Zoya - Charla

I'm trying Color Lock again. I have plans tomorrow night, so I'm definitely wearing this two whole days. Seemed like a good time to test it again.

This is Charla. You've all seen it, many times.

Here it is on my nails.

Basecoat: Zoya Anchor (1 coat)
Color: Zoya Charla (3 coats)
Topcoat: Zoya Armor (1 coat)

I may cheat and put on a coat of Seche before I go to bed.

Application was pretty good for such a glittery polish. It covered pretty well but is a tiny bit thick.

See you again Thursday!

Sinful - Neon Melon

This is one of the oldest Sinfuls I have in my stash. I used to have two old boring nude shimmer Sinfuls but I sent those in during last year's Zoya exchange. I saw Neon Melon in a neon display a couple of months ago, but Neon Melon is definitely not new. I think I got this last fall.
I did a little test swatch when I took of Kiki, so I knew I'd have to do an opaque base coat. Here is the finished product:
My hands are not really this red in real life. Here's another one that is a little more color accurate.
Basecoat: Orly Ridge Filler (2 coats, for opacity)
Color: Orly White Tips (2 coats)
Color: Sinful Neon Melon (3 coats)
Topcoat: Seche Vite (1 coat)

This is a pretty standard neon yellow. It is a little less streaky than most and a little more opaque than most, but it's still streaky and sheer. If I look closely I can still see streaks. I plan to change it tomorrow, probably back to another Zoya with Color Lock.

I finally couldn't stand Kiki any more. I could still dent it when I got home from the office this evening. I'm not writing off Color Lock altogether, because Kiki's texture was not the typical Zoya smooth formula - it was a little thick and slightly goopy. Tomorrow I'll pick up another color and try again.

Zoya - Kiki and Boots Wonderbalm

Today I decided to wear Zoya Kiki, even though I just got it, and test drive the Color Lock system.

Kiki is a bright almost neon pink that looks glass-flecked. It leans cool and has almost a blue flash to it. It is not as opaque as it could be, but the color payoff is worth it. I couldn't get great pictures inside, but that's OK because we have full sun today and THOSE pictures were great. Here it is inside:
This photo on the nail isn't that great but really captures the sparkle in the bottle. Here's another lightbox photo that is better on the nails:
Still kind of meh. Here's a photo inside, next to a window. I think this shows a little more of the base color and does a good job of showing the VNL (blech).
This is the payoff, though - here are a few from outside, under full sun.

Basecoat: Zoya Anchor (1 coat)
Color: Zoya Kiki (3 coats)
Topcoat: Zoya Armor (1 coat)

Application for Kiki was not so great. It was a little thick and a tiny bit gloppy. Cleanup was what you would expect from a glass flecked polish - you'll get better results if you're careful in the first place. Unfortunately, the very first nail I painted - I flooded my cuticle badly. Oh well.

Zoya Anchor is an awesome basecoat. I am on the fence about Armor. Obviously, I am way biased towards Seche, though. The application was "meh". I waited about ten minutes after m last coat of color but I still managed to pick up some pink on my Armor brush.

I'm dubious so far of the Color Lock system. I have major bubbles already, but Kiki is so sparkly I'm the only one who notices. I did use the Hurry Up drops, too. It's probably been 45 minutes since I used them but my polish still feels dent-able.

Moving on. While I was Target doing my grocery shopping yesterday, I came across Boots Wonderbalm. I picked up a jar after playing with the tester. It says you can use it on lips, elbows, and knees. I decided to use it on my cuticles post-manicure. I used it last night and again today and so far I really like it.

I got the Mediterranean Olive, Almond, & Sage flavor - I don't know if there are any other flavors. It has a slightly fruity fragrance to it, but it's very light and I barely notice it at all. It comes in a .84 oz glass jar. The texture is very light and silky, and it absorbs quickly and doesn't leave my skin greasy at all. I think it is a little lighter than Solar Balm and less sticky.

That's about all for me - I have to go iron clothes before we head out to tonight's Rangers game. Look for a new post Tuesday night probably.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Comparison: China Glaze Pool Party and Color Club Warhol; Zoya Exchange

So today I had time to compare China Glaze Pool Party and Color Club Warhol.  I am wearing Warhol on my toes, and was planning to wear Pool Party on my fingers, when I noticed that they seemed identical in the bottle.  I don't really do matching mani/pedi, so back into the stash it went. 

I used two coats of Wet N Wild French White as a base on my index and middle fingers.  I used three coats on all fingers.  Here they are under daylight lamps (more on this later):

I have Pool Party on my index and ring fingers, and Warhol on my middle finger and pinky.   Here they are next to a window on a sunny day.

The neon-ness really shows up in this photo.  I went outside to take a picture:

 These are pretty dupe-y.  You only need both if you are a completionist, or you really love neon pinks (as I do).  Pool party leans a little warmer than Warhol and Warhol is a tiny bit more opaque.  I wasn't very careful with my white base coat, and I had VNL on all four nails.  You'll definitely want a non-streaky white basecoat if VNL bugs you.

Next, I got my Zoya Exchange package in Friday.  I wasn't able to take pictures until tonight.  A note about these photos - they look COMPLETELY different from any of my previous photos.  I have Emily of Squared Nails to thank.  She posted an outstanding tutorial series that I was thrilled to see - I have next to no knowledge of photography.  I had been planning to get a light box anyway, but after reading this I purchased one today and set it up.  Here is the first part of my Zoya Exchange haul:

Wait, what the heck is that?  It must be Pixel, my art director.

She's decided to offer her advice on my photo shoot.

Yeah, now she's just being obnoxious.  After this interruption, I continued:

From left to right:  Dita, Lola, Katy, Blyss, Ginger, Sweet, Kiki, Tobey

Left to right:  Renee, Anaka, Jessika, Bijou, Paz, Lindsay, Evangeline, Barbie

Left is Elodie, right is Anastasia.  I also picked up the Color Lock system, because I've always had trouble with the durability of my Zoya manicures, plus I usually have tip pulling no matter what I try.

Now, when I bought this on Zoya's website, they had two versions up.  One for $48, and one for $40.  What was the difference?  The $40 kit included this:

A giant bottle of Remove.  I'm about to say something unpopular:  I don't like Remove.  The thing everyone else raves about, the smell?  I can't stand it.  But for an eight dollar discount, I'll take the huge bottle.  And, I'll even give it a legitimate chance instead of dismissing it immediately because of the smell.

I think I'm going to put on Kiki tomorrow, and test out the Color Lock system.  Look for another post then.

Have a great weekend!

Color Club - Magic Attraction

Here's one that has been in my stash for a while - Color Club Magic Attraction. I can't remember when I picked it up but it's one of the oldest Color Clubs I own - I've never seen Color Club for sale anywhere until I found online e-tailers. Since then I've seen it at one nail supply store, but that's it.

Magic Attraction is a holographic glitter. It's not a holo in the same way that China Glaze DV8 and OPI DS Glamour are - it's just got a ton of holo glitter in it, but it doesn't sparkle in any kind of pattern. It looks very "meh" inside under indirect light. Here it is next to a window on a mostly cloudy day.
See? Meh. Since I am working at home today I went outside to take a picture of this. It figures that it's been cloudless and sunny all week, but as soon as I go outside to take pictures, it's mostly cloudy today. Here it is in as much sun as I could find today.
Sparkly, but not spectacular, right? When I looked at the photos of this mani and got to this one I giggled like a little girl. This is inside under halogen light:
If I've done this right, you should be able to click on this one to embiggen it. Look at that sparkle and color! If the sun comes out for real today I'll go outside and take another photo. I'm going out to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington tonight so I'll at least take a photo with my phone and post it to Twitter, then move it here later (probably tomorrow). The breakdown:
Basecoat: CND Stickey (1 coat)
Color: Essie Loophole (1 coat, just to hide any bare spots)
Color: Color Club Magic Attraction (3 coats)
Topcoat: Seche Vite (2 THICK coats!)

Let's talk about application here. Magic Attraction is very pretty but it was a PAIN to apply! It's packed with glitter in a clear base, but even with as much glitter as there is, I still had some bare spots after two coats. I had to glop on the third coat in some places to get even coverage. Clean-up was a pain, too. You can forget the acetone/brush trick with this one - just be careful in application. And, the finish was super-bumpy - one coat of Seche wasn't enough and I had to do two to get it smooth. I don't have any tip pulling right now, but I will be extremely surprised if I don't have any later. I'm OK with that though, because I usually file my nails on Fridays, so it won't be that obvious. I'm kind of dreading removal, but I'm not - because I know I'm probably going to pick it off, like I usually do. I really wish I could stop doing this. It can't be good for my nails long-term.

