Zoya has done it again. They’ve made my nails so happy & my creative side beam. Textured, matte, & gloriously sparkling I am one satisfied girl. I haven’t been in a super creative mood lately so the new texture wave is just in time. These are my favorite shimmering option so far because they just have the perfect application, texture, & wear. I’ve gotten about 4 days of wear without chipping which is a big deal without any top coat. What are my favorites from the Zoya Pixie Dust Collection & how do they look on the nail? Keep reading to find out!
 Zoya PixieDust Nail Polish Collection

Infused with magic and wonder! The latest “must-have” nail polish finish – textured, matte and sparkling! This newly developed formula is sure to captivate with a magical sparkle and sugary finish like no other. The color experts at Zoya have created six, long-wearing stunners for the introduction of this enchanting look.
 
IMPORTANT PixieDust Application Information –  Do not use a base coat or top coat. Apply 1-3 (for full coverage) thin coats of polish. Allow product to dry down completely matte in between layers for full textured effect. The PixieDust textured formula may take up to 10 minutes to dry completely matte. Once dry, the textured finish is long lasting, matte and ultra-glittery!

In case you missed it, don’t put top coat on these! That totally ruins the texture. I’m not quite sure why you can’t use a base coat, I’m assuming it has something to do with its ability to grip to the nail? All of the shades swatched below are 2 coats. I was told to expect longer dry time but honestly I found it pretty average. After all, you aren’t adding a fast dry top coat so it will be a bit longer for me in general.

This is Zoya Vespa, I thought I’d show my nails before clean up. You can see the texture ridges & they’re a lot like fine sugar/sand. They aren’t awkward shades to wear though, they don’t grip or snap at all. You can see a few specs of glitter on my fingers pre-cleaning so you can see it isn’t shimmer powder but actual glitter! Add a top coat & it becomes a regular polish with a shiny finish. It is like having two polishes in one!
 

Zoya Chyna- A matte, sparkling, sugar textured rich red with red fine glitter.
This is the only shade that doesn’t have silver shimmer…& it is spectacular! This has me inspired to keep an eye out for more combinations, can you imagine a purple & aqua or a red & black? Ah! This one is absolutely gorgeous & shimmers a bit more I think than the others. Gorgeous with a top coat too!
 

Zoya Dahlia- A matte, sparkling, sugar textured black with silver fine glitter.
It is a glittery black, you know I love it! This isn’t an intense black because it is mattified but it definitely is edgy looking.  I love this so much! I actually wore this one for the longest amount of time.

Zoya NYX- A matte, sparkling, sugar textured pale periwinkle blue with silver fine glitter.
This screams dainty & spring. I think periwinkle was the perfect shade for this collection because it is definitely a shade perfect for the upcoming season. Plus, it looks super feminine then with the texture it looks really interesting.
 

Zoya London- A matte, sparkling, sugar textured grey with silver fine glitter.
I love greys, especially grey with silver. They make me happy. I wear grey year round because its awesome so this will get a lot of use.
 

Zoya Godiva-  A matte, sparkling, sugar textured nude beige with silver fine glitter.
I honestly thought this was going to be the only shade I disliked so of course AI absolutely love it. Its so light that it blends into my skintone a bit but warmer. This is the perfect work shade if you want something different or if nudes just aren’t interesting enough for you. It is glorious & I had serious issues taking it off because I liked it that much.

You can purchase these shades from Zoya’s website & also spot them at your local ULTA store. In case you missed my Summer 2013 announcement about the new Pixie Dust shades from Zoya you should really check that out! I’m beside myself with excitement!  

What do you think of the new texture trend? Which shade is your favorite?  

**Polishes provided in consideration of review. All opinions are my own. 

I absolutely love getting post requests & this one hit my inbox last week while I was swatching my new Julie G from Jesse’s Girl polishes! She wishes to remain anonymous but requested a baby shower nail art tutorial that was super basic & easy. & cheap, really cheap! She wanted to use products she already had. So here’s what I came up with!

All 3 of these polishes were reviewed last week & the shades are Cabana Boy, Shoe-A-Holic, & White Orchid. You can sub in other polishes obviously but try to use something a bit more opaque. You can also sub in yellow & green (mystery baby shower!) if you don’t like this combo. I used Out the Door as my top coat.

