Zoya Satin Collection Spring 2015

The other day, I got a hankering to do a little polish shopping (imagine that!!), but I decided I wanted to get something completely different from my norm, but still something I'd wear. I decided to go to Zoya's website and browse a little. They have a couple of different collections out this spring: the Spring Delight collection (http://zoya.com/content/category/Delight-Zoya-Nail-Polish-Collection-Spring.html) and the Naturel Satins collection (http://zoya.com/content/category/Naturel-Satins-Nail-Polish-Collection-Transitional.html). 

The Spring Delight is your typical spring polishes: pastel yellow, purple, pink, blue, mint, and green. These were all pretty similar to colors I already had in my collection so I wasn't on the bandwagon (maybe later though!). The finish of these ranges from cream to an almost duo chrome type finish (they describe it as a "flash"). All colors in this collection are "cool" tones.

The Naturel Satins were different. They are more muted colors, and they have a satin finish (hence the name!). I decided this was my collection. They arrived in the mail the other day and I opened the box to check them out...I wasn't sure how I was going to use them! They are so different from other colors in my collection! Although I have neutrals, they aren't like these; these are more earthy toned and much "softer" I think would be what I'd call them. Their finish is also really interesting--it's almost a matte, but not quite; it's definitely different. I don't know that I'd necessarily call it "satin" but it's different! Also, all colors in this collection are "cool" tones. 

Anyway, my exciting mani I did a couple of days ago was starting to chip, and I'm feeling a little bummed for some reason today. I didn't really feel like doing my nails, but they were starting to get ugly. I went in my craft room, sat down, and set about trying to decide what I wanted to do. That's when I looked up and saw these sitting in my display. I knew they would be great stand-alone colors and that I could have a cool mani without having to do any stamping or anything "fancy", which was just what my mood warranted! Then I thought, "what the heck, I may as well do some swatches and post about it on the blog." And here we are! You and me together! 

I'm including the descriptions of the polishes directly from Zoya's site below the swatch. Enjoy 😄

Rowan by Zoya can be best described as a suede taupe cream in the exclusive Satin finish.

Tove by Zoya can be best described as a misty slate grey cream in the exclusive Satin finish.

Leah by Zoya can be best described as a lavender tinged taupe cream in the exclusive Satin finish.

Sage by Zoya can be best described as a mossy sage green cream in the exclusive Satin finish.

Brittany by Zoya can be best described as a rose mauve cream in the exclusive Satin finish.

Ana by Zoya can be best described as a light toasted almond cream in the exclusive Satin finish.

They're all really nice colors. Just be sure to let them completely dry before touching!! I'm so used to my Seche Vite that I forget it takes awhile (if you add a quick dry top coat it makes it glossy, which messes up the "satin" effect, so don't use one!)! It also dries to  that interesting finish so it LOOKS dry, but it's a tricky devil! I decided on Rowan for my mani of the day (or couple of days...)--which one is your favorite? 

Stripes and Flowers

I've got a super easy mani for today! I started with two coats of Zoya's Neely. I then used a darker green striper from Shany Cosmetics to make diagonal stripes on my nails. I cut thin slices from a yellow flower Fimo rod and stuck these to my ring and thumb nails using a clear polish. I finished with a top coat of Seche Vite. All done!

Fourth of July Stamped Nails #2!!

Yes, my lovelies, I really did just redo my freakin nails!! Haha!! I was just SOOOOO disappointed with how the last ones turned out--half the stamps didn't work, and half of them were crooked, and there was nail glue everywhere...! 

So...the fake nails got ripped off (yes, I know that is completely terrible for your natural nail), and the mani got re-done.

I used Winstonia stamp plate W107, Zoya polish in Yummy, and Nailtini polish in Bloody Mary. My gosh, Yummy stamped SO MUCH EASIER than Blue Blazer!!! Anyway, I decided to use only the one stamp that I really really loved from the last mani, and then flip flop colors on each hand. I'm loving this one! :) hooray for re-do's!! 

Fourth of July Stamped Nails

So some of these did NOT turn out like I had hoped, but oh well I guess! 

Polishes used: Zoya's Purity (white), Nailtini Bloody Mary (red), Nailtini Blue Blazer (blue), Nailtini Bottle Green (green), Nailtini Absinthe (green), Zoya Raven (black), Zoya Arizona (orange), Zoya Pippa (yellow). I'll also edit the post to include the numbers of the stamping plates I used. 

If you noticed my nails are a little different than usual, it's because they're fake nails! Haha! I just got the inkling to put some on so there you have it! 

I started with a base of white. When dry, I stamped a full-nail stamp of grills, spatulas, a meat mallet, and a ketchup/mustard bottle with blue on the left/red on the right. Then I stamped a bigger grill with black and fireworks with yellow and orange (this one didn't turn out like I hoped). For the pointer finger, I stamped a star full-nail stamp that alternates with negative and positive space; I used blue on the left, red on right. On the middle finger, I used a swirly patterned full-nail stamp (red on left, blue on right). Then using Absinthe on the left, I stamped a Statue of Liberty. That one obviously didn't turn out because it was too light, so I tried Bottle Green on the right. On the ring fingers, I used a sporadic star full-nail stamp (blue left, red right). On the pinkies, I used a full-nail stars-with-stripes stamp (red left, blue right).

So the Blue Blazer was SO HARD to get to stamp! Some polishes are just not good for stamping and this was one of them. I love the color but it just refused to transfer to the stamping tool :( That's why a lot of the images aren't quite complete on the blue fingers. I really love the pinky fingers--which is your favorite?

Psychedelic Nails

Ok...I'm a little ashamed...I started these nails at around 7:30 this evening and am just getting done with them at 11:00... It's not that they were hard, but I kept messing them up! I found a really cute design that someone had done on Amazon.com with the nail plates I used (they had different colored T-Rex on each one) so I really wanted to do those. Well, when stamping you have to wait for the polish to dry all the way before doing designs. So I painted the base, waited for it to dry, stamped the swirlies, stamped the outline of the t-rex, filled it in, waited for that to dry, then stamped the black outline of the t-rex again....dear lord. I looked at them when I got done and just shook my little head. They looked like a 3 year old did them.

So then I saw a different image that someone had done on Amazon with a different image from the plate (a brontosaurus) so I thought I'd try that one out. Got the base painted, waited for it to dry, stamped a tree on the pinky, stamped the body on the ring finger, stamped the tail on the middle finger, and HELLS BELLS!! the body was supposed to go on the middle finger and the tail on the pointer--the head needed to be on the ring finger!!! Gah!! So I swiped those off and managed to salvage the base, went to try it again, and damn if I didn't NOT stamp the swirly background. Grrrrrrr.........

So I ended up just taking it all off and starting over. All the colors I used were from Zoya. I ended up using Dot on the pinky and ring fingers, Pippa on the middle and pointers, Josie on the thumb. I then stamped the psychedelic-looking swirly pattern from Winstonia stamp plate number 216; I used Shelby on the pinky and ring fingers, Arizona on the middle and pointer, and Shawn on the thumb. I really wanted to add something more, but by this time I'd already removed the designs how many times ^^ and I'd knocked over my freakin nail polish remover besides (the south section of my house is a hazard zone thanks to the toxic fumes), and was just really really really sick of painting!! So...4 hours later, here is my pathetic design. I think it's cute, but not 4 hours cute!! Oh well, c'est la vie!

What's the longest you've ever taken on a mani?? Come on peeps, make me feel better here!

Extremely Early Lacquer Legion Nails June--On Holiday

So, the lacquer legion prompt for June just went up today and I was in desperate need of changing my nails (can't stand it when they chip!!) so I decided to just do them super early--the pics are supposed to be posted on Instagram on June 30th!! Oh well--last month I forgot til the day of! 

Also, sorry guys, but this was a mani FULL of different colors, so I'm not going to name them all; I'm posting a pic of them and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!  

 

The top pic is of the colors I used on the stamped images in the manicure; the bottom pic is of the colors I used in the gradient for the base.

I used Winstonia stamping plates W106, W108, and W110. 

Where is one place you'd love to go on holiday??

Glitter and Vines

So these didn't turn out quite like I expected. My silver glitter was fairly translucent and I was hoping it would be opaque. It doesn't show up in the pics very well, but I promise it's there! 

For a base on all but the ring fingers, I used Zoya's Dove, then topped it with China Glaze Fairy Dust. On the ring fingers I used Nailtini Fable Fizz. When those were dry, I used Shany stamping plate SH18 and Essie's Blanc (ring fingers) and Essie's Licorice (all the rest) to stamp a vine-like image. I finished with a top coat of Seche Vite.

I think if I redid this mani, I'd use a Zoya PixieDust rather than the gray polish+the China Glaze glitter. The PixieDust is opaque by itself and always comes out gorgeous! 

Eff You!

I got the idea for this mani from The Nailasaurus. I've mentioned her before, but in case you haven't seen my previous posts, you must go see her nails! They are all amazing! She's at thenailasaurus.com. 

Also, the charms I used are from hexnailjewelry.com - they've got lots of fun and unique charms!

