Lacquer or Leave Her!: Review: Zoya Naturel(3) collection

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Review: Zoya Naturel(3) collection

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!

Every girl needs a good neutral in her wardrobe, right? Today we're gonna take at a bunch of them, from Zoya's newest transitional collection, Naturel(3), along with three complementary lipsticks.

Zoya Naturel (3) Collection

And I just have to mention that this collection came in some snazzy new boxes (yep, that's right, I said the word 'snazzy'):

Normally I go alphabetically, but today we're going to go from light to dark--so let's kick things off with Zoya Tatum, a creamy beige:

Zoya Tatum

Formula: Excellent; no application issues. I was very impressed, since light colors like this can be problematic.
Coverage: Two coats for full coverage.

Tatum has a very sophisticated feel to me--it makes me think of posh tennis outfits or the sort of things you'd wear for summers at the cape. Also, this is a very versatile base for nail art, particularly if you're not a fan of white.

Next is Zoya Cathy, a light tan creme:

Zoya Cathy

Formula: Excellent; no application issues.
Coverage: Two coats for full coverage.

As you can see in the picture, this is a near-perfect nude for me, an almost ideal match for my skin. This is a versatile shade that will look good on just about everybody, and gives a very understated feel to your manicure.

Next we have Zoya Jill, a pale rose-mauve neutral:

Zoya Jill

Formula: Excellent; no application issues.
Coverage: Two coats for full coverage.

Jill is my favorite of the lighter neutrals; I like that it has a blush of color, but still has the understated versatility of a neutral. I can see myself wearing this all year round, with any season's colors. Subtle and elegant.

Next is Zoya Mary, a hot-cocoa brown creme:

Zoya Mary

Formula: Excellent; no application issues.
Coverage: Two coats for full coverage.

Seriously, doesn't this make you want to bust out the mini marshmallows? The creamy tone to this is soothing and soft.

Next we have Zoya Gina, a milk chocolate creme:

Zoya Gina

Formula: Excellent; no application issues.
Coverage: Two coats for full coverage.

Gina has a little bit of an edge that I like--she's not just chocolate, she's chocolate with a dash of chili powder in it. In terms of neutrals, I see this as a more fall/winter color, but there's no reason why you can't rock it all year long.

Finally, we have Zoya Debbie, a smoked plummy brown:

Zoya Debbie

Formula: Excellent; no application issues.
Coverage: Two coats for full coverage.

Is there such a thing as a vampy neutral? Well, there certainly is now. This is sexy without being over the top, the kind of vamp that'll get you noticed in a good way. That girl with the fingernails that shines like justice, who uses a machete to cut through red tape? She wears this color, I guarantee it.

Zoya also sent me three lipsticks to review, Cameron, Paisley, and Maxwell:

Zoya Cameron, Paisley, and Maxwell

There's a reason why this is a nail blog and not a lipstick blog, and that's because pictures of my lips up close are NOT cute, hehe. I promise you, you don't need to see that. So here are swatches on my arm:

Zoya Cameron, Paisley, and Maxwell

Zoya Cameron isn't just a neutral, it's a nude for me--when I put this color on, my lips disappear, and that's just not a good look. For people with either lighter or darker skin than me, this will probably be beautiful on you. Paisley is a mauve with a kick, and Maxwell is a deep, vampy berry--and I ADORE both of them on me, Paisley for everyday wear, and Maxwell for a more dramatic look.

Zoya makes several claims about their lipsticks, so let's see how they hold up:

"Classic cream formula keeps lips moist for hours without the mess." I found this to be true. I wore Maxwell to a dinner party, and could easily have ended up with dark lipstick all over my pale face. That didn't happen--the lipstick didn't bleed the way a lot of cremes to on me, and my lips never felt dry (which they often do).

"Unflavored." I didn't notice any flavor.

"Lasts 4 to 6 hours without drying or cracking." I found this to be true, at least for the 4 hours end--I rarely go more than 4 hours wearing lipstick without eating. I've worn Paisley and Maxwell several times now, and even at the dinner party where I ate and wiped my lips, Maxwell didn't disappear. She did lighten a bit after I ate, but the color that remained stayed true (I absolutely hate it when a lipstick changes color on me) and I wasn't left with a case of the disappearing lips.

"Perfect balance between pigment and base creates a lightweight yet well-pigmented formula." I also found this to be true. As I say, the color didn't change, and that means a lot to me--I also didn't feel like I had Goopy McGooperson on my lips.

"Perfect color palette for any skintone." I can only speak for mine, and two out of three of these worked well for me. But I'm not sure it's reasonable to expect every color in a line to appeal to everyone, and from what I can tell, there seems to be a selection of versatile colors in their line.

You can find all of these on Zoya's website, and you can also find the polishes anywhere Zoya is sold. Don't forget to follow them on Facebook and Instagram, and check out #EveryDayZoya for tons of swatches and art done with Zoya polishes.

Happy polishing!
M.