Zoya Paradise Sun Collection

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So, I got the Zoya Summer 2015 Summer Collection to share with you and I decided to split them in two different posts. I did this for a couple different reasons, but first so that you didn't get overwhelmed. I know when I see mega huge collections all in one post, I get scared. So, 6 at a time will be better for me and you (I hope).

With this collection, you can either buy them individually for $8 each or the sampler for $54. Personally, I would buy these individually and you will see why when I do the descriptions below. I loved half of these and hated, yes I used the H word, the other half. These are all described as having a metallic pearl finish.

Isa 

 Isa is a purple leaning blue and shifts very nicely in the different lights. Zoya describes it as "a deep blue-based purple with a micronized metallic pearl finish and an aqua flash that embodies the beauty of exotic island flowers!"

 So, I mentioned that I was not too happy with half of these and this is the first part of why. All of these darker colors of this collections were supppper stainers for me. Now, I have discussed this with a couple other bloggers and it seems that it stains for some and not for others. This can happen with super pigmented colors, so beware.

Anyway, besides staining the crap out of my nails and cuticles this was a super pretty color. Also, in full disclosure, I only swatched these colors. So that means I literally put them on, took pictures and took them right off. I only had this polish on for about 5 minutes tops. So, it really didn't have enough time to do that much damage. Also, I normally don't stain. I usually am immune to staining so it was really weird for me. I am going to give it a whirl again, but it was just really weird for me.

Oceane

You are right... this is a turquoise, ocean water color. Zoya describes it as, "a true turquoise with a micronized metallic pearl finish that reflects the clearest blue ocean waters!"

Yes, you guessed it. This was another stainer for me. I loved this color so hard and it is a super pretty turquoise color. It's actually one of the prettiest that I have found but when I took it off, it stained my nails and my cuticles. You will see in the next color that I had staining around my cuticles and I had a hard time getting off.

The formula for the metallic pearl is also a little different to work with. I used two to three coats with each of these polish colors except Genesis. I'll explain more about that one when I get to it, but the rest were three coaters. The metallic pearl is a little thick and you should wait in between coats when applying multiple layers or it will drag. Just be patient and careful.

Selene

Selene is another ocean themed color. It reminds me of a seaweed or hunter green. I opted for the seaweed since we are in a summer collection. Zoya describes it as "a true teal with a micronized metallic pearl finish. A unique shade with an aqua fleck that resembles deeper layers of ocean water".

I love these metallics! There are the type of metallics that you wear that didn't show every little flaw on your nail. I love that about my Zoya metallics, they look beautiful and still hide the flaws!!

Also, you can see that my cuticles got stained so I had to take a little break in between these three and the next three. I did a baking soda scrub and got some of the color off. Gah!! It still frustrates the crap out of me because I really love these colors.. Oh, did I say that already?? lol

Aphrodite

Ok, so this is a Jedi Mind Tricks color. It is describes by Zoya as, "a vibrant summer red with a micronized pearl metallic finish and multi-hued flash that brings it to life. Think of fresh and juicy tropical fruit!" As you can see in the first photo, it's a total red color. Like straight up red but in the rest of the pictures it totally leans orange!

When I put this on, the first thing I thought was my orange loving sisters are going to looooove this color. This is the lone jelly baby in this collection. This one is a very nice three- coater jelly builder. 

I looove this color. There was no staining with this and it applied smoothly without any issues. It was actually my favorite color out of the collection. This is funny to me because I usually lean towards the pinks or purples, never the oranges or reds.

Mae 

This is the brightest iridescent pink that I have seen in a while. It is so pretty and leans to a purple shift in the sun. Zoya describes it as a, "warm magenta pink with a micronized metallic pearl finish, reminiscent of vibrant Mediterranean flowers".

This color, again, applied beautifully in two coats. It wasn't streaky for me and actually wasn't as thick as the rest of the polishes. I love this one for my toes during the summer. It may be a toss up between a polish I wore last week and this one.

I also love the name of this. It's such a southern country girl name and that's exactly what this polish reminds me of. Have you ever heard the song Like A Wrecking Ball by Eric Church? It talks about a girl painting her toenails pink. Well, this is the pink and the girls name is Mae, for sure! Well, at least in my mind that's what it is.

Genesis

Last, I have Genesis. This is a pure white opalescent color that you can see sparkle in the light. Zoya says it is, "a crystalline white with a micronized metallic pearl finish - designed to look like micro-fine diamond dust!"

I was sooo bummed about this color. I was sooo excited about this color. Actually, I was the most excited about it because it wasn't a pure white and something that I could have worn all summer with all of it's shimmer. Well, these pictures shows 4 coats. YES, I said 4 coats. TOO MANY!!

Zoya says this is opaque and it's not. Totally not opaque. It's spotty, hard to work with and thick as heck. I am going to try to thin this out as I really want this polish to work. Like, I realllly want this polish to work.

Overall, I was super disappointed with this collection. I love the colors so hard but when I went to use them, I was so disappointed. The application was not that great, the staining is horrible and the formula is just too thick. I only loved 2 out of the 6 polishes which is really odd for Zoya. I usually love ALL of my Zoyas. This time it was hard for me.

The weird thing is.... not all of my blogger friends reported staining so I don't know if there was a bad batch or what, but it seems as if it was hit or miss with the staining. By the time I realized these were stainers, I was already done with the first swatch so on the second polish, I started wearing double base coat with a top coat on top and then I applied the color. This even let a little color through. Again, I don't know why these stained my nails so bad, but I think I may have to wear a cream color underneath next time I wear Serene, Oceane and Isa.
If you love them, be sure to click the links above each color. Stayed tuned for the Island Fun Collection coming up soon!!