On to the mani deets! On the thumb and pinky, I started with a base of Zoya's Purity. When dry, I applied a strip of striping tape horizontally. On the bottom portion, I used Zoya's Dove, and on the top portion I used Zoya's Mira. **Be sure to remove striping tape before the nails are dry!! Otherwise they will stretch and get yucky!!** 

On the ring fingers, I did a base coat of Zoya's Dove. When dry I applied striping tape in an off-centered cross shape, then painted over that with Zoya's Jancyn.

On the pointer fingers, I used three coats of Essie's On A Silver Platter. 

On the middle fingers, I used Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics polish in Pool Boy. When the polish was dry, I applied a dot of nail glue and applied the F*ck You charm and the Middle Finger charm to the centers of the nails. 

Lacquer Legion May--Garden

This month's lacquer legion prompt was Garden, so for mine, I decided to do peas, radishes, carrots, tomatoes, and a bunny with the munchies! All polishes used are from Zoya.

For a base, I used Purity. For the peas, I used Josie and traced with Raven. The radishes are Tamsen, Josie, and Raven. Carrots are Jancyn, Josie, and Raven. Tomatoes are Tamsen, Josie, and Raven. The bunny is Dove, Tamsen, Raven, and Purity. I used dotting tools and a small nail art brush to create the designs. 

Want to participate in the monthly lacquer legion prompts? You can follow The Lacquer Legion on Facebook or @thelacquerlegion on Instagram to see the prompts each month!  

Pineapple Nails!

I saw these super cute nails on Instagram by @wondrouslypolished - go check her page out! 

I started with a base of Zoya's Purity. I then painted ovals on the nails with Zoya's Pippa, taking some of them off the edges. Using Zoya's Dea and a small nail art brush, I traced the outside edges and made a criss-cross pattern in the ovals.  Then, with Zoya's Josie, I made the tops of the pineapples with a small nail art brush. I of course finished with a top coat.

I just love these cute little pineapples!!

Flowers with Pastel Gradient

I saw this flower pattern on Pinterest--it's by Nail Art In Life. I saw the pastel gradient I did on the ring finger on @just1nail's Instagram.

So for the base coat on all but the ring fingers I used the mint color I got in my Nailtini April Lacquer Cabinet -- it's called Legitimint. Then, using a dotting tool and Nailtini Parfait-Amour, I made a flower shape and also 3 dots extending from each side. With a smaller dotting tool and Legitimint, I made dots at the center portion of the previous purple dots--this gives the flowers more of a petal shape rather than a round shape. I then placed a rhinestone at the center or each flower. 

For the ring fingers I started with a base of Zoya's Purity. When that fully dried, I applied Legitimint, Parfait-Amour, and Zoya's Blu & Dot on a makeup sponge in an irregular pattern. I sponged this over the white to create a pastel gradient effect. To top that one off, I used another color from my Lacquer Cabinet called Babydoll--it is a beautiful, glittery, holographic-like polish. It just really made that nail beautiful!

I topped everything off with a coat of Seche Vite.

Are you as excited for spring and warmer weather as I am??

Here's a close-up of the awesome ring finger...I don't think the pic does it justice!

Colorful Zebra Stripes

So I started off today's mani with a darker color, and I realized I just wasn't feeling it, thus, the bubblegum-like tirade that is my nails now! 

I used Zoya's Dillon (green), Hudson (purple), and Shelby (pink) as base coats. For the stripes I used Essie's Licorice and Mash stamp plate 38. 

Gradient with Glitter

I was looking through Instagram the other day and @chalkboardnails posted a photo of her nails. She matched her gradient to the colors in her glitter. I thought it was so beautiful so I had to try it out! 

I used Zoya's Robyn, Essie's Licorice, and the glitter is Formula X for Sephora in Turbulence. 

What do you think of this mani??

Bubbles!

So my right hand doesn't look too bad but my left hand is kind of crap! Let me tell you what happened...

I've read on a couple of blogs that if you are doing a gradient nail, it's easier to coat your cuticles and the sides of your fingers with Vaseline so as not to get polish freakin everywhere. So I decided tonight was the night to try it out. It worked really well for the cuticles but the sides didn't so much. I still had to use a q-tip to clean the edges. Well...then I went to stamp and it wouldn't hardly work because apparently the Vaseline got on the sponge which then sponged all over my nails. I tried washing it off and it worked better on the right hand than the left. Anyway, needless to say, my bubbles didn't turn out as well as I would have liked but I still took a pic of the better hand! Ha!

