Saturday, December 24, 2011

Essie Dive Bar

Now here is a shade I had been lemming for a REALLY long time. When ShopRite put all of their Essie shades on sale for $4.99, I marched my behind right over to the local Harmons and price matched a slough of colors. One of which was Dive Bar! It's really hard to describe this color. Sometimes, it looks like a dark emerald. Other time, it looks like an ocean blue. But most of the times, I would say it looks like a blackened teal.

Regardless, it's to die for and I'm so glad that I bought this retail exclusive shade.

What do you think of Essie Dive Bar?

Friday, December 23, 2011

OPI Meep Meep Meep

A big hello from the sunny shores of Florida! Thanks for sticking with me during the break from the 30 Days of Zoya Challenge and my time off of the grid. If you haven't voted on the most recent post, be sure to do so here.

The first polish I'm going to show you has special significance to me. When I was a toddler, I used to LOVE to watch Muppet Babies. In fact, I used to love the character Beeker so much that I would zoom around the house, yelling "Beeka beeka!"

So I found it super appropriate that when OPI released their Muppets collection, the first shade I rocked was Meep Meep Meep! Because I had gotten the polish as part of a manicure, I don't have a bottle shot. But it was just a bit pinker in the bottle than in the photo that you see.

On the nail, there's much more of a blue flash than in the bottle. But it looks redder, as well. I honestly didn't care, though. It was a beauty. It's definitely a great color for Christmas.

Until tomorrow!
Princess Polish

New Years Contest

While I'm off sailing the seven seas (okay, maybe just one), I thought it would be a fun idea to run a little contest. One winner will receive a very appropriate prize: a mini set of the OPI Pirates of the Caribbean collection.

All you have to do is create your best New Years-themed manicure! To enter, you can email me a picture of your nails at PrincessPolishBlog@gmail.com.

Here are the rules:

1) Only one entry per person.

2) This contest ends at 11:59pm EST on December 31st.

3) This contest is open to residents of the US only.

4) All winners must be 18+.

Good luck!

- Princess Polish

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Day 16: Zoya Reva

Oh, Reva... how you have earned this one! *Sigh* Now she gets to ride off into the sunset with Prince Charming. (Who, in my mind, is the Prince Charming/James from Once Upon a Time, but I digress...)I'm so glad that Reva finally got the love that she deserves because she is gorgeous. A hot pink with gold glass flecks, Zoya Reva is an absolute stunner.
And here she is in the shade!

I really considered using this color for my holiday manicure, but chose to go with something a little more representative of Chanukah. Don't get me wrong, it's sparkly (which you know, I'm all in favor of), but I wanted to go against the trend of bright pink and red sparkles.

On the subject of the holidays, this will be my last Zoya post until the New Year, as I am traveling with my family on vacation. Our first stop will be Florida to visit my grandmother and then we're heading out on our third annual cruise (technically, cruise #5 for us… but the other two were spaced further apart). We'll be making stops in St. Thomas (I have been once and it is LITERALLY paradise), Antigua, Tortola, and the Bahamas.

I'm going to schedule posts through New Years Eve, but none will be Zoya. They'll be a hodgepodge of various nail art and swatches I have been collecting over the past few months for the occasion. But I promise, it's going to be pretty cool. Keep an eye out for a special post tomorrow for a giveaway that will run while I am gone, as my holiday present to you all!

As a result of my absence, I'm going to give you options for a New Years Day-themed Zoya post and please pick the polish you would most like to wear for a New Years Party: Charla, Mimi, Jo, Jana, Petra, Dree, Nimue, Tao, Kristen, Jo, Breezi, Mira, Colbie, Kotori, or Valerie?

I hope you all have a great holiday, whether it be Christmas, Chanukah, or Kwaanza and enjoy your vacations. I'll try to post pictures while I'm gone, if my iPhone (and Verizon) cooperate.

