Zoya | Sophisticates

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Hey everyone! Well, it has been a ridiculously long time since I've written a blog post. I am definiltey a little bit out of practice but hoping to get back into the swing of things. I've moved, I'm working like crazy, and I'm studying for a crazy test at the end of October...but I needed a bit of a break from all that so I finally got to swatch the Zoya Sophisticates to share with you all :)

Zoya Enchanted - Swatches

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Last, but certainly not least in this epic swatch-shara-thon, is the Zoya Enchanted collection! This was their Holiday 2016 collection and is another set of polishes that I got waylayed in posting due to the wedding, recovering from the holidays, and just general "getting back into the swing of things".

This collection has 4 pixie dusts finishes and 2 shimmers. On the whole it's a really pretty collection, and very much evokes the holiday spirit. That being said, I do think any of these are wearable year round. Let's take a look :)

Zoya Naturel 3 - Swatches

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Hey, hey! Happy Friday :) I've got the Zoya Naturel 3 to share today! I'll keep it short and sweet and get to showing you my nudes :p

Zoya Urban Grunge: One Coat Cremes - Swatches & Review

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Hi again! I've got another favorite brand to share today - Zoya! This is the first half of their Fall 2016 Urban Grunge Collection and are an extension of their One Coat Creme shades. The shades in this collection are very reflective of the colors I've been seeing all fall and I like that! Let's take a look!

Zoya Seashells Collection: Pixiedust - Swatches

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Alright! Yesterday was the first half of the Zoya Summer collection (the Sunset cremes) and today is the Seashells set! Guess what they are!? Pixiedusts! Yay! In my opinion, Zoya makes the best textured polishes and this set is yet another fun take on them. Let's jump in and enjoy.

Zoya Sunsets Collection: One Coat Cremes - Swatches

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Hi again! Happy Monday to you all! Is the weekend getting shorter and shorter for anyone else? ;)

I've got the Summer Zoya collections to share today and tomorrow so let's start with the Sunset Collection! I so enjoy the fact that Zoya always does two versions of their collections - a creme set, and a special finish set (shimmer, texture, holo, etc.). This season's cremes are being marketed as "One Coat Cremes" which, for someone without nail ridges (or who uses a ridge filler), could probably get away with. Since I have ridges however, I ended up applying more than 1 coat on all my swatches.

Zoya Petals - Spring 2016 Collection: Swatches

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Hey, all! I've got another lovely spring collection to share with you all, this time from my beloved Zoya! While Zoya always seems to do a great job curating shades for each season, the Petals collection I have to share today is especially beautiful and perfect for this time of year. I love how delicate and soft each shade is...I supppse that's why it's the Petals collection ;)

Zoya - Matte Velvet, Holiday Collection: Swatches & Review

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Hello, all! I have the new Zoya Matte Velvet Holiday collection to share with you today! I am always excited when Zoya releases a new matte collection as they usually manage to do a great job of it and this time is no different.

The shimmer in each of these polishes keeps them exciting and fun while on the nail and the flat matte finish really lends itself to the overall frosty, wintery feel of this collection. Let's take a look!

Zoya - Focus Collection: Swatches & Review

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Hello, hello! Happy Saturday! It's a double post kind of Saturday! I have the second half of the Zoya Focus and Flair collection to share. This is the Focus part of the collection (check out the Flair polishes here).

I really love this set of 6 cremes. Every single one is just a stunning polish with a great formula and it kind of made me want fall weather to be here even more. They're just beautiful colors. Let's take a look!

Zoya - Paradise Sun Collection: Swatches & Review

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As promised, here is the second part of the Zoya Summer collection I shared yesterday! This half of the collection, the Paradise Sun Collection, is made up of shimmers that mirror the creme shades we saw earlier. While I don't like this half of the collection as much (mostly because it's not creme...hey, I can't help what I love!), I do think they feel very tropical and pretty and the formulas were, for the most part, easy to work with.

Zoya - Island Fun Collection: Swatches & Review

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Hello, all! I hope your Monday is treating you nicely! I have the first half of the Zoya summer collections to share with you today, the Island Fun set! I love how Zoya releases a creme collection and a shimmer collection so there is something for everyone.

You might know by now that cremes are my heart and soul and this collection has me swooning. They are all super pigmented and just delicious hues. I like that they're not conventionally summer shades, yet they still manage to be summery and tropical. I'll have part two of the collection up on the blog tomorrow so stay tuned!

Black on White on Salmon - Intricate Floral Nail Art

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Hello, all! I have yet another nail art post to share with you all today! Tonight, I turned on Battlestar Galactica (I'm watching it for the first time and loving it so far!), and started painting! The beauty of tonight's mani is that I did it just for me. I felt like doing nail art, so I did it :) that is a feeling I've been missing for awhile and I'm loving that my mojo is back.

Zoya Naturel Satins - Transitional Winter/Spring 2015: Swatches & Review

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Hello, hello! Today I have the Zoya Satins Transitional Winter/Spring collection to share with you all! I've been home sick the last two days and feeling awful, but I figured it was the perfect opportunity to actually edit and post the collections I've swatched lately. 

When I first saw these polishes I squealed in delight...I mean, look at these lovelies! Everything from the color palette to the frosted bottles feels sophisticated and elegant and the satin finish on these lives up to that standard. I did struggle slightly with application when I first started using these. The first 3 polishes I'm showing caused some heartache when it came to application, but the last 3 were a breeze. I'm not sure if it was the individual polishes causing problems, or if there was a learning curve which made application at the end easier...either way, some people may struggle with the formula, other may not! 

Zoya - Delights, Spring 2015: Swatches & Review

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Hello, all! With Spring fast approaching, all of our favorite brands are releasing their new collections. While I love winter, I do enjoy seeing the bright new shades getting released - it always yearning for chirping birds and the kind of sunshine that warms your heart and soul. I have Zoya's new Delight collection to share today and while I wasn't personally a fan of half the collection, the other half was definitely a delight to play with! 

Zoya - Wishes, Holiday 2014 Collection: Swatches & Review

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Hello, all! Wow, it's been awhile, hasn't it! I've been so busy with work and the holidays the past two weeks that I haven't had a chance to take care of anything blog related aside from my few recurring responsibilities. I finally have swatches of the Zoya Wishes Holiday 2014 collection to share with you all!

I think everyone has seen this collection by now, but since Zoya recently announced that they will no longer be making their PixieDust polishes after this collection, I thought it was a great time share them in case people are in the market for a few more before they're gone for good.

We'll start of with the traditional finishes.

Zoya Pixie Dust Fall 2013 Swatches

Happy Thursday, Everyone! I'm still feeling pretty lousy and hoping that I'll be on the up and up by tomorrow. For now, I've got some swatches to share with you all! I splurged and bought the entire fall Pixie Dust collection from Zoya a few weeks ago and thought I'd share my experience with them here with you all. It's a picture heavy post to hang in there!

Sparkly Tribal Goodness

Hello, my dears! Tonight I've got another post inspired by something I came across on The Hunt! I am kind of obsessed with this site. I saw this fabulous tribal print sequin skirt and new immediately that it was meant to be on my nails. 

A gradient and a fun pattern!

Good news! I finally ordered a new battery charger for my camera and I'm so excited to hopefully have my baby up and running again. 

While I'm waiting, I've been nail painting! I have been itching to do a "real" gradient for awhile now but for whatever reason never got around to it. The gradients I have done have all used glitter, with no real worry about how well the two colors transition. I took a look at this fabulous tutorial by the amazing Sammy at The Nailasaurus in order to create my gradient and while I there is definitely room for improvement, I really like how everything turned out :)

Striping Tutorial with Zoya's Kieko

So after my polishing binge last night, I ended up with Kieko on all of my nails and decided to spend a few extra minutes to make something quick on my middle fingers. I got asked by a few people on Instagram how I did this design so I decided to put together a quick little pictorial to share how easy it can be for you to have it as well! 

My new Zoya loves!

Yesterday, I welcomed 5 new babies into my home! That's right, my Zoya's came. YEEEEEEE!