Zoya Mod Mattes Collection Summer 2011 Swatches and Review

In addition to the Sunshine and Summertime shimmer/creme sets for summer, Zoya has also released a mini collection of matte finish brights. They are:

Lolly. A bright pink creme matte. I like this shade of pink in the matte finish. It's a cooler shade of pink than OPI La Paz-itively Hot Matte and it has no shimmer.

Mitzi. A yellowy pea green matte creme! This is my favorite of the set. It really stands out on the nails. It's bright but murky at the same time. More dirty and yellowy than OPI Gargantuan Green Grape Matte.


Phoebe. A bright blue matte with blue shimmer. The only shimmer finish matte in the bunch. The shimmer is very subtle but it adds a nice satiny glow to the matte color. Think satin ribbon. Also, I just noticed that I have foundation in my cuticles. Ew. Sorry about that.

Since Phoebe has some shimmer, I was curious to see how it looked with topcoat to make it shiny:



It's nice glossy, too! The shimmer is still subtle but it looks electric. The blue on blue with a touch of green is really eye-catching.


The formula on these was good. You seem to have more time to work with these than previous mattes and that helps application somewhat. Your best bet is still to completely load the brush and cover the nail in as few strokes as possible, but you don't have to do it as quickly with these. They do dry completely in only a few minutes and they don't require topcoat so they're great for when you're in a hurry. They are much more sheer than other mattes and I needed three coats to make them look perfect. The wear time is average for mattes; I wore Phoebe for two days with no chipping or tipwear until the end of day two when a large section of polish on my index finger cracked off unprovoked... It's so weird when that happens. It just goes POOF! and it's gone.


I love the mod look of these. Very funky and even a bit psychedelic. It's nice to see more colors of matte, I'm getting a little tired of all the matte greys and blacks! Matte nail polish isn't over yet... wonder if anyone else will do more mattes this year?

(These were sent to me for review.)

Illamasqua Throb Collection for Valentine's Day 2011

Oh, Illamasqua, you've done it again. Another collection that's making bloggers buzz... I have the nail portion of the collection to show you, but first, feast your eyes on this:

Gaaaah that is so awesome. I love everything about this picture. Illamasqua = artistry.


Let's get this one out of the way first. It's a creamy off-white polish that has more than one thing in common with this album cover:


*ahem* So, here it is...


Load. Yep, it's exactly what you think it is. The color is really unique, though- an off white with a strong yellow undertone. It's not a clean white by any stretch of the imagination, but it is definitely easier to wear than your standard stark white 'white-out' style white polish. I'd like to think that it looks like buttercream frosting made with real butter and regular vanilla extract (not the clear wedding cake kind). Yeah... buttercream frosting... That's it. Keep telling yourself that.

Throb. A perfect Valentine's Day red creme. Cherry red. I love these types of pin-up girl red cremes. Great formula on this, too. Complete coverage in one coat, but I think it looks nicer and bolder with two.

Scorn. Scorn is part of this collection, too, but you may already have it from when the Nail Quills came out. To recap: Matte black creme, leather-rubber semi-matte finish. Great formula.

And just for fun, I wanted to try out that heart mani from the promo pictures:


This is using Load as the base color and Wet n Wild Black as the heart portion. It's a little sloppy and not quite perfect. But hey, it's my first try, almost no one can be expected to get it perfect on their first try. I applied the black making swooping motions with the plain' old polish brush. Next time I'll use a striping polish with a long brush, but I didn't have one handy this time.


The formula is varied. Throb and Scorn are completely flawless in every way. Load is pretty streaky and needs three coats to be completely even. Drying time is good and the polishes dry to a nice glossy finish even without topcoat. Well, except Scorn, obviously.

Red creme and black matte aren't exactly groundbreaking new colors, but Load is definitely an uncommon shade. I do kinda like it for the novelty aspect... but even excluding that, it's still a really interesting color. Reminds me of antique lace. I want to do some lacy looking Konad prints over it.

(These were sent to me for review.)

Illamasqua Nail Quills and Scorn Matte Finish Polish

Illamasqua's latest creation. Once again they've done something totally unique- you won't see these anywhere else! They're nail quills. A set of two matte black and chrome accessories for your thumbs, inspired by one of these:

They come in a ridiculous nice box. It's plain matte black with a shiny Illamasqua logo for contrast. It has a really sturdy suede-ish fabric lined sleeve that protects the matte black jewelry box containing the Quills. I know it's just packaging, but man, it's so fancy and expensive feeling!

With the outer portion on...


