Perfectly Polished Tips 263 - Zoya Ornate

For the upcoming winter season Zoya has release Ornate. A set of six jewel toned polishes. There is one bar glitter, two foil/microglitter, and three with holographic glitter. When I saw preview pictures from fashion week I was really excited about this collection. It is no secret that holographic polish is loved dearly by the nail community but it seems like something companies don't often put out. I don't love the holos as much but I had high hopes for Storm.

Usually I love the formula on Zoyas polishes but the holographic ones kind of stunk IMO. Storm and Aurora were on the thin side and needed three coats for pretty much full coverage. I think that I would have been better off layering them over an opaque polish. Blaze had better coverage but was still not as opaque as Zoya's describes. I didn't have any issues with Ziv or Logan, but after looking back at my photos I wish I would have used three coats of polish instead of two.

Electra is silver holographic bar glitter. I am not a fan of bar glitter, it reminds me of little hairs or something. For those of you who do like it the formula was nice. I brushed on the first coat and dabbed on the second. I had originally planned on putting one coat of this over each of the other polished but it made such a mess when I removed it that I decided against it. sorry!

Ziv is a cool toned gold with more gold micro glitter. This polish is amazing, finally a gold that I love. Every time a company puts out a gold I rush to get it only to decide that I don't like it because it's too yellow. I am wondering how this compares to OPI Dazzled by Gold. I missed out on the OPI and I have been on the look out for it ever since.

 Logan is a gorgeous forest green that is infused with gold mirco glitter. It pulled very blue on me but it's green IRL. I'm not really big on green polish but this one is a keeper.

Storm is a black holographic polish. It's a lovely polish but like I said above I didn't love the formula. It was thin and sheer. I do think though that layering it would make it worth it. I know there are other black holo polishes out there but aside from this and OPI MPJ I haven't tried them.

Blaze is a plum toned holo polish. This one was very easy to apply, I'm meh about the color. Plums/berry tones seem to be a favorite of Zoyas and I hate it. I wish they would have done a blue or a really rich, deep purple instead of this.

Aurora is a purple holo polish and while it's pretty it's over done. I did find this one to be the most holo packed or at least the color that showed the holographic-ness the most. The formula on this was similar to Storm and again I would suggest layering.

Overall it's a neat collection, very fun for the holidays or for holo lovers. I am happy to have found a gold polish that I love!

Ornate is available now on Zoya.com. Polishes retail for $8 each or you can purchase the entire collection for $48.

Don't forget to Like Zoya on facebook to get special promos and sales.

Perfectly Polished Tips 197 - Perfect Formula Holiday 2011

The holidays are over you say? Well good thing this collection is made up of such versatile colors! For their holiday collection Perfect Formula chose, what are in my opinion, classic shades. They can be worn year round, they aren't over the top or in your face loud. Of course there is nothing wrong with loud polish, it's just not my style. Perfect Formula's polish is B3F, which means it is free of Toluene, Formaldehyde, and Dibutyl Phthalate. I think I gushed about the brush in my last post on the brand. It is perfect for my nail size. It reminds me of the Carolyn New York polish brushes (RIP CNY, I still miss you!) The formula on these was very nice, I happen to need more practice in applying polishes with a jelly like texture. In the photo below of Invite Only you can see some of the bald spots. That is completely user error, it happens to me every time I use a plum color like Invite Only. It sucks because it happens to be one of my favorite manicure colors! Practice makes perfect, right? In the photos I applied the polish in two coats, except for Invite Only which is three. I did not use a base or top coat.

Black Tie

Caviar

Invite Only

There is another color in the collection, Tulle, which appears to be a soft light pink. I was not sent that one so that is why it is not included. You can purchase Perfect Formula on their website or QVC. Each bottle retails for $15. This brand is fairly new to me and I have been very impressed with what I have seen so far and I cannot wait to see what is coming up next.

