ZOYA — FREE 3 Polish Giveaway (ends Wednesday 011412 @ 11:59 p.m. ET!)

ZOYA, an all-natural nail polish company, is giving away three FREE full-size shades of nail polish. Any colors you want. To each and every customer. Thought that sounded too good to be true? Well you also get three mini bottles of mystery shades. For FREE.

That’s right. You don’t need to buy X amount of bottles, sign away your firstborn, or provide any exceedingly intimate details. All you need to know is the secret code: (NYNH) and pay for shipping & handling. That is one pretty sweet deal.

If you end up treating yourself, come back and tell me what colors you ordered in the comments! I'm excited to see which shades you choose. :) I'm still deciding...

ClickclickBOOM, Francesca

ZOYA — Isla

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

[youtube=http://youtu.be/Bag1gUxuU0g]

ZOYA — Pippa

Lemon yellow nails. Not the obvious choice, I will admit, but my manicure received a lot of attention this week! This was my first time ever wearing yellow and I was so pleased with the results. Really, yellow is not much different from gold. If you've rocked warm metallics in the past, then I'd like to nominate this sunny shade to brighten up your week!

And if my word isn't enough, then check out these pics for proof that yellow is far from mellow. In fact, it's MAGIC.

In other news, a friend at work let me check out a book she got at a yard sale. OPI "I'm Not Really A Waitress." It's a look back at their early ad campaigns and best-selling colors. I'll be posting more on that later.

i'mtypingonsunshine, Francesca

P.S. If you love Sam Edelman shoes like I do (it's just not summer until I buy a pair of his gladiator sandals or strappy heels), check it out! I stopped by Nordstrom in the Grove here in Los Angeles on a whim, and there he was, signing autographs — and shoes!

Zoya Promotion!!!

I don't know if this fabulous information graced your email inbox this morning, but it did mine!

The coming of spring means warmer weather, budding flowers and color, color, COLOR! To help you transition from winter to spring, we’re making it easier to freshen up your Zoya Nail Polish wardrobe.

With the purchase of at least 3 Zoya Nail Polish colors of your choice, you will receive any 3 FREE*.

Now through Wednesday, March 14^th 2012 11:59pm EST, ONLY.  

Instructions:

1. Add at least six (6) Zoya Nail Polish colors of your choice to your shopping cart.
2. Enter code: SPRING3 into the coupon code field in your cart and press "Apply Code".
3. Complete Check-Out Process, Review, Submit Order and watch your Zoya Collection Blossom!

If you remember their last promotion and the fiasco that ensued the following month with my order, as I waited for my two free polishes to arrive.

I am hoping the same doesn't happen again this time around, but given the offer one can only expect the worst as crowds of women make a mad dash to zoya.com to claim their three free bottles!

Alas, I am an eternal pessimist.

This, however, did not stop me from joining in the madness.  I purchased:

Zoya Trixie

Zoya Nova

Zoya Paz

.....getting ready for spring and summer, obviously.

And the promotional colors I chose are:

Zoya Shawn

Zoya Mitzi

Zoya Adina

So much color.

So much shine.

So much obsession.

What did you ladies get????

XOXO, Varnish

Blue Period — Ombre

Yep, you guessed it!...another Ombre post. Knowing how much I adore ombre nails, it's really no surprise.

AND, what would this "Blue Period" be without a blue ombre??!!!

Honestly, this is my favorite ombre yet!

Check out some of our previous ombre posts:

Ombre Unas- A Gray Gradient

L'Ombre Rouge

Glitter Gradient

 

First, some ombre inspiration:

(I'm not one to post manicures done by professionals, but this one from Thefreshmani is soooo awesome!)

(Oh, Conrad and her ombre's!....she gets me every time!!!!)

Ok.  Are you good and prepped now?

Here are the colors I used:

(From left to right: Zoya's Dove, Essie's Lapiz of Luxury, Sally Hansen's Pacific Blue, Loreal's Jet Set To Paris, China Glaze's First Mate)

(Reverse the order listed above from right to left)

* Side Note: I am really digging Loreal's new polishes (seen on index finger in above pic)!  The have some lovely colors and they go on nicely...so far..... 

This manicure was a hit and I received many compliments for the gorgeous blues!  Super fun and super easy!

Obsessedwithblue, Varnish