Lots of love,
Princess Polish

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Day 15: Zoya Ibiza

We're officially halfway through and Ibiza really ran away with this one! Then again, I don't blame you ladies.
Zoya Ibiza is a deep, rich blue that reminds me of the ocean in the moonlight. Just the slightest hint of shimmer blended with a metallic finish!

Hands down, Ibiza is my favorite blue and per usual, the wear was fantastic.

Tomorrow's theme is going to be called "Always the Bridesmaid…" and it will feature Tao and Reva going head to head for your vote!

So what do you say, ladies? Which bridesmaid is finally going to find her Prince Charming? And who else hopes he's the Charming from ABC's Once Upon a Time?

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Day 14: Zoya Yara

It literally came down to ONE vote that put Kermit and Yara on top of Miss Piggy and Reva. Poor Reva... always the bridesmaid and never the bride.

But I do happen to love Yara. I never thought this olivey color green was for me. I thought it would make my skin look yellow.But I must say that this is a much more flattering shade for me than I thought it would be. This type of army green is actually nice with my skin tone.

The gold glass flecks are the exact same color as the flecks in Neeka and I really dig them. SPARKLE SHOT!

So what do you think, ladies? Is Yara your shade of green? Or is there another Zoya you like more?

Lady Winter has reared her ugly head here in New Jersey, so for Day 15, pick from Breezi, Tao, and Ibiza!

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Day 13: Zoya Holly

I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of greens on my nails. In fact, I rarely find one that I love enough to wear on my nails. But Holly made me a believer.


She is the richest shade of green I have ever seen. Not too yellow, too blue, or too black. The only word I have to describe her with is perfect.


Zoya calls her a metallic, but I do see the slightest hint of shimmer. Enough to keep this glitter fiend happy, anyway. So much so, I rocked Holly for Black Friday at work at received TONS of complements!


Then again, it could also just be the candy canes looked so delicious!

For Day 14, I'm thinking we take another trip to the movies! So it's time to see which half of my favorite on-screen couple is YOUR favorite?

Are you green like Yara and Kermit? Or tickled pink like Reva and Miss Piggy?

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Day 12: Zoya Neeka

Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting... been having MAJOR issues with my camera card, so I had to reswatch some polishes tonight. It was kind of sad. :-(

BUT, luckily, I only lost a few and we're still on schedule to complete the 30 Days of Zoya before 12/20! Woot!

Anyway, here is Neeka!

Neeka is a beautiful gold-flecked purple that is an absolute showstopper. The gold flecks are so prominent, but not overpowering. Per usual, Zoya got it exactly right.

Even from the side, she is to die for. And the formula was dreamy. Two coats is all you need. She's still perfect for the winter.

It feels so damn good to be back. Tomorrow, let's go for a holiday theme since we've kicked off the Christmas/Chanukah season. You can pick from Colbie for Christmas, Holly for Christmas, or Noel for Chanukah.

Thanks for sticking with me!
Princess Polish

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Day 11: Dupe or No Dupe (Zoya Noel)

The closest Ulta to my house has always been forty-five minutes away and not even remotely on the way to anywhere else I might need to travel, preventing me from making an excuse to drive there.

But, as of yesterday, a new location opened up ten minutes from Rutgers and fifteen minutes from my house, giving me little to no excuses any longer. Combine that with the fact that Torrid and Five Below are in the same shopping center and, well, you can deduce where my entire paycheck is going to be going in the near future.

One of the great things at Ulta is the fact that they constantly have sales going on. So yesterday, I took advantage of two of them. The first, was the Buy 2, Get 1 (B2G1) on Orly, China Glaze, and Nicole by OPI. I really wanted Fowl Play (FLAKIES!!!!), so wound up going with Orly.

But the other sale, which happens to be partially the subject of today's post, was the Mix n Match 5 for $5 sale. This included some shades of Ulta polish, so how could I resist? I picked up five shades, along with some other goodies, and came home to enjoy my haul.

