Friday, March 7, 2014

Reviews and Swatches: Zoya - Tomoko Pixie Dust

Yeah, I know, Friday is usually when I do my Budget-Friendly Polish feature.The problem is that  I'm still wearing the manicure I did for this week's Theme Buffet and I love it too much to take it off yet!

Luckily, I've started building up a collection of polish swatch photos that I haven't posted yet. Unfortunately, none of the photos in my reserves are of budget or drugstore brands. Instead, I'm going to give you swatches of a lovely, sparkly, textured polish from Zoya called "Tomoko." This is one of their "Pixie Dust" nail polishes, and was my first foray into textured polish.

Brand: Zoya
Name: Tomoko
Product Description: "Zoya PixieDust Nail Polish in Tomoko can be best described as a romantic champagne silver with a matte, textured, sparkling metal finish." (credit: product page)
Vintage: Fall 2013
Collection: Fall 2013 PixieDust
Limited Edition: no 
Size: 15ml /.5 fl oz
Dupes: 


I have to be honest with you; for the most part, I'm not really a huge fan of textured polishes. I only have a few in my collection, and Tomoko from Zoya was the first that I'd ever tried. I tend to think that  most textured polishes either look tacky or look like you screwed up your nails when the polish was still wet.


After reading a ton of good reviews about Zoya's PixieDust polishes, and since Zoya was doing a promotion at the time, I decided to give them a try. I mean, what could it hurt?

Tomoko is described as a champagne silver, but I would say that it leans more towards gold than silver. Because of its paler color, it's a bit on the sheer side and pretty much needs two coats to be completely opaque. A single thicker layer COULD work, but dry time on these is already a bit on the long side. A thick coat might take a while to dry completely.



Application was easy, with a not-too-thick, not-too-thin formula. I do have to say that I LOVE the brush handles that Zoya uses. Slightly rubberized and more ergonomically designed than most, it's actually pretty comfortable to paint with.



On the nail, Tomoko has a sparkly finish, reminiscent of super-fine sand or powdery glitter. In fact, on the nail, this polish appears a lot like glitter. Maybe this is why I actually like this line of textured polishes? No polish that looks like you rubbed up against a rough surface while the surface was still damp! No concrete nails! The look is actually almost delicate.


The one thing that kills me when I apply this polish is the feeling when I wipe the excess polish from the brush on the lip of the bottle. *Shudders* That fine-sand/glass-on-glass feeling gives me chills. (Granted, I it's probably just because have a couple odd tactile aversions. For example, I HATE touching unfinished wood. No wooden spoons or popsicle sticks in my home, no sir!)


When you remove the polish, you ARE likely to get some pretty persistent glitter fallout on your fingers. You can see some on my fingers in this post's photos from a nail that I had smudged and had to repaint.

Manicures/nail art that use this nail polish:

Overall, I'm really glad that I tried this polish. I have a few other Pixie Dust polishes on my "to buy" list, as well as a few other standard Zoya polishes. (I really seem to like their colors and formula a lot!)

Have you used any of Zoya's PixieDust polishes? What do you think? What other polishes or colors would you recommend for me?

Disclaimer: I will give my honest opinion on any reviews and swatches that appear on this site, regardless of origin. All products mentioned in this review were purchased by myself <3

4 comments:

  1. Its pretty! I like that this texture polish is a neutral color too since it makes it so wearable :)

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    1. You're always so fast at commenting! <3 And it IS such a pretty color, and definitely versatile. I had chosen this color to try because I figured that I could pair it with practically anything.

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  2. This is a great color. I have two pixie dusts and I love them. Your pics AND NAILS are flawless!

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    1. Awww, thank you! I really love this polish. What other pixie dusts would you recommend/do you have?

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