The new three-piece Zoya Magical Pixie Spring 2014 collection

The new PixieDust polishes in Zoya’s Magical Pixie collection sparkle like Ryan Gosling’s pearly whites on the red carpet, *zing!*

Hexagonal flecks of iridescent goodness combine with finer flecks of shimmer to create a dazzling effect more powerful than the gravitational pull of J. Lo’s butt.

You have no choice but to stare…

Ain’t no party like a glitter party, so of course I had to go there. And this glitter does not mess around.

I think Zoya’s regular PixieDust formula is pretty flashy on its own, but the addition of extra hex pieces here takes it to the next level. Totally worthy of a bacchanalian bachelorette par-taaaaay in Vegas, or perhaps a cat fight on Real Housewives of Atlanta.

Rosy Lux, silver Cosmo and blue Vega are all full coverage, and Zoya recommends 2-3 coats on clean nails (no base coat needed), although, I bet if you could get away with a single layer if you were in a hurry.

For each of these swatches below, I used two… Force of habit, ya know?

Vega, a cool-toned shimmery textured blue (two coats)

I love the way cool-toned blue Vega, my favorite of the bunch, shimmers… It takes me back to when El Hub and I had just started dating.

We’d visit his family in Hawaii over the holidays, and I’d wake up early in the mornings to sneak in a pre-dawn surf session. Vega glimmers just like those teal blue waters sparkled as the sun came up.

Lux, a cool-toned textured glittery pink (two coats)

Can you see the purple pieces of glitter in cool-toned pink Lux (my second favorite one)? I think they give it a dainty, feminine touch.

Cosmo, a glittery textured silver (two coats)

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The Zoya Naturel Collection

I’ve always felt like pale, creamy nail polishes were Essie’s domain, but Zoya’s been staging a creamy coup. They’re quickly becoming my favorite line when it comes to colors in the same vein as Ballet Slippers.

Zoya’s famously potent pigments are totally MIA in Naturel, the brand’s new six-piece spring collection, as are the streaks that often accompany light, creamy polishes.

It’s Naturel, with an “E”

Nudes, rosy tones (the “in thing” right now, as my mom would say) and cream finishes abound! — and not a speck o’ glitter in sight.

These shades are easy like Sunday morning…even on a Monday afternoon.

Chantal (two coats)

Is it just me, or has the whole rose-toned trend sort of jumped the shark? Almost? Between this collection and Urban Decay’s Naked 3 palette — I don’t know — I feel a little burned out on rose (file that under “Things I Never Expected To Say in Print”).

Not that I don’t like the shades in Naturel, because I do. I think they’re beautifully…subdued.

Taylor (two coats)

In musical terms, I would not call Naturel a rock opera. The colors definitely do not remind me of Bohemian Rhapsody, and if you only like nail collections that hit extremely high and/or low notes, Naturel probably won’t make you hear and see thunderbolts and lightening (very, very frightening! — ungh! Galileo!).

Rue (two coats)

Instead, it’s like a pleasant mid-tempo pop song on the easy listening station. Sure, you can bob your head to it and hum along. Or, you can fall asleep… Totally your call.

Brigitte (two coats)

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The six-piece Zoya PixieDust collection for Fall 2013

Some textured nail polishes make me feel a little queasy…

Oh! — especially the flat matte ones that feel extra gritty (eww, my skin just crawled).

But even if textured lumps and bumps aren’t your cup o’ tea, I think the six polishes in Zoya’s new PixieDust fall collection are worth a look/feel.

Why?

Because they glisten with gallons and gallons of glitter and cray-cray pigment!

Yeah, and not just cray pigment, but cray². In fact, four of the six — orange Dhara, magenta Arabella, green Chita and blue sunshine — only need a single coat.

The other two — Golden beige Tomoko and purple Carter (my fave!) — are two-coaters, but that doesn’t make me like them any less. Both still coat my nails completely, covering them in opaque color and buckets of glitter.

The intense jewel tones in the release remind me so much of fall that I almost feel like putting away my flamingo shorts.

Carter PixieDust

Dhara PixieDust

Arabella PixieDust

Chita PixieDust

Sunshine PixieDust

Tomoko PixieDust

Carter

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Getting down to the nitty gritty with two layers of $9 Zoya Pixie Dust in Godiva, available now at Zoya counters and also online

I had a very long, very beauty nerd-seque conversation with a friend a while back about nail polishes with unconventional textures, ala bumps and grit.

I was wearing Zoya’s $9 Pixie Dust in Godiva on my tips at the time, walking around with nails that looked like they’d been dipped in sugar.

New for spring, Godiva’s brimming with fine bits of gritty glitter.

My buddy said the feel of the finish gave her the heebie-jeebies — like clawing a chalkboard or sandpaper — and I can see where she’s coming from. I mean, why purposefully put something lumpy and bumpy on a smooth set of nails?

But then there’s also the question, “Why not?”

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The six-piece Zoya Lovely spring 2013 collection ($8 per bottle, or $48 for the six-piece set), available now in stores, salons and online

Pardon me as I swan dive from the top platform into a full-on pastel nails obsession…

SPLASH!

Sorry about that. I couldn’t resist because the pool is just so lovely — lovely as in the six-piece Zoya Lovely collection. Remember creamy mint green Neely from last week? Yup, these are her Lovely (ba-dum bum) sisters.

Zoya Gie Gie (two coats)

Zoya Jacqueline (two coats)

Zoya Piaf (three coats)