En Couleur @ Cal

Heather by Zoya

Heather is one of those delightfully unobtrusive, barely-there shades that I associate with springtime and skirts. You could probably wear it in even the most conservative environment, as it’s delicate, feminine, and classy. This is a close dupe for OPI’s Panda-monium Pink, although Zoya is no longer much cheaper than OPI. Despite the OPI color’s name, I would classify this shade as lavender, with more purple in it than pink. However, it is a pink-based purple as opposed to say, OPI’s Rumple’s Wiggin’, which may look similar at casual glance but is really a blue-based purple. 

Katy by Zoya

Sunny skies and flip-flop weather has finally graced us where the grass is really greener! This is the perfect pop of color to complete any fun Spring look. Fine, fresh, fierce, Katy has it on lock. Bright enough for anyone to do a double-take, this color is perfect for laying under the palm trees or pairing with daisy dukes and… I’ll stop now. 

Roxy by Zoya

At this point, half of our previous 10 posts have featured Zoya polishes. I wish Zoya were somehow compensating us for our reviews, but the truth is that their frequent promos make it too easy to acquire their polishes, and Zoya is steadily occupying a greater and greater proportion of our collections. When you see beauties like Roxy, it’s not hard to understand why. The magnificence of this magenta glitter polish has to be witnessed in person. It’s so glittery that it gave my camera trouble with  focusing, hence this blurry picture. This is two coats, but perhaps three would have been better since the glitter is not packed too densely into the jelly base. If I had to name the perfect color to wear to a club, this would be it. Just be warned: it dries semi-matte, so top coat is absolutely necessary.

Persiphony by Zoya

Seeing as Zoya is doing another generous promo (details here), I figured it was time to feature them on the blog again. The oddly-spelled Persiphony is a warm, coral-rose frost that is safe rather than unique, but I mean that in the best possible way. Persiphony is a great choice when you want a bright splash of color, and the frosty finish makes it reflect a lot of light. Unfortunately, it may not be the best polish for people who are not big fans of frost (myself included), but on the upside, brushstrokes are very hard to see.

Demi by Zoya

Despite being a pigeonholed as a fall color, this red-hued purple color has a timeless quality to it. It isn’t so dark that it appears black in low-light environments, but it definitely looks like a true purple in natural light. Flawlessly glossy (evidenced by the reflections on my nails) and opaque on the first coat, there is little fault to be found with Demi. What is interesting about this color is that it brushes the line of work-appropriateness; I wouldn’t recommend it for an interview, but you could probably get away with wearing it in a business casual office.  

Erika by Zoya

I always feel like I’m raving about the perfect pink, so I won’t use that appellation with Erika, lest I strip all meaning away from the concept of perfection. But there is something about Erika which makes it come wonderfully close. The delicate cotton-candy hue and brilliant gold shimmer flatter most skin types, adding a dash of feminine class while remaining unobtrusive at the same time. Though it’s a sheer color, three coats is sufficient—four wouldn’t hurt if you want absolutely zero VPL.