The inner box. It looks really light and grey here because of the lighting, but look how it picked up on the texture of the box. That's weird and kinda cool, I don't know how I managed that. The box feels like it's a smooth satin fabric but it also looks like cardboard... not sure which it actually is, but it's pretty.


Open the box...

Two nail quills and a little double-sided card that has some info about the nail quills and Mike Pocock (the creator/designer of the Quills) on one side and the opposite side is printed with the signature Illamasqua wood nymph looking lady. One funny thing to note- there's a legal disclaimer on the card that says that Illamasqua isn't responsible for any damage caused while wearing the Quils...


When you pull up the little ribbon, this chamber is revealed. It holds the application instructions, a little tube of nail glue and four stick-on tabs. I love the design of this box. Secret storage for the less-glamorous items!

Some more shots of the quills in their case:



In case you're wondering just how exactly they're secured:

There's a little sticky tab underneath each quill. Probably not the most permanent solution for holding the quills, but you can always store them under the flap if the tabs lose their stickiness. Also note the construction of the quills from the underside. The rough black part feels like acrylic sealing in the edges of the chrome foil material. The bottom part is a smooth plastic like a nail tip or press-on nail (which is what these are). Each set of quills is handmade and unique and have their own little quirks and imperfections.

Now, these are slightly too big for my thumbs so they look a little 'off', but I just had to try them on. You might be able to file down the edges/sidewalls if they're too big, but I was afraid to... Didn't want to accidentally ruin them. I used the sticky tab with no glue.



So wicked looking. They're quite long and rather pointy so do take care when wearing these. They're a little flexible so that you don't do any major damage, but you could still poke yourself if you're not careful!


Application is extremely easy. For this very temporary application, I used only the adhesive tab. If you've never applied an adhesive tab, this is all you do: Prep the nail by wiping it with alcohol or acetone, peel the tab off of the paper sheet but leave the paper backing on. Place the sticky side of the tab onto your nail and smooth it down so that it lays flat with no wrinkles. Peel off the paper backing and press the nail quill onto the sticky part. Voila! Easy. But, keep in mind that adhesive tabs are not very strong and won't really last more than an evening.

The instructions recommend combining the tabs with the glue for a longer wear and to preserve the life of the Quills. It instructs you to apply the tabs like normal, but then apply a few drops of glue on the tabs before you apply the Quills. This is so you can remove the Quills without ruining them by soaking them off like you'd have to do if you use the glue alone.

To remove them when applied with tabs, you run your thumbs under warm water and just peel them off. It doesn't damage your nail at all because it's just sticky tape. For removal with glue plus tabs, you can do the same thing but you may need to clean the underside of the quill because there will be a little sticky residue left from the tabs.

Easy to apply, easy to remove. Looks awesome and will definitely make you stand out. The only downside I can think of is the price- they're £35, which is about $55 USD. They are quite limited and all handmade, a true collector's item, so they'd have to be a little on the pricey side, but I do think that £35 is quite steep. The info about them says that they're bespoke- which, as I understand it, implies custom made to your specifications, but I'm not entirely sure if/how that works with these. If they are all custom fit, that would definitely justify the price.

So, now you have pointy matte black and chrome thumbs, what do you do with the rest of your nails?

That's simple- Scorn nail polish. It's designed to compliment the quills- it has the same color and finish.

This is two coats of Scorn. It has amazing coverage and smooth, even formula. The finish isn't really a true matte- it has some shine to it. You know I'm all about the super chalky matte-mattes, so this isn't exactly my favorite finish, but it does match the Quills. It looks like leather to me, so that's cool. If you wanted to continue the matte black and chrome theme, you could put a little silver gem or stripe of foil nail art tape on each nail, too.


I think these are really crazy and I love them! They're a weird combination of beautiful/glamorous and intimidating/tough. They're delicate but at the same time they're knife-like dangerous! I was expecting a true stiletto shape, but they actually are quill-shaped, which also impresses me. If you want this look but can't afford the price tag, you could always go to a salon to get your thumbs done in black and silver acrylic stilettos, but they won't be quite the same and they won't be re-usable.

This would be a good gift for a nail fanatic who loves to be different and stand out. The box and packaging and presentation makes them very gift-able. Available only on Illamasqua.com and at the flagship store on Beak Street in London.

(These were sent to me for review.)

Overall Mineralls Gabrielle Faust Collection by Overall Beauty

The first time I tried these out I mentioned that I didn't know who Gabrielle Faust was. I've done a little searching and it turns out she's a modern vampire/horror novelist, which explains why I didn't know who she was before... But also she seems pretty cool, I'm rather fond of gothic beauty and fashion like she seems to be... Anyone read any of her work?