So for colors, I used all Zoya polishes. White is Purity, light blue is Blu, and darker blue is Yummy. So I just did a gradient with Blu and Yummy using a makeup sponge. Then using Winstonia stamp plate #W112 and Purity, I stamped bubbles (or polka dots--guess it depends how you look at them!) on each nail. I finished with a top coat of Seche Vite!

Green Lace

This is one of my favorite manis to do and it is super easy (even though it looks super elaborate!). I saw this over at polishandpearls.com.

I started with a base of Zoya's Josie (light green) on the thumb, pointer, and pinky. Also did a base of Shawn (dark green) on the middle and ring fingers. 

Now, to make things a little less complicated, I'm going to tell you how to do the thumb, pointer and pinky--for the other two fingers you'll do just the opposite! Ok, so you have your light base. Then using your dark, you'll paint a little over half the nail. Using a large dotting tool, add light dots at the edge of the border in the dark. Use a small dotting tool to add light dots in the dark space. Then, using the same large dotting tool, add dark dots along the light large dots--these should overlap not only the large light dots but also should overlap into the light half of the nail. Then using the same small dotting tool, add light dots to the edge of the dark dots. Ok so I know I promised it would be easy, and even though it SOUNDS complicated, I promise it isn't! If you are a visual learner like I am and you'd like to see a video of how to do it, check out the second mani in Jenny Fox's tutorial here--http://youtu.be/T8v77UZTrh4

You can do this with any colors you want, just make sure one color is lighter and one is darker! I've done this with a few different ones and I'm always impressed with how it comes out! 

What colors will you try??

Purple and Sparkly

I decided to do these nails when I saw them on Instagram from user @makeuplovexo. I started with a purple on all nails but the ring finger--Formula X for Sephora in Indelible. Then I added a Formula X topper in Hyperactive to my thumb, pointer and pinky. With Rimmel London's Grey Matter and a thin nail art brush, I made two chevron shapes on the middle finger, then added two different sized pearls to the pattern. I used Zoya's Magical Pixie Dust in Cosmo on the ring fingers. 

Lacquer Legion April Prompt - Glam

So, I know the "unveiling" isn't supposed to be until the 28th, but I'm just so excited for this mani! I saw a similar mani somewhere on the internet and I didn't remember to note where it was from--so if it is a mani you created (not RE-created such as I did!!) then please comment and I will give you proper credit!

The colors from pinky to thumb are: Zoya's Robyn, Zoya's Mira, Essie's Mojito Madness, Essie's Big Spender, and Zoya's Dream; I applied one coat to each nail. Then, I placed a clear top coat on one nail at a time (to give the rhinestones something to stick to) and immediately placed the coordinating color of rhinestone on each nail with a dotting tool.

I did NOT put a top coat on top of the rhinestones! This is one of the only times I don't do this because it will ruin the "texture" :)

I thought this was the perfect embodiment of "Glam", don't you?? I feel like a little kid again (in a good way! ha!)

Shades of Black

I'm feeling a bit down so this mani kind of reflects that I guess. I used a matte black from Zoya (Dovima), a shiny black from Zoya (Raven), and a sparkly PixieDust from Zoya (Dahlia). No top coat or base coat (that defeats the purpose of the matte). I painted all but the ring finger with Dovima. Using a dotting tool, I made different sized dots using Raven. I painted the ring fingers with Dahlia.

Polynesian Nails

I had NO idea what to call these so I asked hubby what he thought they looked like - he said Polynesian art so I went with that haha! 

These have been my favorite nails I've done for awhile and they are also the simplest I've done in awhile!

I used Zoya's Odette on all but the ring finger for a base. On the ring finger I used Zoya's Dot. Then, using Winstonia nail art plate #W111, I stamped the opposite color on the nails (Odette on Dot and Dot on Odette!). I thought the result was beautiful!

Purpley Neutrals

I didn't really know what to name this blog post--there are pinks, purples, glitters, and mauves! All of the colors used are from Zoya. I know the thumb is kind of the odd man out--it's more of a blue tone and the rest are more red toned, but I wanted to use it so by dang I did! There are no rules with nail polish, peeps!! :)

From thumb to pinky I used...Mira, Odette, Brigitte, Lux, and Dot.

I got Dot in my Ipsy bag this month; I believe Odette was the other color they were including in bags and I was truly hoping for that one. But Dot is good too! I've used it in 2 manis now. Lux is one of their new Magical PixieDust polishes and I just love it! It's got really textured glitter and then big chunks scattered throughout! And thanks to my How To Remove Glitter Polish post (nudenailsnotallowed.blogspot.com/2013/12/how-to-remove-glitter-polish-easy-way.html) I don't have to be afraid to rock it! 

Which color is your favorite?