Zoya - Veruschka

Here's another swatch from long ago.  Veruschka is a deep green polish with shimmer.  This is a matte velvet polish.

Three coats, no basecoat.  I used topcoat on my index and ring fingers, and wow, it is gorgeous with topcoat. 

I do not know why this is, but I feel like the matte velvet Zoyas always have amazing application, and the straight matte polishes are awful.  Is it just me?

Zoya - Dita

Dita is a bright berry pink creme.

Basecoat:  Zoya Ridge Filler (1 coat)

Color:  Zoya Dita (3 coats)

Topcoat:  David (1 coat)

However, these photos are literally the only place where it doesn't read as red.  So disappointed.  I was hoping this would be my go-to pedi color, but once it's applied... I had to try to get it to show as pink, and the huge majority of the time it just read as red.  Too bad.

Application was good, no problems with cleanup.  Minimal stainy-ness on the cuticles, even though this is a pretty pigmented polish.  I do want to note that there is a bit of VNL, both in photos and in real life, which is a shame.  I actually think it's a little more evident in real life.

Zoya - Mitzi

Mitzi is a lime green matte.  I should have put this up for Halloween.  Embiggen IF YOU DARE!

Basecoat:  Zoya Ridge Filler (1 coat)

Color:  Zoya Mitzi (3 coats)

Yuck.  Draggy, lumpy, thick, just nasty.  It's got to be the lack of shimmer - the other mattes don't apply like this one.  Even the blue one from this collection (I forgot its name) applied nicely.

These photos actually look a little worse than real life - I don't think I realized the pinky was that bad until I was editing the photos.

Zoya - Ginger

Ginger is a bright orange with gold shimmer.  It's not quite neon, though it looks like it is in at least one of my photos.

Basecoat:  Zoya Ridge Filler (1 coat)

Color:  Zoya Ginger (3 coats)

I didn't use a topcoat here because Ginger didn't need it, especially not just for a swatch.  There's still a tiny bit of VNL but I don't think it's enough to bother me.

Application was great - no dragging, easy cleanup.  I don't know why I've never worn this, though - maybe because I like screaming neons in the summer and this just seems a little too bright for winter.

Zoya - Neeka

Neeka  is a dusty purple with sparkle.  I've seen this described as a glitter, but to me it seems like tiny glass flecks instead.

Basecoat: Zoya Ridge Filler (1 coat)

Color:  Zoya Neeka (3 coats)

Topcoat:  David (1 coat)

Neeka applied nearly flawlessly.  It was a little bit thick but not enough to be goopy.  It didn't run into cuticles or anything.  I did notice that it didn't self-level quite as well as Zoyas normally do, and it didn't dry as shiny as usual - I definitely needed a topcoat.

Zoya - Harlow

Harlow is a berry/wine matte.  It has a lot of sparkle with a top coat.

Basecoat:  Zoya Ridge Filler (1 coat)

Color:  Zoya Harlow (3 coats)

Topcoat:  David (on index and ring finger, 1 coat)

This was a little draggy in application but it really wasn't too bad once I got used to how much I needed to put on my brush.  For whatever reason, I keep buying the Zoya mattes and never wearing them.

Harlow looks amazing with a topcoat, but not really all that unique.

Zoya - Reece

After the gel polish disaster my nails were hurty and sensitive.  I went for a calm, pretty, no glitter polish.  Reece is untried for me - I bought it when this collection came out and I am sure I still have at least one other from this collection that is also untried.  Reece is a medium pink with a duo chrome shimmer.

Basecoat:  Zoya Get Even Ridge Filler

Color:  Zoya Reece (3 coats)

Topcoat:  David (1 coat)

I had a hard time getting the gold/green shimmer to show up in my photos - any of them.  In photos this looks like just a pretty pink frost.

Did I say frost?  Oh yeah.  Brush strokes like crazy - most evident in the third photo.  Still, it applied well - wanted to run into my cuticles a bit but nothing too bad, and cleanup was a snap.  I do have VNL in real life and in the photos, but with the brush strokes I'm not sure I would go to four coats.

Zoya - Kimmy

Kimmy is a reddish-orange glass fleck that is packed with gold shimmer.

Basecoat:  Zoya Get Even (1 coat)

Color:  Zoya Kimmy (4 coats)

Topcoat:  David (1 coat)

This polish is slightly more yellow toned than I was able to capture with my camera.  Kimmy has the same near flawless application as the other Zoya glass flecks.  I'm not sure I love this color on me - it may be one to file away in the "try it in winter" pile.

Cleanup was about like it is for all these awesome Zoya sparkles - glittah everywhere!    I have a little bit of VNL that for some reason is more visible in real life than it is in the photos - usually that works the other way around.

Zoya - Reva

Reva is a beautiful glass-flecked berry with tons of gold shimmer.

Basecoat:  Zoya Ridge Filler (1 coat)
Color:  Zoya Reva (3 coats)
Topcoat:  David (1 coat)

Application was very nice.  Also, even though this polish is pigmented and packed with shimmer I didn't have a lot of problems cleaning up, similar to other Zoyas with this finish.

Zoya - Anastasia

Anastasia is a brown with multicolored shimmer that flashes gold and purple.


Basecoat: Salon Sciences Instant Artificials (2 coats)
Color: Zoya Anastasia (4 coats)
Topcoat: David (1 coat)

Application was pretty good. The consistency of Anastasia was a little thinner than I expected it to be, and I needed four coats to be totally opaque. I had some issues with streaking but overall it was a pretty good application. Cleanup was about average.

This is a hard polish to accurately capture in photos. In typical indoor light it looks flat brown. But add any kind of halogen or daylight and it shimmers both purple and gold. Very pretty.

After I wore this for a day I added a coat of Color Club Femme Fatale on top, and it kicked up the purple shimmer a notch but left the base color intact. By the time I took it off I figured out that I liked it so much because it reminded me of Tease-y Does It. I'm not going to do a comparison because I don't think they are *that* similar, but I liked this combo in the same way.

Zoya - Sarah

Sarah is a red sparkly glitterbomb. It is a little bit deeper toned than Lisa, which I bought because I had to - they finally made a polish with my name on it!
This photo looks like Sarah has a pink tone to it, but I would definitely say this is a true red.

Basecoat: Salon Sciences Fiberglass Network (2 coats)
Color: Zoya Sarah (3 coats)
Topcoat: David (1 coat)

I decided not to use Color Lock for this mani. I can't remember where I did it or what happened, but at some point I used David topcoat over a Zoya and it worked fantastically. I did this mani earlier today and I've already taken a shower (attempt to fix a disastrous hair day) and eaten lunch, and everything is fine - no dents or shrink. If this works out well I'll probably use this from now on and finally be able to wear my huge Zoya untried stash.

Application was really, really good, too. I really think this could be a one coater if you do it right - I did two because I had a couple of streaks and then I did a third coat because my thumbs still had a couple of streaks. Cleanup wasn't too bad for a glitter, either. This is a gorgeous red that I think would be amazing for the holidays, too.

Zoya - Trixie and Halloween decals

Quick and dirty with some Halloween nail art decals. I probably would have gone with black and orange as my base colors if the Rangers weren't playing the San Francisco Giants in the World Series - any other team and I would have done black and orange.
Trixie is a silver foil. It's my go-to metallic silver - I never have the application problems with Trixie that I usually do with Zoyas.

Basecoat: Gelous (1 coat)
Color: Zoya Trixie (3 coats)
Halloween nail decals from Sally
Topcoat: David (1 coat)

Even though I didn't use the Zoya topcoat I didn't have any bubbling or shrink. I may try David with other Zoyas to see if it works OK - I already know Seche is a disaster with Zoya.

Application was a little bit of a pain - cleanup is pretty difficult for most foils and this was no different. Still, though, for this kind of payoff it's worth it.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Zoya - Alegra

Alegra is a berry colored glitter bomb.
Application was typical for a glitter - it flowed nicely but cleanup was a real biatch. I can still see VNL after three coats but I'm probably the only one who does.

Basecoat: Zoya Get Even (1 coat)
Basecoat: Zoya Anchor (1 coat)
Color: Zoya Alegra (3 coats)
Topcoat: Zoya Armor (1 coat)
Topcoat: David (1 coat)

This is a lot pinker than it appears in these photos. As usual, sun photos would help, but it's already dark outside. Very glittery - removal is going to really suck.

Zoya - Nidhi and Nfu Oh 45

Originally I was just going to wear Nidhi.  I remember really liking this when I swatched it.

Nidhi is a slightly blue-toned red glitterbomb.

Basecoat:  Zoya Get Even Ridge Filler (1 coat)
Basecoat:  Zoya Anchor (1 coat)
Color:  Zoya Nidhi (3 coats)
Topcoat:  Zoya Armor (1 coat)

When I got this on, I just didn't like it that much.  I think it's the blue tone in the red - I would like it better in the winter, even though this came out in a summer collection.  I decided to slap a coat of Nfu Oh 45 on top.

Nfu Oh 45 is a yellow-toned red jelly base with red shimmer and flakes.

This is one coat (!) of 45 on top of Nidhi, followed by one coat of David topcoat.  45 completely changed the tone of Nidhi, which makes me think that I could probably wear 45 on its own.

The upshot - I still am not super thrilled with this mani, but flakes make anything bearable.

Zoya - Paz

I wore this from Saturday through Monday. Zoya Paz is a neon orange. I would call it a jelly, because it has that kind of squishy feel without the usual neon streakiness.
I opted not to use a white basecoat (I don't own a Zoya white anyway), but because I hate VNL so, so much, I might use a nude basecoat next time. This photo is outside, under overcast skies:

And this is inside, in a lightbox.

Basecoat: Zoya Ridge Filler (1 coat, for opacity)
Color: Zoya Paz (4 coats)
Topcoat: Zoya Armor (1 coat)
Topcoat: Seche Vite (1 coat)

This wore really well for the short time I wore it. Application was great, as it usually is for Zoyas. Cleanup was a breeze, too. I still had VNL but I was able to overlook it. Next time I would use a nude base, though.

I acquired Paz in the 2010 Zoya Exchange. I was trying to use my oldest untrieds, but now I'm just picking anything I feel like wearing.

I didn't think this was very similar to Say Cheese, but I had a friend that I saw on Friday night and again on Saturday night, and she swears they are the same color, even though Say Cheese has shimmer and Paz.... doesn't.