piCture pOlish White Wedding Stamped with Dorothy

After I was done swatching the beautiful piCture pOlish White Wedding and Dorothy for yesterday's Blog Fest post, I couldn't help but play around with the two. They were perfect a perfect combination for a sweet romantic manicure. I could definitely wear something like this for Valentine's day or maybe a wedding? See what you think...

The base of this manicure is piCture pOlish White Wedding stamped with piCture pOlish Dorothy. Dorothy is actually a "mesh" polish with lots of silver glitter. None of the glitter transferred for stamping, but it didn't stop the strong red base from coming across. This is probably the only time I will stamp with it since it is such a waste of the pretty glitter, but I had to try at least once.

For the stamp, I used Bundle Monster plate BM-317 from their newest collection. I absolutely adore this pattern. It is so delicate and romantic and every little detail transfers so well to the nail. This is actually the second time I'm using this stamp, but have not had a chance to post the first manicure yet, so that's coming up soon.

Per my usual efforts to avoid matchy nails, I rotate the stamp to get a slightly different pattern each time. I also filled a few empty spots with additional portions of the stamp. Nothing bugs me more than unintentional blank space...

One more shot with the rose as I had so much fun setting the scene for this romantic manicure. One thing I will say is that I didn't realize how difficult it is to take good shots with props vs a polish bottle (something my hand is used to). I admire those of you who take these kind of photos on a regular basis...

As a little bonus, I caught a nice shot of the shimmer in the bottle. Click to zoom in to see some of the gorgeous color flecks...

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **

piCture pOlish Blog Fest 2012: Dorothy and White Wedding

I cannot even tell you how excited I am to get to participate on piCture pOlish Blog Fest 2012 this year. I was sent two brand new shades which are being released today to try out. Since piCture pOlish is all about creating a scene with their polishes, I decided to take a break from my usual swatch background and do something fun. I hope you enjoy...

Dorothy  - created for the land of Oz!
A red base packed with red, fuchsia and silver glitter. This is part of the "mesh" line of polishes. It is so densely packed that it covers the nail completely with just one coat. I did end up using two just for the heck of it. Application was great. It dries a bit gritty as I would expect from a shade like this so a nice thick topcoat is great to go with it....

I even used Dorothy to paint a pair of tiny shoes to match and accented them with none other than little rhinestone hearts for bows. I can just picture Dorothy clicking the heels of this tiny pair. The background, inspired by the pattern of Dorothy's dress really completes the scene for me...

As you can imagine, it is super sparkly and just gorgeous outside. Here a a few shots in full sun...

Swatch Details
	Brand: piCture pOlish Collection: Mesh Color Name/Number: Dorothy Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

White Wedding (by Llarowe) - it's a nice day for this one!
A creamy jelly white with tiny multi-color and holo flecks. It is fairly sheer with the nail line still faintly visible after three coats. It would probably look just as great layered over a white polish for those that really dislike the visible nail line. Personally I think it looks great as it is, somehow the sheerness adds to the softness. I gave it a minute or two between each coat to let the jelly-like formula set a bit. No problems with dragging or pulling. Very nice, even coverage. These are with a top coat...

It is hard to see the multi-color flecks in the indoor shots and the camera had a hard time capturing any color at all. All the white flecks that you see are actually different colors...

A few shots in the sun. This is not full sun as it was playing hide and seek all day. Still you can see just how sparkly it is in the sunlight...

A closeup and finally a few of the colors captured on camera...

Since the sun was coming and going from behind the clouds as I was taking photos, I thought I would include this photo of how it looks when overcast...

I should mention that this polish was created in collaboration with Llarowe and is part of the piCture pOlish Collaboration Collection. There are lots of other gorgeous collaboration shades out there that I cannot wait to see swatches of...