After rifling through my bag, I picked up Ulta Alter Ego:

Does this look familiar to you? Because it should...

This is my brand new bottle of Zoya Noel. So new, in fact, that I had yet to even open the bottle... until now.

Let's play...

Dupe... or No Dupe!



Noel is an icy blue with silver glitter, a cousin to last winter's Crystal. The main difference is that Crystal has gold glitter. But the base color blue is virtually identical.

Alter Ego is also an icy blue with silver glitter.

From index to pinky: Alter Ego, Noel, Alter Ego, Noel

They look pretty similar after one coat, though Noel (middle and pinky) looks slightly darker.

After two coats, Noel might be a tinge darker. But look at the index and pinky fingers. Did you have to scroll back and see which were which? I know I had to double check my notes.

Just for fun, and to confuse you a little more, I added a coat of the new Essie Shine of the Times from the Luxeffects Collection. Ignore the pinky, I'm a KLUTZ. (Note: SotT is a dupe in and of itself of Nubar 2010 and Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure)

So are they a dupe? Let's find out!

Leila, open the case...

...

...

IT'S A DUPE!

I love Zoya more than I can possibly say, but to get the same shade for $1 at Ulta would be much easier than ordering online and save me some money I could spend on another shade via a promo.

I received Zoya Noel via the Halloween Promo, so all I paid was shipping. I just would have picked Kissy over Noel, had I known.

This will be the first time I'll ever advocate another polish over Zoya, solely because it's less expensive and of virtually the same quality. Just make sure you check the brush to avoid having a stray bristle like I did. None of the other Ultas I bought had that, so just be aware.

Your regularly-scheduled programming will continue tomorrow with Day 12, which will now be the designated day of glass-flecked polishes! Be sure to vote for Reva, Yara, or Neeka in the comment section here and on Facebook for a bonus entry!

See you all tomorrow! Happy shopping!
Princess P

Monday, November 21, 2011

Day 10: Zoya Indigo

We're one-third of the way through the 30 Days of Zoya Challenge! Can you believe it? I can't.

For Day 10, you all voted in Zoya Indigo. Poor Tao... always the bridesmaid, never the bride.


Zoya Indigo is absolutely gorgeous in the bottle, a deep royal blue with rainbow sparkles. Personally, I'm a sucker for a rich blue, but don't wear them too often due to the difficulty in removal from my nails. Blech, stains!


Even in the shade, indoors... the depth of the color comes through.


Now, I love the idea of these specks of rainbow glitter in the polish, a la Essie Starry Night. But I was slightly disappointed that it didn't show up much on my nails.


Even with a sparkle shot here, you can see that there is only a small smattering of the glitter on the nail. It's really a great shade, but it left me wanting a little more.

But tomorrow, there will be no want for glitter! More specifically, gold glitter! So choose from Yara, Neeka, and Reva, which all feature gorgeous gold glass flecks!

Until tomorrow,
Princess P

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Ulta's Black Friday Ad

Click here to view the newly-released Black Friday ad from Ulta.

There's a cute Deck the Halls mini set from OPI for $7.99 and a mini set from Ulta for %2.99.

There's also a Chi Hair Straightener for $79.99 with a coupon and a 200-piece makeup palette for $16.99.

But other than that, considering it opens at midnight by me and will literally be the East Brunswick location's first day of operation (I know. I KNOW.), color me unimpressed. What do you guys think?

Day 9: Zoya Codie

By a PRETTY close margin, Team Jacob and Codie has come out on top!

Codie is a gorgeous rich chocolate brown with a buttery application. It was opaque in two moderate coats. I'm a big fan of the color for two reasons.



The first is that the shade is beautiful. I'm not normally a fan of browns, but this color looked like I had melted a Hershey bar on my nails and was the perfect shade. I'm not a big fan of tans and coffee colors, but this was just right.

