Zoya Kimmy vs. Hard Candy Lava (Plus Konad)

      Okay, so in my post about Kimmy, I mentioned that it could possibly be a dupe of Hard Candy Lava. While procrastinating on life (*in Rajiv from Outsourced voice* because that's how I do it) I was able to get together a quick comparison of the two, so here it is:

Sunlight, no flash.

L-R: Kimmy, Lava, Kimmy, Lava

Natural light, no flash.

L-R: Kimmy, Lava, Kimmy, Lava

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L-R: Kimmy, Lava, Kimmy, Lava

Sunlight, no flash.

L-R: Lava, Kimmy

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L-R: Lava, Kimmy

    Okay, so they aren't dupes. Lava is more vibrant, warmer, and more orange than Kimmy, and the shimmer is more spherical and less distinct. But really, you only see a true difference in bright sunlight and certain levels of shade. Under florescent light, they look much much more similar. They also have similar formulas, with both reaching opacity in three coats.

    So I don't really think that a person would need both. If you did get both, you'd be able to justify it, but both are probably not necessary unless you have a thing for these types of colors.  As to which one is better,  idk. I suppose that depends on access and personal preference. I like them both the same. 

I also did some Konading on Kimmy. 

I used Color Club Revvvolution, with Plate M57.

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   It's not the most creative combo, and I don't even think I really liked it, but it was okay to wear for a day. Can't go wrong with leopard print. ^_^

Diamond Cosmetics Cherry Tobacco

            As part of my birthday bender present to myself, I placed an order from Diamond Cosmetics. I'd been wanting to try their stuff for a long time and the prices were going up, so it seemed like a good time. One of the polishes I got was Cherry Tobacco. 

Cherry Tobacco is a rich, blackened red creme base with tons of burgundy and amber shimmer in it.

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     Cherry Tobacco is vampy, shimmery, sexified goodness. It has that gorgeous effect where it's black on the edges and bright in the middle, and I love how it's hard to really tell what color it is. Sometimes, it looks burgundy and other times, it's more of a deep chocolate shade. It reminds me of dark cherry wood, actually. Ahh I couldn't look away from my nails when I had this on...it's just so freaking hot. 

   Cherry Tobacco also boasts an amazing formula. I was doing my nails kind of close to bedtime, and this polish was actually opaque in one generous coat. I went with two and a layer of topcoat, but both were unnecessary, since Cherry Tobacco also dried with it's own little sheen. The polish also went on uber-smooth and was very controllable. My only complaint was that the brush was a little bit stiff, but I guess I'd rather it be too stiff than too loosey-goosey. 

But that's all I've got for today! I hope everyone has a beautiful Friday, and thanks for reading! 

Zoya Kimmy

   Today, I have my final (whoop!) polish from the Sunshine Collection. Meet Kimmy!

Kimmy is a bright and bold cherry red base with red and gold shimmer particles in it.

The shimmer comes together to form a sparkly foil finish, a la the Sparkle Collection.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

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Natural light, with flash.

Yes, this is a terrible, unevenly lit, blurry as hell picture, but I like that it shows how bright Kimmy is and how it sparkles. So I'm putting it in. Say something. *puts on G face*

Sunlight, no flash.

      Kimmy is so beautiful. It features such a bold and pure shade of red that it fairly glows, and I'm in love with the sparkling metallic finish. I'm already planning a Fourth of July look around this polish...it's perfect for that occasion. All spangly and majorette-like. However, I think that Kimmy is not that unique. When I put it on, I had a niggling feeling that it reminded me of something, but I couldn't place it until like just now. It reminds me of Hard Candy Lava. Kimmy maybe features its gold shimmer a little bit more prominently and Lava may be a bit oranger, but I'm like...99% sure that they're at least kissing cousins. So expect a comparison for that in the near future. 

    I think because it has a different finish from them, Kimmy was much better than its Sunshine sisters, in terms of pigmentation. I only needed two coats for opacity, but went with three for fun. It also went on smoothly and dried fast. 

And that is the last of my summer Zoyas! Personally, I think that they did a good job overall, although the Summertime portion seemed rather uninspired. And instead of making Faye that plummy purple, they should have made her a really vibrant lapis lazuli or turquoise blue. ALSO, they should have given all the mattes the same shimmer that they gave Phoebe. But besides that stuff, not bad Zoya. 

Thanks for reading, and have a great day! :D

Zoya Tanzy

Next one from the Sunshine Collection is Tanzy. 

