Nail Polish Review – Adventures in Polishland

Tag: Nail Polish Review

Zoya Nail Polish Khione | January Color of the Month

Posted on January 19, 2026March 24, 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.

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.

Holo Taco Missed-Shift Nail Polish Review

Posted on July 29, 2025April 12, 2026 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.

The Only Yellow Nail Polish I Own | Zoya Nail Polish Darcy

Posted on April 28, 2024April 28, 2024 by Adventures in Polishland

Despite my large nail polish collection, I’ve somehow ended up with only one shade of yellow. This does make sense, as I can’t even remember the last time I reached for a yellow polish. At first I thought it was perhaps 2012 when neon yellow highlighter nails were trendy, but the blog actually takes me back to 2013! Nonetheless, I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone and give the lone yellow in my stash a try. Surprisingly, I actually really enjoyed wearing Zoya Nail Polish Darcy this past week!

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

Zoya Darcy is a bright yellow cream polish with a very subtle silver shimmer. I applied two coats to achieve opacity. The formula is a bit streaky and patchy. In fact, I kind of roasted this polish and the entire Stunning Collection when I reviewed it in back in 2013. If you looked very closely at my manicure in person, you could definitely see the uneven texture. Thankfully, the Zoya Naked Glossy Seal Top Coat helped to conceal most imperfections. As for the shimmer, it is really only visible in direct sunlight.

I planned to wear Darcy back in March, but ran out of time and carried it over into April. To be honest, I dreaded putting on this nail polish for weeks! I did want to give it a try, though, and I’m so glad I did. I really enjoyed the sunny shade, and the yellow color was truly a mood boost whenever I glanced at my nails throughout the week. I also think the shade looks nice with my skin tone, which I thought might be an issue.

Overall, while Zoya Darcy does not have the best formula, I really liked this yellow nail polish. I may not reach for yellows regularly, but I can see myself using Darcy in the future. Thus, I’ve decided to keep this polish in my collection until I find another yellow nail polish with a better formula. I’m not sure when that day will come, though, as it looks like Zoya only carries ten polishes in this color family currently! I’ll have to keep my eyes out for yellow polishes more often.

Do you have a favorite yellow nail polish? Share in the comments!

Zoya Nail Polish Candy | April Color of the Month

Posted on April 17, 2024April 17, 2024 by Adventures in Polishland

I was a bit surprised when Zoya Nail Polish announced that its April Color of the Month is a pink cream nail polish called Candy. For the last several months, these limited edition shades have been glittery and quite unique. I was a little disappointed to see a standard pink cream, especially when the Bloom Collection for Spring 2024 contains three pink-toned polishes in a cream formula. Nonetheless, I do love pink nail polishes, so I reached for Candy as soon as it arrived in the mail.

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

Candy is a vibrant pink cream nail polish that uses both neon and pastel pigments. The formula is a little tricky to apply. I recommend thick coats, because if the layer of polish on your nail is too thin, the brush will create a plethora of streaks. Candy is opaque in two coats, and dries to a semi-matte finish. I applied the Zoya Naked Ultra Glossy Seal Top Coat for a shiny finish.

I absolutely love how bright Candy is on the nails. The formula really does balance a pastel shade with the pop of a neon. I like that Zoya adds white to the base so we no longer have to layer a white nail polish under neons! Unfortunately, I am really disappointed that my manicure began chipping after just two days of wear. I typically go 5-6 days before my nail polish chips, but every once in a while there will be a nail polish that just doesn’t last on me. Since I used the same top coat I usually do, I think Candy’s formula may be prone to chipping.

All in all, while I absolutely love the bright pink shade of Candy, I am a little sad that the Zoya Color of the Month for April is not more unique. I already own a lot of similar polishes in my collection, and since this one is tricky to apply and tends to chip quickly, I do not know that I can recommend Candy. That being said, if you would like to purchase this nail polish, it is only available through the month of April 2024. Use code CANDY at checkout to get free shipping, and 25% off your purchase.

Zoya Nail Polish Bloom Collection | Review and Swatches

Posted on April 2, 2024 by Adventures in Polishland

Spring is officially here, and today I have a full review of the Zoya Nail Polish Bloom Collection for Spring 2024. This line of six nail polishes features three micro glitters and three cream polishes. Designed to be a garden party for your nails, the Bloom Collection features bright and sparkling shades. While the polishes look pretty in the bottle, I am left feeling a bit underwhelmed with how they perform during application. Let me share my full thoughts on the Bloom Collection with you, and let you know if I recommend purchasing it.

Zoya Nail Polish Bloom Collection | Review and Swatches

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

All of the swatches in today’s post are photographed in natural lighting. I used Holo Taco Peely Base as my base coat, and Zoya Naked Glossy Seal as my top coat.

Hyacinth

First up is Hyacinth, a pink polish with microfine pink and white glitters. I applied two coats of Hyacinth, and found the formula quite thick and patchy. I did not get an opaque look, but because the polish is so uneven and tends to bunch up during application, I did not add a third layer. I wish Hyacinth had a pigmented pink base, so I could achieve a full coverage manicure.

Rhiannon

Next up is Rhiannon, a blue polish with aqua and white glitters. Similar to Hyacinth, this polish has a patchy formula that is difficult to apply. However, Rhiannon is more pigmented and is opaque in two coats. I do enjoy the icy shade, which reminds me of a blue raspberry slush.

Violetta

The last of the glitter polishes is Violetta, a purple polish with aqua and rose gold glitters. Violetta has the best formula of the glitters in this collection, though it is still tricky to apply. I am wearing two coats in the swatches, and find it to be full coverage. I do think you can still see how uneven the finish is, though, which is disappointing.

Zaria

Now let’s look at the cream polishes in the Bloom Collection starting with Zaria, described by Zoya as a spring rose pink shade. This polish has a good formula that is opaque in two coats. I find it reads more red on me than pink, but it’s nonetheless a nice, bright shade.

Fleur

Next up is Fleur, a bright pink cream polish. Fleur is opaque in two coats and has an excellent formula. I love how vibrant this nail polish is! If you are looking for a really pigmented pink polish, Fleur is a great option.

Phoebe

Last but not least is Phoebe, a coral polish with a cream formula. Phoebe is also opaque in two coats, and has a good formula that applies smoothly. Once again, I’m impressed with how vibrant this nail polish is! We no longer have to layer white nail polish under other shades to get a bright, neon look.

Final Thoughts

While the Zoya Nail Polish Bloom Collection does contain three beautiful cream polishes, I am overall disappointed with this collection. The three glitter polishes have lackluster formulas that are patchy and difficult to apply. This surprises me, because Zoya has released some glitter polishes recently that I’ve really loved, so I’m confused why these formulas are so different from Love and Lucky, for example. Unfortunately, I would not recommend the three glitters in the line, and therefore cannot recommend the Bloom Collection as a whole.

If you do like any of the cream shades, they are worth purchasing separately on the Zoya website. That being said, I do not find the cream polishes to be unique to my own nail polish stash, so make sure to see if you already own similar shades like I do.

Have you tried the Zoya Bloom Collection?

Share your thoughts in the comments!

Zoya Nail Polish Gal | Review and Swatches

Posted on February 26, 2024 by Adventures in Polishland

One of my goals this year is to try nail polishes in my collection that I haven’t yet worn, so this month I added Zoya Gal from the Fall 2017 Sophisticates Collection to my “to be worn” pile. I’ll be honest, I was not excited to use this nail polish! I couldn’t tell if the shade was gold, copper, or green, and the muted tone is not my typical look. Nonetheless, I decided to give Gal a go so I could decide if I want to keep this polish in my stash or declutter it.

This product was provided for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Zoya describes Gal as a smokey, iridescent, peridot gold metallic polish. It really is a unique shade with metallic shimmer in a base that can lean towards different tones depending on the lighting. Unfortunately, Gal’s formula is a bit difficult to apply. The polish is quite thin, and tended to seep outside of my nail bed onto my cuticles requiring a bit of cleanup. I applied two coats, and while my nail line was still slightly visible, I didn’t want to add a third coat due to the tricky formula.

I completed my manicure with one coat of the Zoya Naked Glossy Seal Top Coat. Despite having issues during application, the polish does look cool and very unique. The subtle sparkle is especially pretty. That being said, I’m not enjoying how Gal looks on me, and when I look at my nails I do not get excited about my manicure. As such, I will be decluttering Gal from my collection since it’s just not my cup of tea.

If you do like the look of Gal, I do want to mention that this polish has been sitting unused in my collection since 2017, so that may attribute to my formula issues. This polish is still available for sale on the Zoya website for $12.00 if you are interested. If you have Gal, please share your experience with this polish in the comments!

Zoya Nail Polish Love | February Color of the Month

Posted on February 21, 2024 by Adventures in Polishland

February is coming to a close, and I want to share with you the Zoya Nail Polish Color of the Month while you still have time to purchase it. Each month Zoya releases a nail polish that is only available during that month. When you buy that shade and use the applicable coupon code, you get free shipping on your entire order! February’s nail polish is aptly named Love for Valentine’s Day. Let me share with you this stunning red polish!

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

Love is a red nail polish filled with red micro and macro glitters. I am very impressed with the formula, as it applies smoothly and is opaque in two coats. I love that the glitters match the base shade perfectly, giving the nails a multidimensional look. To complete my manicure, I added one layer of the Zoya Naked Glossy Seal Top Coat.

I wore Love for Valentine’s Day week, and was very happy with the wear time. By the time a week had elapsed, I only had minor wear on the edges of my nails. That is longer than most nail polish lasts on me without chipping. I also received compliments on my manicure at work, so Love is seems to be a crowd favorite as well.

Love is definitely a new go to polish for me. I can see myself wearing it during the Christmas season, and it can work for the Fourth of July as well. You can purchase Love on the Zoya website for $12.00 through the end of the month. Use code LOVE24 to get free shipping when you buy Love or any of the Love Bundles.

Zoya Nail Polish Metora | Review and Swatches

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Adventures in Polishland

When I created my nail polish “to be worn” pile for January, I thought it would be fun to wear a garnet red shade to go with January’s birthstone. I immediately gravitated towards Zoya Nail Polish Metora from the Hypnotic Collection released for the Winter/Holiday 2022 season. After wearing a glitter combination for the last several weeks, Metora is a nail polish that can truly stand on its own.

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

Metora is a metallic nail polish in a deep red shade. The formula is fantastic and applies easily in two coats. I really love the beautiful dimension in the subtle shimmer. I don’t normally reach for metallic polishes, but Metora is an exception! It looks stunning on the nails, and this red shade is a good compliment to my skin tone.

If you are looking for a dark and vampy nail polish, I definitely recommend Zoya Metora. I’m impressed with the formula, and surprised with how much I enjoy the metallic finish. I will be keeping this nail polish in my collection as I curate it this year. I’m also inspired to try more of the metallic shades in my stash to see how they compare!