Zoya Winter Zenith Collection

I had a coupon for Ulta and I knew I needed to use it for nail polish since you could use it on the good stuff.  I had eyeballed some of the different winter collections that I saw and picked up a few that I liked.  (side-note,  it was extremely shocking that my Ulta had these,  since it took them months to get the fall collection in.)

I only chose two of the batch because I'm not too keen on the textured polishes anymore,  and the others looked like ones I already have.

First up is Belinda,  a GORGEOUS royal purple with a magenta flash.  This is so incredibly pretty.  I have a weakness for purple polish as it is,  and this one does not disappoint. The formula is almost  a one-coater,  but I did two to make it completely opaque. It just looks so regal and rich.

Lighting : shade

The other one I purchased was Mosheen,  a holographic bar / feather glitter with holo specks too.  This was a surprise for me,  since I've tried the feathered polishes and they were just  Ok... I think I don't care for how the little flakes peak out along the tip of the nail. This one does the same,  but I forgive it because it's so unbelievably stunning.

We're lucking out today with some lovely sunshine,  and it picked up every little holo speck flash...  Just beautiful. Please forgive all of the pictures,  but I was capturing so many pretty ones!

Lighting : shade

I also really wanted Dream,  which is a deep blue with a scattered holo,  and Payton is a nice burgundy with light holo sparkle... But I figured I wouldn't wear them as much as these two.


I picked up one of Essie's new Luxe Effects polishes as well,  so I will swatch that one out to show you. It's shockingly beautiful also.

Too early for holiday collections? I'm torn.  Now that I am out of the retail sales world,  I enjoy the holidays. Although my birthday is around Christmas time and I'm always a little bitter about that... Too many cheap relatives!

Have you gotten any of this collection?
April

September Cult Cosmetics Blackbox Review

Hi there! Hope you are having a great weekend.  I unfortunately somehow got the flu. I don't remember ever having the flu, so this is a totally new experience for me.  I never get sick. I have an EXTREMELY low tolerance for pain, and this feeling like someone has put clear packing tape on my back and then slowly ripping it off really sucks. Anyways, I finally received my September Blackbox!  Let's see what's inside.

So I have to admit, I was getting super antsy pants waiting for this, since it took 10 days to get to me. TEN. I looked up online for teasers, so I had an idea of what to expect.  Imagine my disappointment when I opened this up!

Here is the idea card that was included to use the polishes and the tools to create their suggestions for the month. This is also reflective of the hints that they gave us all month too. The teasers I saw had the pink glitter (Orly) and an Essie color, being the pale pink.

So, tell me, where does the orange and the red come into play here? I'm a little confused.  Let's look at the polishes first.

First up is my favorite of the box, and one I was pleased with.  It's Color Club Beyond,  a gunmetal grey holographic.  The holo in this is amazeballs.  It could have been a one-coater, but I added on a second. There was no dragging with this, as some holos tend to do.

Sunlight:

Isn't it pretty? This is in the shade. Stunner.

Up next is OPI Jinx. This was one of the first liquid sand colors that they put out, and a part of the 007 Bond collection.  When this came out, I wasn't totally sold on the whole textured polish thing.  So I never purchased it. Once I tried Pixie Dust by Zoya, I liked those and I bought a similar color. Look for a comparison at the end of the two.

Finally,  Color Club Brrr-red. Red freaking polish. I couldn't belive it.  Regardless of my dislike for red, it's a very nice polish. This is two coats, and is somewhat of a crelly consistency.

 I didn't take individual pictures of the tools this month. They were a rhinestone wheel from Mash with a tube of nail glue, which kept the theme and I liked. The other was a set of OPI nail appliqués in a sparkly and black design, called Metallic Waves.  It kind of looks like a mix between zebra print and a fingerprint.  Can you believe I've never tried nail stickers?  I can see myself doing one finger with these, but all 10 would probably freak me out. Ha! Plus I've been hesitant trying them because I have extremely small nail beds. These all look so big!


So... verdict time. I gotta say, I was so extremely disappointed with this box since i did love the August one. From the length of shipping time, to the false advertising and then I find out via Facebook that the subscription will only feature Cult Cosmetics brand polishes moving forward.  (They recently came out with their own line) I actually canceled my subscription on Friday.  I told customer service my concerns / issues I had with this month, and all I got back was a "we canceled your subscription" as a reply. I guess they weren't too interested in keeping me.

I've found a new polish box to try, the I.N.N. box by iNZURi, so I'm giving that one a shot. You pick your own collection,  and the beauty products they send along are the surprise.  Look for that review next month.

Lastly, here is the side by side comparison of Jinx with Zoya's Destiny. Ring finger is Jinx, pinky is Destiny. In the bottle, looks pretty close.

On the nail in the sun, they look identical, with Destiny being slightly more pink than Jinx

In the shade, you can barely tell a difference, maybe Jinx is slightly more sparkly gold.  Are they close enough you don't need both? Yes. I do have to say that Jinx dries faster than Destiny does.  And quick drying is always a bonus in my eyes.

So, do you have a beauty subscription?  What's the best one?
April

Day 19- Galaxy Nails For The Win

Happy Tuesday my nail polish buddies.  When I first looked at this challenge,  I was super intimidated by today's prompt. But let me tell you, I don't know how I've lived without doing a galaxy mani before.

I started with a base of Sinful Colors What's Your Name, which is a dark dark blue with blue micro glitter.  I then took several other colors and sponged them on, layering the colors. Adding a holographic sparkle glitter on top... and this is heaven.

That pic is actually of the rarely seen right hand. I of course did my left first, and then did my right. I honestly prefer my right hand!! A stunning simple galaxy look.

Here are some pics of my left... I followed a tutorial that suggested to put these starbursts on top, and again... I prefer it without!

And forgive the blurriness,  but I wanted to show the intense sparkle that the holographic top coat provided. 

Seriously,  I couldn't stop staring at this. I also would stop random women and make them look at my hands.  I don't care how weird it looked. I had to shout this one from the roof tops I loved it so much. I see a million more galaxy nails in my future. 

I'm dying to hear your thoughts on this one.

April