I got this polish lightly used from Steph during her blog sale, and let me tell you, I am just thrilled to death about it. Zara is, in a word, stunning. She's a light cool orchid purple with gold and copper duochrome shimmer.
While Zoya ranks Zara as a 5 for opacity, I must heartily disagree; I find I need to do 3 coats to get it opaque, and even then, if I tilt my nails, I can see some light. Besides that discrepancy, though, Zara is fantastic. Zoya's brushes are short, slightly rounded, and firm, which makes getting precise application an absolute snap. Their bottles are also so cute, and functional––the handle isn't so long that it feels unwieldy, but it's long enough to get a good grip, and the fact that it gets wider as you go towards the top means there'll be less polish stuck down at the bottom, away from easy reach of the brush.
So, even though this is light and pretty and not something I would have really thought I would love, I really, really do. It just makes me happy to see this on my nails! Plus, the gold/copper shimmer is so cool. Really, you have to see it in person to truly appreciate how complex it is. It shifts from yellow to gold to copper and just floats so elegantly.
*Sigh*. I love this. It is definitely one of my HG polishes. Pretty and girly but not at all sickly sweet or boring. Bravo, Zoya, bravo.
Overview
$8 for 0.50 oz, available from Zoya
Color: 10 (for why, see my rantings and ravings above)
Formula: 9.5
Pigmentation & Finish: 4 (not as pigmented as they claim, but perfectly shiny on its own, though I of course wear it with top coat)
Brush & Bottle: 5
Price/Value: 3.75
Grade: A-
What do you think of Zara? Are you as enamored as I am? Any Zoya colors you're particularly crazy about?
Zoya Zara
Zoya says it "gives a magical look to the nails", which is completely accurate. I feel like my fingers are covered in fairy dust whenever I wear it (because yes, I have worn it multiple times––crazy!). It's just so absurdly springy and happy and, yes, magical.
Zoya Zara at slightly different angles to show the shimmer factor
While Zoya ranks Zara as a 5 for opacity, I must heartily disagree; I find I need to do 3 coats to get it opaque, and even then, if I tilt my nails, I can see some light. Besides that discrepancy, though, Zara is fantastic. Zoya's brushes are short, slightly rounded, and firm, which makes getting precise application an absolute snap. Their bottles are also so cute, and functional––the handle isn't so long that it feels unwieldy, but it's long enough to get a good grip, and the fact that it gets wider as you go towards the top means there'll be less polish stuck down at the bottom, away from easy reach of the brush.
So, even though this is light and pretty and not something I would have really thought I would love, I really, really do. It just makes me happy to see this on my nails! Plus, the gold/copper shimmer is so cool. Really, you have to see it in person to truly appreciate how complex it is. It shifts from yellow to gold to copper and just floats so elegantly.
*Sigh*. I love this. It is definitely one of my HG polishes. Pretty and girly but not at all sickly sweet or boring. Bravo, Zoya, bravo.
Overview
$8 for 0.50 oz, available from Zoya
Color: 10 (for why, see my rantings and ravings above)
Formula: 9.5
Pigmentation & Finish: 4 (not as pigmented as they claim, but perfectly shiny on its own, though I of course wear it with top coat)
Brush & Bottle: 5
Price/Value: 3.75
Grade: A-
What do you think of Zara? Are you as enamored as I am? Any Zoya colors you're particularly crazy about?
