Zoya
Zoya Matte Velvet 5 Day Wear Test Results
Good afternoon fanatics! I’m here to update you on how the Zoya Matte Velvet polish held up during my 5 day wear test. I gave Dovima a whirl using CND Stickey base coat on my index and ring fingers and nothing on the rest.
Much like the OPI Mattes, Dovima started chipping on my ring finger and thumb post shower on day two and it just got worse frm there. The chipping on my middle finger didn’t really start until day three and as you can tell, it held up much better than the other two.
Also like the OPI Mattes, the fingers with base coat just experience minor tip wear but the application wasn’t as good. There was streaking, pulling and holes on the first coat that were hard to even out on the second but I made it happen.
As the week went on, just coming in brief contact with water, my face creams and body lotions affected the finish. It becomes more satiny and lighter in color. What you see below is after a full five days.
Normally doing a five day wear test on a new polish is no big thing. I do it because I want to give you all an accurate report on how a brand’s formula wears. But I gotta say, testing matte polish absolutely sucks! Because while I don’t care what people think when they see me wearing four different polish colors, I abhor staring at chipped tips. It brings out my urge to pick so the last couple days were pretty tourturous.
Bottom line, when it comes to matte polishes… WEAR A BASE COAT. I don’t care what the instructions say, if you want to avoid staining and immediate chipping, wear a base coat. Nuff said! Enjoy your Saturday. I hope you have something fun planned.
The ALU Archives – Zoya Roxy (Two Ways)
 The ALU Archives focuses on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
I’m not gonna lie kids, this week has not been the best ev so I needed a little sparkle in my day. I’m not fishing for pity or anything, it’s just been a general mess of craptastic for me lately. This put me in the mood to play and distract myself which is why this week’s Archives features Zoya Roxy. You know how all those cooking shows like Top Chef and the new Masters version (all the foody fun minus the delicious drama) talk about meat (I’m sorry protein) prepared three ways and such, well this is Roxy two ways; glossy and matte. Check it out! |
Roxy is a fitting name for such a glitzy shade. I can totally picture this on a rocker chick seeing a show at The Roxy. Can’t you? I bet Roxy from Chicago would totally approve of this polish bearing her name. Though as a side note, when my parents named their Cavalier Roxy I gave them hell about it saying that Roxy from Chicago is a tramp who kills people and Roxanne from The Police tune is a whore so they’re not really giving the little furball much of a chance. And fanatics out there who happened to be named Roxy/Roxanne please don’t take offense, it was all in jest!
So if I had to name my Top 10 Zoya polishes, Roxy would definitely make the list. It’s a semi-sheer deep berry base with suspended magenta glitter. Like most glitter polishes it does dry with some texture but it’s not something a layer of top coat can’t cure. Though due to its semi-sheer status, you do need at least three coats to get it opaque. 
Since I recently got a bottle of Nubar’s matte top coat in, I’ve been mattifying all my polishes just for fun. When applied to Roxy, I feel like I’m looking at it through frosted glass. Even you matte haters have to admit it’s a very cool effect even if you wouldn’t wear it, right? Come on you know you want to give in to the matte!
Zoya Roxy retails for $6 and can be purchased online at Zoya.com
Where are the Roxy lovers? What old polish have you recently rediscovered in your stash? Share!
Zoya Dare Collection Review and Swatches
 Zoya Dare has landed and after much anticipation, I’ve got your first look at them on the nail. As you may remember, the Dare collection of Zoya’s Truth or Dare Fall lineup is a group of chic, dramatic shades with five cremes and one shimmer. Let’s get right to it and check out the colors, shall we? |
With the exception of Ibiza all the Dare collection polishes are cremes. They all glide on smooth and even in spite of the formula’s thickness. The shades are well pigmented requiring only two coats and dry with a high gloss shine.
Demi is a midtone reddish purple, you might call it a mauve. In the bottle it looked a bit Barney-ish but it’s a very pretty on the nail.
Ciara has a sundrenched raspberry look about it. Don’t get me wrong it’s vivid and rich, not at all dusty, those are just the first two words that came to mind when looking at it. 
Vanessa is a berry based cool red. It applies very close to bottle color on the first coat which is always a plus with reds.
Pinta is the definition of burple (bluish purple). It definitely leans way blue but you can see its purple roots in bright light. My issue is that it’s so dark that unless you’re in sunlight, you’re the only person who will know how truly stunning this shade is.
For that reason I decided to take a sunlight shot of it. You see I shy away from direct sunlight swatching because I find it to be SOOOO inaccurate and I don’t want you kids buying a color and being disappointed when it looks NOTHING like what I showed you. So for the purposes of displaying the base color only, I did this sunlight shot for you.
Envy is a mossy deep forest green that has an earthy, camouflage feel to it. What’s funny is that as I applied it, the first coat had a graininess that looks like watercolor which I originally mistook for shimmer. With the second coat it’s pure glossy creme. Though if you want the bottle color and not an “almost black” make sure you apply two thin coats. Three is way too much.
Ibiza is a shimmery deep sapphire blue. The color is so dark and the shimmer is so subtle that you barely notice it outside of direct sunlight. Honestly, I love Indigo, with its multi-colored micro-glitter, so much that Ibiza is just OK for me.
