Day 25: Zoya Petra

When I received the Smoke and Mirrors collection, there were three polishes in there I figured only my roommate would wear. One of them was Petra. But when I saw the shade on her nails, I could not believe how deceiving the color looked in the bottle.

Petra is a dusky gray creme with heavy purple undertones. In fact, it's a pretty wearable color for me, especially considering she was going into my share pile. The funny thing is that in toying around with my recent discovery that layering OPI DS Shimmer over anything and everything makes great polishes even more amazing, I found out how to make Petra a total showstopper.

How drool-worthy is THAT?

For Day 26, let's have a good 'ol battle of the blues: Kristen v. Breezi. Get to voting!

And don't forget to enter the Peter Som Collection Giveaway. Just three days left!

Happy Thursday!
Princess Polish

Hump Day Holo: China Glaze Traffic Jam

I've been toying around for a few days with my bottle of OPI DS Shimmer and using it as a top coat to make creme polishes holo. So I thought it would be kind of fun on Wednesdays to showcase the holo-fied polish of the week.

Up this week is China Glaze Traffic Jam!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

SUPER SPARKLES!

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

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.

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!!!

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

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

Wet n Wild Ready to Pounce

Okay, I know what some of you are thinking. You've blogged about Zoya, OPI, and China Glaze… but Wet n Wild is not even in the same category. So why bother?

I'm not going to lie. Prior to this year, I'd always viewed Wet n Wild as nothing more than a bargain brand polish. And listen, I have nothing against these "bargain polishes." To be honest, as a college student, I can't really afford to go out and only buy designer brand polishes, considering brands like Butter London and Deborah Lippmann cost double digits and Zoya/Orly/OPI/China Glaze hover just below the $10 mark. That's why clearance racks are a girl's best friend.

But I have to give Wet n Wild credit where credit is due. Gone are the old formulas in which I'd have to thin out their polishes after a month, causing me to spill nail polish remover all over my desk. Gone are the streaky finishes and gloppy applications.

In fact, today, October 3th, 2011, I will confidently stand on my soapbox and proclaim that Wet n Wild makes solid quality polishes for a fantastic price!

If you need convincing, I suggest you head to your nearest drug store and pick up a polish from their On the Prowl collection. And if you can't find any polishes from that collection… it's because it has become one of the hardest to find beauty products of the season. Not OPI, not Essie, not Illamasqua… Wet n Wild. Seriously, there is a blog that actually has an interactive map where people post locations in which it has been spotted. See?

In fact, I managed to snag the last one of Ready to Pounce, the most highly touted one of them all, from Harmons, if only to see what everyone has been raving about. And guess what I found out?



Shut the front door. It's. Gorgeous.

A beautiful vampy plum, with subtle purple shimmer, it's the perfect fall color. It has lasted for over five days now and has survived my subconscious nail chewing of the LSATs, with the slight ding in my middle finger due to my overzealous chocolate lab. If only she had waited until the chew toy was no longer in my hand…

And if it takes the tooth of a ninety-pound chocolate lab to take this baby down, then you KNOW it'll hold up well to the rest of the elements. You'll have to excuse the lack of a bottle shot… it was being passed around amongst my friends for use at the time this article was written.

Oh and speaking of Deborah Lippmann? The cost of DL Happy Birthday, DL Ruby Slippers, and DL Wicked Game? A wallet-busting $54 at your local Nordstroms.

The cost of their WnW dupes, Party of Five Glitters, Behind Closed Doors, and Gray's Anatomy? $5.97.

Want to join me on my soapbox?

- Princess Polish