Spring 2013 Nail Polish Favourites

One of my favourite aspects of spring is the pretty, pastel nail polish shades that show up on store shelves in early March.
This year, my list of spring polish favourites features pinks, greens, peaches, nudes, and, of course, pastels.
Which ones do you like best from my list below, and what will you be wearing on your nails this season?
To see reviews, swatches, and nail designs featuring these shades, check out the Nail Art and NOTD tabs on my blog’s menu bar.

Essie Neo Whimsical, OPI Play the Peonies, Zoya Jaime

Zoya Rory, Zoya Gei Gei, Zoya Barbie, Zoya Erika

Essie Fiji, Orly Cotton Candy, Butter London Teddy Girl

Zoya Jacqueline, Zoya Kennedy

Zoya Bevin, Essie Mint Candy Apple

NOTD: Zoya Erika

Zoya describes Erika as a work appropriate soft pink with a shimmery twist. I believe that this is the ideal description for Erika as it is the flecks of gold shimmer running through this polish that make it stand out in the very large sea of pastel pink polishes.

I was very impressed with the texture of the shimmer particles. They are incredibly fine, and make me want to call them “micro flakies”. Even with just one coat of polish, the glitters remain smooth and do not alter the texture or feel of the polish. As you can see from the photo, the polish is very saturated with the shimmer particles. In most shimmery polishes, the shimmer is usually only visible when the light hits it. That is not the case for Erika; the shimmers are easy to see in any light. This type of shimmer also appears in some of the other polishes that were released with Erika in the Chit Chat Collection (Summer 2008).

Erika’s base is a milky baby pink shade that is surprisingly very opaque. Judging from the colour in the bottle, I assumed that it would take at least 3-4 coats for this polish to show up on the nails. The Zoya site gives it a 4/5 on the opacity scale. I think that maybe a 3 or 3.5/5 would be more appropriate because it did take two coats for Erika to be completely opaque.

That said, I had to apply a third coat because this polish didn’t apply as evenly as my other polishes from Zoya. After two coats, it appeared streaky and uneven in some spots. For the most part, the problem was resolved with a third coat.

In addition to the pretty gleam that the shimmer emits, Erika is a shiny polish in general. In the photos below I am not wearing any top coat and there is still an obvious glassy shine. In spite of this, I recommend using a top coat because, in my experiences, this polish does not seem to wear as long as other Zoyas (it started to chip within 3 days).

Overall, If you love pastel pinks and are looking for something a bit unique, Erika just may be the shade for you. It’s a beautiful colour worth trying if you aren’t afraid of a few streaks.