Zoya Mod Mattes Swatches, Reviews, Photos
Sunday, March 20th, 2011
Phoebe, Mitzi, Lolly
Zoya Mod Mattes Swatches, Reviews, Photos
Zoya Mod Mattes Collection includes three limited edition, matte shades for summer. These shades include: Phoebe (shimmered blue with a matte finish), Mitzi (chartreuse with a matte finish), and Lolly (pink with a matte finish).
- Phoebe is a bright cerulean blue with very faint white micro-shimmer and has a matte finish. It was opaque in two coats.
- Mitzi is a bright yellow-based chartreuse green with a matte finish. I used three coats, but I still could not get a nice smooth, even finish. This shade was the hardest to apply without getting an uneven surface.
- Lolly is a medium-dark pink–almost neon but not quite there–with a matte finish. I used two coats for opaque color, and this shade applied the smoothest of three, because it was also the most pigmented.
Make sure you check out the swatches for my final attempt with Mitzi–hopefully you can see the difference between the variations of coat thickness and use.
my thoughts on the formula: I had a lot of trouble with these; I could not figure out the trick to an even, smooth finish. I expected some of the contouring of my natural nails to peek through but didn’t expect so much unevenness as a reslt of the polish drying down. Even though the shades are opaque on the nail, they look almost streaky. After five or six attempts, I did find that thick coats were key–one thinner coat followed by a much thicker coat (and maybe even another) gave it a must smoother finish. Mattes, without a top coat, tend to wear for shorter periods of time; I wore Mitzi for three days before it chipped a bit (no top coat).
Where to Buy: Zoya, $8
The Glossover
I love the colors themselves, because they're gorgeous and perfect for summer, but I couldn't get the formula to work on me.Lolly was the best, followed by Phoebe, with Mitzi being the most difficult. If Phoebe was more pigmented, I think it would be as easy to work with as Zoya's Matte Velvet shades. These take patience and some willingness to trial through to find a method that works.
See more photos & swatches!
Phoebe, Mitzi, Lolly
Phoebe, Mitzi, Lolly
Phoebe, Mitzi, Lolly
Phoebe, Mitzi, Lolly
Zoya Phoebe Nail Lacquer
Zoya Phoebe Nail Lacquer
Zoya Phoebe Nail Lacquer
Zoya Phoebe Nail Lacquer
Zoya Mitzi Nail Lacquer
Zoya Mitzi Nail Lacquer
Zoya Mitzi Nail Lacquer
Zoya Mitzi Nail Lacquer
Zoya Lolly Nail Lacquer
Zoya Lolly Nail Lacquer
Zoya Lolly Nail Lacquer
Zoya Lolly Nail Lacquer
Zoya Mitzi Nail Lacquer: 2 thick coats (index), 3 thin coats (middle), 1 thin, 1 thick coat (ring)
Zoya Mitzi Nail Lacquer: 2 thick coats (index), 3 thin coats (middle), 1 thin, 1 thick coat (ring)
Disclosure
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Product & Review FAQ
What base/top coat do you use?
I used Zoya's Anchor but no base coat in all swatches.
Where can I purchase Zoya? How much is it?
Zoya, $8 each.
Is it limited edition?
Yes.
These colors are everywhere this Spring and Summer, so the mattes add a little something different. I'll pass, though.
Haha, they look pretty scary, but cool, but scary, but fun! I love it!
Thanks for sending me here, I understand why you didn't just answer me on yt, lol, and I guess these act just like I was afraid they would, neons are so finicky, when I decide to do neons, I usually end up finding I can't use them as is, but sometimes as the tip for a french manicure over a white base, they seem to show up best over white on the brands I have tried, just an idea for some ppl out there maybe then too?
No problem! I couldn't remember off the top of my head and figured the review would explain everything :) Thank you for taking the time to read the post!
Just wondering, is this you on this website as well? http://thefashionwire.com/beauty/zoya-mod-mattes-swatches-reviews-photos/ because it has your photos and write up of the polishes.. By the way, I love that you don't spend ages getting it perfect, it makes me feel better about my nails not looking perfect! :)
Thank you for letting me know! :)
matte nail polishes are so weird to me.
Gah! I just can't stand mattes! Thank you SO much for swatching these, though, Christine!! :D
i was wondering if you put an extremely shiny topcoat, would it help? i know these polishes are matte, i love the colors but i don't like the matte finish.
It might hide some of the imperfections a bit!
I love the blue! You might want to try a white polish as a base coat to make the colors pop more, plus you wont have to apply so many coats...my nail technician does that and her colors always are stunningly bright. Where can you purchase these?
