Zoya Promotion & My Nail Polish Collection

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to make sure you guys knew about a promotion that Zoya is running that ends tonight at midnight Eastern time; if you make any purchase, you can get a free nail polish from their collection of reds, and free shipping! This means you could basically get two polishes for the price of one, plus free shipping, or get a small size of nail polish remover and a free nail polish with free shipping... Here's the post on Nouveau Cheap, where I found out about this offer; she's got some more details for you. If you haven't tried Zoya's nail polishes, this is a great opportunity to check the company out. Unfortunately, it is my understanding that they don't ship internationally, so you have to be in the US.  I went through my collection and pulled out all of my Zoya polishes to make sure that I don't get doubles of anything. In fact, I haven't even quite convinced myself to place an order, but considering I love red nail polish and I have a list of Zoya polishes I'd like to get, I think I probably should. You might disagree with me after seeing my collection, however...

Yes, that is a cosmetic bag, a shoe box, and a train case full of nail polish. All of my Zoya polishes are lined up to the left of the shoe box; believe it or not, I've managed to never pay full price for any of those! I sent in old nail polish bottles when they were doing their annual earth day promotion, and just had to pay shipping to exchange the old nail polishes for any of their new polishes. The old polishes you send in don't have to be Zoya brand, and can be any size. They do this each year, so I will give you all a heads up if I hear about the promotion beginning!

Obviously, I have plenty of nail polish... Luckily, it's the sort of thing that never "spoils". I've had a couple dry out to the point where I don't know if I can save them, but that is unusual. If you buy nail polish thinner, you can restore old polishes as good as new. I know a lot of people will tell you to add nail polish remover, but if you want your polishes to last, don't do that! Nail polishes thicken up when a chemical in them evaporates. Nail polish thinner is composed of that chemical, and so it restores them to their original state. Nail polish remover, on the other hand, breaks down nail polish. This will thin it, but in the long run, it will also destroy it. It's worth investing in a nail polish thinner if you have a large and aging collection; it's very inexpensive at beauty supply stores, and you generally only need a few drops to get a bottle as good as new!

So, are you guys nail polish fanatics? I can't get enough; a fun shade on my nails can make my day, and getting a new nail polish is a relatively inexpensive "splurge" that I get stupid-excited over. I don't know if you can tell from the photograph, but about half of my nail polish collection are drug-store brands like Revlon, L'Oreal, and Sally Hansen. I have some China Glaze, some Zoya, some Essie, and some OPI polishes as well, but very few really high-end brands. There just isn't enough of a difference to me in formula to convince me to spring for an $18 bottle of polish if I can get a similar color for $8, or even $3. Have you guys found a difference in quality between price brackets? I have very bad nails to begin with, so everything chips on me after just a couple of days, but I know some people find a few brands that really wear like iron on them.

 I love nail polish talk! I'm going to try to remember to take photos of my manicures more often and share them with you guys. My favorite shades are vampy burgundies, classic red creams, gunmetal metallics, smoky purples, and glittery pinks and reds. Lately, I've been trying to branch out and find more demure nudes for busy weeks when I can't touch up my nails every other day. I've never been big into neons or green and blue nail polishes, although I do have a few. That being said, I am a big fan of pale blue and turquoise polishes! What are your favorite brands and shades of nail polish? Do you tend to keep polish on your nails? Mine are too weak to go without, and the whites of my nails are uneven and ugly from years of breaking, so I hate wearing clear and very sheer polish.