Tuesday, November 6th, 2012

Zoya Electra Nail Lacquer
Zoya Electra Nail Lacquer

Tinsel Town, Here We Come

Zoya Electra Nail Lacquer ($8.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “micro-fine diamond holographic glitter mixed with large silver holographic bar tinsel in a clear base.” It has holographic micro-glitter along with holographic bar glitter, which looks like silver tinsel on the nail, until you angle it just right or the light catches it, and then you get the holographic effect. I don’t have anything like this myself, and all I could think of was Zoya’s holiday collection last year, which featured pink, green, and blue horizontal bar glitter polishes.

Zoya lists the opacity as three, which is in the middle of sheer (one) and opaque (five). That’s a very accurate assessment; after two coats, it has a fair amount of coverage, but you’d really need three to get mostly opaque coverage. I layered it over Zoya Storm first, and then over Zoya Blaze.  What I appreciated most about Electra was the fluidity and how well the bars dispersed across the nail.  I didn’t feel like I had to push and pull the glitter into place.  I typically see a full week of wear with minor tip wear but no chipping with Zoya’s formula.

The Glossover

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Electra

A
Whether you layer it or wear it alone, Electra is a fun holiday lacquer that will add a bit of glitz and glam to any manicure.

Product

9.5/10

Pigmentation

10/10

Texture

9/10

Longevity

9/10

Application

4.5/5

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Friday, November 2nd, 2012

Orly Flare Nail Lacquer
Orly Flare Nail Lacquer

Orly Flare Nail Lacquer

Orly Flare Nail Lacquer ($8.50 for 0.60 fl. oz.) is a frosted, metallic gold with a strong yellow undertone. Chanel Gold Fingers has flecks of sparkle but is similar in color. SpaRitual Solstice is darker, more orange-gold. SpaRitual Golden Gleam is more orange, metallic.

It was mostly opaque after two coats, but it did apply unevenly and would drag if you didn’t wait for the first coat to dry entirely. The consistency was a little thick, and it didn’t level out fully. I’m usually impressed by Orly, but Flare was somewhat disappointing. I normally get a week of wear with very minor tip wear with Orly’s polish.

The Glossover

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Flare

B-
Not the best quality Orly polish I've come across, and I think you could get something similar to this color in a better formula, so I'd skip this.

Product

8/10

Pigmentation

8.5/10

Texture

8/10

Longevity

9/10

Application

3.5/5

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Thursday, November 1st, 2012

Zoya Ray Nail Lacquer
Zoya Ray Nail Lacquer

A Dance Through an Evergreen Forest

Zoya Ray Nail Lacquer ($8.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as “dark blackened pine green with smooth, delicate silver and green frost shimmer.” It’s a deep forest green with great depth and enough vibrancy to ensure it looks more-green-than-black. It has silver threads of micro-shimmer running through it. NARS Night Porter is warmer. Butter London British Racing Green is similar in color but it has sparse shimmer. Illamasqua Kink is a bit lighter, duller, and has a rubbery finish. MAC Jade Dragon is a bit darker and has larger teal shimmer.

The inky darkness of Ray makes it so appealing, but the noticeable brush strokes from the metallic shimmer (I know it says frost) take away from it to degree. The brush strokes are subtle but there, so it really depends on your tolerance for them.  It was fully opaque after two coats of polish, and it flowed easily across the nail.  The consistency wasn’t too thick or too thin (seemed a little thinner than the average Zoya, which is neither a pro or con, just an observation), and I didn’t have any problems with bubbling, streaking, or pooling.  I typically get a full week of wear with minor tip wear (but no chipping) with Zoya’s formula.

The Glossover

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Ray

A-
While it was nicely pigmented and had an easy-to-use consistency, the visible brush strokes definitely impacted the overall rating of the product. If they're not bothersome, it's definitely a worthwhile product to check out.

Product

9/10

Pigmentation

10/10

Texture

9/10

Longevity

9/10

Application

4/5

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Tuesday, October 30th, 2012

Zoya Evvie Nail Lacquer
Zoya Evvie Nail Lacquer

A Smoky Green for Fall

Zoya Evvie Nail Lacquer ($8.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as “dark smoky grey cream with strnog teal green undertones.” It’s a dark, smoky green with a hint of blue/teal. Essie School of Hard Rocks is lighter, slightly bluer. Rescue Beauty Lounge Diddy Mow is lighter and greener. MAC Fatigues is much greener.

I think smoky colors like Evvie tend to have a lot of depth.  It’s dark, luxurious, but it’s not vampy; it’s also not bright, either.  Evvie was opaque in two coats, and the consistency wasn’t too thick or too thin.  It flowed evenly across the nail without pooling, streaking, or bubbling during application.  I typically get a week of wear out of Zoya’s formula with no chipping and minor tip wear.

The Glossover

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Evvie

A
I don't have anything quite like this shade (so I'd love to hear any dupes you know of!), and I think it's a great shade for fall. The formula is top notch!

Product

10/10

Pigmentation

10/10

Texture

10/10

Longevity

9/10

Application

5/5

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Monday, October 29th, 2012

Chanel Malice Le Vernis Nail Lacquer
Chanel Malice Le Vernis Nail Lacquer

Chanel Malice Le Vernis Nail Lacquer ($26.00 for 0.40 fl. oz.) is a deep, dark red with ruby red shimmer. Guerlain Lou-Ling is similar in the base color, but it doesn’t have the same ruby shimmer. MAC Gadabout Girl is darker, no shimmer. MAC Vintage Vamp is browner and has no shimmer. Deborah Lippmann Single Ladies has a similar base color but is a cream. China Glaze Velvet Bow also is similar to the base color but doesn’t have any shimmer. Illamasqua Scarab is redder, warmer.

Malice is a stunner in person. It’s so rich and dark, but it doesn’t lose its color to black–it’s definitely a burgundy-red with a little wine-tint to it. Then there’s the ruby shimmer that catches light so well.  Chanel nailed this polish; the consistency was a dream to work with, as it flowed across the nail without pooling, streaky, or bubbling.  It wasn’t too thick or too thin, and it was fully opaque after two coats (one is almost enough).  It even had a slightly glossy shine to it naturally, though I’d still recommend a top coat to get the most out of this polish.  I typically get a week of wear with minor tip wear but no chipping with Chanel’s formula.

The Glossover

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Malice

A
Sometimes Chanel does amazing color in their lacquer range, and sometimes, the formula isn't quite there; here, Chanel knocks it out of the park with a flawless formula, enchanting color, and a hue that is utterly perfect for the holidays.

Product

10/10

Pigmentation

10/10

Texture

10/10

Longevity

9/10

Application

5/5

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Friday, October 26th, 2012

MAC Endless Night Nail Lacquer
MAC Endless Night Nail Lacquer

A Grab Bag of Holiday Polish

MAC Glamour Daze Nail Lacquers ($17.50 for 0.34 fl. oz.) include four shades: Endless Night (pale grey pink with iridescent pearl), Everything That Glitters (black with super multidimensional glitter), Girl Trouble (super glitter pink), and In the Limelight (mid-tone creamy mint).  Because of the white-colored labeling (instead of black), MAC has tacked on $1.50 to the cost of each polish.

Endless Night is a cool-toned, light-medium beige with iridescent pink micro-shimmer. It’s not quite opaque after two coats.  The consistently was a little watery. MAC Quiet Time is darker, no shimmer. Essie Topless & Barefoot is just a smidgen lighter, has no shimmer, and leans slightly pink. Cult Nails Cruisin’ Nude would be similar, though it’s a bit darker–it has the same pink shimmer.

Everything That Glitters is a dark black with multi-colored micro-glitter–lots of blue, pink, and green predominantly. It’s opaque after two coats, and the glitter particles disperse evenly. It is very similar to Butter London The Black Knight from what I can tell.

Girl Trouble is a metallic, cool-toned pink with silver micro-glitter. It is part of the permanent range. The consistency was a little watery. It was mostly opaque after two coats, and it dried down faster than the other three shades. China Glaze Encouragement is similar in color but not metallic. NARS Night Rider is darker.

In the Limelight is a cool-toned, mint green with a cream finish. This was very, very streaky. After I applied one coat, I attempted to apply a second coat, and it was a big mess. The only way I could get it to look half-decent was to glob on a second coat and maneuver my hands by waving them around to get the polish to level out without using the brush.   Illamasqua Nomad is much darker, greener. China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint is greener. Zoya Wednesday is darker. MAC Mischievous Mint is very similar.

Everything That Glitters was the best performing shade, because it was opaque after two coats, and the consistently wasn’t too thick or thin, so it applied evenly.  Endless Night is a little sheer, and with this kind of color, some might prefer it that way.  Girl Trouble will drag if you move too quickly on a second coat, and it didn’t apply as evenly as I’d like.  In the Limelight was a nightmare to apply, and in order to get even results, it took over an hour before I could really move my hands, and even then, I took a smudged off a chunk of it just by lightly brushing another finger against it.  It doesn’t level well, so be very, very careful when you apply your second coat.

The Glossover

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MAC Glamour Daze Nail Lacquer Reviews, Photos, Swatches

B
In the Limelight is the big loser here, because of the thicker consistency and streaky performance. Everything That Glitters was the easiest to work with out of this bunch.

Product

8/10

Pigmentation

9/10

Texture

8/10

Longevity

9/10

Application

3.5/5

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