Zoya.com!
That's too bad about these. I probably wouldn't get them anyway, though, as matte polishes just aren't my thing. The shinier the better, in my opinion!
Love the bright yellow-green, but mattes are so not for me. I got a matte in the Zoya giveaway back in January, and it chipped in my sleep after I put it on. From the center of the nail. :/ I have nowhere near the luck some do with nail polishes in general (my best wearing shades I'm lucky to make last 5-7 days), but I didn't realize that would translate into less than 12 hours with matte polishes.
i like how you put your polishes on for swatches. it's kind of clever to keep it away from the side so that way you can remove it all for the next swatch. if that makes sense. i don't know.
Yep, that's exactly why! Less wear on the cuticles since less polish gets on them and I don't have to maneuver around the area trying to get any stray polish removed, too!
I actually like how it looks! And unfortunately have had NO luck applying polish to my own nails in that way :( I think they are just too short for me to have the control to avoid my cuticles
My nails are SUPER long right now, they're aggravating me - I keep meaning to cut them but forget to after a shower!
Haha, I can't survive with more than a tiny bit of white showing on my nail. Sort of a shame - I used to love long nails but now they drive me crazy, even though they look pretty. But I'd never forget to cut them. I overcut them :-/ If I weren't a chronic nail clipper, I'd like a nice happy medium...shorter than yours in these pics, but not too much shorter.
the application doesnt look as nice as i'd hoped but I cant help but think these might be awesome with one of the shatter/crackle topcoats
I'm definitely getting Phoebe and Mitzi and taking advantage of the Zoya BOGO. They are unlike anything that I already have. I have OPI's La Pazitively Hot matte, and I'm wondering how similar it is to Lolly.
I'd never seen matte nail lacquers up until now and I have to say that I am absolutely LOVING these. I don't even find the application that bad at all! I just love matte everything. Thanks for these swatches.
Love these colors, thanks for the swatches! You definitely did a much better job than most of us would do. I didn't end up getting them with my BOGO because I get so frustrated with streaky polishes...but then I ended up getting the mini set, because I couldn't resist.
What fun colors! I think I would like these a lot more if they had a nice, glossy finish! Hahaha! I hate matte, I hope they release these colors in a different formula.
I could honestly put up with dodgy application for the colour and matte finish - it's amazing.
Wow, these looks like they would be gorgeous for summer *___* - although I'm not the greatest at application, so if even you had some trouble with it, it probably wouldn't work out that well for me.
I only wish the finish was not matte. Lovely colors.
Thank you for these, have you tried them with a top coat yet, I usually like them both matte and with a top coat. Mattes can really take on a really neat look with a little shine, I would love to see them both ways.
I haven't, since they're supposed to be matte so that's how I wanted to show them!
If you put a topcoat over phoebe, how would you compare it to Robyn???
Looks like a Matte. I have no luck with Matte nail products.
pretty colors, fun for summer but I dont think I could deal with that texture.
Eeeee they look so dry I can hear chalkboards creaking!!
The colors are gorgeous, but the texture of the nailpolish is a huge bummer!! Thank you so much for taking the time to swatch them for us, though!!
Meh, the colors are pretty and unique for mattes but I'm way over the whole matte trend.
I really like the colours, but I hate how the finish looks on my nails :(
I adore matte nail polish. I'm buying all of these, regardless of application. I find mattes, regardless of brand, difficult to work with. Making my boyfriend put it on for me ;)
OMG!!! I never had Matte polishes b4 but I really want that HOT pink one. also subcribe to me on youtube people my username is Pastrygirl4life.
It's a shame the application's not so good, cause the colors are gorgeous!
The blue was cute.
oh my! I want these! i want every color! too bad we dont have Zoya in here :/
I love them! I don't feel them that streaky. They look just pretty!
I like the colours but matte polishes always remind me of chalkboards and for some odd reason, that makes my teeth hurt by looking at them lol.
I know exactly what you mean about the toothache thing!
i'd buy them just for the colour... wow!
god i am always amazed at girls who can apply their own nailpolish. And I like the lolly color best. Do you have any recommendations for a really super shiny black nailpolish?
I always find that using Seche Vite top coat makes any polish super shiny :)
Thank you for these swatches - great colours for the summer :-) But how do you make matte polishes last, since you cannot use a top coat?
You could try a matte top coat - like Essie's - perhaps. I haven't tried them myself though!
Christine, do you ever use a base coat with matte nail polishes, or are you not supposed to?
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