(these were sent to me for review)

Perfectly Polished Tips 125 - Essie Winter 2008

For this winter Essie released a collection full of rich, bold, and beautiful colors. Usually I am not drawn to Essie's collections because they normally contain boring reds and pinks, which I have a ton of as it is. However as soon as I laid eyes on pictures of this collection I knew that I would love it. The polishes applied wonderfully and are opaque in two coats, even Shifting Power; however I found that three coats made the shimmer in the polishes pop. I've worn Sexy Divide and Damsel in A Dress, I didn't have great luck with Sexy Divide and it chipped in 2 days. That could have been due to a number of things though. Damsel wore like iron for a week. As most of you know the base coat and top coat play a huge role in how long your manicure will last. Your body's chemistry probably effects that as well.

Shifting Power - sizzling molten gold
Another gold I love but probably won't wear, the brush marks are minimal.

Bold and Beautiful - rich, ruby garnet
Lovely red creme, I actually really like this red.

Sexy Divide - electric violet temptation
This is my favorite from the collection, it's highly pigmented and has a lovely sparkle.

Rock Star Skinny - glamorous crimson red
This is kinda brown on me, with silver shimmer. I didn't really find it to be red at all actually.

It's Genius - violet quartz shimmer
This was another favorite, it has amazing gold glitter. It may be similar to China Glaze's Cow Girl Up but I think the base color might be slightly different.

Damsel in a Dress - oh so deep currant
As with the others this color has a gorgeous shimmer and really fits well with the rest of the collection.

Normally I'm sure that I would complain about all the purple shades included in this collection but I'm going through a purple phase right now and cannot get enough. I think Essie did an awesome job with this collection and the colors are perfect for any time really. I saw some swatches of the Spring Essie collection on Scrangie's blog and that blue is to die for. I cannot wait to get it.

Perfectly Polished Tips 122 - Carolyn New York Colors Holiday 08

I am a huge fan of Carolyn New York polishes. I got my first ones about a year ago and instantly fell in love. Since then they've branched out with colors and I think have a great line of polishes. They have rubberized caps which I am always a fan of, the brush is small enough for me to comfortably use and not make a mess with, and the formula is great. It's not too thick, or thin, even the lightest colors are not streaky. They wear amazingly too, I got 5 days each out of the last two polishes that I used. The only thing I wasn't in love with when I ordered was the customer service, however since they were just starting out I suppose it was to be expected. Now everything is great and I really recommend this brand overall.

Here is the Holiday 2008 collection:

Holiday Shopping - is pretty orange, maybe not as bright as the photo but I wouldn't call it rosey as the website does. It has gorgeous gold mircoshimmer.

House Party - red with gold glitter, this is my favorite one. It's festive and fun.

New York New Year - purple with subtle yet pretty purple and gold shimmer. This is a must for purple lovers.

Tinsel Town - yellow gold with silver sparkles which give it a foil finish. There are still a few brush strokes but the glitter makes up for it. I go through these phases where I love gold and collect a million, than I realize that gold doesn't look good on me and I pass them along. Well I'm back on that gold kick and I hope I keep them all this time.

Carolyn New York Colors are currently on sale for $5.99 each or you can buy the Holiday Collection as a set for $29.45. Carolyn is also offering free shipping until the end of the year, no code needed.

Perfectly Polished Tips 97 - Swatches of China Glaze Spring & Summer 09

Here are swatches of Romantique and Summer Days. They are 2 coats of color, and apparently the chromes apply smoothly which is always nice to hear.

Indoor Lighting.

Sunlight.

1. Passion
2. Magical
3. Poetic
4. Delight
5. Emotion
6. Joy
7. Awaken
8. Adore
9. Cherish
10. Harmony
11. Desire
12. Devotion
13. Orange Marmalade
14. Cherry Pie
15. Raspberry Festival
16. Strawberry Fields
17. Grape Juice
18. Watermelon Rind

Again thanks to Carey for allowing me to post her photos!

