Monday, November 21, 2011

Zoya Ibiza makes pre-winter blues a good thing

After all is said and done, the one color I'll always go back to is blue. While I was reviewing my most recent posts, I've realized that I've all but cast aside my favorite. Something had to be done with this injustice! To make up for my straying eyes (no, Blue, it's always been you!), I've resolved to showcase my all-time favorite vampy blue also in an effort to see the good in these pre-winter blues.

Doesn't that just blue you away?

The Quick Take

Brand/Name: Zoya Ibiza
Color: Deep sapphire blue
Finish: Shimmer
Price: $8.75-$9 CDN for 15mL
Seen at: Nail Polish Canada, Spa Boutique, Glowing Beauty, Zoya website and various salons
Note(s): Zoya Ibiza was first released in 2009 in the Dare Collection (Truth and Dare for Fall 2009). I purchased my bottle when it was on sale for $7 from Nail Polish Canada. I can't vouch for the other e-tailers as I haven't any experience with them, but the first three I've listed ship within Canada (and are Canadian companies) while Zoya only ships within Continental US.


The Fun Facts

Love that blue shimmer!

3+1 Free!

Serial at the base.

Good sized brush that makes application a breeze.

Love. *swoon*

Zoya Ibiza, how many ways do I love thee? Let me count the ways. It's the perfect honest to goodness blue that glows in bright light. It's blackened to just the right tone that even in natural light, it's still clearly blue with a finish that shiny enough without top coat. Not black, not navy. Okay, maybe navy. But most definitely blue. This color rocks my socks. It makes the blue fanatic in me very happy, indeed. (Now, before you run screaming "philanderer" and tell Mr. J about my "cheating", you must know that Mr. J is well aware that while I adore my blues, he always takes precendence. Always.) If you profess to love blues, your collection isn't complete until you have Ibiza. Trust.
***All nail swatches were done with Orly Bonder Base Coat and two coats of  Zoya Ibiza unless stated.

Natural light/No top coat/No flash
Shiny and still decidedly blue.

Natural light/No top coat/Flash
Watch it glow!

Sunlight/No top coat/No flash
The sun really knows how to bring out that shy shimmer.

Have I told you how much I love the Zoya packaging? In a word: awesome. Both minimalist and practical, the bottle houses 15ml, the same amount of polish an OPI bottle has, but in a square-ish bottle that takes only about 2/3 of the same space an OPI bottle would. Not that I mean to knock on OPI, but when storage begins to become an issue, round bottles just aren't very space efficient.

The brush is smaller than most with shorter bristles than even an Essie brush. But what it lacks in length, it makes up for in pliability and precision. This is one brush that you can't really make much of a mess with, even if you're a righty painting your right hand with your left. Formula was right up Goldilocks' alley; just the right consistency, with enough flow to spread evenly throughout the nail surface without flooding the cuticles. Coupled with that brush, application is easy peasy.

Dry time is relatively fast as this polish is opaque in two thin coats, about a 2-3 minute wait and it was dry to the touch. Beware the smurf hands! This polish can give you some blue staining upon removal but it doesn't last long and a good scrub with some soap and warm water usually brings you back to normal.

Natural light/Top coat/No flash
Hammie says: Extra shine? Yes, please!

Natural light/Top coat/Flash
Hammie says: *speechless*

Sunlight/Top coat/No Flash
Hammie says: Will you marry me?

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, you add some top coat and you're left with nothing but pure awesomeness.


The Lowdown


Have I seen that color before? Maybe you have. There are quite a few that share the same base color as Ibiza, namely Essie Midnight Cami, Illamasqua Phallic, China Glaze Calypso Blue and Color Club Blue-topia. If I had to call it, I'd say Midnight Cami is the closest match. I don't have it though (why?? I should. I will.) but it looks the closest to Ibiza in terms of color and shimmer. Phallic *giggle* has multicolored shimmer while Blue-topia is a jelly with no shimmer and Calypso Blue is a creme. Always good to have options, right? Especially since Ibiza is from an older release and finding this in an actual brick and mortar store might be unheard of at this point. Now, as for value for price, Zoya is a top notch brand and 15mL of amazing, 3+1 Free polish for under $10 is always, always a good thing. No, it's a GREAT thing.

The only thing with Zoya polishes though is that wear time is largely dependent on your base and top coats. I'd think that it would work stellar with Zoya Anchor and Armor while I've found that it doesn't play very well with my NailTek base coat. I experienced chipping in less than 24 hours of wearing the polish! But it seems to get along just fine with Orly Bonder and I got some decent wear with it, along with Nubar Diamont as top coat. Definitely something to consider. Now while this worked for me, it might not work for you. Nail chemistry and all that. Just so you don't say I didn't warn you if you get less than satisfactory wear time with these.

Hammie is just as enamored with Zoya Ibiza. It has him dreaming of balmy Spanish nights and spouting random phrases like "Te quiero!" and "Me gusta!". Silly hamster. In one of his more coherent periods, he scored Ibiza:


10 Hammie Points!

What comes to mind when you think of Ibiza? Have the pre-winter blues hit you yet (still no real snow in our part of the world but I have seen some flurries already)? What's your ultimate blue polish?

2 comments:

  1. I know why you love blues - they look so sexy on you! This one by Zoya really makes your already beautiful nails looks extra fabulous.

    Hmm...it's hard to narrow it down to my favourite blue. It would probably be China Glaze Blue Sparrow. The first time I wore it, it worn like iron - 2 weeks straight with no chipping and no touch-ups. It was insane...and maybe a one-time miracle! But I only like it with a shiny top coat, since it dries a bit rough and matte.

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  2. *blushes* Aww, thank you, Mary! :) I knew there was a reason that this is my HG vampy blue! I haven't worn Nars Midnight Express yet though so that might shake things up some.

    A vibrant blue jelly with glitter? Great pick! I can definitely see the appeal. For a minute there I thought you'd say Frostbite. ;)

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