Secondly, I have a Chocolate Labrador Retriever named Dakota, whom we all call Kody, and Zoya Codie looks just like her. See?




And both look like our couch!

Now that Princess Puppy has made her debut on the blog, it's time to get to voting!

With the weather outside turning cold after a few days in the mid-sixties, I think it's only appropriate to revert back to a winter theme. So embrace Lady Winter... and vote for Ibiza, Indigo, or Tao.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Day 8: Zoya Faye

Faye absolutely DOMINATED the competition this go around. WOW. You go, girl!

Faye is a dazzling lilac and gold glitter with a blush tone to it. It's very feminine and delicate, but much more sophisticated than wearing bubblegum pink glitter.

Originally, I had put on two coats of polish. But I found that it was a little two sheer and needed three coats. Above, you can see I only have two coats on the pinky and ring, but three on the middle and index. I definitely prefer three coats of Faye.

I couldn't resist a sparkle shot!

The wear on her is entirely impressive. I wore Faye for TWO WHOLE WEEKS over the summer with just some minor tip wear. And that is in spite of mornings in a pool and time spent at a ballpark.

In honor of the release of Breaking Dawn (I know, I know… but it's a really cute theme!), please vote whether you're Team Edward (Anja) or Team Jacob (Codie).

Monday, November 14, 2011

Day 7: Zoya Julieanne

Ding ding ding! The winner of glitter madness, by a healthy landslide, is officially Zoya Julieanne!




A dark, inky glass flecked purple, Julieanne is a gorgeous shade that packs all sorts of vampy goodness. It is also a dupe for Orly Out of this World from the Cosmic FX collection. You can see the punch of this deep grape in the bottle, long before you even put it on! The only complaint that I have is that unlike its Orly counterpart, Julieanne doesn't show off any duo-chrome sparkle on the nail.



I love how from some angles, she looks almost speckled. This would be under sunlight conditions.



This is Julieanne in the shade...



This is Julieanne overexposed to show just how many flecks there ACTUALLY are...



And lastly, this is Julianne at the beach...



GOTCHA!

With the warm weather making an appearance here in Jersey, let's go for a little Sunshine and Summertime. Zoya Breezi, Mira, Faye, and Reva are asking for your vote. So get to it!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

DEAL ALERT: OPI at JC Penney

According to the JC Penney flier for this week, all OPI nail polishes are buy one, get one 50%

It specifically states that this includes the Muppets Collection and judging by the price range of up to $16.95, I would go as far as to say the DS polishes will also be on sale. Be sure to grab your local newspaper for the flier with a coupon (varies by region) for additional savings.

If you head to JCP and pick up some polishes, please check back in here and let us know what you scooped up!

Happy Hauling!
Princess Polish

Friday, November 11, 2011

Day 6: Zoya Marina

Oh man, was this an UPSET! Truth be told, I thought Charla was going to run away with the competition. But I was entirely wrong!



Instead, Marina, a metallic cadet blue won out the poll. I was surprised to find that I really liked this shade, in spite of my slight aversion to metallics. Some metallic polishes turn out super streaky, but I should have known Zoya would never fall into that category.

Marina was perfect for fall, but truthfully, this is a color you could very well wear throughout the winter. It has an iciness to it that will fit right in.

Okay, ladies... tomorrow's theme is glitter madness! So you can choose from Mimi, Charla, Julieanne, Valerie, Reva, or Faye. Get out there and vote!!!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Day 5: Zoya Blair

I was really surprised that Blair was the winner, not that I don't love her. I thought Valerie would win by a landslide, but boy was I wrong!

Blair holds a special place in my heart for two reasons. The first is that my younger sister's middle name is Blair and I was the one who picked it when she was born. (Side note: We're ten years apart in age. That should explain it!) AND it is one of the first Zoyas I ever owned. I had received them as part of the Earth Day promo in 2009, with Indigo, Charla, Mimi, Colbie, and Ibiza, and have not looked back since! Although, now I'm pushing 40 Zoya polishes and they have a box of their own in my polish bin.

