Swatches and Promises: Zoya Ivy

Ugh.  That is how I feel today about my planned manicure.  Ugh, ugh, ugh.  I've been trying to make it work, but I honestly dislike how it's turned out so much that I can't show it to you right now.  So instead of sitting and sulking, I'm going to take it off for the second time and try something different, but in the meantime, I wanted to post something!  

This is Zoya Ivy, the second polish that I received in the promotion for two free Zoya polishes at the beginning of the year.

Ivy is a really beautiful rusty red with gold micro glitter.  It kept photographing a little bit redder and more orange than it is in person, the little devil, but on the nail, it's a really gorgeous shade.

I actually was so overwhelmed by the Zoya website and the prospect of two free polishes that I picked this randomly from things that I thought looked amazing.  The day after I ordered it I thought, "Gosh, I don't know why I picked that over one of the shimmery greens I've been lusting over!"  

I chalked it up to a weird mood, resolved to buy Yara in person later.  And then, terrible story, the only store in town that sold Zoya burned down.  I'm not kidding!  A tanning bed in the same building started a fire and POOF!  All those nail polish babies!  (No people were hurt either, so I will grieve for those little bottles of color instead!)  

 In any case, I didn't get Yara and I probably won't for a while because Zoya's shipping is pretty high and I am also not supposed to be buying anything.  Instead, I have Ivy, who is actually surprisingly satisfying after my Zoya drama.  When I swatched for these photos, I was prepared to be underwhelmed by Ivy.  That wasn't the case.

 I tried to capture the way that the gold flecks seem to make the color in this shift a little, but I think I failed.  It's still super pretty though.  I think it would be a beautiful and mature Valentine's Day pick!

 The formula is a little on the sheer side, which I didn't count on.  This is three coats and at a few of the angles, you can see it didn't completely even out.  I want to try layering it over black one day.

Hopefully, I'll get my act together and put together a decent Valentine's manicure before the day is over!  Thanks for reading!