Zoya
Zoya Uptown Collection
OK, now that you’ve all had time to salivate over the Zoya Downtown collection, here’s your peek at Uptown. I’m predicting red to be a big trend this fall. That it will be gracing the tips of all the Hollywood starlets. I’ve already seen it popping up on some. The Uptown collection has a red for everyone, even those afraid of being too bold.
Quinn, Andi, Chelsea
Tess has the same foil like finish as Kotori and Rea from the Downtown line. The color reminds me a bit of Kat from Zoya except it’s more of a cool pinky red than a warm orangey red. Tess is highly pigmented and because of the metallic quality I was being careful to avoid brush strokes but the polish evened out perfectly on its own.
Paige is a plummy red creme. Smooth to apply and opaque in one coat. It doesn’t have a high gloss finish but it’s not matte either. I think you could achieve either finish depending on your top coat.
As the name suggests, Coco is a browned red creme. I wasn’t very drawn to this one in the bottle but on the wheel, it’s yummy. I don’t know if I have the right skin tone for it but I’m going to give it a shot. Everything is worth a try, no?
I would describe Quinn as a blood red creme. Classic and vampy without being over the top. Is it a “Wow I must have it” color for me… no but, it’s one sexy red. One thing that really impressed me about both Quinn and Andi (below) is that they were very close to bottle color with one coat. Very atypical of reds. Normally you get that pink or fuchsia base color before the true red comes out.
Andi is a true red creme. A staple color for sure unless you have a ton of reds already. Then I’d only suggest picking up Andi if you’re looking for Big 3 Free or, as I mentioned above, a one coat red that you can slap on in a hurry.
Chelsea reminds me of a Macintosh apple. A juicy shimmery red. I think it would suit most skin tones and the shimmer will help hide any errors you make in application. That’s what I love about shimmers, they allow even the clumsiest person (myself included) to have a smooth pretty mani.
So everyone, what colors are must haves? Which lemmings are killed? Who’s saving their pennies to buy the whole darn thing?
I don’t have an official release date to give you but I believe these collections will start shipping out in late July or early August. I’ll keep you posted if I hear any different.
Zoya Downtown Collection
It’s here! It’s here! I just got the new Zoya Downtown collection for Fall 2007 in my hot little hands. I had to take a moment to wipe the drool from my mouth and catch my breath before I started playing with all the gorgeous shades. I am beyond wowed. Kudos to Art of Beauty on a most excellent collection.
So let’s get down to it…
Suvi, Rea and Lael
Freja is a gunmetal gray shimmer. Lighter than Lippmann Hit Me With Your Best Shot but darker than Essie Loophole. It is highly pigmented and practically opaque with one coat.
Indigo was thought to be a navy creme but it actually has this amazing multi-colored micro glitter that twinkles like tiny stars in the night sky. The glitter does add a bit of texture to the surface but it’s nowhere near being rough or bumpy.
Kotori has a smoky gray base filled with royal blue (almost teal) shimmer and glitter. It has a foil like finish (think China Glaze Stroke of Midnight) and goes on somewhat sheer at first. I had to apply 3 coats to get it opaque on my nail.
Suvi has a similar smoky base but the green pigmentation and shimmer are much finer than in Kotori. It is similar to OPI Jasper Jade but not as blackened. Suvi also went on a bit sheer but 2 thick coats or 3 thin coats will do the trick.
Rea (Ray) has the same foil finish as Kotori in this unique not quite purple, not quite pink shade. After I posted pics of my China Glaze Steppin Out mani I got a lot of inquiries as to where to find the discontinued shade. Unfortunately, it is hard to find but I think Rea is an excellent alternative. While they are not dead on dupes, they have very similar finish and shade qualities.
Lael is the only true creme of the bunch. I nice mid toned plum, this pic really doesn’t do it justice. Someone asked me if this would fall between OPI Lincoln Park After Dark and Orly Perfectly Plum. While I don’t have the Orly polish, judging from pics in the Community Nail Polish Gallery I’d say that Lael could be the child of those two. So FM, get your credit card ready girlie.
