Zoya Enchanted Collection Swatches and a Bug Infestation

What do you do when you get a nail polish collection with such a range of colors, it almost doesn't make sense as a "collection"? Do you pick out your favorites, and leave the rest in your shopping cart? Do you throw your hands up in frustration because it just makes no damn sense? Do you buy it all because you have no willpower or self-control? I'll tell you what I do...

I paint bugs.

The Zoya Enchanted holiday 2016 collection could quite possibly be the 6 most unusual colors mashed together as a "collection". I don't know what the good people at Zoya were doing the night this collection was born, but creative juices were definitely flowing. With that said, this collection also contains 2 of my new favorite polishes. These are polishes I wouldn't normally warrant 3 seconds of my time either! But after swatching the colors from Enchanted, consider me converted.

I was so drawn to Olivera in fact, I immediately knew the nail art I wanted to do with it. This duochrome beauty could quite possibly be made of crushed beetle shells, except I'm pretty sure Zoya doesn't do that (though I can't find anything specifying they're cruelty-free or vegan on their website). So I painted bugs!

These critters were done all freehand with my favorite liner brush and polish. I had up a picture of a beetle and butterfly, and took a stab at it. They came out beautifully!

This little beetle was done with Olivera, but the picture doesn't do the polish justice. The polish shifts from one color to another more obviously later in the full nail swatch.

Then after painting the little beetle, I realized that another shade from Enchanted would make a fantastic butterfly, so I did him in Saint with accents of Alice.

Then after all that was said and done, I had to edit myself and stop from doing too much with glitter and rhinestones, so I gave the beetle and butterfly a habitat with simple grass on the other nails.

Here's a look at Enchanted as a whole.

Zoya - Olivera

Olivera (2 coats) is one of only two colors in Enchanted that is NOT a PixieDust polish. It's a smooth, deep purple to teal duochrome shifter. I almost got away with ONE COAT for it...that's unheard of with duochrome polishes!  Here's another angle to help show the shift:

Zoya - Olivera

Zoya - Saint

Saint (2 coats) is the other smooth finish polish from Enchanted. I used this as the butterfly's base (with accents of Alice). What you get from Saint is a smooth, periwinkle shimmer with an iridescent finish. I was surprised to like this one as much as I did.

Zoya - Alice

Alice (2 coats with no top coat) is a PixieDust polish, so the texture and grit is intentional. This one is a light lavender periwinkle, accented with pink and iridescent glitter. I'm pretty sure this is what the Little Mermaid's bra was made of.

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Zoya - Elphie

Elphie (2 coats with no top coat) is a Christmas green PixieDust. Nothin' but green in this polish.

Zoya - Lorna

Lorna (2 coats with no top coat) is all in the pink family, but this magenta-based PixieDust is accented with brighter pink glitter.

Zoya - Waverly

Waverly (2 coats with no top coat) rounds out the collection as a royal blue PixieDust. It looks a little squishy doesn't it?

The Zoya Enchanted collection is available through their website HERE. And if you have no self-control like me, you'll probably just end up with all of them. I should note, bugs are not included in the polish, so you'll have to start a butterfly farm separately.

The products in this post were given for review purposes. The reviews are based entirely on my experience with the products and were in no way influenced by anyone.

Zoya Naturel 3 Collection Swatches and a Baby Giraffe

Zoya polishes are notorious for their names. Every polish is a woman's name. But today, Zoya may be embarking on something new and exciting with their polish names. Early this morning, April the giraffe gave birth, after months of anticipation by the world. April had a baby boy, and they're looking to the world to help name him. So, Animal Adventure Park, I submit a name, courtesy of Zoya's Naturel 3 collection. Gina, Cathy, Mary, Jill, and Debbie are all quite feminine names, but one color in the collection might be the perfect name for the towering tike...Tatum!

Happy birthday baby giraffe!

Tatum, in addition to being an adorable unisex giraffe name, is also the background to the little giraffe painted for today's nail art. The giraffe's pattern was also done with a Naturel 3 color, Gina. All the spots, as well as baby giraffe, were all painted freehand too!

Naturel 3, like all the other Naturel collections before it, is comprised of neutrals in a variety of shades to suit anyone's skin tone.

Zoya - Cathy

Cathy (2 coats) is a sort of rosy sand creme polish.