This collection of mineral eyeshadows from Overall Minerals (house brand of Overall Beauty, aka, BB Couture Heaven!) was designed by and for Ms. Faust and do have a bit of a gothic-smoky-dark-vampiric theme to them. Here they are swatched:

Gabrielle Faust Collection by Overall Beauty - sunlight and indoors, left to right

Sanctified Snow, Hourglass Sand, Love Lost, Vampire's Kiss, Misanthrope, Aftermath, Karmic Knight, Indiscretion.

As you can see, they're all mattes except for Sanctified Snow. I know these are technically eyeshadows, but Love Lost makes a great blush.

I've finally used all the colors at least once, so here are my observations.

The color selection is good- all of the colors mesh well with each other. The texture of the minerals is silky and smooth, not dry and gritty like some mattes can be. Very powdery, soft, smooth.

I like the theme of the colors a lot- greys, purples, red-based colors. Perfect for smoky eye looks, but with Hourglass Sand and Sanctified Snow you can lighten things to make some less-sultry looks as well.

I did have a slight problem with the application on some shades, though. I found many of the colors to be a bit patchy and hard to blend. I used several different primers- Urban Decay Primer Potion, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, LORAC Behind the Scenes, MAC Paint Pots and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy (would not recommend that one for use with mattes, but I was curious and had to try it with these). Some of the shades just wouldn't stick to my skin and the end result was somewhat blotchy. I don't know if this is user error or just comes with the matte-mineral territory. The patchiness is lessened when these are used wet, but some of the colors change and warp a little when used wet. They may be darker and have a shiny look with wet use. Also, some of the colors can get a bit muddy when blended, so be careful of that.

I wanted to post more looks using these, but I've been in a creative rut for so long I can't come up with any creative combos! You can see the first time I tried these here, and I took pictures of one more look:

I used:

Lorac Behind The Scenes Primer
Misanthrope on lid
Karmic Knight on lid and as lower liner
Hourglass Sand as highlight
Sanctified Snow in middle of lid and a little in inner corners
Milani Eye Tech liner in Black
Benefit BadGal Mascara

I ended up with a harsh line near the browbone from where the color wouldn't blend- I blame this on the primer. However, there's a lighter, patchier area in the crease where the color just wouldn't stick to my lid, it kept disappearing when I blinked and I ended up with odd lighter areas. I also had trouble with Sanctified Snow- it wouldn't stick. I kept putting more and more on using brushes and my fingers but it just wouldn't stay on my lid. Misanthrope was great, though, I had no issues with that.

I'm not usually a big matte user- I'm a bit obsessed with sparkle and glitter. But I do love how smooth and creamy mattes look, especially with a smoky eye or a cat-eye type of look. Perhaps I'll have to experiment more!

So my opinion of the formula is that they're not bad but they're not exactly the easiest to use, either. I can't use these when I'm in a hurry because they're just a little finicky.

I have a few comments on the packaging. The set that I got for review are the small sample size and I'd say there's a fairly decent amount in them. The labels look really nice and professional, they have ingredients listed and info about the color and company, but I have just one problem with them... There are labels on the top and on the bottom of the jars, but the well inside the jar on the sample size is shallow, so it's difficult to tell what the colors are without opening them. The sifters are also packed pretty tightly against the minerals so it's also a little tricky to get enough color out of the jars until you've used them a few times.

Another observation... I have to be honest, I think these are pretty steep price-wise. $9 for each individually, $72 for the set of eight. I understand that $9 isn't exactly expensive for an eyeshadow, but for indie mineral brands this is one of the more expensive I've seen. For example, a large-sized Fyrinnae shadow is $6, Aromaleigh full sizes were in the $7-$8 range depending on the product while a pricier commercial brand like Bare Escentuals is $13 for a full size eyeshadow.

One thing I really liked about these is that Kim makes them all herself. I am always wary of trying indie makeup brands because apparently some of them just re-package existing bulk colors, sell them at an increased price and claim that they made/designed/mixed the colors themselves. Kim confirmed to me that these are not re-packaged minerals, these are all created by her.

My final verdict? Love the theme, love the colors, love the names (Misanthrope ftw!), I think it's a cool collaboration and I love to see a spotlight on dark/gothic or non-traditional beauty, but I had trouble with the application and payoff on some colors and I think they're a little pricey.

I think I'm going to need more practice with these because I really like the colors. Any suggestions on how to get the application perfect or maybe a different primer or base to use?

This collection is available at Overall Beauty.

(These were sent to me for review.)