Oh and Uptown collection pics and reviews will be up soon. Keep your eyes peeled.
Zoya Fall Collection Preview
I know we’re not even officially into summer yet but this was too good to keep under wraps until fall. All Lacquered Up is fortunate to be the first to bring you info about the new fall collections from Zoya, courtesy of Art of Beauty.
Disclaimer: The artwork shown is for the exclusive use of All Lacquered Up and appears courtesy of Art of Beauty. The content is not to be republished without permission.
Zoya Candy & Smitten
My hometown favorite, Zoya, gave us not one but two collections for summer this year. Candy & Smitten are their newest offerings and they are so fun. I got the opportunity to test them, thanks to the lovely people at Zoya and, they are a blast.
Candy is Skittles in polish form. “Taste the rainbow” was going through my head as I pulled them out of the box. The marketing gurus at Zoya really couldn’t have picked a better name for the collection and the polishes have names that are just as adorable and fun.
Candy consists of four cremes and two shimmers, all opaque and well pigmented. After the more sheer summer collections of years past, Glamsicles and Glitterati, Candy is a pleasant surprise. And, there’s a green. Anyone who knows me knows that greens will score major points for any polish brand. To top it off, it’s a pretty green. Totally wearable. I call it a green for women that don’t like green.
So here we have Tart (shimmery jewel toned blue), Yummy (creamy cornflower blue) and Sweet (creamy bubblegum pink). For me, Yummy is the most unique of the three. It’s a glossy mid-tone blue, something my collection was seriously lacking.
Then comes Creamy (sunshiny yellow creme), Tangy (limey mid-tone green shimmer) and Juicy (matte grape creme). Of course I LOVE Tangy, how could I not but, Creamy is drawing me in with it’s lemony goodness. All thanks to my new found love of yellow.
Ok, so you don’t wear bright or loud colors. You think I’m a nut for wearing yellow and loving green. Well then, Smitten is for you. As a girl that only wore reds and pinks on my toes as a teen and young adult, I can totally identify with these shades. Don’t believe me? I swear, I wore OPI I’m Not Really A Waitress on my toes for at least 2 years straight. I used to walk the color line at one point myself.
Smitten is all shimmer and micro-glitter. Filled with hot reds, corals, oranges and pinks, there is a color for every skin tone. The polishes all apply like a dream, as expected. Free of dangerous chemicals, Zoya’s formula flows on the nail like a salon quality polish should but, without the risks caused by toluene, DBP and formaldehyde. Preggers ladies rejoice!
From left to right we have Ariel (shimmer berry toned red), Shiloh (mid tone red shimmer) and Sylvie (soft reddish coral shimmer).
I wish the true coral quality of Sylvie had showed up in the pictures. It’s a soft coral, not all in your face. It reminds me of OPI Coral Reef without the holo shimmer. Shiloh (probably named after a famous wee one) is a straight up red shimmer, a great basic for your polish wardrobe. I’ll be honest, while these colors are all very pretty and wearable, they aren’t a must have for me. Definitely great staple colors for someone wanting to add reds to their collection.
Last but not least… Pia (tangerine orange shimmer), Hayden (micro-glittery hot popping pink) and Vivi (fuchsia shimmer).
I’m really drawn to Vivi and Pia and I love Hayden for the name alone. Probably because I’m a fan of Heroes and Hayden Panettiere’s character Claire. Pia will be great for the warm toned peeps like myself and Hayden will be great for the cool toned. Vivi is a fun bright all around summer color.
So now that you’ve gotten a better look, what colors are you lusting after? Which collection is your fav?
Yay for the coming of Summer Collections
Check out these new collections from Zoya. Aren’t they amazing? This green lover will NEED Tangy. I can’t wait to get my paws on these super fun hot summer colors. Just looking at them makes me daydream of warm sunny weather and fab sandals to show off my pedis.
Bravo Zoya for making this bright polish lover’s day. I don’t have info on a release date but as soon as I know, you’ll know. For now, we can just drool over the pics.