Tag: nail polish

Zoya Nail Polish Khione | January Color of the Month

Posted on 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.

Zoya Boo

Zoya Nail Polish Boo

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.

Zoya Khione

Zoya January Color of the Month Khione

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 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 West

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.

Holo Taco Freezer Burn

Holo Taco Freezer Review

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 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

Zoya 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 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 Tempest

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 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

Zoya 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.

Dark Purple Fall Manicure

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.

Musical Manicures | Movin’ Out Inspired Nails

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Welcome back to Musical Manicures, the series where I create a nail polish look inspired by a Broadway show I’ve seen in the past. This is the eighth installment of this series, and I am really enjoying revisiting so many of the amazing shows I’ve seen all while using polishes from my collection that I may not reach for on a regular basis. This week I picked Movin’ Out from the jar of musicals, which brings me back to January 2004. This is the second show I ever saw on Broadway, and I got to visit with my dance class on our first trip together to New York City. Not only did we get to see the Movin’ Out, but we also got to take a master dance class with one of the Broadway dancers, who taught us choreography from the show. I wish I could remember which performer it was, and I also wish I had photos to show you from the time. Alas, this was over 20 years ago before I had a digital camera!

Movin’ Out is a jukebox musical set to songs by Billy Joel and with choreography by Twyla Tharp. Although there is a Piano Man who sat above the stage and performed all the music, the show is otherwise told through dance. I remember that we did not have the best seats in the Richard Rogers Theatre, and I also remember that the show was definitely a bit too mature for us at the time. Looking back, I think Movin’ Out it a musical I would appreciate a lot more now as an adult than I did as a middle school student!

The products in this post were originally provided for my unbiased review. Some links are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

For my manicure, I decided to do an abstract take on the Movin’ Out street sign logo. I began with a bright blue shade as the primary color using Zoya Sia, one of my all time favorite nail polishes. For my accent nail, I used LVX Fantom, which is a white nail polish, as the base. I let the white nail polish dry completely before I sectioned off my nail using striping tape. I then used Zoya Soko, a bright red nail polish, to act as the top of the street sign, along with more of Zoya Sia as the bottom of it. Make sure to let your nail polish dry completely before adding a top coat! Unfortunately, I wasn’t patient enough and smudged the nail art when I added Zoya Ultra Glossy Top Coat to seal in the look. Luckily, the Movin’ Out street sign is a bit banged up, so I don’t think my manicure needs to be perfect!

Overall, it was really fun to revisit a Broadway show that I saw over 20 years ago with this Musical Manicures installment! I feel like Movin’ Out is a more niche show that you may not have heard of before this post. It will be interesting to see if this musical ever gets revived on Broadway. Musicals that are primarily dance revues are not as popular, but they can be really beautiful to experience. You will have to let me know in the comments if you’ve seen or heard of Movin’ Out, as I would love to know!

Join me on Instagram to see the behind-the-scenes of this manicure HERE!

Musical Manicures | La Cage aux Folles Inspired Nails

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Today I’m back with the fifth installment of my Musical Manicures series, where I create a nail polish look inspired by a Broadway show I’ve seen in the past. I love how this series not only lets me be creative in using my nail polish collection, but I get to revisit amazing musicals both old and new. This time I picked La Cage aux Folles out of the jar, a show I saw back in March 2011. I specifically wanted to see this musical because the movie The Birdcage is one of my favorites, and it is based on this storyline. I also really wanted to see the cast playing at the time, because I loved Christopher Sieber from the TV show Two of a Kind, and Wilson Jermaine Heredia who played Angel in the Original Broadway Cast of RENT.

La Cage aux Folles is one of those shows that I don’t remember in detail, but I do remember that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I refreshed my recollection by reading an old blog post I wrote, and the highlights to me were definitely the pre-show audience interaction with drag queen Lili Whiteass, as well as the fabulous dancing. Because I saw this show in college, I was able to buy a Student Rush ticket for only $36.50. This was my first experience in a box seat, which I quickly learned was a go-to area for rush seats since they are often some of the worst in the house. Luckily, this view wasn’t too obscured for me at the Longacre Theatre, and I loved being close to the actors!

The products in this post were originally provided for my unbiased review. Some links are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

For the manicure itself, I decided to recreate the pink neon lettering on the Playbill cover. I began by applying two coats of Zoya Chelsea, a light pink cream polish. This acted as the border of the neon letters. Then, I did a reverse French manicure by using Zoya Brinkley, a pink fuchsia polish. Although this nail polish technique looks really impressive, it’s actually quite easy to achieve because you paint your nails as you would normally, but you don’t go all the way to the edge so the color underneath shows on the sides. I made sure to let my manicure dry completely before adding Holo Taco Glossy Taco so the pink shades did not smudge.

I am really happy with how my La Cage aux Folles inspired manicure came out in the end! It’s a bit simple, but it captures the essence of the Playbill. The only thing I would have liked to add are feather details, as the show features feather boas, feather headpieces, and feather fans as well. I found these nail stickers online that would work perfectly, but you could also freehand the feathers if you are good with nail art painting. Now that I am dabbling in nail art a bit more, I may have to restock my supplies!