Perfectly Polished Tips 87 - Zoya Flourish

Zoya Flourish is new for Winter 08/09. It is a whole collection of rich colors with a foil finish. I have become a huge fan of the foil finish as I mentioned in previous posts. This collection isn't filled with colors that strike me as winter colors but more of spring-ish colors. I think the mettalicness and foilness make up for that though. They applied great with the exception of Shivon, I had a lot of brush marks which are pretty visible in the picture. All of the colors are pretty opaque, my swatches are all 2 coats of color, a couple like Zara will probably benefit from a third coat.

Richelle is a beautiful yellow gold. I really like this polish but I feel like it clashes with my skin. A while back I went through a gold phase collection every gold I could get my hands on. Then one day it hit me that gold was not my color. I'm still going to try to attempt to wear this one. I feel like if you have the confidence to pull off something anything will look good.

Kalista is a mohangany brown with gold shimmer. It has more of a red base rather than purple. I really like this polish more so than OPI Esspresso Your Style. EYS went very plummy on me and I just didn't like how it looked. I'm not sure if my new found love of brown is what makes me want to wear this or if it actually flatters me. Either way this is the winner of the collection for me.

Shivon is a rose gold color, looks duo-chromey to me. This color reminds me of pennies, but it is pretty. This one I got a lot of brush strokes with. I'm not a huge fan of it, I don't think it looks good on me, others might like it though.

Mieko is an orangey red, boarding more pink with gold sparkles. The sparkles in this polish are amazing and this picture doesn't do the color justice. This is my second favorite from the collection.

Zara is a pale violet with gold shimmer. Zoya calls this a duo chrome but I think it just has a gold sheen. This one is kinda sheer, this picture is 2 coats of color. A third coat might make it pop a little more but I like two coats. When I first saw the promo pictures of this collection I thought Zara was going to be a Sally Hansen Arabian Night dupe but it is nothing like AN.

Cyma is a deep pink red with gold shimmer. This color is the least unique to me, I feel like it has been done a million times. However a Zoya collection wouldn't be complete without one. Just like Essie and her sheer pinks.

I don't usually review cosmetics but these beauties followed Flourish home. Zoya Hot lips are pretty great. I've only worn Starlet so far, the gloss isn't overly sticky and the applicator is rounded making it easy to get the product out. It smells like those fire cracker ice pops, I think that is what they are called. It tastes nice too. Starlet is sheer but buildable which I like. I am not very big on wearing any type of color on my face, except blush. I was able to apply this gloss and only leave a light tint. It has glitter but it's not gritty and with the sheer coat I applied it wasn't visible. This can be a pro or con depending on what you like. Personally I'm not a huge glitter fan so I liked that I could wear it with out the glitter being an issue. The gloss also lasted for a decent amount of time which is great. You know what else is great? Matching your gloss to your polish. The three above match Richelle, Kalista, and Mieko almost perfectly.

Zoya nail lacquer and Zoya Hot Lips can be found at Zoya.com. The polishes retail for $6 each or you can purchase a sampler (which is full size polishes) for $36. Hot Lips retail for $6 each and come in a wide variety of colors.

Perfectly Polished Tips 69 - OPI Holiday in Toyland

The Holiday OPI collection has been spotted at Trade Secret and it is also up on Transdesign.com. You can find swatches of the collection on The Polish Addict, The Nailphile, and All Lacquered Up.

Before I saw the swatches I was thinking I only needed one or two. However I need all the darks and sheers and maybe one of the reds. Which ones are you thinking about getting?

Perfectly Polished Tips 64 - Preview of Zoya Flourish for Winter 2008

For this winter Zoya has put together a rich color palette filled with six metallic finished polishes.

