Manicure Mondays

I tend to stay with colors most of the time a)because I feel slightly naughty when wearing them b)with my hands in latex gloves for most of my days at work it sometimes discolors light polish c)my dark denim also always stains my light polish, too- for the lovely "I just dug myself out of a grave look." All bets were off though, when I spotted Zoya's Blu polish. It screamed Spring time & I'm so ready for it. I did my accent pinky nail in Zoya's Pixie Dust polish in Nyx, which is matte- but I topped with my Seche Vite.

I adore this color. It works very well with my pale skin tone, is very opaque & creamy in texture- so there's no streaking when applying. When filling up Baliey's water bowl this morning I noticed I perfectly matched it & thought this truly is the perfect baby blue. How cute would this be as a favor at a baby boy shower?!?

Peace. Love. Polish.

Must Have Monday

Oh happy day Beauties- starting today through Sunday, you can scoop up 3 polishes from Zoya & pay only for the shipping & handling charges of $10. Enter coupon code: ZOYA2013 at checkout. Such a bright way to start off the week!

A few of my favorite picks for this time of year? From left Sloane, Edyta & Delilah.

Peace. Love. Polish

Polish Pic{k}s

I tend to stick with my one signature shade throughout the year. It's just my shade, I just feel like myself when I wear it. But there's something about the holidays that makes me want to get a little more festive with my polish picks. So as the weather turned colder, I gravitated towards Zoya's Delilah.

There's a subtle sparkle, but it's still work appropriate & the true red definitely gets me in the holiday spirit!

Peace. Love. Polish.

Polish Pic{k}s

I have been on a Zoya kick lately, I love that the shades are named after female monikers. No, unfortunately there's not a Madeleine shade (hint hint Zoya!), however there are more unusual names like Heidi & Tobey. Both my sister & one of my best friends are named Heidi, plus my cousin's name is Tobey. So I picked those shades as treats, because I'm sweet like that. However the Tobey polish never made it to Tobey, because I had to use it! 

Whether or my fingers or toes- the cool toned pink is so fresh & feminine. It's perfect for spring & summer.  I love it & that's saying something for this girl who gravitates towards dark polishes. I wear it with a tough ring to balance out the girliness, but I must admit I'm smitten.

Peace. Love. Polish. M

Polish Pic{k}s

Though I usually favor dark polish for my manicures, they say variety is the spice of life. I spotted Zoya's Kennedy polish & looked like it could be a really great nude. Just like the perfect nude lip, shades can be tricky - they can wash you out. I've tried nudes in the past, that were so matching of my skintone that it looked like I had no fingernails. That's not a great look!

Zoya's Kennedy is a great hue that is that perfect 'greige' - a mix of grey & beige. However there's also a creamy pink tone that makes the color pop & keeps it fresh!

I will also say in the past when I've gone with light colors, I chase streaks the entire time I'm polishing my nails. I've given up on a cult favorite shade called Ballet Slippers from another brand since it never applied uniformly for me. Zoya's pale shades are so opaque you can almost get away with one coat. Rejoice!

Peace. Love. Polish. M

New Years Nails

The polish I'm wearing to ring in the New Year reminds me of champagne on my fingertips! I actually stumbled across this concoction of polishes when coming to the aid of a girlfriend's manicure mishap!

Has this ever happened to you? You paint your nails at night & in the morning you wake up with sheet marks on your manicure. Granted- there was wine involved the night before, but still it's so frustrating! That's what happened at a recent girl's night to my friend, B! She had painted Zoya's Pandora polish on her nails, only awaking the next morning to deep groves in the polish.

Enter Sephora by OPI's Wild About Shimmer Polish to the rescue! Topping mistakes with a shimmering nail color helps diffuse light & take away attention from imperfections! See you can barely see any of the indentations from the sheets. It was such a stunning color combo, that I thought it was perfect for New Years! Here's to a happy, healthy & glamorous 2012!

Peace. Love. Polish. M

Mani Monday

I've been going through quite a bit of a green phase lately in all aspects of my style. Usually I'm quite the creature of habit- my wardrobe is pretty much all black. I also usually stick to wearing my beloved OPI Midnight In Moscow for my mani/pedi, because it makes me feel just a little bit naughty. Or dangerous. Or a little bit of both.
I credit Kyle Richards of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for my green kick, because she wears emerald green so stunningly. So when Chanel launched their Fall 2011 collection, I was smitten with Peridot- it was almost hypnotizing the way the color seemed to move. When I tried it on however, with my skintone it looked less like jewels & more like jaundice!

Zoya's Edyta caught my eye though- the color being the best of both worlds. It is a hybrid of khaki & gunmetal with a swirl of gold throughout. I showed it with my flash on above, just so you get a feel for how it catches the light. I have been scooping up more Zoya polishes than ever before due to their color selection & how the lacquer applies. This is the first time I've used regular polish since I removed my Shellac(detailed write up of the experience is to come.) The polish has chipped just a bit earlier than usual with my OPI Ridge Filler & Seche Vite combo, but my nails might be a bit brittle. All in all , I think the color is quite hip- what do you think Beauties?

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Opening Pandora by Zoya

So many of you fellow beauty obsessed girls I'm sure are subscribing to Birchbox, yes? It's a nice little welcome once a month that breaks up my work day with a little play! Included in this month's offering- Zoya's Pandora nail polish. I am usually a creature of habit, I wear OPI's Midnight in Moscow pretty much exclusively on my fingers & toes.
However I was headed for a beach weekend getaway & thought let's lighten it up! I worry sometimes since I'm so pale that nudes can look blah on my skintone, but I got a lot of compliments. Our spa manager, Jodi kept telling me she was obsessed with the color!

I will say this nude was a dream to apply, usually with pale colors I'm chasing the streaks all over the nail. This creamy formula went on beautifully- I could have gotten away with one coat. I will be scooping up some more of their colors due to how well the polish went on.

However this is my dilemma- and not the Zoya brand's fault since it happens with most light color polishes on me. Whether it's dark denim staining it or in this case several applications of sunscreen, my light color always changes on me, though I seal my mainucre with a topcoat. It gets to the point where I feel like I look like I dug myself out of my own grave - it looks dirty! Any tips & tricks to prevent this from always happening? I'd appreciate it Beauties!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M