Some Zoya spam!

Happy Friday!!

I finally received my latest Zoya last week, which was mostly colors from their newest summer collection. I've already used one, Ling, in a mani earlier this week, the acid wash I did :) Today I want to show you two other colors I received, a Magical Pixie Dust and a color from the Bubbly collection.

Now, I only ordered a little less than half the colors I wanted from the summer collections. I'll be getting the others here soon enough, but I just couldn't wait and order them all together. This year's color are, as always, gorgeous. I've only been a Zoya fan for a few years, but their summer collections have yet to disappoint me. 

For today's Textured Friday mani, I blatantly copied a mani one of the Zoya fairies posted to their Face Book yesterday lol. It was a pretty combo and I wanted to give it a try. All it was, was two coats each of Arlo (the only new Magical Pixies I got this time) and Rory from two years back (I think). Rory got a coat of Seche.

It might just be me, but it felt like Arlo was less rough than other Magical Pixies I've gotten.

Yesterday's mani featured Alma from the Bubbly collection. The Bubbly collection reminds me last year's Irresistible collection, which were foils with little gold flakies. The Bubbly collection colors are foils also, but have holo glitter instead of flakies.

Alma was 3 coats with a coat of Seche.

More taping fun!

Good evening and happy Friday! Boy, am I glad this week is at end! It's just been so crazy around here. It was thankfully slow at work today, which was just fine with me.

Today's mani was pretty and fun. It started with 3 coats of Zoya Shelby, which  is my most loved Zoya color. I actually had to buy a back up for it in my last splurge lol. I topped with Seche and let it dry, then taped my nails off vertically. I applied Zoya Rory to the right side of my nails and topped again with Seche. I almost left them at that, but I wanted to stamp something where the two colors meet. I decided on the line of hearts on my Nailz Craze plate NC 01 in Sinful Colors Black on Black, and topped one last with Seche.

Excuse my jacked up pinky finger :P It took that one to figure out to stamp the line how I wanted it. 

What a busy last 6 days!

Good morning!!

What a busy last 6 days I've had! Today I finally get a breather, I haven't hardly had time to do much of anything, mostly because of family and work stuff. Everything should calm for a while now :)

I have a few manis I want to show you, starting with my Stamping Sunday challenge. The theme for this past Sunday was French manicures. I despise regular Frenches, they're just so boring. This also coincided nicely with what I wanted to for my parents' 35th anniversary vow renewal :) I even bought a new dress for the occasion.

What I decided to was a funky French. It started with 1 coat of Zoya Madison topped with a coat of Seche, because it just wasn't drying fast enough for me xD Then I broke out the Scotch tape and taped off just below my natural smile lines. On my left hand, I applied Zoya Malia with Zoya Rocky as accents on my ring finger and thumb. For my right, I switched it to Rocky with Malia accents. Another coat of Seche and let it dry. I stamped tiny roses in Zoya Ibiza using my Messy Mansion plate 07 and topped one last time with Seche.

I'm quite proud at how nice this turned out. I was also surprised at well it held up. I finished it up Saturday night and didn't take it off till Monday evening; there weren't hardly any chips or tip wear!

Next is what I slapped on my nails for Tuesday. I certainly wasn't up for something involved, since I had to be up early, but I wanted something fun. I started with 2 coats of China Glaze's Fuschia Fanatic and topped with Seche. One coat of China Glaze's Crackle Glaze in Lightning Bolt, another coat of Seche followed by one coat of China Glaze's Matte Magic :)

Now, my mani yesterday was super fun. I had gotten the idea from Zoya's blog, where they had featured another blogger reviewing the Stunning and Irresistible collections. I decided that I wanted to give it a shot myself, but I had to substitute a few colors.

I started with a Skittles mani, using all Zoya colors, in Darcy, Thandie, Josie, Rocky, and Malia (I seem to be using this color alot......). I did three coats of each and topped it Seche, and let it dry completely before moving on. Using Scotch tape, I tape of my nails at diagonal angles, going the opposite direction on my ring finger as an accent. Over that, I used Kerry, Amy, Rikki, Hazel, and Danni, all foils. Topped it all with Seche again :)

Summer neutral? Just maybe.....

Good evening!

I have for you tonight a color that I've come to call a summer neutral. Now, I know that's something of an oxymoron, but I think it's true. The color in question is Zoya's Tinsley.

Tinsley is a beautiful, rose gold foil that is packed with tiny gold flecks. On a side note, this year's foils from Zoya are different from last year's; most, if not all, of this year's foils have tiny gold flecks in them. The previous year's are just foils. I think those gold flecks make them a bit more sparkly.

Ok, now, even though Tinsley is sparkly, it isn't bright or in your face, like others in its collection. I think it's a beautiful color, and almost everyone could wear it :)

Stamping Sunday!!

Good evening!

I have for you tonight today's Stamping Sunday challenge, which was themed over a Skittles base. A Skittles mani is, simply, 5 different colored polishes, not to be confused with an ombre which is graduated shades of a certain color.

My mani started with 5 Zoya foils- Kerry, Amy, Zuzu, Rory, and Carly, at two coats each topped with Seche. This gave me the perfect opportunity to try out one of my new plates, Vivid Lacquer 009. I bought this plate for one image in particular; the one that creates a "spotted" effect that everyone was crazy for late last year. I love how I have the option to use any color to create this effect, instead of being limited to the black spotted polish. I did use black this time, Wet 'N Wild's Black Creme, topped with Seche again.

I absolutely love how this looks, I can see myself using this particular again in the near future.

Foil gradient

Good morning!

I totally meant to post yesterday's mani last night, but I got caught in a couple of my shows and completely spaced it ._. But, at least I'm doing it now!

Yesterday's mani was inspired by this blog post from Zoya, featuring Chalkboard Nail's mani using three of Zoya's Irrestible colors. I loved it so much that I had to attempt it myself. Mine didn't come out nearly as nice as Chalkboard's did, but I don't think it's too shabby :) I used the same colors as she did, topped with Seche. I do recommend covering your skin around the nails with either tape or Elmer's or something, to make clean up a breeze.

So not a Stamping Sunday....

Good evening! 

What a busy weekend :) Not only did I just not have time to put together a mani for today's Stamping Sunday theme, I really couldn't think of, or find enough images for it =\

The theme today was, actually, not the one I voted, but was gonna try to do anyways. It was supposed to be inspired by your favorite fairytale. Now, my favorite fairytale is Disney's Beauty and the Beast...... and I could not find enough images for a mani. It was frustrating.

So, in lieu of that, I'm gonna show you some swatches. They're all Color Clubs, and they're from last year's Winter Affair collection. Mine are the minies that are scented. I only bought them, really, just to stamp with (which the three foil do nicely), and the flakie isn't really unique. Here are Berry & Bright, Ho-ho-Holly, Gift of Sparkle, and Snow-flakes over Gift of Sparkle. All are 2 coats, including the flakie.

Last Foiled swatches

Good evening!

I have the other three Color Club Foiled swatches for you tonight. They are: Hot Like Lava, Foil me Once, and Lumin-iscent. Like the others, these swatches are two coats, done right they could be one coat. They also stamp well.

A few Color Club swatches

Good evening!

I have some Color Club swatches to show you tonight :) You may or may not have seen them, since they are from summer 2011, I believe. It's the Foiled collection, which I found locally, finally, several months ago. I mainly bought the set because I had read they were great for stamping, but it turns out I like most of the colors. The whole collection is foils.

I'm going to show you three colors tonights, and the other three Saturday night. All my swatches for this collection are 2 coats, even though a few are good at one. I did test them all, and they do stamp pretty decently. So, without further ado, here are Perfect Mol-ten, Antiquated, and Cold Metal. Btw, Cold Metal does stain a little, but if you're careful with removal, you should be fine.

A little spring green

Good evening!

I know for many of you, spring is a far off thought, something to keep you warm through all the snow and nastiness of winter. Much to my (allergies) dismay, spring has definitely sprung early here, regardless of this weekend's chilly forecast. For this rather unseasonably, and unreasonably lol, warm weather, I wanted to do something spring like on my nails. Enter in one of my latest Zoyas, Ivanka.

Ivanka is a gorgeous, green foil that has a teeny bit of blue undertones and flashes of gold. I truly have nothing like it in my collection, and wish I hadn't held out so long getting it. For my mani, I did two coats of Ivanka; I really could have with a third because two looks a little sheer in bright sunlight. It is wonderfully sparkly, though :)