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17 February 2014

Review: Zoya Neely


The name "Zoya" is a female Russian and Ukranian first name that is equivalent to the English name "Zoe". Zoya is also the first name of the co-founder of the nail polish brand.

In the 1980s, after they immigrated to the United States, Zoya and Michael Reyzis started a small nail salon and turned it into a spa that focused on, amongst other things, natural nails. Zoya wanted a range of nail products that was safe to use for both pregnant women and children, and Michael, an advanced chemist, developed and patented these unique products. He developed the world's first fast drying top coat, as well as polish that was long lasting, formaldehyde free, and natural.

The couple were the first to develop a "five free" formulation; their nail polish is free of ingredients that are bad for you and your skin. Zoya is eco-friendly and vegan friendly, and is safe to use on both pregnant women and children.

Zoya has enjoyed success in many countries and is finally available in South Africa. They are busy rolling the brand out to different parts of the country. Currently you can only buy it at selected salons in Centurion and Johannesburg or you can order it through the Zoya agents.

I met the lovely ladies from Zoya Pretoria at a nail polish demonstration a few weeks ago and bought Neely. I received it about a week ago and couldn't wait to try it out.


The bottle fits nicely in your hand and the brush is quite narrow, but applying the polish is a breeze. The formulation is quite creamy and two coats is enough to achieve a smooth finish.

Neely is a beautiful pastel sea foam green. It's definitely much lighter than mint and has a slightly warm undertone so that it isn't really very blue or very green. It applied smoothly and I got quite a few days wear out of it with my normal top coat and base coat. It is recommended that you use the nail polish together with the Zoya base coat and top coat for optimal longevity.

All in all I'm very pleased with the polish and I'd like to try out a few other colours.


* Price: 3/5 (the normal polishes cost R140 and the textured polishes R150)
* Application: 4/5 
* Colour payoff: 5/5
* Longevity: 3/5

Have you ever tried out Zoya nail polishes? Do you have a favourite?

Until next time!

Hildegarde
xoxo



6 comments:

  1. We love Neely too! So pretty. Thanks for the review!

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    1. Thank you for introducing me to her! ;) Thanks for commenting, Teresa!

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  2. I really love Zoya nail polishes. To me they are the longest wearing brnd especially when you use their colour lock system with it. Just wish the products were more readily available in South Africa - but I think they are working on the supply chain to improve it. Can't wait to get all my products - especially Godiva.

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    1. I'm very keen to try the colour lock system, and to get more polishes. I especially have my eye on a pixie dust! I think things will start to go more smoothly once they've straightened out their supply chain, yes. Thanks for commenting, Charlene!

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  3. This is such a beautiful colour! Looks lovely on you too. I haven't tried Zoya properly, as I find its hard to buy it in SA - it's like a mission to get it, just like Charelene says. Hopefully we'll be able to buy them soon in our nearest nail salons :)

    Loren | www.hellominkys.blogspot.com

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    1. I love the colour and can't wait to get more. It's a pity they aren't readily available yet, but I think it'll get better once more people start using it. Thanks for stopping by!

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