Swatch Details
	Brand: piCture pOlish Collection: Collaboration Collection Color Name/Number: White Wedding (by Llarowe) Number of coats: 3 Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Also, something new on these bottles are the QR Codes on the side. I do not own a smart phone to test it out, but those of you who do probably already know how it works. Scanning the code will take you directly to the piCture pOlish website or their Network member depending on where the polish as purchased. Pretty neat...

I'd love to know what you think of these!

You can find more information on these and other piCture pOlish shades:

On-line store - www.picturepolish.com.au

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Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **

Sunday Stamping: Red & Black

It is Sunday Stamping again in the group Adventures in Stamping and this week the challenge is "red and black," which was the perfect opportunity to try this manicure. I've tried it once before, but the stamp didn't turn out well so I never posted about it. I'm excited that this time it turned out much better and I can show it to you. Also, before I go on with the post, I want address a question I had last week. The stamping group where these challenges come from welcomes all stamping enthusiasts regardless of your skill level so please don't hesitate to join if you are interested!

For this manicure, I started out with a base of three coats of Zoya Rekha , a lovely red, slightly dusky jelly cream. I then stamped using Wet 'n Wild Black Creme and Bundle Monster plate BM-209. The stamp pattern does not have a straight edge which kind of gave me trouble with aligning them evenly on all the nails. With the image being smaller than a full nail stamp, I stamped it closer to one side of the nail and painted the unstamped part of the nail black using acrylic paint. The wavy line from the stamped pattern was my guide for the split....

I chose to use Essie Matte About You over the regular top coat to create the matte effect and I love how it turned out...

Just for fun, here is what the glossy version looked like before I applied the matte top coat. I still like it, but I definitely like the matte version better...

I'd love to know your thoughts on this :)

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

Zoya Gloss Collection NYFW Fall 2012

Today I have for you the third and final collection in Zoya's fall lineup, Zoya Gloss collection. It contains three very sheer gloss shades that can be built up and worn on their own or layered over other polishes to create interesting effects...

Katherine (Peter Som custom shade)
A sheer brownish merlot jelly. It took four coats to reach the opacity that you see here. I allowed plenty of time between each coat and had no problems with application. No dragging or bald spots. It is very shiny as can be expected from a jelly so no top coat was used...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Zoya Collection: NYFW 2012: Gloss Color Name/Number: Katherine, ZP638 Number of coats: 4 Top Coat: No Big5Free - Free of Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor

Paloma
A sheer berry jelly. This is four coats without a top coat. I have to say, I expected to like the darker colors of this collection more than this one, but it won me over. I predict lots more glitter jelly sandwiches with Paloma in the future. No problems with application....

Swatch Details
	Brand: Zoya Collection: NYFW 2012: Gloss Color Name/Number: Paloma, ZP639 Number of coats: 4 Top Coat: No Big5Free - Free of Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor

Frida
A sheer teal blue jelly. This again is four coats with no top coat. Formula is similar to the others and I had no problems with application or streaking. This is my favorite color out of the collection in terms of layering, but my least favorite alone on the nail....

Swatch Details
	Brand: Zoya Collection: NYFW 2012: Gloss Color Name/Number: Frida, ZP640 Number of coats: 4 Top Coat: No Big5Free - Free of Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor

Overall, I do not see myself wearing the colors of this collection solo, but I definitely see myself layering them for endless fun combinations. Here are a few that I tried so far...

This is one coat of Katherine followed by a coat of Zoya Daul and topped off with another coat of Zoya Katherine. The ring finger just one coat of Katherine followed by one coat of Daul for comparison. I love this combination and the way the gold flecks glow from underneath the jelly. Photos don't do justice to how beautiful this combo really is...

My second mani is Zoya Paloma over one coat of Zoya Izzy and Kissy from the Holiday 2011 collection. I could definitely see the dept that the jelly added in real life. Sadly, neither the sparkle of the glitter nor the dept of the jelly portrayed well in the photos...

For my third manicure, I started with a base of Zoya Noel and created a gradient using Zoya Twilla. The whole thing was topped off with a coat of Zoya Frida. The jelly gave it a wonderful teal tinge and the sparkle from underneath is quite impressive. Far more than the camera could capture...

What do you think of Zoya's Gloss collection? Will you be getting any to wear solo or layer?

I will definitely be trying these over chunky glitter, flakies, and various shimmers...

Also See:

Zoya Designer Collection NYFW Fall 2012

Zoya Diva Collection NYFW Fall 2012 

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Zoya Gloss polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **

Zoya Diva Collection NYFW Fall 2012

Today I have for you the second of Zoya's three Fall collections. This is the Diva collection inspired by New York Fashion Week. It contains four shimmery metallic colors and two sparkle filled metallic colors. I'm really having a hard time picking favorites here. Take a look at the swatches below and let me know which ones you like the best!

Elisa
A bright fire engine shimmery red. It darkens slightly toward the edges of the nail and appears to glow in the center. This is very pigmented, practically opaque in one coat, but I ended up used two coats for even coverage. Shown here with no top coat...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Zoya Collection: NYFW 2012: Diva Color Name/Number: Elisa, ZP632 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Big5Free - Free of Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor

Suri
A metallic purple shimmer. I'm so excited the photographs turned out the true color as it appeared blue on my camera screen. This is a gorgeous, rich color. Again, two coats for full coverage. Great formula and easy application. No top coat in the photos...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Zoya Collection: NYFW 2012: Diva Color Name/Number: Suri, ZP633 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Big5Free - Free of Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor

Song
A bright blue metallic shimmer. This is somewhat different than the other shimmers in the collection because it has tiny light blue flecks suspended in it. They add a fun touch to the shimmer formula. This is also two coats for full coverage and no top coat in the photos...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Zoya Collection: NYFW 2012: Diva Color Name/Number: Song Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Big5Free - Free of Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor

Ray
A dark forest green shimmer. This color combined with the red Elisa would certainly make for some lovely winter holiday manicures. This is not as dense or pigmented as the other three polishes, but it is still enough to provide full coverage in two coats. This again is with no top coat as they are shiny enough on their own...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Zoya Collection: NYFW 2012: Diva Color Name/Number: Ray, ZP635 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Big5Free - Free of Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor

FeiFei
I'm not even going to attempt to define this color. Zoya calls it "magic blue foil sparkle metallic," but even with all those adjectives it is not descriptive enough. It is a periwinkle blue base packed with gold, purple, blue and holo little flecks. I'm absolutely crazy about colors like this because they give the bright sparkly punch of a glitter without the pain of glitter removal. It was opaque in two coats in real life, but I used three coats for the swatches here because the camera tends to bring out every little flaw. These are with a top coat...

I also snapped a few photos outside. It looks completely different and even I had a hard time believing this was the same polish. Maybe I shouldn't trust my camera? Just look at how sparkly and shiny it is in the sunlight...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Zoya Collection: NYFW 2012: Diva Color Name/Number: FeiFei, ZP636 Number of coats: 3 Top Coat: Yes Big5Free - Free of Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor

Daul
This polish is similar to FeiFei. Zoya describes it as "magic violet foil sparkle metallic." It is a violet base packed with gold flecks. There is so much of the gold in it that as certain angles you can barely see the purple base. I have other purple with gold fleck polishes in my collection, but this is by far the most sparkly and gold filed one. This is three coats plus a top coat...

Again, it looks completely different outside.  You can see more of the purple base and just look at how sparkly it is. Hard to believe it is the same polish. Just to warn you though, the majority of the time it appears as the photos above, not the photos below...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Zoya Collection: NYFW 2012: Diva Color Name/Number: Daul, ZP637 Number of coats: 3 Top Coat: Yes Big5Free - Free of Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor

See Also: 

Zoya Designer Collection NYFW Fall 2012 

Zoya Gloss Collection NYFW Fall 2012

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **