Perfectly Polished Tips 243 - Zoya Designer Collection for Fall 2012

And I saved the best for last :) It is no secret that I love creme finish polishes. When I opened the box containing the Zoya fall collections I felt like Designer was made for me. I love every single one, even the red! Zoya does cremes so well, the formula is amazing and their brush is the only one that I can work with and not get frustrated. I know some people are probably getting sick of the smoked out grey that is being added to a lot of colors but not me. I live for them.

When Evvie was released during NYFW I had missed out on it and I was so upset. Evvie is a Peter Som custom shade and I thought that once it was gone that I would never get my hands on it. I am so happy Zoya decided to release it again because it is just as gorgeous as I had thought it would be. I think Natty has cured my MAC Blue India lemming, not to say that I wouldn't like to own the MAC. I haven't looked on ebay in a while but last time I did it was too much to justify buying. One day!

Evvie - smoky green

Monica - dark mulberry

Natty - smoked navy blue, has anyone compared this to Blue India? I would love to see pics.

Noot - charcoal green/grey

Rekha - blood red (Bibhu Mohapatra custom shade) this was slightly on the jelly side but perfect

Toni - dark maroon. I love shades like this but I suck at applying them, no idea why.

The Designer collection is available now at Zoya.com, the polish retails for $8 each.

(these were sent for review)

Perfectly Polished Tips 235 - NOTD Monday! Nicole by OPI Khloe Had a Little Lam Lam

I have never watched any of the Kardashian shows, but I have read about them on my guilty pleasure; ONTD. I am not a fan at all but I must admit I do like quite a few of the colors they created with OPI. I don't usually purchase Nicole by OPI polishes because I hate the bottle shape. I know it is supposed to make polishing easier but it messes up order in my Helmer. Things don't fit as well and yea.

Anyways I caved on the Nicoles & the Kardashian Kolors. (I also hate all the "K" business but I will keep my rants to myself.) As I have shared before on the blog I love teal nail polish. I am also on "Team Creme" so that made Khloe Had a Little Lam Lam doubly enticing. I absolutely hate the name of this polish, keep your cutesy nick names to yourself! The polish applied wonderfully and wore very well. I really like Nicole brushes and wish OPI would have never gone Pro Wide.

This is two coats of color & top coat. I really love this polish even if I do already own a few in the same vein. I wear this color pretty often so I don't mind the extra :)

On a side note I have not clipped my nails at all since ending the ASK Cosmetics Bare Naked Nail Challenge. I am still using the TIPS for Toes but not religiously and filing with the Contour file daily has really helped lessen snags and the pieces that had been off. I'm really happy with the progress but I don't know if I am meant to have long nails! They look so elegant but I keep stabbing my kids. I am also terrified that I am going to catch one on something and have a horrible break. I wanted to do a neutral manicure because that is something I rarely do and I thought it would look nice on longer nails. The color combo I chose was a big fail, so I am trying to decide weather to do another neutral mani or nubbinize and do something fun.

I do have pictures of the neutral mani but it rained here today so I am not sure how they turned out, if they are decent I will share. I will also do a mini TIPS conditioner update with naked nail pics before I clip them.

Have a good week!

Perfectly Polished Tips 230 - NOTD Monday!!

Finally a NOTD Monday post that actually falls on a Monday. My birthday was yesterday so last week I took myself to Ulta and treated myself to a couple of things. One of those things was Butter London Blagger nail polish. I love blue nail polish so when I saw it on the shelf I had to grab it. I am considering going back for the Black Knight I think it is called. Worth it?

Wonderful one coater but I kind of hate the cap and brush. The brush itself is fine but the handle is so tiny. I have small hands and I still feel clumsy with it. This is definitely going to become a fast favorite.

Perfectly Polished Tips 228 - Essie Barefoot in Blue

Essie partnered up with TOMS shoes and produced a limited edition nail polish. Essie/TOMS gave away 1500 bottles a few weeks ago. I had forgotten that I entered and was pleasantly surprised when I found it in my mail box!

This Essie/TOMS pairing was done to raise awareness for the One Day Without Shoes campaign. Today was the official day but please check out the website. You can always help!

Perfectly Polished Tips 225 - Zoya Beach

Here is the other half of Zoya summer.

I kind of hated the formula on these, especially Shelby. It was thin but goopy, I had many bald spots. I was most looking forward to Wednesday and it is still my favorite from both sets. I know I always always always say this but I really wish Zoya would do other colors than pink and red. Three pinks in this collection is almost as bad as the three neutral shades in the last collection. What about yellow, blue, brown, gray? I do recall saying that I had wished that the last collection had a pastel orange. This set does, most of the colors in the Beach collection remind me of spring but I guess since polish is not seasonal to all it does not really matter.

As usual two coats of polish, no base or top coat.

Reagan-Lara-Shelby-Arizona-Tracie-Wednesday

Reagan-Lara-Shelby

Arizona-Tracie-Wednesday

I saw a little bit ago on Zoya's facebook page that these are available NOW. You can get them from Zoya.com.

(these were sent to me for review)

Perfectly Polished Tips 223 - OPI Get in the Espresso Lane

This was supposed to be a NOTD Monday post! We don't have cable, we haven't for probably about 18 months now. We did however sign up for Amazon Prime because who doesn't need to stock their bathroom with 42 rolls of toilet paper at once? Thanks to Amazon Prime my kid recently discovered Go Diego Go! Whenever a computer is turned on she thinks it is Diego time...she is completely obsessed. I have been spending a lot less time on the internet because of this. It's probably a good thing though.

This week's NOTD is OPI Get in the Espresso Lane. It's from OPI's Touring America collection which was released last fall. In the bottle it is a murky, brown, kinda grayed out creme. I was hoping that it would be similar to the bottle color on my nails. It pulls way more gray and looks like cement on me. It's still a very nice color but with the beautiful weather we have had here in NC it is way too dark and drab.

The formula on this polish was decent, I had a bit of pulling which gave bald spots. One nail has three coats of polish because the first two were not even at all. The worst part of it all was the brush! I already have a strong dislike for the pro wide brushes, this one had bristles sticking out every which way. I tried to attack it with cuticle scissors but I was not that successful.

Yea, that is my steering wheel. NO I WAS NOT TAKING NOTD PHOTOS WHILE DRIVING! Who do you think I am? The high way FOTD taker from MUA? :)

In all seriousness though please don't take photos while you are driving. Not only are you putting yourself in danger but all the other people on the road! I was parked when I took these.

Zoya Surf & Beach landed here today! I hope to have swatches up over the next couple of days.

Perfectly Polished Tips 221 - The Return of NOTD Monday

I liked doing NOTD Monday posts and was sidelined due to the nail challenge. While I don't think it will be beneficial to keep polish on all the time during the challenge, I do think it is okay some of the time. I will (hopefully) be doing weekend manicures so I can get back to posting polish photos! That and I miss having color on my tips!

This weekend's manicure was Essie No More Film. It's a beautiful, inky, blurple creme. When I first got into polishes that were not pink or red, blurple was the color I was on the hunt for. At the time the only blurple creme out there was one by L'Oreal and it was hard to find. I was lucky enough to snag a bottle but was disappointed to find that the formula bubbled on me. Every. Single. Time. I tried different base coats and top coats, nothing helped. A few others came out after that and of course I had to have them. Zoya Pinta comes to mind, I think I have a photo somewhere but I'm not sure if I still own Pinta.

No More Film is part of the Resort 2012 collection. I did not pay attention to any of the other colors in this collection, I saw NMF, grabbed it, and didn't have a second thought. This polish is a one coater, the coverage and formula are amazing. I did two coats out of habit though and because for some reason when I polish lately I completely miss the side of my nail. It takes the "gap" to a whole other level, a level where it doesn't belong :) 

I had to tweak with the color settings of the photos. My camera was giving me a boring, navy creme. This polish is far from that! I tried to get it as true to life as I could. I think I did a decent job representing the color. With two coats it dries slightly darker than the color in the bottle. This is no big deal to me. 

Essie No More Film is available now, I got my bottle at Target for around $8.

Perfectly Polished Tips 219 - Essie Pretty Edgy & OPI Jade is the New Black Comparison

Happy Weekend! I just have a quick comparison post for today.

Essie Pretty Edgy and OPI Jade is the New Black

Two more of my favorite polishes, I honestly do wear these often. Pretty Edgy is a lot more on the green side than the OPI. Before using Pretty Edgy for the first time I thought it was going to be a similar jade, if you will, color. After finishing my nails I felt so out of my comfort zone. I was wearing green! I don't wear green polish. After a couple of days though I loved it.

As you can see in the above photo they are nothing alike. Jade is the New Black is on my index and ring finger and Pretty Edgy is on my middle and pinky.

I love them both and I think both are an awesome addition to any polish stash.

 

 There is still time to enter my Sneekpeeq Giveaway!

Perfectly Polished Tips 217 - the Balm Hot Ticket Collection

the Balm nail polish is a new to me brand. I have used their lip products before but I had no idea they sold polish as well. I found the Hot Ticket Collection on a dusty shelf in TJ Maxx and decided to give it a shot. I think this may have been a holiday collection of sorts, mostly because of the colors that are included. I liked it though because all of the colors were different! No similar reds or pinks, or beige that you can't tell apart.

My cuticles are so raggedy looking, I though the TIPS for Toes nail conditioner was going to be a miracle worker and that I would have gorgeous hands by now. You are not supposed to push back your cuticles as it does more harm than good. I will just have to deal for now but I feel like my pictures look so unappealing. Sorry!

Better Off Red - pink based red creme, always a classic color IMO. Best part about this one? It's a one coater!

