Old Polish Review: Zoya Shawn Ombre Manicure

Today is going to be an old polish review from my Tumblr, but it's pertinent to today's story (I'm a creative writer at heart, so there're going to be a lot of stories).



That right there is my first ever ombre sponge manicure.

The base is Zoya Shawn, a delightful forest green creme. This polish color was one of the first I bought from Zoya, and it's what got me addicted to their brand. The formula is smooth and perfect and self leveling. The color is rich. I got tons of compliments on this color whenever I went out to run errands. People were amazed at how distinctive it was.

Then, I added to the style of the manicure by putting drops of China Glaze Champagne Bubbles on a makeup sponge and dabbing it onto my tips. It created an excellent effect that would be great for the holidays, or St. Patrick's Day, or really any other time (because it's just that pretty).

This manicure was really a big part of me stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something new. And you know where I learned it?

The internet.

I'm here to tell you that while the internet can be full of mean weirdos with nothing to do but offend other people, there are high points as well. I saw this style of manicure on Pinterest and saw how easy it was. It seemed a lot better for me to handle than the drops-of-polish-on-paper-and-then-sponge style. Which, by the way, I still haven't mastered. At all. It always blends into one awful color.

This, however, was fast and simple and something that I have repeated over and over again with different color combinations.

The internet is your friend for trying new things. It really is. Because when it comes down to it, there's probably someone out there who has done what you want to do and made a video/wrote a tutorial about it. And following someone's instructions is easier than going wildly into the great beyond with no navigation system whatsoever.

So, go find a tutorial on something you're interested in. Recreate it. See if you like it. If you do, CONGRATULATIONS! You've just took one step beyond your beauty bubble. If you don't, then at least you tried and you still stepped outside of your comfort zone. No matter what, you're more knowledgeable than you were before, and knowledge is the enemy of fear!

Thanks for reading!

Zoya Cheryl Nail Polish (And Story Time!)

As I stated in my introduction post, nail polish is what first got me into beauty products. What started as a lacquer addiction turned into something more. Something transforming.

So here, I give you Zoya Cheryl. One of the polishes I got from the Try 3 Free promotion. It’s a color I wouldn’t have paid for at the time because I didn’t know whether or not I would like it. But more on that later. For now, here’s the color:

Apologies for the terrible lighting. It has been raining in Atlanta for the past several days straight and I've had to rely completely on my desk lamp for lighting.

Zoya describes this polish as a smoky brown base completely packed with metallic copper, gold and mahogany metallic microglitter. A jeweled brown for a very rich look!

I couldn’t agree more. The color doesn’t look how I thought it would look. The brown is rich and shiny and goes on in two easy coats (like all of Zoya’s polishes). I think this would be a flattering color for pretty much every skin tone, and it especially looks great with mine.

And now it’s story time.

I wouldn’t have paid for this polish because it scared me. I love wearing brown, don’t get me wrong. But on my nails? I was worried it would look dirty or weird. Like I had dipped my nails in dirt or chocolate. But I figured that if ever there was a chance to try something out of my ordinary, it would be when it was free. So I took the dive. And it turned out brilliantly! This shimmer in this is gorgeous and I really like the way it looks on my tips.

And that’s what this whole post is about. Because let’s be honest, all those ladies out there who can paint their nails perfectly have reviews of this color. Their edges are neater. Their application less patchy. Their lighting professional. They do this for a living, or they received the color as a freebie from Zoya for marketing purposes. This isn't a new color to the world of nail polish.

But it was new for me. And I just really needed to step out of my comfort zone of greens and blues. And if you’re new to makeup/beauty/skincare/polish, I can’t recommend that highly enough. Prod the bubble until it pops and then step beyond the soapy ring that you thought was your happy place.

This blog, the beauty routine that has now become my standard, it’s all outside of my comfort zone. But I’m doing it. I’m trying new things and testing the waters and learning what does and doesn’t work. And for me, that’s the most important thing in the world. 

And if your money is tight? Don’t worry. Lots of online retailers do wonderful promotions to get some of their products moving. They’re hoping you’ll fall in love with something that you got for free and you will turn into a regular customer. And that happens really often. So if you don’t love it? Don’t feel obligated to buy it. Makeup is an evolving world and you have to constantly be learning and moving and changing, finding your go to items. 

What’s important here is trying out everything you can get your hands on because you never know what’s going to make you look and feel amazing.

There’s a big, wide world of makeup out there, you just have to take that first step outside of your normal.

Thanks for reading!