Tanzy is a bunch of small and flat gold shimmer particles in a warm, sheer tangerine base.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

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    I actually don't like Tanzy on me. I like warm colors, but on me, Tanzy just looks brassy. It would look killer on someone with a darker skin tone though. But looking at it objectively, Tanzy is a good color. It's bright and sunny, and when the shimmer catches the light, it sparkles and makes me feel like I have sunbeams at the tips of my fingers. So Tanzy is great for summer, but it'll also be awesome for a winter pick-me-up mani...looking at it, I feel like I should be lounging on an orchard in Florida, eating clementines and feeling the sun on my skin. 

   Formula-wise, Tanzy was okay. It was a little sheer, so what you see in the pictures are three coats. Four on some fingers. But at least it went on smoothly and dried in a reasonable amount of time.

And that's all for today! Thanks for reading! 

Zoya Faye

Are you guys sick of Zoya yet? I'm a little sick of them. But I just have a few more to go from the Sunshine Collection, and then we can go look at other stuff. I thought it'd be nice to start this collection off on a high note, so here's Faye.

Faye is a ton of gold and purple flat shimmer particles in a sheer plummy base. 

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

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I tried to blur this one a little bit, to show the sparkles.

Natural light, no flash.

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     Faye is so gorgeous! I actually think of it as Danni's grandma. In lower light, the golden shimmer kind of takes over parts of the nail so you get a bit of a purple-golden-copper duochrome-type thing going. I tried to show some of that in the second to last picture. And in sunlight, the shimmer glitters so beautifully. I love how it dances across the nail and contrasts with the base color. My only thing with Faye is that I don't really see it as belonging in this collection. All the other shades are really bright and sunny, but this one is kind of not. It actually reminds me most strongly of changing leaves, so maybe it would be better suited for a fall release. But it's still awesome and unique.

   Faye's formula didn't really give me issues. It was a bit sheer, so four coats was necessary to eliminate all VNL. And it doesn't seem to want to cure...I've been wearing it for about...14 hours now, and some of my nails are still dentable. But it went on okay...nice and smooth. 

And that's all! Thanks for reading! ^_^

Zoya Phoebe + China Glaze Lightning Bolt

         Today, I have Phoebe from Zoya's recently released Mod Mattes Collection. I was actually wearing it yesterday too, for Autism Awareness Day, but the weather sucked, so I couldn't take pictures. But better late than never, right? 

Phoebe is an electric azure blue polish with really fine silver shimmer, all in a matte finish.

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

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And some shots of her with topcoat:

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Natural light, no flash.

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     Okay, I love Phoebe. The shade of blue is bright and fun without being too much. And the silver shimmer is a beautiful touch. Phoebe is unmistakably matte, which is good in my book. I mean, if you're gonna be a matte, commit to it. But the silver shimmer cuts the finish a little, giving Phoebe a nice bit of dimension. With topcoat, Phoebe perks up a bit and the shimmer is more prominent. It actually reminds me a bit of China Glaze Blue Sparrow with topcoat.

    Applying Phoebe was hellish. The consistency was fine, but it was so streaky! After four tries, I managed to get a relatively smooth finish by using really generous coats, working fast, never going back to correct a brushstroke, and using a very light hand with the brush. Also, Phoebe was surprisingly sheer for a matte, needing three coats to be fully opaque. On the upside though, it didn't dry as fast as most other mattes I have, which gave me a bit of time to work with it.

But today, Phoebe was struck with a Lightning Bolt, courtesy of China Glaze. 

Ahh, how I yearn to call this polish White Lightning. 

Self explanatory. 

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    I really like this combo...it reminds me of acid wash jeans! I really wanted them when I was a kid, but my mom wouldn't let me. She always bought the boring Wranglers from K-Mart. The ones with the tapered ankles that give you diaper butt. :(

   

And that's all I've got for today! Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your weekend! 

ETA: For the love of all that is good and holy, please wear a good base coat with Phoebe. I lazily skipped it and now my nails are a disgusting shade of green-blue.  ;_;

Zoya Tamsen

         For today, I have Zoya Tamsen, from the Summertime Collection. 

Tamsen is a bold and warm red creme with orange undertones. 

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

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     I was stupid to buy Tamsen, even though it's not an ugly color. On the contrary, it's quite sunny and fun and positively screams summer. Looking at it, I'm reminded of a perfect tomato, freshly picked from a garden. But I was still dumb to buy it when there were way more unique colors available. This one is just so...plain.  Even Sooki would be better than this. Oh Zoya...you disappoint me. 

   But Tamsen's saving grace is it's formula. It was just like Breezi's...smooth and silky and easy to apply. Dry time was also excellent, although I had wear issues with Tamsen. After just one day of doing nothing, I had tip wear.  -__- 

And that's all I've got for today! Have a good night, guys!