So without further adieu, hereeeeeeeeeee's Blair!



Blair is a gorgeous and rich cranberry metallic that is perfect for the upcoming holiday season. When I first received Blair, I wasn't sure it would be a color I would wear for more than a day.




Turns out, Blair is very flattering for my skintone and I will likely pack it with me when I go on vacation. I've been wearing her for three days and will be sad when I have to take the shade off tomorrow.

And speaking of tomorrow, since it has been so unseasonably warm here in Jersey, the theme is going to be ocean water. So vote for Charla, Indigo, Marina, or Ibiza for the Day 6!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Day 4: Zoya Areej

Sorry for the delay, folks... got caught up at school today and wasn't able to finish up in time to post this afternoon.

But without further adieu, here is your choice for Day 4... Zoya Areej!


Areej is a beautiful, bubblegum pink creme. It was the perfect choice for the summer and a really nice change of pace for me. I'm constantly wearing sparkly colors, but usually favor purples and blues. However, Areej got me hook, line, and sinker.



As if you expected anything less, this pink applied like butter and was super glossy even before I added a coat of Seche Vite for good measure.

But after wearing this bright color, I want to get in touch with my inner dark side. So for day 5, our theme will be vampy shades: Colbie, Blair, Valerie, and Anja.

Happy voting!
Princess Polish

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Day 3: Zoya Cynthia

I originally bought this color for my roommate, who is also named Cynthia, as part of her birthday present. Then, as it turned out, I snagged the whole collection from a Zoya giveaway. So now, we each have our own!



Cynthia is a lovely peacock blue that is so easy to apply, I could do it half asleep. And considering I swatched this after studying for an exam, I pretty much did. This is with two coats. I probably could have used another for a richer finish, but I was EXHAUSTED.

The best part about this polish is that it breaks the mold of most other, hard-to-remove blues. It took a little extra effort at the cuticle with a cotton swab, but it didn't leave any ugly stains that made me feel like Smurfette. And that's a REALLY good thing.

So, what do you think about Cynthia? Is she your cup of tea or are you going to pass on her?

For Day 4, put down the glitter and back away from the pixie dust, Tinkerbell!!! We're going with cremes! Your choices for tomorrow are Mira, Breezi, and Areej. Get voting!

And remember, the more days you vote, the more entries you get! (Full rules here.)

Enjoy your Sunday!
Princess Polish

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Day 2: Zoya Jem

Jem was the first polish I ordered from the Smoke and Mirrors collection as part of the Buy 1, Get 2 promo way back when. I also received Cynthia and Meeka in the shipment.

Now, I have the whole collection. But truthfully, Jem is my favorite and the true star of the twelve!



If you look at the bottle alone, it seems as though Jem should be a duochrome. While appearances in this case are deceiving, don't hold it against her. Jem is an absolute stunner of a glass-flecked fuschia. If I wasn't undertaking the 30 Day Challenge, I would wear this color for days!



Here, from the side, you can see just how much pop this polish packs. Look at that sparkle!

Alright, ladies. Time to get voting again. After tomorrow, I'm going to have some older polishes as options, so let's make this a Smoke and Mirrors theme. Pick one polish from the Smoke or Mirrors collection and leave your vote below or on Facebook.

Until tomorrow!
Princess Polish

Friday, November 4, 2011

Day 1: Zoya Crystal

I purchased Zoya Crystal last fall and didn't get the chance to wear it for the first time until February. But thanks to you awesome readers, I'm now rocking Crystal on campus and getting tons of compliments.



Zoya Crystal is an amazingly gorgeous ice blue color that applies like butter. It has flecks of silver and gold glitter all throughout the polish. It really looks naturally speckled, not even like glitter is suspended in it at all.



Close up, you can see that Crystal's base color looks very similar to Noel, a shade you'll see as soon as my Halloween package comes in the mail.

