Getting Cozy with the Zoya Intimate Collection for Spring 2011- pic heavy!

Today I got to know the six polishes from Zoya's Spring release, the Intimate collection. And by "got to know", I mean "tucked into my bed next to me, while I lovingly stroked them and murmured 'my precioussssss'".

I'm going to get right to the pictures, so you can see where my temporary insanity is coming from. All polishes are shown with three coats and in natural light, unless otherwise noted. All pictures are clickable!

Zoya Gemma

Zoya Gemma

I couldn't swatch Gemma fast enough, let me tell you. Gemma is a grayed-out green with unexpected, yet really awesome, violet shimmer. Green with violet shimmer. I just wanted to repeat that for you. In case you're thinking that this reminds you of Essie Sew Psyched, FORGET IT! This is what you could only DREAM Sew Psyched would look like. Zoya Gemma is a green first and foremost, while SP is truly gray. Plus, Gemma has that awesome violet shimmer that really makes it unique and a true standout among the legions of dupeable polishes this spring. Gemma did need the full three coats, but it applied completely smooth and easily, and had no VNL at all with three coats.

Zoya Gemma, with flash to show shimmer

Zoya Gemma, weird angle to show shimmer!

Zoya Dannii

Zoya Dannii

The next beauty I swatched was Dannii. Upon putting the first stroke on my nail, I exclaimed (out loud) "This is the BEST purple polish. EVER.". (side note- I wasn't talking to myself. My mom was sitting there practically waiting to rip these polishes out of my hands.) Dannii is super pigmented. If you felt lazy, you could definitely wear one coat. At two coats, it was perfection. I only did three to be consistent throughout the collection. Dannii is the purple polish I have been missing in my collection- a medium purple that is neither red nor blue toned, shimmery, not pastel, but also not black. Dannii also has some golden shimmer in it that makes it really pop. Again, I think this is unique. I certainly do not own anything like it. Dannii and I shall be announcing our engagement any day now.

Zoya Dannii, with flash to show shimmer

Zoya Dannii

Zoya Jules

Zoya Jules

Jules was up next in my swatching frenzy. Jules is a really interesting take on the taupe trend that is still going strong. It's a taupe/blonde gold shimmer that wasn't too exciting in the bottle. On the nail, however, it really looks amazing! I feel like this kind of color is usually plagued with patchiness and VNL, but not Jules! Totally opaque in three coats and smooth as butter application. This is how I like to wear taupe, full of shimmer!

Zoya Jules

Zoya Marley

Zoya Marley, with flash to show shimmer

I'm surprised that I actually got to swatch Marley. I thought my mom was just going to run off with it and never return. Marley is a super pale icy lavender shimmer with a nice amount of gray to it. I think the gray added in there makes it more wearable for warm skintones. Icy lavender is probably not the ideal color for warm gals, but I can see this working on everyone. The first coat of Marley was a tad streaky, but never fear! Look at it's buttery smoothness after three coats! I occasionally hate applying pastel colors- I find them to be thick and streaky, or sheer and streaky. Marley was great though, I think I have finally found a pastel polish I will actually wear! Marley was also more lavender than I thought. Some swatches I have seen make it look a lot more gray. Marley is a polish that I typically wouldn't be excited about, so it's kind of cool that I love it so much!

Zoya Marley

Zoya Marley

Zoya Caitlin

Zoya Caitlin

Caitlin is a highly pigmented purple gray creme. It definitely could be another one coater if you're feeling lazy. If you remember Zoya Kelly from the fall collection, Caitlin is Kelly's lighter, springier cousin. I adored Kelly when I got it, so it's only natural that I adore Caitlin. It's kind of dark for spring, which I love. Spring isn't all bunnies and kittens, sometimes there are big grey storm clouds and tons of rain! Caitlin is more purple leaning that Kelly and the purple-ness makes it different from other gray cremes I own. I will be sporting this one quite a lot!

Zoya Caitlin

Zoya Dove

Last, but there really is no least in this collection, is Dove. When I first saw Dove, I thought it would be similar to Zoya Harley, a light cement gray we all went crazy for awhile back. WRONG. First of all Dove is a creme and has a tougher feel than shimmery Harley. Second of all (see my comments on the formula of these below), this is WAY more pigmented. For a pale dove gray, this sure packed a lot of pigment punch. Dove is maybe a touch whiter than some other pale grays I own. It reminds me of a really soft sweater. If you liked Harley, you will love Dove 40 times more.

Zoya Dove

Zoya Dove

Now for my overall comments about this collection (I will try to keep the gushing to a minimum).
Firstly, I really liked Zoya's spring collection last year. At the time, I thought it was fantastic, and I wore the colors all spring and summer. However, the formula on all of these polishes are about 1000 times better. No VNL, no patchiness, and they were all super pigmented (Gemma being the least pigmented). I feel like Zoya made some improvements in their already awesome formula.
Secondly, I like these colors for spring. They have me planning spring outfits. I want to get a military jacket (the color of Gemma, without the violet shimmer obviously) and wear it with an icy lavender silk tank (Marley) and taupe skinny jeans (inspired by Jules). Now, if only Zoya made clothes too.
Thirdly, I just have to say... I was not having a good day yesterday. I was made about several things and not feeling so hot either. When I got home from work and saw the box fom Zoya, my bad mood literally melted away. Finding these on my doorstep was the highlight of my day, possibly my week. Isn't that how nail polish should make you feel?

The Zoya Intimate Collection is available on Zoya.com now and the sampler with all six polishes is a fabulous deal!

This collection was sent to me for review by the PR company for Zoya. For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy.