ZOYA — Isla

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It's a neat gimmick that Zoya's got going on. All of the brand's shade names are actually girl names! Please make the acquaintance of my new gal pal, Isla.

Isla is a blackened, metallic ruby. It gleams a rich red, but when it's not catching the light, it's a noticeably darker color. It's a little hard to explain, but this is not your usual metallic red. Sometimes a shiny red screams holiday to me (Essie Jag-U-Are, love ya, but I'm looking at you...) but Isla is a dramatic crimson that works well for months other than December. Isla's high-shine keeps it from feeling too vamp (but don't worry, it still feels pretty Melisandre-esque.). If you're a red lover and are looking for a glamour color to add to your Stash, I sincerely recommend Isla. Also a good gift for your more traditional-color-loving friends.

I love the Zoya brush; it's on the tiny side but it fans beautifully so that you can get a nice clean edge near your cuticle. The formula's smooth, but I will admit that this color chipped sooner than I expected. By Day Four, I had definite tip wear, and by Day 5 I had legit chips.

The name Isla conjures Isla Fisher to mind, the foxy lady who made her big debut in Wedding Crashers.

... but I happened to be wearing Isla the first time I listened to Lana Del Rey's album, Born to Die, and Lana mentions red nails on several tracks, so I'm pairing that redhead with this manicure instead.

borntoisla, Francesca

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Breaking News — The ZOYA Has Landed

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THIS JUST IN!

I received a delightful package just minutes ago! The ZOYA colors I ordered from that awesome giveaway have just arrived!

Pippa is a softer yellow than what I expected. She seems to be baby chick yellow as opposed to lemon yellow; probably for the best, much more wearable. Isla remains a mystery. I'll have to wear her before I truly know. Malia is deeper than I expected, much less pastel, but I'll have to see it on. And finally, Dree. In real life, Dree is truly olive, as in "the color of the olives I ask for in my martinis." I think Dree will be best used with some Nail Artz. Hmm...

Oh! ZOYA sent a palette (visible in photo above) showing all 12 colors from their latest collection, plus their three new Fleck Effects. And a pamphlet with little dots of every single color they have. Oh, I love a good piece of collateral. Very nice giveaway, very nice package. And can we talk about speed? I only placed my order on January 6th! I am really impressed. One and a half weeks later, and here we are.

I am SO excited! The only bummer (I use "bummer" v. loosely) is that I have planned my nail color (which you know I update weekly) through the end of March... So we'll have to wait and see how I end up using these unless I happen to coerce one of my friends into hand modeling again. :)

How about y'all that took advantage of ZOYA's promotion? Have yours arrived yet?

Wheeeee, GLOSS