Zoya Neeka

Neeka was released by Zoya as part of the Mirrors collection for fall 2011. Zoya's description, "a greyed amethyst with subtle red duochrome shimmer and bright gold glitter accents," is accurate to a point but I don't think it captures the true soul of Neeka. And if Neeka is anything, it's a soulful polish. This is a deep dusky eggplant with grey overtones and golden flaky shimmers that glow from within the polish and give the impression of rising to the surface along the axis of light. Reflecting light through the layers of polish, the shimmer, which has a larger particle size than typical shimmer but is still not quite as bold or uniformly shaped as microglitter, takes on a glimmering pinkish red color in certain lights and at certain angles. In direct sun they sparkle like stars in the night sky! It's a sophisticated, elegant polish with beautiful depth and complexity and a pop of personality.

Application was wonderful. Neeka is another example of why I love my Zoyas so much, it applies like a dream. The consistency is fluid, creamy and dense with excellent, self-leveling flow over the nail. This polish likes to go on in medium coats and Zoya's medium-sized brush with its flexible bristles and rounded tip is the perfect application tool for that. Pigmentation is also excellent. With the proper mojo, Neeka could be a one-coater. The first coat on some of my nails was a little too thin for that, so I used two and was overjoyed when my ridges disappeared completely after the second coat. Cleanup is fairly straightforward with the occasional shimmer flake needing a second pass to remove but no staining of cuticles or nail environs. Neeka dries naturally in good time to a smooth but rather flat finish that wants a nice topcoat for a glossy shine.

Photos show two coats of Neeka over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. I apologize for all the dry flaky skin on my fingers lately. I've ordered some of my favorite Trillium Organics body polishes in cedar eucalyptus and pink grapefruit, which should take care of the problem. They can't get here soon enough!

Zoya Neeka

Zoya Neeka

Zoya Neeka

Zoya Neeka

Zoya Neeka

Zoya Neeka

Zoya Neeka

Zoya Neeka

Zoya Neeka

I didn't know how much I was craving something deep and subtle on my nails until I started applying this polish. With the first brush stroke, my mind went ahhhhh! The thing that makes Neeka something special is the nature of the golden flaky shimmers. This isn't your typical shimmer polish, it's more like a creme with a shimmery presence. The shimmery flakes are sparse enough to give Neeka a finely grained, speckled look that I'm crazy about. At the same time, they are abundant enough to pop when light hits them. It's a refined, cosmopolitan look with a worldly wisdom to it that is quite convivial, almost playful. Not something I thought I would find in a dark polish. 

I know this isn't typical summer nail polish fare, but it scratched an itch I didn't know I had so as far as I'm concerned it's perfect for right now! *lol* Of course, as Erika of Icy Nails says, life is too short for stupid beauty rules. Amen.

love,
Liz