, they're not going as strong as the mani.  Note how shiny the top coat is still.  Seche Vite always got dull 2-3 days into the mani.  And I don't reapply topcoat every couple of days as Zoya recommends to make the mani last longer.  After 7 days I'm bored with the color and need a change anyway!

Zoya Nikki Swatch and Review

I've really been enjoying the Zoya color lock system lately.  I love how well this stuff works with Zoya polishes, which I had always found to be incredibly streaky and difficult to work with.  I am hence now rediscovering my unloved Zoya polishes.  Zoya Nikki is the one I've got on at the moment.

I really like this color.  It has that greyish lavener quality of Sephora by OPI's Call Your Mother, and even slightly reminds me of Metro Chic.  But Nikki is much paler and therefore great for summer.  I am especially enjoying it since my nails have been very bright of late.  This one also has very fine green shimmer in it, which is very subtle in daylight but gives and intersting hue to your manicure in certain lighting conditions.

This is a neutral with a twist, so it's great for everyday and pretty work friendly.

 I chose the swatch with the shady bit so that you can hopefully see the bit of green tint on the pinky and ring fingers.  It's just a subtly shimmery pale lavender in the light (index and middle fingers).  The shimmer looks more silvery than green in sunlight. 

On the swatch you may also see the indentations from my pillow on the finish.  That's the one drawback to the color lock system - it dries SO SLLLOWLY!  I went to bed about 5 hours after I applied this polish, and still got the indentations.  I hate sheet marks on my nails!!!

The swatch of Nikki from the Zoya website shows the shimmer a bit more accurately.

I think Zoya has some really great and unique colors, and I've been enjoying the polish formula lately.  Have you tried Zoya polish?  Do you like it?  What are your favorite shades?  What shades would you like to see swatched?

Zoya Aria Review - Oldie but Goodie

When I was buying the color lock system at my local Trade Secrets, I fished out a bottle of Zoya Aria out of the back of the display.  It was looking rather sad, with a layer of dust on it.  But the color and shimmer had potential, so I bought it.  It's a purply pink, with a foil-like glitter in it.  It's glittery and bright and fun, but yet different from the glitter bombs that are so popular these days.  Call me boring, but I don't want my nails look like I glued crystals all over them, or like I bedazzled them.  This is a much more understated glitter.

It applied really smoothly.  Two coats gave me good non-streaky opaque coverage.

This is the 4th day of this manicure, and there is absolutely no tip wear or chipping.  Hail to the color lock system!

You can see that the shimmer is clear with just a bit of a pinky/purply tone in the right light - like foil.  Here is a closeup of the shimmer.

So if you're digging through some oldie but goodie Zoya polishes in the corner of your beauty supply, and you run across a dusty bottle of Zoya Aria, get it.  It's a really nice color.  Totally underrated.

Random From A to Z - Armani to Zoya

I got an awesome call yesterday - from the Chanel counter.  I was there about 2 weeks ago, and happened to ask the girl about Particuliere nail polish.  She told me that they've been sold out for ages and people have even been stealing their testers, so she couldn't even show me what it looked like.  The counter did have a waiting list for it, because apparently they still get some shipped to them once in a while.  So she put me on the waiting list and I waited...and waited...and waited...and then got the call!!  Woo hoo!!!

I love the color!  It's about the color of dirt - but in a good way.  I'm super excited!  I will be swatching this one as soon as I put it on my nails.  Right now I'm sporting a sparkly Zoya color.  More on that tomorrow.

Of course the Chanel counter just happened to be next to the Armani counter, so I HAD to play with the new Armani Blushing Fabric.  It's a blush in a tube.  I tested the hot pink one (shimmering apricot pink) on my hand, and I wasn't impressed.  It was a silicone-y feeling gel - the pigmentation was allright, but nothing great.  The color was actually really nice and I can see it being very glowy, without making you look like a clown, when applied to the cheek.  BUT this thing had GLITTER in it.  Not shimmer like Benefit Moon Beam, but chunkier glitter.  That's lovely for a day at the beach, but forget wearing this one to the office.  I always associated Armani with classy and timeless, and the glitter found in this does not qualify.  This was definitely a FAIL.

I have been test driving the Zoya color lock system since I told you about it last week, and I'm not just impressed by this product, I'm THRILLED!  My manicure lasted a whole week - 7 full days!  For test purposes,  did not reapply top coat a couple of days into the manicure, which I think would have made it last longer. I could have left it on my nails longer as well, but once I see any chipping, I start picking on my polish.  But 7 full days of playing with dogs, cooking, baking, cleaning, typing, etc -that's amazing!

Here are the pictures.  The polish I had on was Zoya Maya, a summery bright color.

This is what my polish looked like after 6 days.  Please excuse the cuticles - they're in desperate need of manicure attention at this point.  Though you can see some tip wear, there is absolutely no chipping.  Sweet!  The index finger has a strange reflection on the tip that's making it look like a chip, but there is no chip there, just some minimal tip wear.  This is a more accurate picture of the color than the one below.








Here is a picture of the polish just before I took it off. This is day 7.  First, you can see the bed sheet marks on my ring finger - this is the slow drying time I was talking about in my last post.  Also you can really see the tip wear on the middle finger and the ring finger. There is some chipping at the tip of the middle finger (top of the picture). 

Now, in all fairness to Zoya, this finger is always the problem child - a heavy door slammed on it when I was younger, and now it has a ridge on the side with the chip.  That area is more flexible weaker, and my polish always chips there (usually after 1-2 days).

