Zoya - Storm (swatches and review)

     Hey guys, I have a nail polish swatch for you today. This is Zoya's Storm from the winter Ornate Collection. Just the name made me want this one. It also helps that the polish itself was pleasing to look at, but one of my favorite superheroes as a child was Storm. Never mind that we were technically suppose to identify with Jubilee (and she was also Asian too) but I never liked Mary Sues and that's what she came off to me as. Storm on the other hand, she was cool. Calling up lighting at will, creating hurricanes, etc. During the winter, when I didn't want to go to school, I didn't pray to God for snow. I prayed to Storm. I don't know why I thought that made sense, since I was fully aware that she was a fictional character, but it somehow worked in my mind at the time.

     Anywho, with that background, I was definitely going to pick this polish up whether it was a dud or not. It looked pretty awesome on the press release and looked even better on the swatches floating around online. I coveted this one almost as much as I did Ziv, and I'm so glad I was able to get it.

     This polish has a semi-sheer black jelly packed full of micro-holo glitter. The polish is sheer with one coat, but becomes opaque with a second coat. When I initally saw the bottle, I thought it might look like a starry night (without the hassle of dotters and brushes and sponges) but by itself, it doesn't look like the night sky because the holographic pieces are packed too closely and reflect too many different colors to really get that feel. As for dupes, I can't think of any for this polish, at least not from my personal collection.

     The formula doesn't go on very smooth on the first layer, but by the second layer, everything smooths out evenly. The layers do not have to be super thick and the  finish is not as jelly-like whe dry. The semi sheer base works here because a more opaque base would cover up pretty much all the holo pieces with the exception of the ones on the very top and the effect would've been much less apparent. Drying time is pretty quick and this polish definitely needs a top coat. The one finger didn't top coat had started chipping in the first few hours, but the nails that had a top coat were fine.

Swatches:

(natural lighting)

(flash)

     Overall, this is a great polish to have in any collection. If you like holo polishes, this one is definitely for you. There is quite a bit of depth to the color since the base is actually somewhat sheer instead of completely opaque, which I really liked. This polish will set you back $8 USD and is available on Zoya's website, ulta, and various salons. I've also heard that they are available at Whole Foods Market? I actually have one rather close but I've never set foot in the store. I'll have to check and let you guys know.

If you have any polishes you'd like to see swatched from my stash, let me know and I'll put it in my queue.

Thanks for reading!

-seal