It really is the perfect color as we move into winter. Can you believe there's actually snow on the ground at my campus?

Alright, readers... it's up to you again! Let's go with my favorite color of all this time: purple! Zoya Nimue, Zoya Meeka, Zoya Petra, and Zoya Jem are your choices. (I'm saving the more glittery purples for a different theme). Get to voting.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Announcing: 30 Days of Zoya + Giveaway!



I wanted to challenge myself to do something different than random swatching for the month of November. So I decided to do a 30-day challenge in which I use one particular brand and have all you readers vote on which colors you want me to swatch. All readers who vote will be entered into a giveaway for two mystery Zoya polishes!

And who better to kick off my challenge than Zoya?

So starting tomorrow, we'll have 30 days of Zoya polishes, with some extra swatches of collections and random colors, as well as some deal alerts thrown in.

Here's how it will work: I'll write about one color, as well as its swatches, and end the post with a choice of three polishes for the following day. And then it's up to you guys!

So feel free to comment on this post via Facebook or in the comments section of the blog. All readers who vote will be entered into a giveaway for two mystery Zoya polishes!

Here are the rules:

1. You must be a GFC Follower or be a fan of Princess Polish on Facebook to win.

2. You can vote twice per day, once on Facebook and once in the comments section, for a total of 60 entries over the course of the challenge.

3. You can also receive one additional vote OVERALL for sharing the challenge/giveaway on Facebook.

4. You can receive one additional vote OVERALL for re-tweeting my post on Twitter, via @PrincessPolish. RT Check out @Princess_Polish's 30 Days of Zoya Challenge for a chance to win two mystery Zoya polishes. See how: http://tinyurl.com/3umgs4o

5. Votes from the previous day will no longer be counted for a giveaway entry after the current day goes live. For example, votes for Day 1's color won't be counted after Day 3's post goes live.

6. This is open to individuals in the United States who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the US with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).

7. The deadline to enter is 48 hours after the final post of the challenge, Day 30.

8. You must use a valid email address and/or Twitter/Facebook account to enter.

9. Once notified as a winner, you must respond within 48 hours or I will select a new winner.

Tomorrow's post will be blue-themed and here are your choices: Crystal, Marina, and Cynthia. Get to voting!!!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

EPIC HAUL: Borghese Fantasioso (Rapido) Collection

I was picking up Halloween decorations at a local, independent dollar store near my house and out of the corner of my eye, spotted a supermarket basket next to a nail polish display. Through the slats, I noticed these familiar swirly tops that could only mean one thing...

BORGHESE!!!!

Borghese polishes retail for upwards of $8 at various drug stores, but for $1? I bought one of every color! As it turned out, these were their quick-dry polishes from the Spring 2011 collection.



First up is Capriccio Blue which looks a lot like Revlon Blue Lagoon without the sparkle. I only wish it had a little better application.



Next is Romanzo Pink, a bubblegum pink. This is the shade that pops into my mind when I think of Barbie pink. Again, same streak issue.



Cantanto Purple was a lovely dark lilac color that I adore. I apologize for the blurry nature of the picture, I did not realize my Macro wasn't on during this shot. But it's a beautiful color and was probably the least streaky of the collection.



Felice Tangerine was a great shade in the bottle and would have been awesome if it wasn't so streaky. Yet again. Unfortunately, while this shade would have been one of a few oranges to actually work with my skin tone, it looked terribly clumpy on my nails.



Fantastico Lime was, by far, the worst application of the collection. And it really was a shame for such a promising color.



Last is Castello Blue, a deep sky blue. I LOVED this color, but the application is pretty streaky. I think that this is mainly because of the quick-dry formula, as it was a common theme throughout this collection.

Overall, I was disappointed in the application of the color. If you pick up any colors, I would go with Cantanto Purple hands down. It is the easiest to work with and I think the color I would wear more than once.