Have a great weekend, everyone - I'm going to try to fit in a comparison of Color Club Warhol and China Glaze Pool Party before my regular mani.

Misa - Hot People Like You

Tonight's NOTD is Misa's Hot People Like You. The name of this has bugged me for a while - does it mean you are a "Hot People", or does it mean Hot People think you're awesome?

Anyway, this is one of the first Misas I acquired. It was in the same Head 2 Toe haul as, oh, a ton of other colors. It's been in my stash for quite a while. This is a hot pink shimmer. I would stop just short of calling it a neon. It was also fairly sheer, which you can tell from looking at the bottle. Today while I was looking at Zoya swatches for the Exchange (Shush! I'm not technically buying it!) I came across Scrangie's swatch of this and remembered I had it in my stash. I searched for someone else's swatch, too, because somehow Scrangie's swatches NEVER show VNL. Here are three photos, all under halogen.
I notice in the photos that it looks a little more orange than it is in real life. This is definitely pink, not in the least coral or orange.
This next photo is under somewhat more indirect light. I was trying to capture the shimmer but don't think I succeeded very well.
Basecoat: Orly Ridgefiller (2 coats - I was trying to help the opacity)
Color: Misa Hot People Like You (4 coats)
Topcoat: Seche Vite (1 coat)

It isn't visible in the photos, but I still have some VNL going on. It's not too bad - I think you would only notice it if you were looking for it, but of course I'm always looking for it. This dried shiny but I always love how Seche gives it that extra shine, and I swear it seemed to kick up the color's intensity a little.

I'm sending in 18 old polishes for the Zoya exchange. I spent way too much time looking at swatches, and I already have a big ol backlog of Zoya in my untried pile. I think it is because last year I never looked at swatches and went straight off the swatches on zoya.com, so a lot of the polishes I got looked nothing like I pictured them. I'll post my haul when it arrives. I also ordered the Color Lock system, because it seems like I always have problems with Zoya polishes and tip pulling. I've tried wearing a regular top coat (like OPI) under Seche, and this helps a little, but isn't perfect.

Have a great rest of the week - I'll be back on Thursday with a new color and hopefully some sun pictures, since I'll be working at home.

OPI - Jade is the New Black and Nfu Oh 55; Color Club Warhol

This is another layering mani to use up two untrieds at once. It actually turned out a LOT better than I expected, and I'll definitely wear this one again, but in the fall. It's not really a "summer" type color combo. OPI Jade is the New Black applied beautifully and the color is gorgeous. Here it is under halogen light:
This was three coats but if I had been careful it would have been a two-coater easily. Here it is with Nfu Oh 55 over the top, under halogen.
You can see that in the bottle that 55 is a green glitter with copper flakes. The base is either clear or very, very sheer green - Jade is the New Black is dark enough on its own that I can't really tell. Here it is next to a window on a sunny morning.
And here it is outside, in full sun.
Basecoat: OPI Ridge Filler (1 coat, could have gone with straight base coat, but I'm afraid this will stain)
Color: OPI Jade is the New Black (3 coats)
Color: Nfu Oh 55 (2 coats)
Topcoat: Seche Vite (1 coat)

I put this on last night. As of right now I only have the tiniest bit of tip wear, but my in-laws are coming over this afternoon, so I've been cleaning all morning.

My Rangers are home this week, starting on Tuesday. My tentative plan is to do a new mani and post on Monday night, and I will be working at home on Thursday, so I plan to do another Thursday. I already have my colors picked out, too.

On to Color Club Warhol.

I changed my pedi yesterday also. It is another one from the Poptastic collection - Warhol. This is a super bright, neon hot pink. I would say it is almost a creme but is just the slight bit jelly-ish. Indoors, the neon is not as obvious as it is outside. I only took outside pictures.

I had pulled out China Glaze Pool Party to wear on Monday, but as I was gathering my polishes I saw that it is almost identical to Warhol in the bottle. I will do a comparison swatch of these when I have time.

Have a great rest of the weekend!