Review: One-coat cremes from the Zoya Urban Grunge fall/winter 2016 collection!

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Hello nail lovelies!


Fall is here!! Okay, maybe not completely technically, but the fall collections are rolling in and that's good enough for me! I love me some fall!!


Today we're going to take a first look at the Zoya's Urban Grunge fall/winter 2016 collection--I'm going to show you the one-coat creme half of the collection, and then I'll be back with the holos (yes, holos!) and metallics.

Let's jump on in! First, let's take a look at Zoya August, a soft gray creme with a slight hint of blue:

Zoya August

Zoya August

Zoya August

This is a very impressive single coat, followed by topcoat! I gotta be honest, I didn't expect this to cover in one coat, but it did. The formula was excellent, it applied with no issues, and the resut was a dream.


I love this for a fall neutral, and as a base for nail art--the undertones are flattering and versatile. This collection is a fall/winter collection, not just a fall collection, and this is the first of many choices I think really lives up to the vision--this is gorgeous for your fall color and bright enough to go beautifully with your winter/holiday looks as well.

Next up alphabetically is Zoya Courtney, an oxblood-beet-red creme that actually has a crelly feel:

Zoya Courtney

Zoya Courtney

Zoya Courtney

Zoya Courtney

This one didn't cover in a single coat. This is two coats of Courtney with topcoat; the formula was good, but I found it a little patchy with only one coat. However, the second one took care of that with no pulling and no problem.


I am over the moon for this color--it's vampy and dark and puts me in the mood for fall wardrobe and shopping for Halloween costumes. And talk about a perfect color for both fall and winter--I can see wearing this both for Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas dinner. LOVE.


Next we have Zoya Mallory, a rich, pigmented cerulean blue creme that borders on royal:

Zoya Mallory

Zoya Mallory

Mallory did cover in one coat--the formula was perfect and application was easy-peasy.


To get a blue this pigmented and lush in one coat is beyond awesome--I want a blouse this color and a dress this color and a skirt this color and some pumps this color, and and and...you get the point. Great for a pop of fall color, and bright enough to give a cheery winter look.


Next is Zoya Noah, an beige creme that you might even call greige, but that leans heavily toward the beige side in my opinion:

Zoya Noah

Zoya Noah

Zoya Noah

This is one coat--that's right my friends, one coat. In a beige neutral. One coat. amazing. Formula and application were excellent.


This is elegant and sophisticated, and will go with anything. Put this on at the beginning of your workweek and no matter what you wear you're good to go. And it's excellent for building awesome nail art.


And then there's Zoya Tara, a luscious mulberry creme that will make sure you never go hungry (for gorgeous polish) again:

Tara took two coats to cover for me--I had some patchiness on the first coat. It was minimal, however, and if I didn't have to take close-up pictures of it in a light box, one coat might have bene fine for me, especially if I'd been generous on the first application. The formula was excellent, and application was a breeze.

This color takes my breath away...it's dusty and rich and quintessentially fall--this should absolutely be wrapped around a pumpkin-spice latte while you're planning your turkey-day dinner. Gorgeous.


And finally, we have Zoya Wyatt, a hunter green creme that has teal inclinations in brighter light:

Zoya Wyatt

Zoya Wyatt

Zoya Wyatt

This is another one that covered in one coat as advertised--excellent application and coverage.


At first sight, this definitely comes across as a winter/Christmas green. But in daylight, this has lashings of blue that show up, which give it a slight evergreen feel and more of a fallish look, too. No matter what you call it, it's gorgeous and makes me want to wear fall plaids.


So what do I think of this half of the collection? I'm impressed that four out of the six polishes covered easily in one coat, and Tara will probably be a one-coater for you with a little care. While I do wish Courtney was also a one-coater, it's a gorgeous color and I don't mind that it needs two.


In terms of the fall/winter versatility, I think this is an excellent set of colors that work well for both seasons. The neutrals have perfect undertones to work with both sets of wardrobes, and the other colors aren't stereotypical winter colors so they'll give a little dash of special to both seasons. I see excellent potential here for tons of amazing looks. I love this collection, and see myself using it like crazy.


And if you like this half, stay tuned for part two...sigh...


You can find all of these polishes on Zoya's website, and everywhere Zoya is sold. And don't forget to follow Zoya's Instagram for awesome inspiration!


Happy polishing,
M.

Adventures in stamping: What do I do with those strangely shaped images?

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Hello!


Have you ever wondered what to do with images on your stamping plates that aren't the typical rectangular/square shape? If so, you're in the right spot--I'm gonna show you fast, simple ideas for three odd shapes in today's post.


I chose Messy Mansion's Valareign 04 (also available from Amazon) for demonstration purposes, since it has several different shapes on it. First and foremost, I find that using some sort of image selector is super helpful for finding the full potential of images, so I say pull that sucker out and and see what you come up with!


Let's start with one of the most common of the 'odd' shapes--the bar shape. These are great for stripes, or for super-easy French-manicure style looks:

For this design, I started with Zoya Liv (from the Summer 2016 Sunsets collection), and stamped the band across the top for a simple French look; I used Hit The Bottle Polish Peach Blow, which isn't currently available, but check out her other duochrome stamping polishes, because OMG):

Messy Mansion Valareign 04 over Zoya Liv

 

Messy Mansion Valareign 04 over Zoya Liv

Thanks to the clear stampers out there on the market, this sort of look is extremely easy--you can have a simple, classy manicure in minutes. Can't argue with that. :)


Next, let's take a look at a triangle image. My favorite way to use these is to have the point come down from the half-moon area, like this:

For this manicure, I started with Zoya Ness (also from the Sunsets collection), and stamped with Sally Hansen I-rush Luck. To mix things up, I also used the ivy image on my accent nail:

Messy Mansion Valareign 04 over Zoya Ness

Messy Mansion Valareign 04 over Zoya Ness

And finally, let's take a look at the house-shaped image in the center...it can be easy to get frustrated with images like this because they don't quite cover your entire nail. But what I like about these images is you get an edge to the design that you don't normally get from full-nail images, and I try to take advantage of that whenever possible. In this case, I wanted to preserve the pretty flourishes on the top of the nail:

For this mani I used Zoya India, and stamped with Messy Mansion Soft Gold (also available on Amazon):

Messy Mansion Valareign 04 over Zoya India

Messy Mansion Valareign 04 over Zoya India

Messy Mansion Valareign 04 over Zoya India

 

This would be a beautiful design even if it covered the entire nail completely, but I think the pretty edge along the top just gives this an additional regal feel, like a crown on my nails. Elegant and fast--imagine how gorgeous this would be over red for the holidays.


So there you have it--three examples of how you can get the most out of those oddly-shaped images! Don't overlook them just because you can't cover your full nail. Take advantage of their awesome attributes!


Happy stamping,
M.

Review: It Girl Nail Art fashion plate IG201

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Hello!


I have another plate from It Girl Nail Art to show you today, this one from their new 200 series, which features infinite-style images for your stamping pleasure! As always, I made a video to show you the plate and give you some ideas:

And here are the stills of the plate:

It Girl Nail Art fashion plate IG201

It Girl Nail Art fashion plate IG201

It Girl Nail Art fashion plate IG201

I love the variety of images on the plate--beautifully balanced mandalas and sprawling henna-style designs that work together and are beautifully intricate--but also plenty of smaller images to give your design extra meaning. My favorite is the hamsa and the Ganesh. :)


Since the designs on plates like this vary in size, here's a shot with a ruler to give you a feel for how big the images are:

For a plate like this, I think it's always a good idea to pull out your image selector to help you pick out which parts of the image you want to put where:

Notice that the designs are big enough that you can use various parts of the design to get different compatible looks, or just stick with one area if you want to use it as a full-nail image.


These plates are top-notch quality, and stamp with amazing ease and excellent pick-up. For my sample manicure, I started with a base of Julep Karissa, a retro, near-neon, cherry red creme:

Julep Karissa

Then I stamped the pointy mandala first with Messy Mansion Carbon and then with Messy Mansion Soft Gold:

It Girl Nail Art IG201 over Julep Karissa

It Girl Nail Art IG201 over Julep Karissa

It Girl Nail Art IG201 over Julep Karissa

What do you think? I love the overlap, it gives a feeling of depth to the design that I really like.


You can find this plate in the It Girl Nail Art shop, and you can follow It Girl on Instagram and Facebook for inspiration, sales, and updates!


Happy stamping,
M.

Before & After: Who ya gonna call?!

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Hello!

So I went to see the new Ghostbusters with a friend of mine a few days ago, and I wanted to do a special mani for the occasion. I figured it was about time I bust out my freehanding mats because it's been forever since I've done any of that, and I decided to make the focus of the art the Ghostbusters logo. :)


I started with Spellbound Nails Dementor because I'm obsessed with it and it seemed like the perfect spooky night-time polish; here it is to refresh your memory:

Spellbound Nails Dementor

Then I drew my logo using acrylic paints; I finished off with stripes that represent the reflector stripes on the ladies' ghostbusting overalls. Here's how it came out:

Who ya gonna call? Acrylic freehanding over Spellbound Nails Dementor

Who ya gonna call? Acrylic freehanding over Spellbound Nails Dementor

Who ya gonna call? Acrylic freehanding over Spellbound Nails Dementor

What do you think? I'm pretty happy with how the little guy turned out. His face could be better for sure, but not too shabby for a teeny tiny ghostie!


BTW, I loved the movie, and definitely recommend it if you're looking for something to do with your weekend. :)


Happy ghostbusting,
M.

Before & After: UberChic Beauty 11-02 over Lorelei Lacquer Sticky Popsicle Fingers

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Hello!


I said I'd be back with sample manis from each of the UberChic Beauty collection 11 plates, and today's the first! Although I'm starting with plate 11-02, so not strictly in order, lol.


Here's the video I made for collection 11, in case you missed it:

For my base polish I used Lorelei Lacquer's Sticky Popsicle Fingers (now defunct, sadly):

Lorelei Lacquer's Sticky Popsicle Fingers

Then I used the infinite image from the bottom right corner of 11-02:

UberChic Beauty 11-02

In my videos I talk a lot about how you can use an image like this one in several ways; for example, you can pick just the spiky flower in the middle and put that on all your fingers for one sort of mani, or use one of the lacier flowers for a completely different mani. Or, you can use different parts of the image on different fingers to get a different look on each nail, but still maintain a cohesive style.


To demonstrate what I mean, I chose to center the spikey flower on my accent nail, so you can see how that would look all on its own, but then surround it will the leafy parts of the image so you can see how well the different parts of the image can work together, even when each nail is different.


I stamped with Messy Mansion Hydrangea Blue (also available on Amazon); here's how it came out:

UberChic Beauty 11-02 over Lorelei Lacquer Sticky Popsicle Fingers, stamped with Messy Mansion Hydrangea Blue

UberChic Beauty 11-02 over Lorelei Lacquer Sticky Popsicle Fingers, stamped with Messy Mansion Hydrangea Blue

Can I just say how much I love that clear stampers allow you to do things like perfectly center a flower around a glitter in your polish? SO COOL. And I love how the spiky flower centers the manicure while the other flower and the leafy part frame it. Soft, sweet, feminine. :)


Happy stamping!
M.