Sample Sunday: Playing Around With Zoya Spoons

When I get my Zoya order, usually they put these 'spoons' in with it. Spoons are these plastic casts of polish where you can place your finger under the faux nail to see how it would look on you.

Below, you can see a set to the right...

I'm not really impressed with 'spoons'. My personal opinion is that I'd rather the company not spend the money on these. Save the expense.

However, when I get them, I'll stick my finger under a couple then, toss them away.  But, this time I thought I'd just play around with them...

On one side, I swatched Finger Paint's Special FX. On the other side, I matted the nails.

The Special FX was cool, but the matte...well, it fell flat...

I took some random top coat glitter polishes and practiced the 'sammich' look.

I found that these looked the prettiest...

I didn't keep track of which flakie I put on which color. I was totally just playing. However, I wanted to share with you this idea.

Have you done this already? Or, how about next time?

Zoya's Kylie: All Purpose Nail Polish Shade

Zoya Nail Polish is one of those companies that can make their customers fall in with them. They have frequent giveaways, many deals and collections that are popular and fun.

I was not personally acquainted with Zoya until I started blogging. And, I must say, that I am more than pleasantly surprised with the quality of these polishes.

After a season of glitters and sparkles, my eye fell upon this cutie while looking for something different...

Zoya's 'Kylie' is a dusty pink that has a faint magenta shimmer.

In super bright sunlight, you can see the softness of this color. Need a polish for an interview? Check. Want to wear a polish, other than a French manicure, for a wedding, whether yours, you're in it or just attending? Check. Have a young lady going to her first junior high dance? Check. Want to look feminine and chic? Check.

As you can tell, I think 'Kylie' is a shade that works in about any situation.

This shade of pink works really good with my skintone...

 Afternoon sun.

Afternoon shade.

Zoya's polishes are so smooth and easy to apply. I have 2 thin coats on (hence, you can see a tell-tale nail line) that dried quickly and evenly. When it came time for removal, 'Kylie' was easily removed with Zoya's own polish remover, Remove+.

It's sort of nice to wear a quiet and peaceful nail shade. How about you?

'Yule' Be Seeing Red With These Comparisons

In the years before becoming a blogger, during the Holidays, I'd just wear a red creme polish. I haven't traveled too far from that love. Red will always be my favorite nail polish color to wear. (Oops, I should have named the blog after a RED vanity, eh?)

These red polishes were fun to compare...

 Sorting through my untrieds, these are some hot reds that I found.

Starting from the left: Finger Paint's 'Magenta Mood'; Color Club's 'Yule Love It' (from the '09 Holiday collection); Zoya's 'Sarah.'

This started out as a comparison post and not a dupe one, but you'll soon find that it all takes a turn...

 Here are the polishes in the order I put them on my nails.

And, this was my outcome. 'Sarah' is on my thumb as well as my ring finger. 'Magenta Mood' is on my index and pinky. That leaves 'Yule Love It' for the middle finger.

Zoya and Finger Paints, surprisingly, are dupes. I couldn't tell them apart. That is, if I don't count the application. Zoya reigns supreme in that area.

I didn't put on cuticle oil before taking photos, and that's a super bad habit. In this photo, can you see how 'Sarah' and 'Magenta Mood' are total twins?

Color Club's 'Yule Love It' looks bubbly and gritty next to the other two. It wasn't bubbly, just gritty.

The opinion I'll give is that you do not need both 'Sarah' and 'Magenta Mood'. Zoya is going to get my vote because it applied so much easier. Even with just 2 coats, both of these were fine. However, I completed the mani with a total of 3 coats. And I didn't use a top coat.

Next post will be on Holiday greens. 

Do you have any of these reds? Gotta favorite?

Traditional Sally Hansen Fall Manicure with a Couple of Twists

I have an annual Fall manicure. I cannot tell you how old these two Sally Hansen polishes are but they are old! I bet this is one of the first glitter polishes that company ever made!!!

Click here to see where I blogged about this Fall look last year. I tweaked it then and I'm tweaking it again this year. Take a looky-see...

And then, on the right hand, more tweaking...

The one directly above I tried to take it out of focus to see that holo stuff going on with the ring finger.

OK, break downs...this is the core base colors I used...

Sally Hansen's 'Bronzegold Frost' is the annual Fall base color. This year's new base color is Zoya's 'Codie.'

 The traditional glitter top coat: Sally Hansen's 'Gilded Pink.' Doesn't look pink but copper to me.