Pointer: This is an easy watercolor type nail. The base is white then you dot on the pink & blue with a toothpick or dotting tool. Swirl the shades together & fill in any gaps you don’t want to see. Super easy.

Middle: Use the white base & create dots either from the base of your nail or the tip depending on which is easier for you.

Ring: Start with a white base. You’ll need a cosmetics sponge & tweezers. Rip off very small pieces of a cosmetic sponge & either paint with the pink or blue or dip into it. Use the tweezers to grip the small piece of sponge for more control. I like to start with the pink because it is a bit lighter & leave gaps then fill in with the blue.

Pinkie: Start with a white base. Cut small angled piece of tape then apply those to completely dry nails. Fill in the gaps between the tape varying shades. Remove tape carefully.

Well that’s it! I hope you really enjoy this little idea & find something you can use! What do you think? What are your favorite basic techniques for nail art?

I am so excited about this line!!!!!My nickname is Stevi so that purple is SCREAMING my purple-loving name! What shade are you most excited to get your hands on? Ah! Hurry up April!

So I was lucky enough to get my hands on 5 new Julie G Nail Polish shades. These are from Jesse’s Girl Cosmetics & I already knew I loved their formula. They know what they’re doing. I really want to get my hands on some specific shades but for now here are 5 of the new colors! I’ll also have some baby shower nail art one of you requested! Stay tuned for swatches!
Shades are with top coat except for A Star is Born & White Orchid. I don’t have a Jesse’s Girl top coat or base so I used one of my many Color Club top coats from numerous sets. I apologize in advance for my cuticles, I need to find a new nail polish remover that isn’t so harsh!

Julie G Cabana Boy – A bright blue creme. This has been lightened from the brightness with the cream so it really gives this shade something different. 2 coats. Similar to Sally Hansen Pacific Blue but I much prefer this formula. Easily a favorite.

Julie G Shoe-A-Holic – Baby pink creme. If you like Zoya Shelby, you’ll really like this. 2 coats.

Julie G Freshly Squeezed – Super sheer yellow/orange looking creme with lots of pink shimmer. This is 3 coats.

Julie G White Orchid – A nice opaque white. 2 coats.

Julie G A Star is Born – Micro, small, & medium silver hexes in a clear base. This is 2 very thin coats so I could get nice glitter layout. These do lay really flat & this is suspended in a nice, shiny topcoat.

So there you go! I am so excited for these new shades & I really like all of them! Like I said before, you’ll be seeing some in some nail art action soon. I really like Cabana Boy & I think it is definitely a must have. I think White Orchid is going to be an awesome white base, it isn’t drying like so many other whites that make my nails look way ridgey. Freshly Squeezed is perfect for spring, I might need to break out some spring nail art with it. I have a lot of silver glitters, but A Star is Born is a nice combination & leaves a nice shine. Shoe-A-Holic is one I can see being really popular & is a nice girly touch.

These retail for $3.99 & you can find them online on the Jesse’s Girl Website & also at Rite Aid.

There you go! I know since I posted a photo on Instagram you guys have been excited to see this! Which shades are you loving?

**Products provided in consideration for review. All opinions are my own.

Alessandro is big in Europe so I’m terribly excited to be seeing it begin to pop up in the US. Today I get to show you one of their new shades, Caramel Temptation, but I really hope to show you more in the future! Keep reading to see swatches & a review!

Caramel Temptation- A very rosy based nude with a hidden shimmer that is somewhere between light reflecting white & light gold.

This isn’t my preferred type of neutral, I feel like this would look better on a warmer skintone. I found that his polish applied nicely & I ended up doing 2 coats. It was nicely opaque which is my preference. The wear time on this was good, I got about 4 days without chipping which is super rare. My nails shed polish & all the stuff I blog about eats it. It is inevitable. I found this to dry about average but it is thicker so I suppose it could have been much slower. I’d really like to get my manicured claws on these Crystal Punk polishes I spied on another blog & these gorgeous shimmering Alessandro shades!

What do you think of this shade? I’d love to see what some brighter colors look like! Are you excited to try this for yourself?

**Polish provided in consideration of review. All opinions are my own.