Counterfeit - Dusty teal creme, possibly a dupe to OPI Jade is the New Black

Disco Ball - The name says it all. I kind of sponge painted it on. I can never seem to find a proper time to wear silver glitter. Any tips?

Dodged a Bullet - This polish was really the only one I wanted out of the whole collection but since they were a package deal I had to take them all (boohoo right?). Steely grey with blue, pink, and purple shimmer. Of course my camera did not pick up the awesomeness of the shimmer. It's there though I swear!

Goldfinger - Metallic, shimmery gold. I always have a love/hate relationship with gold polish. I want to wear it but I feel like it doesn't look great on me. 

I love the brush on these polishes. It's a nice normal size! The formula was awesome for the most part. Counterfeit was a little on the thin side and I had a bit of a drag. I was surprised by Better Off Red, in a good way! I also adore the pin up girl on the bottle. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging.

I checked the Balm's website and they have a few colors that look very interesting. The names are questionable LOL but worth looking into. I got this set at TJ Maxx for $10 but it looks like each bottle retails for $10 on the Balm.

Perfectly Polished Tips 216 - RBL Teal & OPI Ski Teal We Drop Comparison

l-r RBL Teal & OPI Ski Teal We Drop

In case you haven't noticed teal is pretty much my favorite color polish to wear. The creme-ier the better :) I purchased Rescue Beauty Lounge's Teal first and it was love at first stroke. RBL's formula is amazing, pretty much all of the ones I have are one coaters. To me there is nothing better and easier than a polish that is good to go with one coat. Being that I love the color so much I had to purchase OPI Ski Teal We Drop. I had read online that it was pretty much a dupe to RBL Teal but I didn't care.

pointer & ring = OPI, middle & pinkie = RBL

This photo is one coat of polish, you can see a difference not only in the color but the coverage.

pointer & ring = OPI, middle & pinkie = RBL

Two coats and the RBL is slightly darker. The OPI has awesome coverage with two coats of color.

pointer & ring = OPI, middle & pinkie = RBL

Three coats and you can't really tell the difference. I don't really purchase OPI much anymore to be honest. I absolutely hate the pro wide brush. I have small nail beds and most times I make a huge mess when using OPI. I will purchase if there is a color I feel I absolutely must have but if I can find in in another brand with a normal brush I go for that one.

I like the formula on both of these polishes, however if I had to chose one I'd pick the RBL. 

Perfectly Polished Tips 182 - Zoya Smoke

If I had to use one collection of polish for the rest of my life this is the collection I would choose. For fall Zoya released Smoke & Mirrors. This is the Smoke half and it is made up of six amazing creme polishes. I know most of these colors have been done before but I really like Zoya. I like that they are B3F and environmentally friendly. My little girl has recently gotten into polishing her toes and I love that this line is available. I feel great about letting her use them and the color selection doesn't hurt either. These all applied with ease. Photos are two coats of color with no base or top coats.

Jana

Petra

Dree

Cynthia

Codie

Anja

Smoke & Mirrors can be found on Zoya.com. Also make sure you follow them on facebook as they do the occasional promo. There have been lots of good deals on zoya lately!

(these were sent to me for review)

Perfectly Polished Tips 178 - Zoya Summertime

Finally I have the other half to Zoya's 2011 summer release. The weather has been crazy, one minute it's gorgeous and sunny and then the next there are clouds for days.

Summertime is made up of 6 creme shades, all bright and perfect for summer manicures or pedicures. I think in every Zoya post I make I rave about their creme formula. It is perfect to me, very pigmented and a great consistency. Now that they have released a collection* that includes all my favorite colors I may do something crazy and shun all other brands. Just kidding, but seriously again amazing. Zoya has not yet disappointed me with a release, I may not love all of the colors but their collections as a whole are great.

On to the photos, all are two coats of color, no top or base coat.

Tamsen - a warm brick red with strong orange undertones. The photo is pretty true to life, this would be a perfect pedi color for me!

Sookie - a slightly jelly cherry red. I'm really not a fan of jellies but this one applied wonderfully.

Mira - blurple! I love colors like these. Slightly muted but still cheery. One of my faves from the summer collection.
Kieko - purple with berry tones. Very pretty, Zoya recommends this for warm toned gals.

Breezi - a medium, dusty, cerulean blue. This is probably my favorite of the collection. I love blue polishes and I never grow tired of seeing this color.

Areej - a muted, cool fuchsia pink. A very bright and happy color. This shade is usually my go to pedi shade in the winter. I love bright pink toes when it's cold out.

Summertime is currently available on Zoya.com and retails for $8. Also I may have mentioned it in my last post but if you don't already, go "Like" Zoya on facebook. They recently hit 50,000 Likes and may be planning a promo soon!

*The collection I was referring to was the Smoke half of Smoke & Mirrors for fall. I will have photos soon!

(these were sent to me for review)