Again, pardon the 'pre manicure' cuticles. 

I'm really excited about the Zoya color lock system.  It was not cheap, but if my manicures are to last at least a week, then it was well worth the price.  I'm on my second manicure with 'the system' and so far so good!  I'll take pics of this one tomorrow, when the light is better.

I'm also looking for some more summery colors of polish.  I have been wearing a lot of dark colors on my nails all Fall and Winter.  Now it's time for a bit of a fresher change.  What are your favorite summer shades?

My Quest for Long Lasting Nail Polish - Zoya

I have been using Nailtek Foundation Xtra as a base coat and Seche Vite fast drying top coat.  This combo worked really well for me for months, and now all of a sudden it's peeling like crazy.  I think the primary reason for the peeling is that my Nailtek Foundation is old and got all thick and yucky, so I added some of the Nailtek Exted thinner drops.  I have had to do that a couple of times now, and I think that affected the properties of the base coat.  However, I'm having a hard time finding a replacement, as I have yet to find a Nailtek retailer in Canada.  So I went to the Trade Secrets near me to look for something that would make my nail polish last.  I left there $50+ poorer, and with a handful of products from Zoya.

I tried the Zoya color lock system last night.  I can see why people like these products, but they are not without faults. First I cleanded, filed and buffed my nails.  I then used a cuticle softener/remover to get rid of any dry cuticles.  Then I washed my hands thoroughly with soap and water, dried them, and went over them with polish remover to get them ready for the base coat.  The base coat is also a nair strengthener, which is great.  It went on smooth.  No problems there.  Then came the color, followed by the top coat.  The top coat bubbled a little, but nothing major (I read somewhere that some people had problems with bubbling).  I then waited a few minutes and applied the drying drops.  These have a strage feel to them, and the application is not precise so I got them all over my fingers.  Kind of sucky because it's not like I could wash my hands while my polish was wet.  So I wiped my fingers a bit, and then I waited.

And I waited....

And waited...

I'm used to Seche Vite, so I felt like I was waiting FOREVER for my nail polish to dry.  It didn't stay wet exactly, but it was somewhat tacky and 'not quite dry' feeling.  After about 2 and 1/2 hours I was pretty confident that my polish was dry.  I went to bed, and to my great annoyance, I woke up this morning with crease marks on EVERY SINGLE NAIL!  Ugh!

I am impressed with how thin my polish is on my nails - with my previous system, the polish layers were much thicker.  I also liked the way the Zoya polish applied to the base.  There is no chipping or peeling so far, which is great.  If it wasn't for the superlong drying time and those damn crease marks, I would be one happy woman today!  I will keep test driving the Zoya Color Lock System, and I'll let you all know how it works out. 

I do have to say that Zoya makes some of my favorite colors of nail polish.  I am currently wearing Maya.  I didn't have time to swatch this one for you yet, but here is a pic from the Zoya website for now.

What products do you use to make your polish last?

Biotin Supplements for Healthier Hair and Nails

My nails have been terrible lately.  In addition,my skin has been more sensitive than usual.  As such, I have decided to try Biotin supplementation.  Biotin is a B vitamin that is involved in the metabolism of sugars, fats, and proteins.  It is also recommended for improving the overall health of skin, hair, and nails.  In order to be effective at improving hair, skin and nails, a large dose of biotin is required.  So I am taking 5,000mcg/day.

I will keep you updated on how well/or not well this is working.

Has anyone tried taking Biotin for hair and nail health? How long did you take it before you saw any improvements? What dose did you take?

Haul: Happy Birthday to Me!

My birthday is tomorrow! So I decided to stop by the mall to pick up my sephora gift. I like it better than the lip glosses from last year - which I found sticky. You get a mini mascara, a shimmery white eye shadow, and a patinum green eye liner (which is gorgeous!).

The shadow swatch is on top and the liner is on the bottom.  The best description of the liner is 'warm platinum'. 

I'm also going to attempt 'mannequin hands' with Sephora by OPI's Nonfat Soy Half Caff. 

 

Here is a pic of it next to Tickle My Francey by OPI. I would say that Nonfat is a less grey nude than Francey, and I think it may also be more sheer.

I also got some really delicious smelling foaming soap from Fruits and Passion.  They had a deal where the soap and a big refill jug were both $24 - not bad.  I got grapefruit guava. Delish. 

Sephora by OPI: Nail Pads

I first was intrigued by these nail pads becuase they promised lint free nail polish removal.  I CAN'T STAND the little fuzzies that you get from cotton balls or pads.  At $6 it was worth the gamble to try these pads.  I figure that I can still use my cotton pads for my toner, so I'm not wasting anything. 

When it comes to lint free nail polish removal, these pads really deliver.  Not a single piece of cotton 'hair' is left on my nail.  I also love how these pads are a little bit rougher than cotton pads, so they do a great job of removing any glitter without making a mess. 

However, the problem with these pads is that they don't hold enough polish.  They're just too thin.  As a result, I find that I can only remove 2 nails worth of polish before I have to apply more remover onto the pad.  If I use a polish that needs more than 2 coats, and therefore have a thick layer of polish on my nails, I need to use two of these pads to get all of the polish off. 

I noticed that the pads are now 1/2 price on the Sephora website, which means that they are likely discontinued.  I am hoping it means that these pads are being redesigned to be thicker and hold more polish.  That would make them perfect.