Zoya Flame Collection - Crystal - swatches & comparison

Zoya Flame Collection

Zoya's latest collection brings us six new metallic colors. You might have heard of the Zoya Fire & Ice collection, well, this is the same thing! They changed it into the Flame collection, rumor has it that it's because of Revlon, who trademarked the Fire & Ice phrase ages ago. Anyway, today I'll be showing you one of the prettiest polishes in this collection: Crystal, a frosty blue sparkling metallic.

Crystal

I'm not sure what to think of polishes who get named after women's names. I think it's lacking originality and it's a bit too easy as well. Thankfully, it's just a name. Crystal is a gorgeous cold, medium blue frosty polish with a bunch of golden flecks to spice it up.

As you can see the golden sparks in Crystal really compliment the icy, snowy blue color. For me this is the ultimate winter color. This may sound ridiculous to you, but this polish reminds me of winter fairies with golden locks. I know, right?

Application

Most Zoya polishes don't dry that well one me. Crystal does dry rather quickly, so yay for that. The formula was spot on, not too thick or thin, and completely opaque in three coats. Two coats would be quite okay already though.

Crystal versus Reflecting Pool

From the moment the first promoshots rolled in, I knew it had to be similar to OPI's Reflecting Pool. Reflecting Pool is quite hard to get since it was exclusively sold in certain European countries. Nowadays you'll usually find it on eBay for ridiculous prices.

Well, I did suspect both colors would be similar, but I was surprised to see they're dead on dupes! The formulas are very alike as well, so if you couldn't get your hands on Reflecting Pool, this is your chance!

Where to buy

You can get Zoya nail lacquers from their website: www.zoya.com and eBay. Zoya Crystal costs $7 for 15ml.

Sneak Preview: China Glaze Tis The Season To be Naughty and Nice

China Glaze Holiday Collection

Hi guys! Today I received a friggin fantastic package from China Glaze! I couldn't believe it but they sent me their entire Holiday collection. This collection exists out of 16 colors, it's huge! Since I don't have much time today, have to work this wednesday and thursday, and a press event from Catrice to attend on friday, I think I won't be able to start swatching before this saturday :(. Therefore I decided to give you a little preview of what's to come! Please excuse the quality of these pictures, since it's dark and raining non stop in The Netherlands.

From left to right: Snow, Frosty, Cheers to You, Midnight Kiss, Jingle Bells, Peace on Earth, Jolly Holly, Mistletoe Kisses, Party Hearty and Mrs. Claus.

From left to right: Sugar Plums, Mommy Kissing Santa, Phat Santa, Ruby Deer, Party Hearty, Mistletoe Kisses, Jolly Holly and Peace on Earth.

From left to right: Ruby Deer, Phat Santa, Mommy Kissing Santa, Sugar Plums, Naughty and Nice and Little Drummer Boy.

First Impression

They look nice, don't they? Expect real swatches soon though! I think I already have some favorites in this collection, especially Mistletoe Kisses, Little Drummer Boy and Party Hearty call my name. They seem to apply quite nicely, but so far I've only tried them on a nail wheel. I'm really fond of the silver caps too. Swatches and review coming soon!

What's your first impression?

The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for review. For more information please read my disclaimer

Misa Winter Collection 2010/2011: Spark My Interest - swatches & review

Misa Spark My Interest

"Whether you’re hitting the clubs in South Beach or sipping martinis in a Manhattan high-rise, you’ll need nails that glimmer as bright as the surrounding lights. Misa Cosmetics’ latest collection, Spark My Interest, pays homage to the glitz and glamour of nightlife and romantic intrigue—because nighttime nails should never fade into the background. The six brilliant hues are saturated with shine, thanks to the thousands of glittering particles packed into each polish, guaranteeing that nails remain the center of attention all summer long."

Hi guys! Today I have a review for you on Misa's latest 6-piece collection for winter called Spark My Interest. With polish names including a lot of "spark", "bling" and "glitz", I suspected a lot of shimmer and glitter, but were my high expectations met? Read on to find out!

Date Nights to the Twilight

Let's kick this off with my favorite of the collection, I really do love purple and it's the least conventional color in this collection. Date Nights to the Twilight is a foily shimmery medium purple, not too blue, not too red, somewhere in the middle. Very pretty.

Red Pumps at the Nordstrom

A metallic red. My camera didn't really pick up the detail in this polish, because it's a lot more interesting in real life. I threw in a macro shot so you'll get the idea. I don't really like metallic reds, especially in this particular shade. According to the press release this would be a sparkly ruby red, and it isn't. I hate to say it.. but this one looks a bit.. cheap?

Wink, Blink, Let's get a Drink

Wink, Blink, Let's get a Drink is a very pretty dark berry, plum-y color that does remind me of a good wine. I love the shimmer in this one, it's not as flat looking, not as glowy as I wished it would be, but still pretty nice and very fit for a sophisticated look.

Glitz, Glamour, Smile for the Camera

Just like Date Nights to the Twilight, this is more of a foil than anything. The press release said glam glitter, but hmmmm. This one is a pretty fuchsia, quite a fun color, and probably flattering to a lot of skintones! Foils tend to have great application so that's a huge plus.

Spark My Heart, that's a Start

This isn't just a pink, Spark My Heart, That's a Start, is more of a coral pink with a pink flash. This one is where a foil meats the metallic finish I think. I'd say pretty interesting for a pink. Somehow I can't remember the name of this polish correctly, in my head I keep naming it "Kickstart My Heart" like the Mötley Crüe song, ha!

Pink Bling On My Ring

According to the press release Pink Bling On My Ring is a shocking hot-pink glitter. And again... it's not. It's not very shocking, definitely not a glitter either. I wish it was though, because this almost looks a bit frosty? Definitely a nice shade of pink though, not too boring.

Overall

This is a difficult review for me, I absolutely love Misa, I fell madly in love with their latest fall collection, Toxic Seduction is one of my all time favorites! I love their bottles and their awesome application. And all of these polishes are no exception to this rule, they're all top notch quality. ALL of these were near one-coaters. I applied two layers for the pictures though, but if you're careful enough you can get away with one. They apply so well. They glide on, dry fast and smooth, it's really bordering perfection.

But! I don't know if it's just me, this doesn't look much like winter. Have you noticed this line in the press release: "remain the center of attention all summer long.". All summer long? ....Mhmm. These do look pretty to me, especially Date Nights to the Twilight and Wink, Blink, Let's get a Drink, but they indeed look like fun, playful summer colors.
After Misa's fall collection - What I Like About You - everyone's expectations immediately sky rocketed. For winter I would have expected more drama, more glitter, more depth, more variety. Winter/Holiday collections are often the most extravagant show stoppers of the year. If colors like these are your thing, I'd definitely buy these, they're pure quality. But for me, this isn't really cutting it..

Boozyshop

The products in this post were provided to me for review by Boozyshop. Boozyshop is an awesome Dutch webshop, that sells a lot of great brands like Diamond Cosmetics, Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics, Misa, Color Club, Orly and a whole lot more! (makeup too). They carry the entire Misa line and they cost 6.95 EUR each for a bottle of 15ml. Boozyshop ships throughout most of Europe, if you're not sure they ship to your country, don't hesitate to contact the owner Maaike, because she's incredibly helpful! Misa is also available on eBay and other etailers like TD or Head2Toe.

Diamond Cosmetics - Sparkling Sherry

Hi guys! What's up? The weather here is incredibly hot and my laptop is burning my lap as well, so I'll keep this a short post. Today I'm showing you my what was actually my first encounter with the brand Diamond Cosmetics. (I know I've posted about Monarch Masquerade earlier, but I tried this one first). As always, trying out a new brand, I was a bit afraid in terms of the quality: will it be thick or goopy or streaky. Well, this polish was none of this stuff. I kinda fell in love with it actually. And let me tell you why! The color is really rich, a beautiful glowy and sexy deep magenta, with a really great foil finish. And, this was believe it or not a one coater. I don't come across many one coaters so I was thrilled. It went on very smoothly, I think this one might end up as one of my go to polishes when I'm in a hurry!

This polish was sent to me for review by Boozy Shop. Boozy Shop is a lovely Dutch webshop, that sells a lot of great brands like Diamond Cosmetics, Essie, Sinful Colors, Milani, Wet 'n Wild and they even carry the famous 88 palettes. They ship throughout most of Europe, if you aren't sure if they ship to your country, don't hesitate to contact the owner, because she's incredibly helpful!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
- Michèle

P2 - Gorgeous

Good morning! Yesterday I received a package with 2 bottles of nail polish from Bernies from a dutch board, thank you so much Bernies for getting them!

P2 is a German brand and their nail polishes are really cheap. But, their formula is amazing! I already got some P2 polishes a while ago from Kirsten (MinderMutsigeNagels.blogspot.com - check this lovely blog out!) and I immediately fell in love with them. The color I'm wearing today is called Gorgeous, and the name is dead on! The color is purple with very dense silver shimmer. The application was superb, so smooth and opaque. Aaand this happens to be a dupe of Nfu Oh #86! So all the fun for less spending ;-). If you're in Germany, please don't hesitate to have a look at these.

OPI - Reflecting Pool / First Post

Welcome to my blog! First, let me give you a short little intro on who I am:
I'm Michele, a 25yr old Dutch girl, who, well you probably already guessed, happens to like nail polish, a LOT.
I've already posted quite a bit on a Dutch messageboard (www.fok.nl), but I figured a blog would be nice as well :-D. When I'm not busy painting my nails, I'm mostly at work, being a front end web developer, or working on my thesis.

Second: This blog wouldn't be a nail blog without pictures of pretty nail polish! The picture on the left shows OPI's Reflecting Pool. It's a medium blue with gold polish. It kinda has a foil finish!
And since I live in Europe, it was very easy for me to get my little hands on this pretty one.

Thanks for reading and I hope you'll enjoy my blog!