March Hits and Misses

Greetings from the Dark Side!

I haven't posted any of my monthly favorites in a while, but I actually had a lot of favorites this past month. I've tried a lot of products recently, but the products below have been real standouts for me. I also have three complete misses! Keep reading if you want to know about the HITS and the MISSES.

                                                    HITS                                               

1. Hard Candy "CC" Correction Cream (Fair)
I already posted a First Impression post for this product, but I just want to just say how awesome this stuff is. I really wish Hard Candy had a better color selection because I know that the shade range has been a huge problem for most people. However, the actual product is marvelous. It is a decently pigmented, natural-looking "foundation" that is perfect for everyday wear. It looks so natural that it is like a second skin. I have been alternating this with my Lioele Super Gold Snail BB cream. I usually use the CC cream for school or days when I want a very light makeup look.

2. MAC Pro Longwear Concealer (NC20)
Because the Hard Candy CC cream is very lightweight, sometimes a need a little more coverage for any stubborn scars or pimples. I love this stuff because it is really pigmented and it stays on all day. It is by far the best concealer I have used to date.

3.Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser (Neutralizer)
I've had this concealer for a while, and as you can see I have already used up more than half. I don't have particularly bad dark circles, but I like my undereye area to look bright (especially on the days I don't get much sleep). This stuff is really amazing; it conceals and brightens. I suggest you get the Neutralizer shade. It is the best one, IMO.

Haul + First Impression: Zoya and Maybelline Color Tattoos

It has been a while since my last haul post (or maybe it's just me)! I have stuck to my makeup ban pretty well and have only occasionally purchased something. For the past half year or so, Zoya has really impressed me. And recently two new collections were released. I had to pick up a couple of colors :) I also picked up two more of the Maybelline Color Tattoo shadows (I was buying some for Suzanne and I couldn't help myself).

1. Zoya Fleck Effects
These were released in January and I had patiently waited until they were in stores. I buy mine at my Uni's bookstore (very odd, but convenient for me). They just came in this week so I hurridly went to pick some up. I didn't buy all three, but I ended up with Chloe and Maisie. I was 100% sure I was going to buy Chloe, and I ended up getting Maisie on a whim. I LOVE both~ I am very surprised to be loving Maisie. Both colors look amazing over dark purple! The formula is fabulous: they are not thick and dry pretty fast.

 Chloe is a sheer pinky-coral base with gold, red, orange, and green flakes.
 Maisie is a sheer blue base with with green and blue flakes.

Oh, How I Missed Thee, Oh Mighty Zoya Remove +

My post tittle might seem a little melodramatic, but I really have to emphasize how amazing this stuff is.

I have included Zoya's Remove + in a monthly favorite post as well as in my update for my Project 10 Pan #1. I said I was not going to repurchase this because it was a little more expensive than is normal for nail polish remover, but after going back to regular drugstore nail polish remover I realized how fabulous Remove + really is.

Shall we begin with the many PROS of this product?

-It comes in a super convenient pump dispenser.
This allows you to get only the amount of product you need. There is no risk of accidentally dumping out about 1/3 of the bottle because you being too careless (This has happened to me vaaaarious times).
-The liquid is purple.
My favorite color is purple. Enough said.
-This actually has a somewhat pleasant smell.
Unlike most nail polish removers, this doesn't smell overly harsh. The smell reminds me of that really yummy zebra gum. Do you know what gum I am referring to? It came in a striped package, and the gum was also stripped. The gum wrapping has zebras that you could "tattoo" onto your tongue and the gum was really good, but the flavor only lasted like 10 seconds. Well it smells like that to me, only with a slight smell of nail polish remover.
-This removes nail polish so easily with hardly any effort. 
It even removes glitter fairly easy. I mean, I usually go through 2 or 3 remover drenched cotton pads to remove glitter polish, but with this I only use 1 cotton pad.
-Super gentle on the nails and the cuticles.
This is the most important of all. It does not make my nails brittle or weak, unlike many other removers.

I am not the only one who really loves this stuff. Many other beauty blogger adore this, including Christine from Temptalia. I really trust Christine's judgement because she is really picky and she can pick out the best of the best when it comes to beauty related products. If you use nail polish remover really often, then I really suggest you try this out. After using it once, I cannot go back to drugstore nail polish remover. It just simply does not compare at all. For $9.99, it is not super cheap but it is something I am willing to spend my money on because it really saves me time and effort when it comes to removing nail polish.

Swatches: Zoya Mirros Collection

Hi dolls! I hope you are all doing well ^_^

I have a mini collection swatch post to share with you~ This might be a little late, I am sure most of you have seen these polishes already! This is one part of the Zoya Fall 2011 collection called Mirrors. I purchased three colors:

-Yara: Olive green with golden flakes
-Neeka: smokey, greyed purple with subtle purple/red shimmers and not so subtle gold flakes
-Jem: Deep, red toned purple with pink/gold flakes

 *Oh and I should mention, I bought these before I started my Project 10 Pan!

Price and Availability
$8 per bottle. You can purchase them on the Zoya Website.
I purchased mine at my Uni's bookstore (weird, right?).


Yara
This was the color I knew I had to have. It is really unique and I have not seen a gold and olive green combo in a nail polish before. The formulas was amazing. This is two coats, only because I messed up the first coat. But you really only need one coat for full opacity! It is insane.

