Zoya Mystery Shades Review and Swatches

Back in the beginning of January Zoya ran a "New Year, New Hue" promo where you could get three polishes plus a set of three mini "Mystery Shades" for only the price of shipping ($15).  I jumped at the offer because I wanted to grab a few Pixie Dust shades before they were retired, plus I was curious about the mystery set, because the shades were selected by Zoya's creative director and were never available for purchase previously.

Disclaimer: These products were purchased by See, Shop, Love!

I had been frantically searching the web for any spoilers about what the mystery shades were and I was bummed when I couldn't find any.  I just got my order today, though, and I wanted to share the trio with everyone in case someone else was just as curious as I was!

I just did some hasty swatching, but from left-to-right, the shades are: Charlotte, Severine, and Anais.  Charlotte is the only creme of the bunch, and it's got yellow undertones.  Severine is a gold shimmer, and Anais is a very dark brown shimmer with gold undertones.  I'm not sure if Zoya will be releasing these as full-sized shades in the future.

Bottom Line: I am a huge fan of the Zoya brand, but to be honest I don't love these polishes.  The formula is as great as it always is, but the colors are so bland and boring!  I guess the gold shimmer is fun, but I already have a bunch of polishes that are very similar.  The other two are not shades I would pick out on my own.  That being said, I'm still glad I took advantage of this deal because getting three full-sized Zoyas for only $15 is a steal!

What do you think of the Mystery Shades?  Did you purchase any Zoyas during this promo?

Zoya Tomoko Giveaway!

I have an extra bottle of Zoya Tomoko and I wanted to do a post-holidays giveaway since I haven't had one in a while.  This gorgeous shade is from the Fall 2013 Pixie Dust collection and is a Zoya fan favorite!

Zoya is my favorite nail polish brand because they're Big 5 free, vegan-friendly, and cruelty-free.  They're also just an amazing polish!  The formula is made for the natural nail, and it's the smoothest and most long-wearing polish I've ever used.  The Pixie Dust polishes are textured, but if you use them with a base coat (especially Zoya's Anchor) they remove pretty easily.  Tomoko is a beautiful light gold, and I know whoever wins her will love her!

This sweepstakes begins today, 27 December 2013, and ends on 10 January 2014 at 12:00 AM EST.  Entrants must be US residents aged 18+.  See Terms & Conditions at the bottom of the Rafflecopter for full rules and details.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.

Beyond Polish Review and Swatches - Zoya and China Glaze!

If you're a nail polish addict like I am, you need to check out Beyond Polish.  They're a small, online store that sells tons of different nail polishes, and when they contacted me to see if I was interested in doing a review I jumped at the chance!

Beyond Polish carries gift sets, gel polish, regular nail lacquer, acrylic supplies, and various nail care and spa products.  They have lots of popular brands, including my personal favorite, Zoya.  They also carry plenty of colors from brands like Essie, China Glaze, and more.

The first color I picked was Cosmic Dust by China Glaze, from their Spring/Summer 2013 Hologram collection.  I had been coveting the holos in this line for a while, so when I saw that they were available at the Beyond Polish site I knew I had to try one!  Have you seen that video of the guy talking about Five Guys (the songified version)?  All I could think when I swatched this polish was, "This is how holos are supposed to be!"  The photo above doesn't do it justice at all.  I tried my best to capture how absolutely shimmery and perfect and wonderful it was, but I promise that it's 10 times more gorgeous in person!  As with all China Glaze polishes, this one had a great formula that applied evenly and smoothly.

My second polish was Put A Bow On It, also by China Glaze, from their Happi HoliGlaze 2013 holiday collection.  As you can see, it's a slightly textured microglitter in a gorgeous shade of fuschia.  I really liked the other swatches I had seen of this polish, and it did not disappoint once I tried it myself.  I would definitely recommend using a pure acetone remover with this one, though.  Even with the pure acetone it was difficult to remove, but it's so beautiful that I think it's well worth the effort!

I had to choose a Zoya polish as my last pick, and I went with LC from the Summer 2008 Gossip collection.  All of the polishes in that collection are named after members of the cast of The Hills, which is a show I loved to watch when I was in high school.  This polish is a bright coral/orange that had been on my wish list for a while.  Zoya is my favorite brand because they're vegan-friendly, big five free, and cruelty-free.  Their formula is also the best I've ever used: application is so smooth and you don't need many coats for it to be opaque (the photo above is with two).  My only gripe about this polish is that when I removed it, it left a lot of staining around my cuticles; but it was nothing that an extra swipe of polish remover couldn't take care of.

