I Just Can't Get Enough of ZOYA!

Forget cheap nail polishes.  $1.99? Please.  $3.99? NOT a steal.  When it comes to what I put on my body, I want the best of the best.  (See my Why Organic Skincare MATTERS for more information) And that's where Zoya comes in.  Last winter I became obsessed with painting my nails because I figured out that if I painted my nails and grew them out, I'd be less tempted to chew on my fingers. Yes, a nasty habit that I attribute to stress, but now that I've made the effort to make my nails pretty, I've dropped that habit.  But, early into my obsession, I came across a problem.  I'd already become hooked on the OPI and Essie brands, but soon I discovered that these pretty polishes made my nails YELLOW and BRITTLE.  Gross. I even tried using a base coat to protect my nails from the polish itself but to no avail.  I was rather upset.  My boyfriend was even put off by my nasty nails because he said they looked like old ladies nails.  Ew. :| So I went on a mission to find a better nail polish.  I attributed the yellowing to the fumes in my polishes and deduced that it had something to do with chemicals.  I scoured the internet for a good, chemical-free (or, at least, mostly chemical free) nail polish that stayed under $10 (because, if you didn't know, there are polishes that go for $20 or more! Outrageous! I know!) After many blog reviews, magazine articles, and product information sites, I came upon Zoya.  Not only is it free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates) and camphors (some of the nastier chemicals in polish) it also happened to be carried by my local Ulta store. Oh, happy day! I now could go to Ulta and check out the colors in person, because I don't think the internet does colors justice.  You just can't get a good judge of a color until you've seen it in person and swatched it.  So that's what I did! 

I've been using Zoya for almost two months now and I'm super happy with the results.  Whereas OPI and Essie began to chip badly within two days, I discovered that not only is Zoya a long-lasting polish, it is extremely hardy! So much so that I really have to rub at my nails with polish remover to get it all off.  Honestly, that isn't even a downside for me, since they don't chip at all like OPI and Essie.  Anyways, I've got a baby collection so far, but they're definitely my favorite colors.  And I've already got a HUGE list of colors I want to purchase!  

So here's my cute little collection, from left to right: Mini Bevin, Pandora, Mia and Kristen. 

I also love the Zoya website, because they give you a sheer to opaque range for each polish, 1 being sheer and 5 being opaque.  Pandora is a 3 on the scale, and the rest are 5's, I believe.  I LOVE layering Pandora atop Mia, because Pandora is more nude and Mia gives it a pinkish hue.  Lovely! Oh, did I also mention that the bottles are aesthetically pleasing as well? <3