Lacquer or Leave Her!: Review: Zoya's Whisper Collection (Spring 2016)

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Review: Zoya's Whisper Collection (Spring 2016)

(Press sample; affiliate links)

Hello!

Today I have the Zoya Whispers spring 2016 collection to show you! This is the sort of spring collection I can really get behind; the colors are soft and pastel, but with a muted palette that takes them out of the ordinary and into sophisticated.

Zoya Whispers collection

Let's first take a look at Zoya April, a nude beige creme with the tiniest whisper of pink:

Zoya April

I had a little bit of a coverage issue with both of the nudes in this collection; I found the formula was a little thin and I got patchiness with two coats. Nothing super annoying, but I'd recommend three thin coats instead of two regular coats with both April and Cala; that's what I have here.

In terms of color, this is the perfect nude for me. It has an elegant, sophisticated Hamptons sort of feel, perfect for work or for relaxing on the weekends.

Next up is Zoya Cala, a muted buttercream-nude creme:

Zoya Cala

As with April above, I'd recommend three thin coats with this one, to avoid patchiness.

I wasn't fond of how this looked with my skin; to wear alone, I prefer April with my skin, but I think this color is pretty and would definitely work with other skin tones. And, I love it for a base for nail art, so much soft creamy buttery goodness.

And then there's Zoya Eastyn, a muted slate creme that also functions as a neutral:

Zoya Eastyn

I had no issues with this one; excellent formula and application, this is two easy coats.

I love the smidge of brown to the gray here, it adds just a bit of depth, like a layer of smokiness in the polish. This is another great polish for a nude look, or for a nail art base.

Next is my favorite of the collection, Zoya Ireland; a well-named smoky avocado creme, this polish makes me think of moss-covered rocks sitting in a deep Irish fen:

Zoya Ireland

The formula on this one was a little thin, but nothing extreme. This is two easy, beautiful coats.

I could live in this polish, in fact, I'm wearing it now. Typical pastels don't call to me--the subtlety and class of this makes me feel flirty while still feeling elegant. I love, love, love.

Next we have Zoya Lake, and antiqued robin's egg blue creme:

Zoya Lake

The formula and application on this one were a breeze; this is two coats.

The color on this makes me think of vintage lace and postcards, of those vellum end papers in books from the 19th century. I see little gilded birds and poppies dancing around, and it just makes me smile.

And finally we have Zoya Misty, a smoky sage creme:

Zoya Misty

Oh, please, do play Misty for me. This makes me think of beauties girls in 1910 dancing around a meadow in diaphanous dresses. It makes me think of spring rain showers, lovely grass and flowers glistening with water under a cloudy sky. This also will work as a neutral, but it's so much more.

The formula and application was excellent with this one; this is two easy coats.

As a whole, I think this collection is a Victorian spring sprung to life; the muted, smoky colors are feminine but powerful, pretty but versatile. You can put on any one of these shades and not worry about how they're going to work with whatever else you put on for a week, and you'll feel polished and pretty the whole time.

You can buy these polishes directly from Zoya--oh, did I mention they're also having an amazing flash sale right now: