JENsations Custom Blended Nail Polish...

Today I would like to show you three fun and unique glitter blends from Jen of JENsations. These glitter mixes come packaged in equally unique and absolutely adorable star shaped bottles. The bottles are flat so they are super easy and compact for storage, but I'm sure you don't care to hear me ramble about bottles so let's get onto the swatches...

These can be a bit tricky to apply and I found that the best way to get good coverage was to dab them on rather than use fluid brush strokes. The glitter wanted to follow the brush right off the nail when not dabbing them on. Some of the larger pieces I needed to fish out of the bottle, but I find that typical for larger glitter in general. A good swirl with the brush in the bottle helped pick up a good variety of glitter...

Dream Chaser
A mix of primarily white glitter in various shapes including hex, diamond, moon, square, heart, star and more. Peppered into the mix there is also some small hex and square glitter in red, yellow, green, blue and more. This is a fun combination and looks beautiful over a dark base. The fun variety of glitter ensures that no two manicures will be alike. The clear base was a bit on the thick side and I will try a few drops of thinner prior to next time...

I didn't get all the crazy shapes into this manicure, but how cute is that moon?..

Swatch Details
	Brand: JENsations Collection: core Color Name/Number: Dream Chaser Number of coats: 1+ (over Barielle Blue Capri) Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Holo At Your Girl
I am at a loss to describe this mix. It seems to have every shape and color of holo glitter. There is even cute butterfly shaped glitter in here! It is definitely unique and unlike anything else in my collection. It was a difficult  to photograph and capture the beautiful color shift of the holo glitter. It is very, very, very sparkly and bling-y...

Moons and butterflies and stars, oh my...

Swatch Details
	Brand: JENsations Collection: core Color Name/Number: Holo At Your Girl Number of coats: 1+ (over Nicole by OPI Be Ama-zing!) Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Ups-A-Daisy!
A mix of small pastel glitter and larger flower shaped glitter in pink and yellow. This is so sweet and perfect for spring and summer. It adds a soft touch of whimsy to any manicure. I think it would look great over any pastel shade. This is probably my favorite of the three. I'm hooked on the pastel glitter...

Swatch Details
	Brand: JENsations Collection: core Color Name/Number: Ups-A-Daisy! Number of coats: 1+ (over Cosmic Kiss) Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

You can find JENsations on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/JENsations/

I would love to know what you think of these!
Don't hesitate to leave me a comment :)

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 **

Zoya Lovely Collection

The Zoya Lovely collection for Spring 2013 is just what it claims to be, lovely! The beautiful pastels are ready to put you in a Spring mood and make me think of Easter candy. The collection contains three shimmers which Zoya classifies as metallic and three sweet pastel creams. I present to you my swatches...

Zoya Piaf - "Fresh Forsythia Yellow Metallic" - (Originally designed for Fashion Designer Zang Toi.)
A buttery yellow with a translucent shimmer. The shimmer seems to be made up of tiny flecks which are pearly in most light, but do reflect a golden shine at times. This has a wonderful formula which is easy to apply and provides full coverage in just two coats...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Zoya Collection: Lovely, Spring 2013 Color Name/Number: Piaf, ZP652 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Free of Camphor, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Zoya Gie Gie - "Blushing Cherry Blossom Pink Metallic" - (Originally designed for Zang Toi.)
A soft ballerina pink with a pearly shimmer. This has the same type of pearly flecks as Piaf. There is just something so sweet and delicate about it that I can't resist. Great formula with very smooth application. It has fairly good coverage at two coats, but I used three for these swatches...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Zoya Collection: Lovely, Spring 2013 Color Name/Number: Gie Gie, ZP651 Number of coats: 3 Top Coat: No Free of Camphor, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Zoya Julie - "Soft Wisteria Purple Metallic" - (Originally designed for Zang Toi.)
A soft lilac with a pearly shimmer. This again has the same type of little translucent flecks as the two above. It has more purple tint in real life than what turned out in swatches. These swatches are a bit too blue. The formula on this is very nice. I used three coats for these swatches, although two coats provides coverage that I would consider enough for daily wear. This is truly a beauty!...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Zoya Collection: Lovely, Spring 2013 Color Name/Number: Julie, ZP650 Number of coats: 3 Top Coat: No Free of Camphor, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Zoya Blu - "Lucky Hyacinth Blue Cream"
A pastel baby blue cream. There is something about my skin tone that makes this pop. It seems to have dried brighter than bottle color, which is very unusual. A gorgeous baby blue that I'm crazy for. Formula is very nice, smooth an creamy. Two coats for full coverage as seen here...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Zoya Collection: Lovely, Spring 2013 Color Name/Number: Blu, ZP653 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Free of Camphor, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Zoya Neely - "Earliest Spring Green Cream" - (Originally designed for Peter Som)
A minty green cream. The formula is nice and creamy, maybe a touch thicker than I like, but still very workable. Definitely one of my favorites from this collection. I am loving this beautiful green. Two coats for full coverage...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Zoya Collection: Lovely, Spring 2013 Color Name/Number: Neely, ZP655 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Free of Camphor, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Zoya Jacqueline - "Perfect Magnolia Nude Cream" - (Originally designed for Peter Som)
A sweet pastel yellow cream. The formula is similar to Neely, a teeny bit on the thick side, but still manageable. Two coats for full coverage here as well. This was the base for my sugar spun manicure a few days ago. This is really a perfect color in my opinion. Simply lovely! :)

Swatch Details
	Brand: Zoya Collection: Lovely, Spring 2013 Color Name/Number: Jacqueline, ZP654 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Free of Camphor, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

What do you think of these pastels? Do they put you in a Spring mood? Do you have a favorite?

Thanks for looking and commenting!
Anutka :)

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

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

Polish Days: Something New - Sugar Spun Nails

To coincide with the beginning of a new year, this month's Polish Days theme is to try something new. Trying new things is actually one of the reasons why I really love participating in challenges. It gives me the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and play around with new colors and techniques. It may not always work out, but it is always a chance to learn and experiment.

For this challenge I decided to try creating a sugar spun manicure, a technique that has long been on my "to try" list. As so many other things on that list, I don't often make time for it unless I'm challenged to do so. I'm happy to show you my first attempt...

This manicure is made using four polishes from the new Zoya Lovely collection. I will show swatches of them soon, I promise. The base is Zoya Jacqueline and it is spun over with Zoya Neely towards the base, Zoya Blu in the middle and Zoya Julie toward the tips. These colors are so perfect for Spring. The manicure really reminds me of Easter eggs...

The technique involves placing a few drops of polish on a disposable surface and swirling it around with a toothpick or something similar until it starts to thicken. When it thickens enough, lifting the swirling tool out of the puddle of polish will pull thin lines of polish out. These lines are then dragged across the nail. There are lots of video tutorials for this on YouTube so check them out. It will make more sense than my explanation for sure...

The texture of this manicure is bumpy as the lines remain above the surface of the nail. I was afraid that the lines would get scraped off so I added a top coat. Luckily I took the photos before adding a top coat because I had a bad feeling that adding the top coat would ruin this manicure. I was right. The top coat made a complete mess as it flattened and smudged the lines...

I'm really happy that I tried this manicure even though I promptly ruined it with a top coat. I look forward to playing around with this type of manicure more in the near future. Next time I will skip the top coat and see how it lasts without...

What manicures are on your list to try? Any fun techniques that you hope to try soon?

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 **