Zoya - Ivanka

Ivanka

If anyone knows how to do glass fleck, it's Zoya! They're not as brilliant with their nail polish naming though, as the name 'Ivanka' doesn't peak my interest at all... boring! However, Ivanka sure is pretty and that's what matters in the end.
This green glass flecked polish belongs to their Sparkle Collection that came out last summer. Ivanka is a grassy, almost forest green with flecks that show both green and gold. Green can be a difficult color to wear, but since Ivanka is cool toned it's a suitable color for lots of different skin tones. In the bottle you can definitely see some blue flecks as well, but sadly the blue flash doesn't translate well onto your nails at all.

Formula

Ivanka applied beautifully: the three coats went on smooth and even. With glass fleck you can have the fun that glitter brings, without having the difficult removal process after. I did notice Ivanka didn't dry that quickly, in conjunction with my Revlon quick drying top coat...

You can order Zoya nail polishes at Art of Beauty for 8 USD per 15ml.

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.

Zoya Remove +, - the $$$?

Hi guys! Just a quick little post today, guess being a night owl all the time is finally catching up on me, because I'm quite tired! I do have lotsa cool stuff for you in the next couple of weeks, so hang in there!

Glycerin

Maybe you remember my post about Zoya Remove +? I friggin love the stuff, but it's expensive and not easy to get if you're outside the US. I was browsing the Nailboard at MUA a while ago and I read that you could mimic Remove + by adding glycerin to your straight up acetone. I kinda forgot about it until I ran into some glycerin at my local drugstore.

Mix it up

The mixture should be 2 capsful to 16oz (appr. 450ml) of acetone, but 1 cap could be different depending on your bottle, so I just fiddled around with it until I got it right. And yes, it does remind me of Zoya Remove +. It doesn't smell as nice, but it does the job seemingly similar!

Let's have a look at the following:

ingredients Zoya Remove +

2-Propanone (Acetone), Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Fragrance, D and C Violet #2

So, basically, Zoya Remove + is acetone, water , glycerine, some fancy scent and a bit of color. Not that impressive! So, if you can get your hands on some pure acetone and glycerin, I'd say give it a shot, you might like it! I know I'll be using this mixture for my clean up for sure.

I got my bottle of 100ml glycerin for 2.64EUR, and it goes a long way too.

Have you tried this? What are your thoughts?

Review: Zoya Remove +

Zoya Remove Plus Nail Polish Remover

"Zoya Remove Plus is an award wining, gentle, yet highly effective 3-in-1 nail polish remover, nail prep and nail conditioner. Longer nail polish wear starts with Remove Plus.
Polish remover is just the beginning of what this wonder 3-in-1 formula achieves. Clean and prep nails while moisturizing, nourishing and fortifying the nail plate for guaranteed extended polish wear. Nails are left without a trace of nail lacquer, without streaking or staining, hydrated and ready for a base coat."

Zoya Remove +

I received a mini bottle of Zoya's nail polish remover "Remove +" as a gift with an order and holy crap, I think I love it. There's not much in the bottle, only 2oz or 60ml but it was enough to suck me in.
I'm surprised that a formula with litte acetone in it does the job so well. It removes polish super fast, without a weird residue.

The thing I like about it the most is the fact that I can use this and my cuticles stay intact. They don't turn white, wrinkly or dry. No, they stay exactly the same. Normally, I can't swatch 12 polishes in one go because my fingers WILL start to decompose. Not with this. I'm being super thrifty with it, because I don't want to run out already!
It also takes pretty good care of glitter. I Remove + on OPI's malicious Absolutely Alice and it didn't take me hours.

Have all that and smell nice too!

If it works this good, it probably smells like chemical waste right? No, not at all! It's pleasantly fragranced, it smells like lavender, but not too strong.
Zoya Remove + comes in different sizes, besides the small one I got ($5.99 for 60ml) they also have the handy Big Flipper bottle ($9.99 for 240ml), that one has one of those nifty dispensers. They also have a big refill ($25 for 960ml).

What's not to like?

For me there are only two disadvantages, the availability and the price. Zoya isn't available in stores around here, so I'd have to order online, and I go through a LOT of remover. It isn't really cheap either compared to other removers I've been using. But if I could get my hands on this high quality product easily, I'd just suck it up and get it all the time. If you swatch a lot, I'd say it's absolutely worth it.

Ingredients

2-Propanone (Acetone), Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Fragrance, D and C Violet #2

Visit the Zoya Website