Zoya - Debbie

Debbie (2 coats) is the darkest shade in the collection. It's a deep mauve creme.

Zoya - Gina

Gina (2 coats) is a chocolate mauve creme polish. As for the name "Gina", I'm not sure which way it's pronounced.

Zoya - Jill

Jill (2 coats) is a light, dusty rose-mauve shade.

Zoya - Mary

Mary (2 coats) is a few shades darker than Jill, but is a similar color. I'd say it's a mauve-y latte creme.

Zoya - Tatum

Tatum (2 coats) veers out of the mauve family where the rest of Naturel 3 seemed to be based. Tatum has very strong yellow undertones for a nude polish.

You can still pick up all these colors from Zoya's website here! Or...you can pick up info about the newest baby giraffe here!

The products in this post were given for review purposes. The reviews are based entirely on my experience with the products and were in no way influenced by anyone.

OPI Breakfast at Tiffany's Collection with Jewels for Breakfast

Although it's definitely not winter, I have a winter collection to share today. One might argue it's still relevant today, another might say this post is long overdue. I would agree with both people, and again apologize for all the delayed posts. Even so, you can still purchase the Breakfast at Tiffany's Collection from OPI at some retailers, like HB Beauty Bar here.

The collection is meant to reflect Holly Golightly's (played by Audrey Hepburn) effortless and classic beauty with a sense of playfulness. I also jumped straight to jewels and diamonds when thinking of nail art for this collection, so I present, "Jewels for Breakfast".

Of course I myself had to adorn myself in diamonds...albeit fake and born from a candle.

The beautiful blue base for my diamond nails is I Believe in Manicures. The base for the marble nails is Breakfast at Tiffany's, then I swirled Black Dress Not Optional and Five-and-Ten in to get the effect of marble.

The glitz and the glam go beyond what I've done on my nail art though. There is a LOT of glitter in this collection...ready?

OPI - Apartment for Two

Apartment for Two (2 coats) is one of the colors I meant as being relevant in this spring and upcoming summer season. It is a hot pink magenta creme.

OPI - Black Dress Not Optional

Black Dress Not Optional (2 coats) is a dark charcoal metallic - like a luxury car's paint job.

OPI - Breakfast at Tiffany's

Breakfast at Tiffany's (3 coats) is a nude off-white based creme with light gold shimmer throughout. You can barely see the shimmer, but it makes a special effect I haven't seen before.

OPI - Can't Read Without My Lipstick

Can't Read Without My Lipstick (2 coats) feels more winter, but this classic blood red creme rivals all-time OPI favorites like Got the Blues for Red and I'm Not Really a Waitress (without the shimmer).

OPI - Champagne for Breakfast

Champagne for Breakfast (2 coats) is a straight-up holographic glitter in a sheer base.

OPI - Fire Escape Rendezvous

Fire Escape Rendezvous (2 coats) is a fiery red metallic with shards of red glitter for texture. Each piece of glitter is cut randomly and jagged - no rhyme or reason.

OPI - Five-and-Ten

Five-and-Ten (2 coats) is a very interested silver metallic. Interesting, in that it's a pinkish silver with iridescent shards of shimmer. The pink sheen was hard to capture on camera, but it is a little rosy.

OPI - Got the Mean Reds

Got the Mean Reds (2 coats) is as classic as they come - just a bright, easy, cherry pie red creme.

OPI - I Believe in Manicures

I Believe in Manicures (2 coats) is a light, baby blue creme. It applies nicely - not chalky like some pastels.

OPI - Meet My "Decorator"

Meet My "Decorator" (2 coats) is a favorite, bright orange-red creme - again, great for summer.

OPI - Rich & Brazilian

Rich & Brazilian (2 coats) is definitely rich! I wrote "WOW" in the swatch book on this one. This deep burgundy base has interesting pink shimmer adorned throughout - but it's not textured. Really dreamy.

OPI - Sunrise...Bedtime!

Sunrise...Bedtime! (2 coats) might be the favorite in this collection...another glitter suspended in a clear base, this time light pink and holo glitter. This one is slightly more dense than Champagne for Breakfast as well.

The products in this post were given for review purposes. The reviews are based entirely on my experience with the products and were in no way influenced by anyone.