Product Review: Zoya Caitlin Nail Polish, A-

Why hello, Monday...you arrived quickly. Hope everyone is doing well! Today's product review is from my April Birchbox - Zoya's Caitlin Nail Polish.

Yup - Birchbox included a mini Caitlin polish in the April box and I couldn't wait to paint it on my (very short) fingernails!

About Zoya Nail Polish: 

Zoya Nail Polish has been awarded as the longest wearing natural nail polish by an independent panel in Women’s Health Magazine. Zoya Nail Polish is a nail polish free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates) and camphor. Nail Polish by Zoya offers over 300 gorgeous nail polish colors to choose from, plus 4 seasonal collections of nail polish every year. Zoya Nail Polish was specifically formulated to deliver the longest wear possible on natural nails. Zoya Nail Polish can be found in better beauty salons, spas and online at www.zoya.com.

Color Description of Zoya Nail Polish Caitlin

Zoya Nail Polish in Caitlin can be best described as: Smoky purple-tinged medium gray with smooth, opaque creme finish. Sultry, mysterious and impossibly chic, a shade that will have everyone intrigued.

Color Family: Purples or Greys

Finish: Cream

Intensity: 5 ( 1=Sheer - 5=Opaque )

Tone: Cool

Original Collection: Intimates

And my review:  

The Good: This is such a fun, but still subtle, spring shade! Zoya's polish wears pretty well and (in my opinion) chips less than OPI. I'm also a big, big fan that all of their polishes are free of nasty ingredients. Each regular size bottle retails for $8, too!

The Bad: This particular polish, albeit quite opaque, wasn't quite as smooth as my other Zoya polish (Riley). Regardless, the second coat solidified the shade and did away with any streakiness I encountered during the first go around.

The Verdict: A- from me! While the application was a bit cumbersome, I love the color and the brand.

Product Review: OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous, A-

Happy Monday to all!

A few weeks back I was enjoying a lovely pedicure and I spied this gorgeous, sparkly,  gunmetal gray polish by OPI titled: Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous!

Details from OPI:
Part of the Swiss Collection.

The Good: It's actually darker than it appears on the OPI website, more closely shaded to the photo above. It's not uber sparkly, but just enough to add a little punch. PLUS, you can score this on Amazon for a total steal right now.

The Bad: Not much here...all polish chips, but because this particular shade is a bit more sparklified it may chip more quickly? Just a guess, though!

The Verdict: A-! I'm a big fan of this shimmery, dark gray color on toes and fingers.

The Real Life Photo:

Product Review: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Color, A

Hi all! Hope everyone enjoyed a great weekend - I definitely did!

Up for review today is a new product that I picked up at Walgreens a few weeks back - Sally Hansen Complete Salon Nail Color. I'm usually an OPI or Essie gal, but I have been seriously impressed with Ms. Hansen in the past and the idea of a one-stop-shop when it comes to nail polish was super intriguing. Here are the deets from Sally...

•  All 5 Steps of a Salon Manicure in 1 Bottle
• Base Coat, Strengthener, Growth Treatment, Color, Top Coat
• 9 out of 10 Salon Professionals Preferred Our Formula to the Leading Salon Brand
• With Patented Vita-Care Technology for advanced wear, more shine, and nourishing care 
• 42 Salon-Inspired Shades
• Toluene, DBP, and Formaldehyde free
• Retails for $7.49-$7.99 at drugstores and beauty outlets

And...here's my review...

The Good: This polish fan-freakin-tastic. You really do not need a base coat or a top coat - this polish has major mileage and rarely chips. It comes in a variety of shades, has a great, easy to use brush and stays shiny for at least one week (depening on how much damage your digits or toes go through).

The Bad: Honestly, not much here. We can always use more colors and the polish takes a bit more elbow grease to remove.

The Verdict: A all the way! I've only purchased this polish in one shade, Shell We Dance, that's shown in the photo above. It's a very pretty, neutral pale pink that I love.

Have a great day, all!

Product Review: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nailpolish, Lively Lilac, B+

Hi all! I hope every one of you had a great weekend!

Up for review today is Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri Nail Color in Lively Lilac. I can't find a stock photo of this lovely lilac shade, so all I can offer is my own photo. This is three days post-application...so take it for what that's worth.

If you haven't tried Sally Hansen's nail polish, I suggest it. They offer a wide range of colors that frequently change with the seasons and they are fairly affordable. The polishes retail for roughly $4.99 at your local CVS/drugstore. And my review details...

The Good: As mentioned, this is a fairly well created polish line that offers a variety of colors and stays put. Granted, you will get some chipping, but for a drugstore brand it's not too bad. Load up on an extra dose of topcoat, and you'll be in pretty good shape.

The Bad: The brush takes some getting used to - it pulls out a ton of polish and you really have to watch it before you apply to your nails. Also, the brush is much fatter than OPI or Essie, as it's designed to cover your entire nail with one swipe. Not the worst thing in the world, but it definitely took some getting used to.

The Verdict: B+, this is a pretty decent polish for the price. I give it a "+" because I like their array of colors - especially the new-ish, Lively Lilac. I've been seeking a pale purple for some time now and I wasn't a huge fan of Essie's grayish Lilacism. This color is warmer and has a very (and I mean very) subtle sheen to it. It's a really nice spring-y shade.

What do you think? Are you a fan of lilac polish?