And layering 'Gilded Pink' over 'Codie' it looks like a left over Halloween manicure. Pretty but I'm so ready to move on from Halloween.

On my right hand, I did the same base colors but with Kleancolor's 'Aurora' as the layering top coat...

Sometimes the star glitter came out, most of the time it just stayed in the bottle. But the effects of the iridescent glitter is enough. I wish they wouldn't have even bothered with the star glitter.

There's no wedding planned but I think of it as 'something old, something new...' Here's hoping you look forward to your Holiday traditions whether they are old or new, or a beautiful mixture of both.

You Can Call Me Kimberly, Or You Can Call Me Zoya's Kimmy, Just Don't Call Me Bubba

I really hope Libby, the Ragdoll cat, doesn't mind all her nicknames. She responds to them all but, mostly the ones that are linked with the word 'snack.'

I, on the other hand, do not like to be called by nicknames. I don't even like to be called Kim. Somehow, when I was 20, I got the idea that if I was called my proper name, it would make me a grownup. Well, it seemed to have worked and I've just kept it that way.

Oddly enough, there are only 2 people in the world that got away with calling me 'Kimmy'. One of them was my Grandma. I'm the only grandchild that got a nickname from her. I was 'special'.

It seems silly for me to think this, but I wish Zoya would have just called this one 'Kim' or, better yet, 'Kimberly' instead of 'Kimmy'.

And here's the truth...when I saw this, straight out of the box, I didn't like it. I was disappointed. Like, Zoya didn't consult with me, personally, on what color 'Kimmy' should be.

Thus, I set this one aside in lieu of others I thought I liked better.

Looking through my hoard stash, I found this really pretty red. Lo and behold...it was 'Kimmy'!!

I must have come to my senses! This is yum-tastic!

A super, bright red that has a load of gold and red micro-glitter, this one is dazzling. It isn't a vampy red to me but a fun, carnival red shade. I have used 2 coats and a top coat of China Glaze's 'Fast Forward Top Coat' for my manicure.

This was my lesson: Don't make snap judgments about labels. Even if it is my own nickname.

A nickname that I have, is my Mom will call me 'Sis.' I don't know why, but she always has. My hubs, well, the ones he uses to my face are 'Sweetie' and 'Honey.' I think men, however, use those terms because it doesn't get them in trouble. Like accidentally calling you by their ex's name.

Do you have a nickname?

The Interesting and Marvelous World of Zoya's Faye

Because of the Internet, I have made friends with people I would never have gotten to know in real life.  One of my friends is Fay. I met her through an online fitness group I have been with for over 8 years.

Fay is so amazing.  At 73 (maybe more, I've lost track!), she works out at least 5-6 times a week. I'm not talking about going out for just a walk. Fay lifts some heavy weights, makes it through Boot Camp workouts and enjoys doing Pilates on her Pilates machine. She not only inspires me, but all who are a part of our close-knit fitness group.

So, this post is in her honor. This manicure is with Zoya's 'Faye'...

Gosh darn, this is a beautiful color! Yet I can't say whether it's a golden red-purple or a purple-y gold. I can tell you that it is simply yummy.

The polish looks rosy but it has a more purple tone to it.  I have on Finger Paint's base coat, 3 coats of 'Faye' and topped it off with Color Club's 'Eco Chic' top coat.

This color works so well with my cool tone skin. I can wear this polish for anything. There's nothing boring at all with 'Faye'.

In closing, my friend, Fay, is super cool. I'm glad to have 'met' her and share our common goal and interest in fitness together.

I found a lot of family and friends' names with Zoya. They even had my name, even though it was a different spelling.  Does Zoya have your name?

My Love For Zoya Is Clear As A Crystal

April is Autism Awareness Month.  But, it is also for child abuse and domestic abuse awareness too.  Today's blue is my support to bring awareness to all three...

 

I have for you Zoya's 'Crystal'.  My word, is it a stunner!  A blue with lots of gold micro-glitter, DA BOMB, folks!!!

You don't have to like my manicure to love this color. 

Just a bit of a fudge on the tip of my pinky.  These nails are really long for me.  I haven't had them this long in quite a few years.  However, today I did get my nails redone and I got them cut back to a 'sport' length.

I have three coats of polish and a top coat of Seche Vite.  There's only one thing I can say negative about this polish and, that is I wish I would have discovered it before nail blogging.  These are awesome polishes. 

If you see or very strongly suspect someone is being abused, please contact the authorities about it.  You can do it anonymously and you can leave it up to them to decide what action should be taken.  Please don't turn your back away from abuse.