• Visit Beyond Polish and browse their full line of products

Bottom Line: I am so glad I was introduced to Beyond Polish and I will definitely be shopping there again in the future!  I think all polish lovers should check it out, because they have a broad range of products and colors.  They're also currently advertising a 10% off coupon: use epkb4 at checkout!

*Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Beyond Polish.  I received no monetary compensation.

My Favorite Black Friday Deals

I'm not a Black Friday shopper, and I never have been.  I have no interest in fighting over electronics with crazy people.  It might be fun to try someday, or maybe even to observe as an interesting sociology experiment (nothing quite like two moms going at it over a Furby), but for now I'll stay out of the stores.  I prefer to do my shopping online, so I wanted to share some upcoming sales with you that I think are worth checking out.

Keeki Pure and Simple offers lip, nail, and skincare products that are all cruelty-free.  Their lip balms and lotions are made from organic ingredients, and their nail polishes are non-toxic and water-based.
Deal: Use code BF20 for 20% off your entire order on Friday only at KeekiPureandSimple.com



Lovable Labels allows you to create personalized labels for use on everything from clothing to bags and much more.  They're holding a sale from Friday to Monday; see the image above for details (the image is clickable).

Beija Flor Naturals is holding a sale from today, November 22nd to November 28th on their natural skin care and hair care products.  I've reviewed some of their products before, which can be read here.
Deal: Use code BEIJA2012 for 25% off of your entire purchase and a free gift with a $65+ purchase at BeijaFlorNaturals.com

Pangea Organics has fantastic skin care items, I love their bar soaps and lip balms.  Their Skincare Discovery Kits are also very popular.
Deal: Use code Black10 for $10 off of $50, code Black25 for $25 off of $100, and code Black45 for $45 off of $150.  These offers end at midnight on the 25th at PangeaOrganics.com

Zoya is by far my favorite nail polish brand!  Their polishes are Big 5 free, vegan, and cruelty-free.  They basically have every color imaginable, and their formula is fantastic.  I really can't rave about these polishes enough!
Deal: Zoya Dream Boxes are now on sale for $20 (regularly $25) with free shipping.  Use code DREAM through the 26th at 11:59 PM EST at Zoya.com.  Dream Boxes are gift sets of three polishes--you can choose your own or choose a pre-packaged set (more details here).

Do you know of any other great deals going on?  Post them in the comments below!

Zoya Jem vs. Zoya Valerie

I recently won a giveaway for four Zoya nail polishes which was awesome because I'm a Zoya addict!  "Valerie" had been on my list to buy for a while, so this was a great opportunity for me to grab her.  I saw Temptalia's swatch and thought she was so pretty, and I especially loved the black base.

Valerie was the first of the four polishes I chose that I painted on when I received them, and I was disappointed with what I found.  She's still a beautiful color, but in my eyes she's almost identical to Jem, which I already own.  I was glad that I at least didn't pay for the polish, but had I realized they were so similar I would have picked a different shade.

These photos might not be the best guides, but the only visible difference between Jem and Valerie is that Valerie has a blacker base, and even then it's hard to tell unless you really look up-close.

Bottom Line: Valerie and Jem aren't exact dupes (I don't think Zoya would ever do that to us), but they're so similar that I don't think there's any need to buy both of them.  If you want a redder base, go with Jem; if you want a black base, go with Valerie.  Either way, you're getting a beautiful purple polish with great shimmer!

Zoya Nail Polish Review

Surprise! Two posts in one night. This one is for Zoya's "Izzy" nail polish, which I received in my November Birchbox. This bottle is half the size of a full-sized Zoya polish, which costs $8.

I love this nail polish! And that's after saying in my previous post that I'm not a nail polish girl. Please excuse my shoddy paint job in the photo, I kind of rushed. Anyway, this polish really impressed me because it's of really great quality. Unlike the Julep polishes, this one glided onto my nails so smoothly and evenly. The color is really fun, too (like I said, I love reds and pinks). Even better, it lasts a long time. This is a new coat, but I had been wearing it for the past week and barely had any chipping.

Bottom Line: I will definitely be buying more Zoya nail polishes in the future. They have a ton of colors to choose from, and I was very impressed by the quality of this polish.