I haven't done a comp for a few weeks and I have some old polishes and a new one that need an outing.
While these colors seem very traditionally autumnal, I wanted to just toss them out, mainly to inspire me to wear them more often through the winter.
Spice colors are some of my favorites. They are neutral and easy to wear in the winter months when my skin is less tanned. I like golds in the summer and yellows, so for my skin tone, that's how I balance it.
I've got four, so the best thing to do is go down the list!
Diamond Cosmetics Hue Are You
Two very simple coats. A now-discontinued foil, the gold and rich russet red, well, let's say they play well together and we have a gorgeous result.
Very hard to fault this polish: coverage, nice wear, and a classic shade that doesn't feel dated.
With the contrasting shimmer, it could be on the pages of an indie seller's catalogue.
You might find it at a blog sale, but the long story short: Diamond Cosmetics is firmly in the private label camp. So be it. Godspeed.
Zoya Anastasia
Zoya does shimmers quite well. I don't know if that is their intention, for in fact I like their cremes quite a bit, too. It does seem to be their wheelhouse, though. They present them each year - some collections are almost all shimmer - and don't bat an eyelash or mitigate it with 3-4 similar reds or pinks to offset. There was a time when I discarded Zoya, but now, I'm looking again at this feisty salon brand that OPI could borrow from (less puns, people, more content - says a punster).
Anastasia is now gone from the Zoya site (so my surprise as I check into this as I write) and that's a bummer large. The burgundy undertone is strong, but it's so warmed up by the gold shimmer - glass fleck - that it takes on a deep spicy shade that feels like a Victorian brocaded room. Feel the hush of a life with no blue glow, no television/radio, and perhaps just a bit of Brahams playing in a room below.
Still available online with a bit of a hunt. I am sure people blog sale this one periodically.
Zoya Ivy
Ivy is a sheer 3-4 coater (nearly a topper, as you will see) that does pay off.
Apologies for this photo, my skin pulled pink and I had to play in photoshop to get the shade and the skin tone reasonable decent.
I unapologetically love this. My photo makes it look slightly too cognac, but it has more sherry color in it, too. In the bottle at some angles it pulls into a dry sherry shade, so much so that the reddish swatches I saw online seemed unimaginable. And yet, it does have this gorgeous color, undaunted by the warm gold glass fleck that is more subtly meted out.
This feels like nail polish grown up, still with that signature Zoya shimmer.
What is sad, though, like Anastasia, it, too, is gone. Too sad. Reminiscent of the bustle of some fin de siecle 19th century gown. Pull out our Maupassant when you are wearing this. Or browse some Sargent. It will feel just right.
El Corazon Magical Evening Fantasy
From the big buy last year. I've worn it but not blogged it. It is also a three coater, but has this lovely mauve "raw meat" kind of base I can't describe, then it's packed with pink glass fleck shimmer.
Wow!
I think the name is hilarious and gives me such a giggle, but hey, it's not a ghastly pun.
Not much more to say, except it could be one of my favorites, so lovely.
Still on El Corazon, this "Magical" line is extensive and quite beautiful. I recommend poking around, if you dare, it's hard not to build a cart on that site!
A quick comparison, though they are hardly dupes, but it's fun to see them in relation to each other:
Left to right:
Diamond Cosmetics Hue Are You
Zoya Anastasia
Zoya Ivy
El Corazone Magical Evening Fantasy (snicker)
Here's a darker shot:
Left to right:
Diamond Cosmetics Hue Are You
Zoya Anastasia
Zoya Ivy
El Corazon Magical Evening Fantasy (hee, hee)
Here is a shot of the first coat, so you can see how sheer are Ivy and MEF.
Same order. You can see Hue Are You really is gorgeous, would be nice over a medium or dark red.
Anastasia is fairly normal.
Ivy and MEF are sheer, but they do build.
I didn't realize when I started that the Zoyas would be gone. I guess they clean out their stable. I am not on a list announcing discontinued polishes, but maybe I should find out more about that. It's a bummer because Ivy is a stunner.
Thanks so much for reading my little nail polish journal!