Want an inside look into the La Cage aux Folles Playbill? Watch this week’s corresponding Instagram Reel HERE.

Holo Taco Missed-Shift Nail Polish Review

Posted on 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.

Musical Manicures | Hadestown Inspired Nails

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Today I am excited to share another installment in my new Musical Manicures series, which combines my love of both nail polish and musical theatre. If you missed my first post, I wrote down every Broadway musical I’ve seen, put them in a jar, and will pick one out each week to create a manicure inspired by the show. This week I was a bit surprised to pick Hadestown, which is a show I just saw this January. Currently playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre, Hadestown is a retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.

I ended up winning the lottery for this show, which means I only paid $48.50 for my ticket. Unfortunately, my seat was in the back right of the Orchestra, and I was so uncomfortable that I had a difficult time focusing on the performance. I really loved the musicians and the overall message of the show, but I would say this was a three-star experience for me. I would definitely be open to revisiting Hadestown at some point in the future, perhaps on tour in a different venue.

Photo by Matthew Murphy and courtesy of Variety

That being said, the real highlight of the show for me was Allison Russell’s performance as Persephone. Every time she was on stage, my eyes were immediately drawn to her. She was truly glowing on that stage, and she had an amazing energy with both her singing and dancing. I decided to use her beautiful green dress as my inspiration for this week’s manicure.

Some of the products used were originally sent for my unbiased review. Some links are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Persephone’s green dress has a velvety skirt and sleeves, and a lace bodice with rhinestones throughout. I began with a base of Zoya Nail Polish in Link, a neon green polish. To emulate the velvet texture on the dress, I used the Zoya Matte Velvet Top Coat on my pinky, pointer finger, and thumb. Next, I used an old stamping plate from Born Pretty Store that has a floral lace effect on my ring and middle fingers. I used a lighter green nail polish from Zoya called Avani for the lace. Finally, I repurposed some rhinestones I had leftover from a diamond painting project to add some bling. For my “glue” I used the Holo Taco Glossy Taco and placed the rhinestones in while the top coat was still wet. We’ll see how long they last on the nails!

While I still need to practice my nail stamping skills (I definitely smudged the polish on my middle finger!), I am overall very happy with my completed manicure. I think I captured the vibe of Persephone’s green dress, and I created a look that I never would have if not part of this Musical Manicures project. I also listened to the Hadestown Original Broadway Cast Recording while writing this post, which added to the experience for me. If you enjoy Greek mythology and a show that combines a love story with an important societal message, this may be a Broadway musical for you!

Want an inside look into the Hadestown Playbill and a behind-the-scenes peek at how this manicure was created? See this post’s corresponding Instagram Reel HERE.

Musical Manicures | American Idiot Inspired Nails

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Today I am excited to begin a new series that has lived in my brain for a while. It’s called Musical Manicures, and combines my love for nail polish with my love for musical theatre. I wrote down every Broadway musical I’ve ever seen (that’s 45 unique shows!) and put them in a jar. Each round, I will randomly pick a show from the jar and create a nail polish look inspired by the musical. I think this will be a really fun way to look back on shows I’ve seen years ago, all while challenging myself to create manicures using polishes from my stash that I might not grab for on a regular basis. For this first round, I picked American Idiot out of the jar!

Image courtesy of Playbill

American Idiot is a rock opera based on the concept album of the same name by the band Green Day. I saw the show back in April 2011. I remember I wasn’t a huge fan of the show, but was excited to see the band’s frontman Billie Joe Armstrong live, as well as Justin Guarini from American Idol fame. I found my old blog review from 2011, and it’s honestly quite funny. These are my thoughts as a 21-year-old after seeing the show.

Despite my snarky post, I’m so glad I preserved my thoughts on the show! I really miss in-person ticket lotteries, and I can’t believe I got a seat in the orchestra for only $37.00. That being said, I think I agree with my younger self, as I don’t know that I would go see American Idiot again if the show gets a revival. Nonetheless, I’m excited to create a nail polish look based on the red, black, and white cover art of the Playbill.

The products used were originally sent for my unbiased review. Some links are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

I decided to use a red nail polish as the main color, and then do an accent nail of white with black stars. I used Zoya Soko for the red polish, but you can use any true red shade you have. For the accent nail, I began with LVX Fantom, which is a white polish. I let that dry completely, and then used an old Born Pretty Store stamping plate to add the stars with Zoya Willa, a black polish. I don’t think this stamping plate is for sale anymore, but I found one with a similar design on Amazon. I completed the look with Holo Taco Glossy Taco.

I am really happy with how this first round of Musical Manicures came together! I think the nail polish really matches the vibe of the Playbill, and I definitely went outside of my comfort zone with the look. Of course, it was also fun to take a trip down memory lane and revisit a Broadway show I saw over a decade ago now. I hope you also enjoy this series. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Each blog post will be accompanied by an Instagram Reel with an inside look of the Playbill and the manicure process! See this post’s reel HERE.