(left going clockwise) Zara which looks like it may be a dupe to the once elusive Sally Hansen Arabian Night, Richelle looks like brozen molten metal..I might even be able to love this one, Shivon is a golden rose shade, Cyma (which is shown on the model) is Zoya's typical berry shade, Kalista is a deep almost plummy brown (I am dying to see this one in real life actually. I don't usually wear shades like this but I'm drawn to it), and Mieko looks a little on the coral side from pictures, but I'm wondering if it's a reddish orange a la last year's Kamilia

Please excuse the grey blob on the first photo, my photo editing skills are not up to par. There are no blues or teals this year, but I'm looking forward to this collection. I've been all about the purples lately, and I even want to wear a metallic. I'm not sure when this collection is going to be released, I think last year's winter collection was released at the begining of November but I'm not 100% sure on that.

Perfectly Polished Tips 47 - China Glaze Sleigh Ride Swatches

Ceerennycee from Make Up Alley was kind enough to allow me to share her swatches of the China Glaze Sleigh Ride collection. Emerald Sparkle and Tinsel are new but Ruby Pumps is a re-release. Her swatches are of 1, 2, and coats of polish. Enjoy!

Emerald Sparkle

Tinsel

Ruby Pumps

I don't do green and I've owned (and passed on) Ruby Pumps three times now but I kinda like Tinsel. I wonder if they are going to make these available on their own. I would buy Tinsel for sure.

Perfectly Polished Tips 39 - OPI Holiday in Toyland

Bratt_The_Catt over on Make Up Alley was kind enough to share this image of the holiday OPI collection. She said she spoke with people from OPI and they said none of the polishes were sheer. They should be released sometime in October.

I'm excited about the blue and charcoal colors but I am afraid that they might be dupes to some of the other polishes that I own. I'm not excited about reds, how many different variations of red can you really make?

Perfectly Polished Tips 38 - China Glaze Bahama Blues

For it's winter collection China Glaze decided to release a whole set of blues. I love China Glaze and I love blues, there is no doubt that I am going to end up with AOTblues (as the ladies on the NB would say). This gorgeous set includes:

Calypso Blue - Deep Navy Creme
Bermuda Breakaway - Deep Navy Purple Creme
Blue Paradise - Med/Deep Blue Shimmer
Blue Island Iced Tea - Light Ice Blue Glitter
Caribbean Blue - Baby Blue Glitter
Bahamian Escape - Baby Blue Creme

A navy purple creme!?!? I cannot wait. Word is that this collection should be released sometime next month.

Perfectly Polished Tips 37 - Lippmann Collection Winter 2008

Just when you thought you were done being hit by new collections Lippmann has released their Winter 2008 line up. We have:

Man Eater: Luscious bittersweet chocolate (creme)
Super Star: Show-stopping copper flecked fudge (glitter!!!)
Holiday: Candy Apple (shimmer) This one is a limited edition
Icing On the Cake: Beauty queen pearly pink (frost)

I'm not usually a brown fan but Super Star might have to come home with me. Lippmann Collection polishes can be found at LippmannCollection.com.

Perfectly Polished Tips 27 - Rescue Beauty Lounge Fall

Here is a first look at Rescue Beauty Lounge's fall/winter collection.

from an email:

Teal - is a deep green/navy that enlivens all-black and tones down bold florals and plaids.
No More War - is pure olive green. Edgy with lace and ruffles, at ease with defused earth tones and metallics.
Bruised - A moody deep plum brown called Bruised that works with charcoal to saturated hues.
Plie - an opaque neutral beige with a hint of blush. A grown-up way to do pale pink.

These will be available in October but you can preorder them now from RescueBeauty.com

Perfectly Polished Tips 21 - Color Club Fall

I received the new fall Collections from Color Club today sadly my camera batteries are dead! I will have them replaced and have (at least) bottle shots up either tonight or tomorrow.

This fall Color Club has released

Dance to the Musique
Glitter Vixen

both which have been mentioned previously in my blog and two collections of minis:

Teenie Halloweenies - French Tip (white), Silver Glitter, Orange Revenge (neon orange), and Black this will be available August 1st


Jingle Bling - R-L Sliver Glitter, Ruby Slippers, Brrr-Red (dark red creme), Cadillac Red (red creme) this will be available September 1st