Zoya- Veruschka

Hi! This week's polish is Zoya's Veruschka. I've been wanting this polish for ages! When Zoya announced that they were re-releasing some of their MatteVelvet polishes, I ordered Veruschka immediately. Now that the weather is starting to really feel like fall, I decided to try it out. Oh my goodness, this polish is gorgeous! I've always thought of matte polishes as dull and wasn't into them. This polish proved me wrong, it is anything but. It's a deep evergreen (almost emerald) with lighter green shimmer. Application was easy, the formula was smooth and not too runny. The photos show two coats without topcoat (But it looks just as amazing with topcoat).

One Coat

Zoya- Ryan

Good evening! Hope you all had a great week! Today's polish is a new one from Zoya's fall 2014 Entice collection called Ryan. Ryan is a dark blue creme that almost leans teal. It's so dark it's barely distinguishable from black in some lightings. I've been wanting to get this polish for a while and it did not disappoint! I absolutely love the color, perfect for fall! The formula was great, too. It could easily be a one-coater, but I needed two because I do thin coats. It was smooth and dried glossy. The photos below show it without topcoat.

One Coat

Zoya- Dream

Good morning! Hope you're all enjoying you weekend! Today I have Zoya's Dream. It came out a few years ago in one of their fall collections. Dream is a deep blue jelly with lots of holographic flakes. It's so gorgeous, it looks like a starry night sky! Indoors it just looks like a sparkly blue polish but once you step into the sunlight the scattered holo comes out. It sparkles all the colors of the rainbow! I love this polish! The application was a breeze, 3 easy coats and you get the color in the bottle. It dries really glossy too. The photos show it without topcoat.

1st Coat

2nd Coat

Sunlight

Mani Monday!

Hello everyone! I finally got around to doing some nail art and I decided "Why not end summer with a beach mani!" I made the design by following tutorials from Chalkboard Nails and elleandish // Janelle then adding my own little twist. On my pointer, middle finger and thumb, I applied two coats of Essie's "Cocktails & Coconuts" then two more coats of Zoya's "Godiva" on top. The textured finish and silver glitter make it look just like sand! As for my ring and pinky fingers, I did a sponge gradient using Kleancolor's "Pastel Teal" and Essie's "Mint Candy Apple". Then, I used the water-spotting technique with Zoya's "Purity" to add a seafoam-like effect. Afterwards, I sponged just a little bit of white right where I wanted the shore-line to be and covered the tip of my nail with Godiva. To add the starfish on my ring finger, I used a very thin detail brush and Maybelline's "Coral Heat". Finally, I added topcoat to only the ring and pinky finger to smooth everything out! I'm really happy with the final look and hope you guys like it as well!

Tutorial- Water Marble Layering

Hello! I am so excited to tell you this! I was playing around with the idea of water marbling and realized that (1) you can use the concept to create your own color without actually having to mix polishes and (2) you can use it to apply neons or any polish that has a tricky formula! I hope this is something new to you and that you enjoy!


So, for the first idea all you need is two different colored polishes and all other materials needed to do any kind of water marble (cup, water, toothpick). There are only three steps to this. First, apply the lighter color onto your nails (and make sure its even otherwise any streaks and patches will remain visible). Then, drip just one drop (or more but you'll have to be careful of the rings that appear) of your second color into the water surface and allow it to spread enough so that when you dip it'll cover your entire nail. After it has spread evenly, dip your nail (or as many finger as you can completely cover) in as you would with any other water marble mani, clean the surface with a toothpick and remove your finger. Tadaaaa! You made a new color without having to go through the trouble of mixing polishes in a separate bottle and without having to worry that you didn't mix enough of the color to paint all your nails! I personally never have any empty nail polish bottles on hand and find it hasslesome to mix it on tin foil or a palette (the polish get thick really fast and I always seem to make too much/little of the color). I like to use this method to create pastel colors by putting darker colors over white. It works to apply metallic colors (I'm thinking OPI's "Push and Shove", but I don't have it) without getting any streaks, too! Just apply the metallic like normal then add a layer or two with the water marble method.

As for number two, it's basically the same process except you're using it for a different reason/to get a different result. I've heard people talking about how neons are hard to work with because often times you need to layer them over white to make them bright and fluorescent. However, sometimes putting them over white is hard because it might get streaky or you might not completely cover the white around the cuticles. I find that if you just water marble it on, you can get an even application! (The coats/layers dry much faster too.) You can also control how dark you want your color to be- if you want it darker, just repeat and add more layers until the color is to your liking. You can use this method to create ombre nails as well! This also works with sheer polishes or jellies should you ever want to put them over white.

The possibilities are endless! I really hope that you'll give it a try, if you do I would love to see it (my instagram is @swatchingly)! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Swatch Comparison- Zoya "Wendy" and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Coral Reef"

I was looking at my nail polish collection and at one point I realized that Wendy and Coral Reef looked exactly the same. I swatched them on my nails and found out that they were extremely similar. Wendy is a little lighter than Coral Reef, but barely so. I'd say they're pretty much dupes of one another. The photo below shows three coats without topcoat. (Please forgive my dry cuticles, I've been doing dishes without gloves)

Zoya- Wendy

Zoya's "Wendy" is a beautiful coral or melon pink creme. It's perfect for summer! The formula was a bit streaky on the first coat but just one or two more fixed it. The polish does dry a tad darker than how it looks in the bottle, but I love it nonetheless. The photos show three coats and topcoat.

Sunlight

Shade

Zoya- Dove

Dove is a cool-toned gray creme. A very pretty neutral color! The formula's good, a little streaky but the second coat fixes it. It dries pretty quickly and stays glossy so topcoat isn't really necessary. It took me 3 thin coats to get it opaque. The photos below show Dove without topcoat.

Sunlight

Shade

Mani Monday!

For this manicure, I just have a jelly/glitter sandwich on my ring finger and thumb with Zoya's Dove as the base color. On the accent nails I added 2 coats of OPI's Pirouette My Whistle, then a coat of OPI's My Pointe Exactly. This wasn't the best color choice for summer, but I had to limit my options to neutrals for a formal event today. The photos are with topcoat. 

Shade

Sunlight