Zoya Flash and Sparkle Collections Summer 2010

Well well well what have we here!? Another double collection from Zoya, which to me seems like bright cremes for summer days and shimmery jellies for summer nights. Hot, just like the season! I like that they went with deeper colors for the season, not light shades or pastels. By making the Flash brights, they keep the summer feeling for the cremes, and by making the Sparkle shimmery they catch a "night out on the town" summery feeling. Hot days, hot nights, hot nails.

Let's start with the cremes - the Flash collection. These remind me of the OPIs of last year which were inspired by those dumb tight pants which make everyone look fat except supermodels and wimpy boys. The Zoya creme formula is nice, maybe a touch thick, thin it with Zoya Renew or another thinner like my favorite, Poshe Polish Reviver, which is like 2 bucks or something for a pretty big bottle.

The sky blue, Zoya Robyn, is very close to OPI No Room for the Blues and Creative Hot Pop Blue (which was my better/cheaper alternative to OPI No Room for the Blues), but it is actually a shade darker.


Zoya Jancyn is a smooth citrus orange, I like it even though I don't, as a rule, like orange. I know OPI had In My Back Pocket - very similar though I believe that was a shade darker than Jancyn.


Zoya Perrie is a medium purple with some red in it, so it isn't much like Zoya Malia or OPI A Grape Fit. It's like a lighter Creative Studio 54 or MAC For Fun.


Zoya Jolene is a pretty standard candy pink. Very very close to China Glaze summer offering, Sugar High, which is much cheaper. It's a lot like Black Phoenix Croquet also, but hotter pink.


Zoya Maura is your standard hot red. I actually kinda like it, even though it's not my style, and is that kind of red I always shreik at when I see it on people's lips. It's a tad bluer than Zoya America, but not so different I see the point, really.


Zoya Dana: fuchsia pink. What's more to say? Cute. It's the same fuchsia pink we see everywhere but it's mercifully free of the omnipresent blurple shimmer, which makes this a kind of relief.


Onto Sparkle Collection - the SHIMMERS!!! The size and style of shimmer reminds me very much of OPI's Winter 2009 Collection I loved so much. These are nice, easily applied shimmery jellies (except for Zoya Nidhi, which is a creme). DELUMPCIOUS!!! They loosely follow the color array of the Flash Collection, with a couple replacements, but in a darker shade. Love!

Zoya Gilda is probably Dana's match, and even though it adds that tired blurple back to the fuchsia, it manages, with the jelly and the shimmer grain size, to be fresh and yummy. I guess it could be Jolene's match if Zoya Alegra is Dana's match, but Gilda matches Dana better than Jolene (see below).


Zoya Mimi is a deep royal purple shimmer jelly. Sweet.


Zoya Alegra, Dana's match? Who knows. Anyway this is a magenta with blurple shimmer. I like it.


Zoya Charla is, in my opinion, the masterpiece. It's like looking at tropical waters. It's an absolutely stunning teal my camera could not do justice. I just stared and stared at this, it is so beautiful. It absolutely glows on the nail, with an almost metallic shine. An instant addition to my top 10 polishes of all time.


Zoya Ivanka is, thankfully, NOT dark green. I am fucking sick of dark greens. I don't think it's the greatest green ever, but it's nice, shimmery, and I love the jelly!


Last but not least Zoya Nidhi is a cream with large blue shimmer. I wish the shimmer showed up more because this counterpart to Zoya Maura is an absolute STUNNER because of the blue shimmer in it. It's hot and original and a must have. LOVE.


Enjoy them, you shouldn't be disappointed with any of them unless you already have a close dupe. But BUY CHARLA!!

MAC Blue India

I haven't had much good to say about MAC polish since the Style Black Collection. A few collections have come and gone without me mentioning them, because they were frankly boring crap.

But I picked up MAC Blue India from the Give Me Liberty of London Collection and I really like it. It's a great blue/Grey creme, One coat perfect, and I don't have anything like it! A winner! The other polish in this collection is Vestral White, a boring rerelease. If you can't find WHITE CREME cheaper than this, turn in your polish brush, please.

MAC Blue India:

China Glaze Spring 2010 Up And Away Collection

I've had these a while, but with Holidays and an issue on the 30th I had not yet posted them.

What a bullseye. China Glaze Spring 2010 Up And Away Collection exactly hits that happy fresh spring mark, and this time while there are many colors I find few if any superfluous. Fun, frisky, candy-coated confections!! Exciting! There are only a few colors I would call pastel, most are vibrant. And I LOVE them. They are all cremes and I had to start thinning them after a bit to apply better, but a few drops of thinner and a topcoat makes these lovely shades I will be reaching for often. So well done, China Glaze. Kudos!!

China Glaze Flyin' High is a smoky medium blue. I can't wait to wear this with a matching tshirt. Dunno where THAT fashion mistake idea came from. But I want to. :P


China Glaze Four Leaf Clover seems more teal to me. But so great!


China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint! Mint is not my color but this is fresh and sweet.


China Glaze Lemon Fizz, light yellow. Nice shade, not orange, not gaudy.


China Glaze Happy Go Lucky is a bright sunny yellow. I don't like yellows, but this is well done.


China Glaze High Hopes. I think this orangy red looks exactly like a persimmon.


China Glaze Peachy Keen. Peach! I am sure somewhere I have a dupe of this. But it is a lovely peach. Not too pastel, not too orange.


China Glaze Heli-Yum. Yum indeed. Love it.


China Glaze Sugar High. So sexy girly candy. I want to suck on my fingertips like a flirt. COME AND EAT ME.


China Glaze Something Sweet is a pretty standard pink, but I like the hint of blue.


China Glaze Light as Air. Again we probably all have a dupe, but this is soooo nice.


China Glaze Grape Pop - GREAT shade. I don't recall having anything exactly like this, certainly not in a creme. Edited to add this shade is very close to China Glaze Grape Juice but no glass fleck.



Pick some of these up. These will be great fresh pops of color for spring, and will easily transfer into summer.

Black Phoenix Claw Polish

I was the very lucky recipient of some of the illustrious Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's nail polish, which they call Claw Polish (love it)! BPAL doesn't just make hundreds of incredible artisan perfume oils in "magickal, pagan and mythological blends, Renaissance, Medieval and Victorian formulas, and horror / Gothic-themed scents", they do jewelry, Tshirts and assorted neat stuff which fortunately includes a growing offering of nail polishes (under the Black Phoenix Trading Post arm of the site). Mostly now it is blacks and browns, deep reds and a few pinks, and one glow in the dark. I hope to see them branch out! They certainly have enough inspiration.

First thing that is notable is the formula was quite surprising. It was terrific. A polish line in which the CREMES are more manageable than the jellies??? Wow. Dries fast, hard and just like glass. It's incredibly shiny stuff. I would use topcoat for protection but it is in no way needed for a glossy finish. It's kickass. The brush may be a bit stubby for you long brush lovers, but otherwise is standard. Anyway all due accolades to the talented people at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. Thank you!!

I tried a different style photograph for these polishes, inspired by the "Claw Polish" name. Yes, Napoleon, I have large talons. If you hate it feel free to call me an asswipe.

You're going to have to take my word for it that Destroying Angel is not black. it's a dark chocolate, but it's browner than the picture. I am sure I will try again at some point.


Smokestack is actually a very dark blurple jelly with a ton of very fine subtle shimmer. It packs far more punch than you think it will. Very nice.


Croquet they call a flamingo pink, I think it's a bit softer and a great deal prettier than flamingo. Bet the Sissies will love this one!


Malediction is simply black, with that stunning super-gloss that China Glaze Patent Leather has. This is a jelly, not a creme.


Sed Non Satiata is a smooth, sleek berry.


Robotic Scarab is a gleaming bronze shimmer. I drool on this.


Bordello is a beautiful lightly metallic raspberry shimmer. Suckable!

MollyHell's Grab Bag! - Maybelline Denim Inspired Polishes

I go crazy over denim inspired polishes. I have no idea why, I am not crazy over blue jeans, even though I wear them a lot like most people. But denim type nail polish makes me nuts. Go figure.

Maybelline Jean Jacket. Shimmer soaked. Has a great purple shine, kinda like OPI Ink. Really reminds me of new unwashed denim.


Maybelline Button Fly is a creme, love this so very much.


I don't think Maybelline Blue Chill is denim inspired, but it still reminds me of very old, very faded denim. Great grey/blue with blue shimmer.


I've posted Zoya Jo before but it also reminds me of denim.


Any other denim polishes you know of you can hip me to, dude, I'd love it.

OPI Winter 2009 Holiday Wishes Collection!

