Nails – Adventures in Polishland

Category: Nails

Zoya Nail Polish Khione | January Color of the Month

Posted on January 19, 2026 by Adventures in Polishland

Winter is in full swing here in New England, and with the snow falling over this weekend I wanted a winter-inspired manicure to match the overall mood. Luckily for me, the Zoya Color of the Month for January is absolutely perfect for this time of year. Today I have swatches and a review of Khione, along with a bonus review of Boo from the Tutti Frutti Collection, which I used as a base shade for this manicure.

The products in this post was provided for my unbiased review. This post includes an affiliate and referral link. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Because Khione is a special effects topper, I began with a cool-toned blue shade as a base. Boo was released as part of the Tutti Frutti Collection this past summer, and is described as a serene Carolina blue cream polish. It has a great formula that applies smoothly and is opaque in two coats. Boo is a stunning polish on its own. I am wearing it without top coat in these swatches since I am layering on top of it.

After Boo, I applied one coat of Khione, which is described as a luminous white overlay with vivid pink-fire reflect. Khione applies easily and is packed with reflective glitters that really sparkle. I really love the icy finish that Khione gives to the nails. It looks stunning from every angle! Plus, the pink glitters make this topper different from the others in my collection. To complete the manicure, I added the Zoya Glossy Seal Top Coat.

Overall, I am loving the January Color of the Month from Zoya. Khione is a beautiful nail polish, and I feel like I have a really fancy manicure even though I just painted my nails at home. Khione is currently available on the Zoya website for $14.00. You can save $5.00 off your first Zoya purchase by using my referral link.

Holo Taco Combo | Zoya Nail Polish West and Holo Taco Freezer Burn

Posted on December 3, 2025 by Adventures in Polishland

This week I wasn’t sure what nail polish I wanted to wear, so I looked through my recent packages from Zoya Nail Polish and noticed a beautiful green shade from the Fall 2025 Muse Collection that I hadn’t yet tried. I decided to pair it with Holo Taco Freezer Burn, and I was so pleasantly surprised with the results! I thought I would share a review of Zoya West with you, and also show you how a nail polish topper can really transform any manicure into a new and unique shade.

Zoya Nail Polish West | Fall 2025 Muse Collection

Some of the products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. This post includes an affiliate link. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

I began my manicure with Zoya West, described as a dusky pine cream polish. This is a very dark green shade with blue undertones. West has a great formula that applies smoothly and is opaque in two coats. I really like the shade of green in this polish, and I like how shiny it is even without a top coat. You can purchase West on Zoya’s website for $14.00. You can save $5.00 off your first purchase from Zoya if you use my referral link.

Next up I added one coat of Holo Taco Freezer Burn. This is a special effects topper that is a blue iridescent shimmer. I am absolutely loving how my nails are now a deep blue shade with blue and purple shimmer. Freezer Burn is so fun to use, because although I never know what the end result will look like, it always ends up being so cool (pun not intended)! You can purchase Freezer Burn on the Holo Taco website for $14.00. I also used the Zoya Ultra Glossy Top Coat to seal in the look, which is available at Ulta for $17.00.

I am so happy with my nail polish combination this week! Adding a few special effects toppers to your nail polish collection can help you create so many fun manicures, and I love reaching for Freezer Burn in particular. If you would like to see how Freezer Burn looks over some other shades of nail polish, I have a post where you can see it over purple, and a post where I use it in a holiday themed manicure.

What is your favorite nail polish topper? Let me know in the comments!

Zoya Nail Polish Phoenix | November Color of the Month

Posted on November 9, 2025 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy November! Today I have swatches and a full review of Zoya Nail Polish Phoenix, the Color of the Month for November 2025. I have mentioned this many times before, but I really love Zoya’s Color of the Month polishes. They are not part of a subscription service, so you can pick and choose which months to make a purchase, but the polishes themselves are usually perfect for that time of year. That is certainly the case with Phoenix, which is sure to take us from fall and Thanksgiving, all the way through the end of the year.

Zoya November Color of the Month Phoenix

The product in this post was provided for my unbiased review. This post includes an affiliate and referral link. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Phoenix is a crimson red nail polish with gold micro-glitter. It is opaque in two coats and applies really smoothly and easily. I absolutely love how multi-dimensional this nail polish is, and how the gold glitter really catches the light. I added the Zoya Ultra Glossy Top Coat, and I think it makes the polish even shinier.

Zoya Nail Polish Phoenix November 2025 Color of the Month

What I really love about Phoenix is that it really is a great nail polish color of this time of the year. The warm, red shade is not only suitable for the fall, but I can definitely see this polish working well for both Thanksgiving and the Christmas season. You can wear Phoenix on its own for a stunning manicure, but you can also pair it with a shimmery green for a holiday look. Now that I’m thinking about it, this polish also works well for Valentine’s Day! If you like nail polishes that can be used over and over, I think Phoenix is a solid addition to your collection.

As I write this blog post, Phoenix is not currently available on the Zoya Nail Polish website even though it was scheduled to be released on November 1, 2025. I recommend visiting the Color of the Month page online HERE to see if it is for sale.

Zoya Nail Polish Tempest | October Color of the Month

Posted on October 6, 2025 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy October! Today I have swatches and a review of the Zoya Nail Polish Color of the Month for October, Tempest. If you are new to Zoya, it is a cruelty free brand with vegan nail polishes. Most months, they release a Color of the Month that is a seasonal shade only available for purchase during the month of its release. I really enjoy this feature because it is not a subscription service, so you can choose to purchase the Color of the Month if you like the polish, but you do not have to sign up for anything. I often really enjoy the monthly polish, and that is true of the October shade. I wanted to put it on my nails as soon as it arrived in the mail!

Zoya Nail Polish October Color of the Month Tempest

The product in this post was provided for my unbiased review. This post includes an affiliate and referral link. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Tempest is described as a deep blackened green polish with golden shimmer. It has an excellent formula that applies smoothly and is opaque in two coats. Similar to Octavia from the Muse Collection, Tempest looks very sparkly, but it does not have a gritty or textured formula like a glitter polish would. I really love the dimension in this nail polish, and love that is applies so easily. To complete the look, I used the Zoya Ultra Glossy Top Coat.

Zoya Tempest | October Color of the Month

Tempest is such a great pick for the October Color of the Month. The deep green shade is very autumnal, and works well for the Halloween season, but it is perfect for the holiday season, too. I really like the combination of very dark green with the shimmer mixed in, as when the light hits my nails the color is transformed. If you like shimmer polishes, Tempest is a great option! It is available on Zoya’s website for $14.00. You can use my referral link to save $5.00 on your first purchase.

Dark Purple Fall Manicure featuring the Zoya Nail Polish Muse Collection

Posted on September 22, 2025September 22, 2025 by Adventures in Polishland

Today is the first official day of fall, so I thought I would share with you my current manicure featuring two nail polishes from the Zoya Nail Polish Muse Collection for Fall 2025. I received this collection in the mail over the weekend, and was immediately drawn to the dark purple shades. I wanted to get both of them on my nails right away, and decided to combine them together into one look that is perfect for ringing in the autumn season.

Zoya Muse Collection | Daphne and Octavia

The products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. This post includes an affiliate link. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

The Muse Collection contains twelve nail polish shades ranging from warm pinks to deep jewel tones. I love that the polishes compliment each other really well, so they can easily be worn together in different combinations. I used Daphne and Octavia for this manicure. In the above photographs, I’m wearing Daphne on my pinky, pointer finger, and thumb, and Octavia on my two middle fingers.

Zoya describes Daphne as a smoky blue-violet cream. It is opaque in two coats and has a perfect formula that applies smoothly and evenly. I think Daphne is just slightly darker on my nails than it appears on the Zoya website. Octavia is described as a shimmering violet magenta pearl polish. It is also opaque in two coats, and the formula glides on with ease. I completed my manicure with the Zoya Ultra Glossy Top Coat.

I am really happy with this manicure. While simple to create, the deep purple shades look very rich and elevated, especially with the shimmer of Octavia. For some reason I have been really drawn to the color purple this year, and that is extending from my wardrobe to my nails. Obviously, I always appreciate when the nail polishes I use have great formulas, too! I definitely recommend both of these shades, and I look forward to exploring more of the Muse Collection throughout the fall season.

The Muse Collection is available on Zoya’s website. Each polish is $14.00. You can use my referral link HERE to save $5.00 on your first purchase.

