Zoya Portia

Portia is described by Zoya as a "soft milky pale rose with cool lavender undertones." I have to applaud the descriptor writers at Zoya for this one, it's attractive and accurate. Portia is a desaturated pale pink creme with a touch of lavender that leans slightly to the cool side of the spectrum and shows its lavender side in the shade especially. It finishes up with a beautiful almost silvery sheen, really quite lovely and I adore the color, which has a bridal feel to it. I wish it liked me half as much!

Application was nice. The consistency is fluid, creamy and smooth, with excellent flow over the nail. The first coat is sheer but completely non-streaky, and makes for an excellent french or natural look manicure. Subsequent coats build the color, with three being my optimum for opaque coverage. Portia self-levels well, unusual for a whitened color like this, and did not bubble or drag but did ghost a bit around the edges when I didn't apply it perfectly aligned with the previous coat. Cleanup is easy and straightforward, although this color matched my skin tone well enough that I had trouble seeing swipage when it occurred. Portia dries naturally in good time to a glossy finish.

Photos show three medium coats of Portia over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Zoya Portia

Zoya Portia

Zoya Portia

Zoya Portia

Zoya Portia

Zoya Portia

Zoya Portia

Zoya Portia

Zoya Portia

Zoya Portia

I was hoping for a mannequin hands manicure with Portia but it's a little too cool and maybe too pale for my skin. Even though I love this delicate, natural, sea shell pink, I think it gives my fingers kind of a grimy look in comparison and the gap between the polish and my cuticle is distractingly dark. Can't win 'em all! My search for the perfect mannequin hands neutral continues.

love,
Liz