OPI's Winter 2009 Holiday Wishes Collection consists of two parts. One half is six reds called the "Glamour Reds", and the other six polishes are the "Dark & Neutrals". First let's get the formula out of the way - this was uniformly easy to apply and non-staining, and easy to remove, though the large grain shimmers took a bit more effort. I love OPI's wide brush. It does make the curve at the top of the nail a bit difficult, but it allows for such easy application otherwise. So formula is no problem here.

Let's start with the Darks & Neutrals. I'd say this part of the collection was pretty damned terrific.

I'll start with what I consider the weakest polish of these six, OPI All A-Bordeaux the Sled, and it's only the weakest because this is simply a standard dark wine vampy jelly. So given that it's unoriginal, you have to admit it's incredibly hot. I got the mini set which included this (only $6.11 at TransDesign) and feel no need for a big bottle, but I wouldn't be surprised if you do. It's a year-round great vampy.


I don't normally love browns, but I like Ginger Bells!. It's a great orangy brown creme which absolutely gives me a Fall feeling. It's sleek and shiny, and could go with so many outfits. I used this as the base color for my Migi Nail Art gingerbread man. I think OPI did a great job capturing that kind of fall baked goods feeling with this one. Mmmm, spicy!


Holiday Glow is a prune-like brown/purple with small silver glitter. It's fun, but it's not the standout of this collection.


OPI Sapphire in the Snow. I want to stab someone in the face I love this polish so much. I wish on the finger it was the same color as in the bottle (I found it a bit darker), but it's so cobalt it almost glows from within. It's incredibly gorgeous even if it is so dark. I LOVE this!


Even with the beauties we have already seen, OPI Shim-Merry Chic and the next polish are the real stars of this collection, in my opinion. Shim-Merry Chic is a bronze shimmer/frost just jam-packed with soft pink/gold/bronze flakes, and tiny rainbow flecks. The picture doesn't begin to do justice to its beauty.


OPI Merry Midnight is a wonder. It's a violet jelly also chock full of that gorgeous soft-shade jewel tone flakes that Shim-Merry Chic has, and also the same pinpoint rainbow shimmer. It's so festive, so pretty, so mesmerizing!



The other half of the Winter 2009 Holiday Wishes Collection, the Glamour Reds, well, it's a whole lotta red. I love reds and even I think this is too many. Luckily they are all gorgeous.

Comet Loves Cupid is kinda like All A-Bordeaux the Sled, in that it's been done, so I don't quite understand it's inclusion. I think it's a bit too bold for most people, but it is very sizzling stuff.


OPI Meet & Jingle is a yummy bluish red cranberry-colored frost. Luckily it's only minimally streaky. I like it well enough.


OPI Glove You So Much is a kind of blackened burgundy. It's in that strange place where could be a slight frost, or a subdued shimmer. I kinda go with frost, but it has very little streaking and damn what a color!!! This color is stunning.


Smitten With Mittens is a new top ten entry in My Favorite reds. Deep, rich, and packed with huge shimmer, this just screams fancy party. It makes me feel like I am putting on my best to go celebrate. The color is great and the shimmer is eye-popping.


The last two Glamour Reds are Crimson Carol and Dear Santa. Despite the pictures, Dear Santa and Crimson Carol are quite similar in real life. I kinda don't see the need for both. So pick one, they're both very, very pretty. Dear Santa is slightly darker, Crimson Carol is slightly bluer.



TransDesign sells a mini pack I already mentioned with Comet Loves Cupid, All A-Bordeaux the Sled, Holiday Glow and Shim-Merry Chic, for $6.11. It also has three other polish boxed sets consisting of two full sized Holiday Glow polishes with a bracelet for $9.98. Nice gift! Enjoy these. I think it's a wonderful collection.

*Note: All but Holiday Glow are photographed with glue-on nails!

Halloween Leftover: Ulta Glow Get a Treat OPI Mini Set

Halloween is over, but I picked up this little mini set at Ulta for a whopping $2.99. It has three polishes, a white glow-in-the-dark, a light blue glow-in-the-dark and an orange creme. I have always wanted Boo-Berry, the blue one, so I snagged this set. Now I don't have to pay eBay prices! An added bonus to this pack: these two glow-in-the-dark polishes are by FAR the brightest I have tried, including Sally Beauty, other OPIS, Wet n' Wild, and China Glaze.


OPI Ghostess With the Mostess, the white GITD:


OPI Boo-Berry, the blue GITD, is very sheer but I LOVE the color:


OPI Pumped Up Pumpkin is darker orange creme than the Tattoo Ta-Boo orange, and I like it better.