The Zoya Dare Collection polishes retail for $6/each and are available for PRE-ORDER now on Zoya.com with a ship date of July 15th.
So all my DARE girls out there, what do you think?
Zoya Matte Velvet Review and Swatches
 I doubt you can take any more buildup over the new Matte Velvet collection from Zoya so I’m happy to be able to FINALLY share the goods with you. As I’ve previously stated, Matte Velvet is Zoya’s entry in the emerging matte nail polish trend. The lineup includes three shimmering shades in a unique matte finish formula. Check them out after the jump! |
Right off the bat, I was already loving these polishes WAY more than the OPI Mattes (La Paz being the lone exception) due to the shimmer. It keeps the polish from looking like flat wall paint which for me is a good thing. And unlike slapping a layer of matte top coat on a shimmery polish (see below) this polish is truly matte and non-reflective.
We need to discuss for the formula for a sec before jumping into the swatches. Like the OPI Mattes these polish dry SUPER FAST so make haste when applying. They’re also pretty thick and can EASILY go on uneven. In fact, I had to redo a couple nails because I wasn’t quick or accurate enough. Though the bonus of them drying so fast is the lack of wait time. You can be out the door in 5 minutes with these polishes.
Again, we’re faced with the no base coat rule which I really don’t understand. As you remember from my experiment with the OPI Mattes the only decent wear was while using a base coat. If anyone with chemistry knowledge can riddle me why this is the recommendation, I know we’d ALL appreciate it. (CHECK UPDATE BELOW)
Posh is a deep burgundy shimmer. It looks very berry-ish when wet but dries more red wine.
Loredana is a chalky charcoal shimmer matte (sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it?) that reminds me of cement. It was the thickest and most difficult to apply of the three and also my least fave. Not like a thumbs down least favorite but more like non-essential to my life.
When I first slapped it on last Friday I was all, “Rut-roh! Me thinks I see a Man Glaze dupe. Drama!!” but it’s clearly not. Fuggen Ugly is more gray with a subtle satin sheen while Loredana has a cooler, blue undertone that is completely flat. If I’m being honest, even though I hate the brand name (Man Glaze, really? Double entendre much?), I prefer the formula.
Dovima is a black shimmer that reminds me of honed black granite. It’s another shade that leans a little cool instead of being a true black. I imagine due to the silver shimmer.
To give you an idea of how these compare to a traditional polish with a matte top coat, I paired Dovima with CND Hyde In The Dark topped with Nubar V for Men Matte Finish Nail Protector (that’s a mouthful!). The matte top coat not only lightened the look of Hyde but it also left a satin finish instead of a true matte.
In regards to the wear, I threw on Loredana last Friday and after taking a shower on Saturday it was so badly chipped I had to take it off before being seen in public. It wasn’t like cool chipping (not that I really think that exists). It was more like you’re-too-lazy-go-home-and-make-love-to-your-polish-remover chipping! Since I could give two figs about going to work with a broke down mani, I’ll be testing the formula with & without base coat this week and reporting the results on Saturday.
EDITED TO UPDATE – Answer regarding base coat usage courtesy of Zoya’s Leo Reyzis:
The film properties of matte formulas are not consistent with the properties of regular polish therefore when one gets applied over the other there is a different rate of drying which causes distortions in the surface tensions of both films, best seen as ridges and valleys that will form on the polish surface (as well infinitely endless drying time). If a basecoat is still desired you must wait for base to dry completely for matte formulas to be applied on top. This may help extend wear however the surface must be completely dry and residue free prior to applying matte formula.
That totally makes sense since I did report poor OPI Matte application when using a basecoat. Thanks for the answer Leo!
The Matte Velvet nail polishes retail for $6/ea and can be pre-ordered now on Zoya.com with a July 1st ship date.
So all you matte haters? What do you say now? Matte lovers… are you like totally dying or what?
Zoya Matte Velvet & Truth or Dare Collection Teaser
 Happy Friday Fanatics!! I have a little treat for you to start your weekend. A peek at the Zoya Matte Velvet and Truth or Dare polishes. To wet my overly curious appetite and yours, Zoya sent out sample palettes of the colors as a teaser of what’s to come. Check ‘em out! |
Sample nails aren’t the easiest to photograph accurately because of all the different colors but I did the best my little point and shoot could manage.
First up, the Truth or Dare collection for Fall.
Truth‘s Penny, Kalmia, Salma, Isla, Anaka and Drew are all metallic shimmers and based on the samples, Anaka just jumps off the palette. The sparkle is electrifying. I can’t wait to see it on the nail.
Dare‘s Ibiza is the lone shimmer accompanying cremes Envy, Pinta, Demi, Clara and Vanessa. The burple-y Pinta, mossy green Envy and sapphire Ibiza are the standouts in this crowd.
Next up, Matte Velvet, Zoya’s entry in the incresingly popular matte trend.
I can already tell I’m going to love these more than the OPI Mattes because they have that same great shimmer quality that I loved about La Paz-itively Hot Matte. Loredana, Dovima and Posh all have a finely dispersed shimmer that makes them a bit satiny rather than flat matte.
I’m hoping to have my hands on the real deal very soon so stay tuned for real live swatches!! In the meantime, does this change your opinion on mattes? Are you loving Truth or Dare so far? Sound off!
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
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