Vintage Maybelline for Pink Wednesday!

Happy Pink Wednesday, everyone! This week's pink is an old Maybelline Express Finish polish from sometime around 2002 or 2003. It's called Tutu Tango, and from what I vaguely remember it was part of a seasonal display. This is a baby pink with lots of gold shimmer, so it becomes a very peachy pink. This is certainly the type of color a tutu might come in.

I applied two thin coats and a third thicker coat. This is an old formula polish, so it was smooth and dried quickly. The brush is really nice; it's flat but not mop-like, very similar to the L'Oréal brush.

Zoya Feel — Full Collection Review & Comparison

After spending a whole week with the Zoya Feel collection, I think I finally sorted out how I feel about it. I love it! I think this collection is excellent and I love each color in it.

Application The very first time I tried applying these colors I got a little bit frustrated. The main source of trouble was really with the brush. If I could, I would switch out the Zoya brush for something more like the L'Oréal brush. Zoya's brush is just a little too small in my opinion. It's the one thing I dislike about an otherwise fantastic brand. So there is a slight learning curve with the brush and the formula, but it didn't take too long for me to figure it out. I had basically the same application experience with all six colors.

Coats The first coat for any of the colors should be applied thinly. It will look streaky and uneven, but this will not matter after the second coat. Wait two or three minutes after the first coat so it has a chance to dry a bit. The second coat can be applied a little more thickly, and will provide opaque coverage. Use as few brush strokes as possible to get the color on, or the surface may become uneven or gooey. A little unevenness is fine because your topcoat will smooth everything out.

Drying Time I found these colors dry pretty quickly, which partly accounts for why they can get gooey if you take too long on one particular nail. I've worn Avery, Kendal and Carey as full manicures. I used Seche Vite topcoat (with CND Solar Oil a few minutes later) and all three manicures had no trouble drying.

Overall What I find so impressive about this collection is that these colors really only need two coats for even coverage. Nearly all the other pastels in my collection need at least three coats. So while these are not super easy to apply like a classic red lacquer, they are much easier than your average pastel. Give them a slightly better brush and I would call them perfect.

My two favorite colors are Kendal and Kennedy, but I think all of them are beautiful and flattering. In my opinion these shades are quite chic, too. They are really perfect for when you want something appropriately neutral but still modern and interesting.

For convenience, I've collected all the swatch pictures together after the break:

Zoya Avery — Feel Collection Winter 2011

(UPDATE: Here's my review of the entire collection, with all the swatches together.)

At last, the final installment in the Zoya Feel Collection! Here is Avery, a pale camel creme. Unexpectedly, I found this color was the easiest to apply out of the whole collection. It was thin but not watery, and flowed well. I used two coats and no topcoat for this swatch. It also dries fairly quickly and is shiny. Tomorrow I'll have a full collection comparison and review post!

Zoya Kennedy — Feel Collection Winter 2011

(UPDATE: Here's my review of the entire collection, with all the swatches together.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have just a couple minutes before I have to run off to visit family for the day's fun! Here's Zoya Kennedy from the Feel collection. It's a dusty pastel rose, and is vying with Kendal for the spot as my favorite shade from this collection.

Application was like the rest, slightly tricky but smooth considering it's a pastel. Two coats and no topcoat in this picture.

Zoya Kendal — Feel Collection Winter 2011

(UPDATE: Here's my review of the entire collection, with all the swatches together.)

Do you think Zoya Kendal might be pink enough to qualify for Pink Wednesday? I can't decide if this pastel creme leans more lavender than pink. Next to Megan, it's definitely a shade pinker.

This is probably my favorite color from the collection. I thought the application was a tiny bit easier than the first four. Once again, it only needs two coats and the final result is smooth and shiny with no streaks or unevenness.