Zoya Corals - Kara, Lana, LC, Beyonnce

One of my friends, Christina, was looking for a good Zoya coral.  I typically don't wear corals much and tend to go more towards the pinks.  However as I was swatching these for her, they really grew on me.  Kara and LC are both cremes, Lana is a fleck, and Beyonnce is a shimmer/frost.  This is 2 coats of each, with no topcoat.  I tried to swatch them both in natural and inside lights.  My personal favorite is a tie between Lana and LC.  I bet they would look great on darker skin, or whenever the sun comes out again and I get a little tan!

Do you have a favorite?

Julep Taylor vs Sally Hansen's Pacific Blue

I received Julep's Taylor in my first Maven box.  This is my first experience with Julep and was a little hesitant given some of the bad press about the program, and I am not a fan of the rectangular bottles.  That said, this color was beautiful.  It was opaque in just 2 coats and dried somewhat plastic looking, the topcoat made it shine.  Taylor was a little gloppy and had a few issues with streaking, but once the topcoat was applied the streaks were less visible.  This is two coats of Taylor with 1 coat of nubar Diamont.

As I was admiring it on my nails, I was trying to figure out what color it reminded me of.  It is a slightly more purple version of Sally Hansen's Pacific Blue.  SH Pacific Blue is a favorite of mine in summer, I might have to think my decision through a little more to figure out which one to go with.  Which one do you like better?

Zoya Raven with Finger Paints Twisted

Finger Paints Twisted, it is a party in a bottle!  I like this swatched over black because you can see the true color of the flakes.  The reflection on it is so bright in almost any light, and perfect for an accent nail.  This is 1 coat of Finger Paints Twisted over 2 coats of Zoya Raven.  There is 1 coat of nubar Diamont as well.  The texture on this was pretty pleasing as well.  Some flakes and glitters can really have an uneven surface, but this seems to set up moderately smoothly. 

A closer look at Zoya Raven

I have posted about Zoya Raven before, but I was just not happy with the photos so I tried again when I wore it the other day.  It does have a subtle shimmer to it that is hard to capture. To me, that shimmer is why I love Raven, and also why I wear it alone for a day or two before putting a glitter or fleck over it.  This is 2 coats of Raven and 1 coat of nubar Diamont.  Tomorrow you'll see what Raven paired with the popular Fingerpaints Twisted looks like!

Zoya Kendal

Zoya Kendal is from the 2011 Zoya winter neutral collection.  I would describe it as a lavender shaded grey creme.  I am normally not into lighter shades, but this whole collection might be turning me a little bit.  Kendal was opaque in just 2 coats, although its application was a little finicky for me.  Doing thin coats is probably the key here, the thicker the coat the more it seemed to clump a bit.  This is 2 coats of Zoya Kendal and 1 coat of nubar Diamont.

Zoya Mieko

If you are looking for a perfect watermelon pink, Mieko is a great choice.  I am not sure why this color doesn't get more attention as it is such a pretty shade!  It is a deeper pink with additional pink, orange, and gold shimmer.  Mieko was a great pink to cheer up the winter blues, but would also be a fantastic selection for spring and summer.  This is 2 coats of Mieko and 1 coat of nubar Diamont.

Zoya Carrie Ann

Zoya Carrie Ann is what I consider to be a great classic red.  It has the most beautiful red, pink and gold sparkle mixed with a red base that is neither too orange or blue.  Carrie Ann, as well as the rest of the Wicked collection have glass flecks instead of glitter which I find easier to remove.  This is 2 coats of Zoya Carrie Ann, 1 coat of nubar Diamont.

After 2 days I wanted to try stamping a bit, and in my opinion one can never go wrong with a good black and red combo.  This is 2 coats of Zoya Carrie Ann, 1 coat nubar Diamont, stamped with Zoya Raven, and finally another coat of nubar Diamont.

Zoya Petra

Zoya Petra is from the Fall 2011 Zoya Smoke collection.  It is probably one of my preferred dark neutrals.  Petra is similar in darkness to Zoya Kelly, but Petra has a little more purple tone to it.  Application is pretty flawless, opaque in 2 coats. The first coat may look a bit streaky but it evens out with the second coat for me. As with most cremes it dries pretty glossy even without a top coat.  This is 2 coats of Petra and 1 coat of nubar Diamont.

Zoya Gem vs Zoya Valerie

Gem and Valerie are both pretty popular plum shades for Zoya.  I can totally see why, because to me I can barely tell the difference.  Valerie definitely has more and larger glitter than Gem.  Valerie's formula was also a little thicker than Gem.  If you look closely, you can see the surface reflection in Valerie is a bit rougher.  Gem is much smoother with a finer particulate of sparkle.  Gem also applied a bit smoother with easier control.

I would say that you can own one or the other, but you probably don't need to own both.  If you like more sparkle, go with Valerie.  If you want something a little more muted, pick up Gem.  Here is 2 coats of Gem with 1 coat of nubar Diamont.

Zoya Pinta

Zoya Pinta is a beautiful deep purple and blue cream.  From a far glance it looks black and only in direct sunlight can you see just how gorgeous this color is.  It is opaque in just 2 coats, and has a smooth application that doesn't bleed as much as other darker Zoyas.  This is 2 coats of Pinta, and 1 coat of nubar Diamont.

And as you know, I can't leave well enough alone after a day or two... here it is with a random glitter I have in my stash.  You can also see the slight difference between the color in indirect sunlight vs indoors.