Zoya Natural Nail Polishes

Here's another brand that I have been wanting to try for a while now and if it passed my high standards then I would use it in my Salon.

I tend to scour my favourite blog sites for reviews on polish brands and there was an overwhelming positive opinion of this one.

It's not that well known in the UK really, it tends to be on a number of Organic and natural product retail sites, but not seen so much in salons that I know of. I may be proved wrong.

So, what is so special about the brand.  Here's what zoya.com say about their line:

"Zoya Nail Polish has been awarded as the longest wearing natural nail polish by an independent panel in Women’s Health Magazine. Zoya Nail Polish is a nail polish free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates) and camphor. Nail Polish by Zoya offers over 300 gorgeous nail polish colors to choose from, plus 4 seasonal collections of nail polish every year. Zoya Nail Polish was specifically formulated to deliver the longest wear possible on natural nails."

The reason Zoya polishes are so popular with natural product enthusiasts is that it leaves out any chemicals which could be harmful and all the ingredients used are vegan friendly and not tested on animals.  Many salon brands now leave out 3 of the 4, but only a few take out camphor too, and not all can say they don't test on animals, or in fact use animal byproducts.  These polishes are great for pregnant women, children and anyone going through intensive medical treatments such as chemotherapy because there is absolutely nothing in them to worry about.

There is a lot of debate as to actually how much the chemicals in polish can affect us as they are in small quantities and in different forms to those that we normal associate with, for example formaldehyde.  This isn't a science lesson so I won't go into this any further.  But if you are concerned about what's in your products then Zoya could be the brand for you.

As mentioned above the range includes a great choice of colours and finishes along with their Colour Lock system which includes a polish remover (Remove+), 2 base coats (Anchor & Get Even Ridge Filler), a top coat (Armor), drops to speed up dry time (Hurry Up) and a solution to revive polishes should they thicken up (Renew).

I have tested the the Colour Lock system as a full manicure treatment and I am very impressed.  The Remove+ is fantastic with a pleasant smell (considering) and very effective at removing both creme and glitter polishes.  The polishes in general are a great consistency to work with and they compliment each other well when used as a system.  The Hurry Up drops do really help the dry time. I can't say how long to touch dry and fully dry as I haven't done that experiment yet.



Colour Lock System (L to R) Renew, Anchor, Remove +, Armor, Hurry Up
(Get Even Ridge filler not shown)

All in all the treatment side of this range is really good and well worth the investment.

Bottle - I love this bottle it is very elegant and nice to hold whilst painting.

Brush - the brush seems short at first sight but works really well being soft and manageable. It covers the nail well.

Consistency - all the colours I have tried have a really great consistency and coverage is good. Those solid colours are highly pigmented and the glimmers, shimmers and glitters are really eye-popping.

Here are the colours I tried.

(Used 1 coat of Anchor base coat, 2 coats of colour (3 coats for Miley & Elodie), no top coat)

Charla - an opaque sea blue/green with gold & silver glitter particles 

Elodie - a semi-sheer cream orange/pink coral

Erin - a sheer ivory with micro silver glitter particles (this photo doesn't really show the glitter, but it is very subtle)

Gigi - a sheer light pink with micro pink glitter

Jana - an opaque creme mauve/brown with a grey undertone

Julieanne - an opaque deep purple with multi-chrome effect and glitter particles

Lola - an opaque matte cream neon pink

Miley - a sheer cream lilac

Petra - an opaque deep aubergine/brown with a grey undertone

Purity - an opaque cream white, great for french tips

Casey - an opaque cream deep blackcurrant

Raven - an opaque cream black with a delicate silver shimmer

Shay - an opaque cream champagne nude with a delicate shimmer

Snowsicle - a sheer ivory shimmer with silver glitter particles

Kym - an opaque burnt orange/red with red/gold glitter particles

Overall - I love this range and it is great to use on myself and on clients.  I will definitely be getting more colours from this range.  The new Smoke & Mirrors Fall/Winter collection is now out and I can't say there is one colour I don't like.  Check it out here. 

Zoya colour polishes retail at £9.98 in the UK and can be either purchased from my salon, Hands & Feet Retreat, or from www.nailcareclub.co.uk  (www.zoya.com for international customers).

Determining your nail type

With all the different products on the market for your nails it can be very confusing to choose the right one for you.  Short of visiting your local nail technician and going through a thorough consultation and nail analysis, how will you know what nail type you have?

Well, it isn't always as simple as saying you are one type and you remain that type forever, of course not.  Nails are like skin & hair and are made up of the same protein; Keratin.  External and internal factors can affect the way they look and feel, they can also change slowly over time with age.  So, you need different products to counteract the negative effects to create healthy, strong and supple/flexible skin, hair and nails.

Most nails fall in to one of the following categories:

Healthy Nails
Recognised by good flexibility, healthy pinkish colour and a light sheen to the nail surface. 

Soft, thin nails
Recognised by peeling layers which are thin to the touch.  It can be caused by a lack of protection against everyday environmental elements such as detergents, gardening and general daily chores which cause stress to the nail. 

Excessively soft and peeling nails
Recognised by extensive peeling across the full length of the nail.  These nails are thin to the touch with a paper-like quality.  This type of nail splits very easily and breaks off as soon as any free edge appears. 

Hard, dehydrated nails
Strong, dehydrated and usually ridged, hard nails snap easily due to a lack of moisture.  These nails tend to break lower down the free edge and often the side wall of the nail.  Many people can suffer with this type of nail when taking medication or going through hormonal changes.  Hard nails need to be treated with conditioners to give flexibility and moisture.  Toe nails usually fall into this type.

Damaged/Sensitive nails (after enhancement use)
These nails will be very dehydrated due to the chemicals that have been used and could be damaged if the nails were not removed properly by a professional.  Sensitivity could occur if the nail has become dry and thin.  These type of nails will initially lack moisture, but will also need protein to strengthen them.

Note - There can be instances where you have some variation in the condition of your nails, so multiple products may be required to treat them effectively.

For the right treatments for your nail type see my post about the Nailtiques range.