Close up~

Neeka

At fist I was not going to buy this, but when I saw it in person, I loved it and I coulnd't resist. I am a purple fiend, and this was waaay to good to pass up. Like Yara, this went opaque in one coat. One coat!!! I love this because the purple is very smokey and a little dark, but the gold shimmer really brightens up the nail color a bit, and it just looks phenomenal on the nails.

My nails are sooo long right now.

Look at that! Isn't it beautiful?

Jem
Yet another color I was not going to get, but when I saw it in person I fell in love with the color! Like the previous two, this also has a one coat formula. But I also messed up the first coat so I had to apply a second one. This color is super glam, and very appropriate for fall and winter. The one thing I noticed though was that Jem has less gold flakes in artificial light than Yara and Neeka. The gold flakes and shimmer are more noticeable in natural light.

I hope you guys can see that beautiful shimmer!

Verdict
I absolutely love these three shades! They all have a fantastic formula/opacity and they are all gorgeous colors! I think these three colors were the starts of the Mirrors collection and I am so glad I purchased them.
(These might be a little expensive for some people, but compared to Chanel's $25 polishes, $8 is not so bad!) These have quickly become my favorite Zoya polishes ever! Zoya, you guys did a fantastic job!

Rating: 10/10
Recommend? Duh! If you love shimmer, then  you are in for a treat~
Repurchase? I definitely would. If I ever finish these up, I most likely will repurchase it.

Zoya 'Jules'

Zoya 'Jules', a shimmery golden taupe color with pewter undertones. It is extremely shimmery, so it is quite a fun neutral shade. This is the kind of color that a cool,, pimping grandma would wear (Or that I could imagine a cool, pimping grandma could wear). This is totally office appropriate, but also shimmery enough that it won't look boring and 'blah' for going out.

Price and Availability: I purchased mine at Nugget for $8.

Formula: The formula was okay: not too bad but not that great either. It was pigmented enough to give decent coverage in 2 coats, but as you might see from the pictures, it is a little bumpy. I am not sure if the bumpiness is due the nail polish or to my application. But either ways, it looks a little bumpy. In person, the bumpiness in not very noticeable, so overall it is not that bad. I like the color enough that the bumps do not bother me.

Verdict
I give this a 4/5.
The color is unique, and very fun for a neutral.
It is really shimmery, but not glittery. (Which I personally like)
Pigmentation was decent, but the formula could be a little better.


Thanks for reading ;D

Zoya 'Akyra'

I want to apologize for my lack of nail polish posts. I have wanted to swatch so many nail polishes, but my nails are very uneven at the moment, and they just don't want to cooperate.
I also want to apologize for the crappy swatches! But anyways, at least you will be able to see the color!

Price and Avalability
$7. I bought this at Nugget :D

Akyra
Is a shimmery, darkened green/teal. I love the color, and I have no dupes for this!

Formula
A little sheer and watery. 2-3 coats needed to get really opaque color. The amount of coats does not bother me, but they just take so long to dry. For a sheer polish, it takes waaaay too long to dry. I absolutely hate the formula of this polish.
Sheer+long drying time= No good!

Swatches

Verdict
I hate the formula, but the color is beautiful! I think I will just suck it up and deal with the fact that the formula sucks. This is the first Zoya I have used that has a crappy formula, so I was very surprised!

Haul: Zoya Polishes from...Nugget???

Yes, you read correctly. I guess, Nugget [a rather expensive Supermarket] sells Zoya nail polishes.
I was so confused by this I had to make sure I was not being delusional. I stood in front of the Zoya display for a good 5 minutes, in a daze. I was probably drooling too.
I don't know of any other place near my home where they sell Zoya, so I was freaking excited!

I know, I know, I said I wasn't going to buy any more polishes. And I have been hauling a lot lately, but I have finals coming up and I feel like I deserve it!

Anyways, here is what I purchased:

And if you are curious, I have OPI's 'Stranger Tides' on my nails.

Jules

Indigo

Akyra

I also bought one of these ^_^ I have been wanting this, but they are so expensive >_<" And I had 10% coupon at CVS so I got it.


SO if you have been looking for a place to get Zoya polishes and you have a Nugget nearby, you should go and check to see if you store carries Zoya.

Zoya 'Gemma'

Hello everyone. I hope everyone had a pleasant week~



 Zoya 'Gemma' polish came out not too long ago. But from the moment I saw it, I fell in love with it. It is a super unique color! It is a murky olive green with a subtle blue and purple shimmer.This polish is great for wearing a pop of color that is not "all up in yo face." Very wearable, but still fun and cute.

Formula
Overall, the formula is pretty good. Its is not too watery or too thick. One coat is a little sheer, so two or three coats will be best. As far as wear, it lasts a decent amount of time. In the pictures you will notice some wear on the tips, but I wore this polish for three days before the pictures were taken. In three days of wear, I did not get  any chipping. I am wearing two coats of 'Gemma' and one of  a clear top coat.

Price and Availability
$8 on the Zoya website.

Swatches 

This has become a go to nail polish for me. If I want something wearable but not boring, I will turn to this. I have been using this so much lately! I reeeeeally recommend this for people who love green polishes. I am surprised I liked this so much since I am not a lover of green nail polish. But it is a really unique color. I hope you all enjoyed this~