Zoya Alix

Alix was released by Zoya as part of its Vibe collection for fall 2008, and is described by Zoya as a "vibrant medium true mid-tone red with a glossy creme finish." I'd say that it's a dark oxblood-leaning red creme with a little bit of jelly-like translucence to it that adds a certain liveliness to the look.

This polish has Zoya's typically wonderful consistency, creamy and dense but liquid enough to spread easily over the nail and self-level well. It's very well pigmented with complete opacity achieved in two medium coats. Because of it's slight translucence, getting even coverage in thin coats will be more difficult. Alix dries in good time to a glossy finish. Adding a layer of topcoat will help the polish settle and even out and oomphs up the polish's natural glossiness.

Perhaps you're wondering what the deal is with coat thickness and why thin coats are better than thicker ones. It has to do with longevity. Thicker coats tend to chip far sooner than thinner ones, so if you want a manicure to last, use a good basecoat, apply polish in the thinnest coats possible and finish with a clear topcoat to protect the surface from wear. If you do get some scuffs or scratches in the topcoat you can easily make it look new again with another quick coat. 

That's what I know, but it isn't what I do. I find thin coats incredibly difficult to do, I simply do not have the control, finesse and experience to pull them off on a consistent basis. This is ok with me because I'll only wear a polish for a couple of days at most before I change it. Perhaps if I were wearing a polish for a week, necessity would eventually override my inability and I'd be applying polish in microthin coats but I doubt it. In any case, what constitutes a "coat" of polish for me is generally a medium coat.

Photo show two coats of Alix over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. Chagrin du jour: slack clean up. I thought I'd done an adequate job of it before I looked at the photos. My apologies.

Zoya Alix

Zoya Alix

Zoya Alix

Zoya Alix

Zoya Alix

Zoya Alix

Zoya Alix

Zoya Alix

Zoya Alix

Zoya Alix

Zoya Alix

Zoya Alix

Zoya Alix

Zoya Alix

Zoya Alix

Zoya Alix

My camera wanted to make Alix appear brighter than it does in person -- the photos with darker polish color are most true to life. That said, there is the wee bit of translucence to Alix that catches and holds light in certain situations, brightening it up but it's definitely more of an oxbloody red than a bright red. I'm not sure how I got that little doink on my right middle finger nail. Stealthy dent gremlins at work.

This is the darkest red polish in my collection and I like it a lot. It doesn't read vampy to me, I guess because it doesn't have the blackened look that I associate with vampiness. This is more of a 40s movie star espionage red. Against my pinkage, it almost looks like a true oxblood but there's no brown in Alix, it's all red.

Pinch ya later Miss B!

love,
Aunt Liz