Holo Taco Missed-Shift Nail Polish Review

Posted on July 29, 2025 by Adventures in Polishland

Last fall it was announced that the nail polish brand Holo Taco, created by Cristine of Simply Nailogical, would be offering some of its polishes at Ulta. I was so excited because I shop at Ulta regularly, both in store and online. I immediately placed an order for a Holo Taco polish that had been on my wish list for a while. As expected, I fell in love with it immediately. This post will share my review of Missed-Shift with all of you, and also mention why I will be buying Holo Taco from Ulta whenever I can.

This post includes affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Missed-Shift is a multichrome polish that shifts from green to purple on the nails. It has an excellent formula that is opaque in two coats. You can see some visible brush strokes, but that is common with this type of formula. That being said, I absolutely love this nail polish! Missed-Shift looks so cool on the nails, and I enjoy admiring the color shift based on different angles and lighting. I always appreciate when a nail polish can look very elevated without the need for any special application or removal process.

Another thing I noticed with Missed-Shift is the wear time. The above photo was after a few days of wear, and there was barely any noticable tip wear. I also wanted to share this photo because you can really see the multichrome effect in the lighting. I had a lot of fun with this manicure, and I think I need to reach for this polish again soon.

As you can see, not only am I happy with the performance of Missed-Shift, which can be purchased on Ulta’s website for $16.00, but I am so glad I can shop for select Holo Taco products at Ulta now. Although this polish is $2.00 more when purchased from Ulta, I almost always have a coupon. Additionally, shipping is free with any Ulta order over $35.00, but the free shipping threshold on Holo Taco’s website is $59.00. Finally, I also like that I can earn Ulta rewards points on these purchases, since I don’t shop enough from Holo Taco’s website to earn many rewards points from them. For all these reasons, I plan to buy Holo Taco products from Ulta whenever the item I’m purchasing is available there.

You can see what products are available for sale on Ulta’s website HERE.

Zoya Nail Polish Ashby | September Color of the Month

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Adventures in Polishland

Fall is my favorite season, so I am ready to wear some autumn inspired manicures as the weather gets cooler. Today I have swatches and a review of the Zoya Nail Polish Color of the Month for September, Ashby. After a few months in a row with cream nail polishes, I’m excited that Zoya released a different formula this time around. Plus, I think Ashby is the perfect shade to not only kick off the fall, but take us right through the entire holiday season!

Zoya Nail Polish Ashby | September Color of the Month

The product in this post was provided for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Ashby is a burgundy metallic nail polish with gold and bronze shimmer. The formula is excellent, as it applies very evenly without any visible brush strokes. Ashby is opaque in two coats, and I love the beautiful red color. To be honest, I did not really like the polish in the bottle, as the microglitters stuck to the sides of the bottle making it look more brown-toned than it really is. Luckily, Ashby is a truly stunning and dimensional metallic nail polish!

I completed my manicure by adding one coat of the Zoya Naked Manicure Glossy Seal Top Coat. I did want to mention that the swatches here were photographed on my second day of wearing Ashby, and you can see some light tip wear already. As I type this post, I’ve had the polish on for five days, and I have more tip wear and a couple tiny chips. I would recommend wrapping the tip of your nails during application to help increase the wear time.

Overall, I really like Ashby as the Zoya Color of the Month for September. I’m glad Zoya released something a bit different this month in a metallic formula, as I think it’s great when the Color of the Month features something other than a standard cream polish. You can buy Ashby from the Zoya website for $12.00 during the month of September. Use the coupon code ABY to get free shipping on your entire order when you buy Ashby.

Purple Iridescent Nails featuring Zoya Nail Polish Soraya and Holo Taco Freezer Burn

Posted on September 9, 2024 by Adventures in Polishland

I recently discovered that I have a go-to nail polish look, so I’m trying to step outside of my comfort zone and try out some new-to-me combinations. I love using glitter nail polish toppers, but I realized I rarely reach for the shimmery top coats in my collection. I decided to pair Holo Taco Freezer Burn with Soraya from the Zoya Nail Polish Beachy Brights 2 Collection. It turns out these nail polishes go amazingly well together!

Some of the products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

I began my manicure with Soraya, which is a vibrant fuchsia polish that dries to a matte finish. Soraya has an excellent formula that is opaque in two coats. This is such a beautiful purple shade, and I love how it looks matte. Soraya reminds me Charisma, which is one of my all-time favorite Zoya nail polishes, but leans a bit more pink.

I then added one coat of Holo Taco Freezer Burn to my manicure. This is a blue iridescent shimmer polish in a clear base. Not only does Freezer Burn apply evenly and easily, but it is so stunning! I could not believe how well this special effects topper goes with Soraya. It really adds so much dimension and shine. To compete the look, I added one coat of the Zoya Naked Manicure Glossy Seal Top Coat.

I absolutely love this combination of Zoya Soraya and Holo Taco Freezer Burn, and I know others do, too because I got multiple compliments on my nails at work. I’m glad I reached into my nail polish collection to switch things up a bit, as special effects top coats can really make a big difference. I am even thinking about buying another topper from Holo Taco soon because I just love how they can transform any manicure. If you are interested in recreating this look, you can buy Soraya for $12.00 on Zoya’s website, and Freezer Burn for $13.00 on Holo Taco’s website.

Zoya Nail Polish Tucker | August Color of the Month

Posted on August 13, 2024August 13, 2024 by Adventures in Polishland

We are midway through August, which means it is time to share swatches and a review of the Zoya Nail Polish Color of the Month. I am quite enjoying this monthly release from Zoya. It’s fun to wonder what each shade is going to be, and I like getting one new polish each month than an entire collection. This month’s polish is also one of my favorite nail polish colors to wear. I had to put Tucker on my nails the first chance I got!

The product in this post was provided for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Tucker is described as a bold, vibrant aquatic blue-green polish with a neon cream formula. It has a thicker formula that makes it nearly a one-coat polish, but I applied two coats for opacity and to even out the few patches left behind on the first coat. I finished the look with one coat of the Zoya Naked Manicure Glossy Seal Top Coat, and I love the bright and shiny result!

Tucker is a beautiful polish and is right up my alley. That being said, this is not a unique shade for my nail polish collection. I own a lot of bright blue nail polishes, including Marisol from the Beachy Brights 2 Collection, Mateo from the Dreamin’ Collection, and Ling from the Tickled Collection. These polishes are not exact dupes, and they are different shades of blue, but you probably don’t need to buy Tucker if you own one of these similar options.

All in all, I really like the Zoya Nail Polish Color of the Month for August, Tucker. This fun blue shade has a great formula, and looks stunning on the nails. If you are looking to add a vibrant blue polish to your collection, Tucker is a good option. However, double check your stash to make sure you don’t have a something similar already. You can purchase Tucker from the Zoya website for $12.00. Use the coupon code TUCKER for free shipping and 25% off your order. You will also get a free top coat on orders over $50.00!

My Go-To Manicure Look featuring Zoya Nail Polish Brinkley

Posted on July 23, 2024July 23, 2024 by Adventures in Polishland

I apparently have a type when it comes to nail polish. In fact, I almost titled this blog post “I Duped My Own Manicure” because when I was putting together the photos I realized I’ve seen this look on more than one occasion. As I discussed last week, I’m currently trying out the polishes in the Zoya Nail Polish Beachy Brights 2 Collection. This week I grabbed Brinkley and knew I would add a glitter topper to complete the look. Funnily enough, the result has definitely been seen before here on Adventures in Polishland.

Some of the products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Zoya Brinkley is described as a raspberry magenta cream polish. It is opaque in two coats, and has an excellent formula that applies evenly. Brinkley has a very subtle purple shimmer throughout, which adds dimension to the nails. This polish actually reminds me of a nail polish I owned and loved as a kid. I remember it was scented, and after some Googling I’m pretty sure it was from the brand Lip Smackers!

Zoya Brinkley and Holo Taco Flakie Holo Taco

To complete my manicure, I added one coat of Holo Taco Flakie Holo Taco and two coats of Zoya Naked Manicure Glossy Seal Top Coat. I love how fun, bright, and sparkly my nails look, especially in the sunlight. Sure enough, I’ve created a similar look very recently using Zoya Soraya, and not too long ago I created a similar look using Holo Taco High Tea Hibiscus. Plus, when scrolling through my Instagram, I see multiple posts where I’m wearing a bright pink or magenta base with a glitter topper. I guess I truly have a go-to manicure!

As I type this post, I’m laughing at myself for being a bit predictable and formulaic when it comes to my nails. I do love a wide variety of nail polish shades and formulas, but at the end of the day I often reach for a pink and a sparkly glitter. I’m very happy to be adding Zoya Brinkley to my collection, but I think I need to compare some magenta polishes soon to see if there are any I can declutter. Please be sure to let me know in the comments if you also have a go-to manicure!