Happy Spring! Zoya Color Lock System Review

Cosmetic

So I stopped by my local nail supply shop and found that they had the Zoya Color Lock System in.  I had heard great things of the polish remover especially but was convinced to get the whole kit and not just the remover.  While it was a great deal, I'm having trouble loving this system.

Lets overview:

The kit comes with a 3 in 1 polish remover, a ridge filler basecoat, a color anchoring basecoat, an armor topcoat with UV filters, polish drying drops and a bottle of their polish renew which is basically nail polish thinner.

The polish remover is amazing!  It's super effective and gentle.  The smell is a bit medicinal but I don't mind it.

The ridgefiller is opaque and has fibers that are suppose to smooth the nail surface.  I found that although it dried quickly, it didn't really fill my ridges in and made for a soft base for my color.

The anchor basecoat dries shiny and fairly quick.  It gave a good base for my polish but I had problems with my manicure lasting.

The armor topcoat gives a great shiny finish.  And although it sets quickly, it takes a longer than average time to fully dry and it leaves the nail vulnerable as the top coat remains somewhat "sticky" after it sets.  Don't know how to describe it, but it doesn't feel smooth when I run my finger over the nail.  Kind of like running a clean finger over plastic wrap, it tends to stick.  I also noticed some mild bubbling on my nails.

The drying drops are oily and although they leave my nails with a smoother feel after the topcoat, I see no real difference in drying time.

Now I've tried this system 3 times and it has resulted in 3 manicures that have lasted about 12 hours before the first chip.

The first time:  I tried the ridge filler basecoat and used Zoya Gemma.  I loved the color and the manicure was so pretty! 

Zoya Gemma (2 coats)

I got some sheet marks from sleeping but I didn't mind that so much and figured I didn't wait long enough for the polish to fully dry.  But at work, I didn't get a chip so much as I got indentations on my tips after working for a few hours. 

It was as if my base wasn't able to provide the foundation needed for my polish.  I took it off when I came home and tried again.

The second time:  I did a manicure with Zoya's Marley.  I used the anchor basecoat this time.  While I didn't have the indentation issues as I did the day before, I did get a chip on my ring finger within 20 minutes of being at work.  

Zoya Marley (2 coats)

This irritated me so much. Not just because I had just done this manicure the night before but I did my best to sleep with my hands outside the sheets to avoid sheet marks.  Determined to make this work I go home and try again.

The third time:  I forgo using a Zoya polish and try out my China Glaze in Virtual Violet.  This time I used a coat of the ridgefiller and the anchor before applying my color.  I was so happy, my nails looks great and the topcoat didn't dull the holo effect that the Tronica polishes have.  However...

China Glaze Virtual Violet

Now this occured after I peeled a sticker off a bottle with gloves on my hands.  I noticed the polish on my index finger lifting and after I rubbed the loose bits I got this.... sorry for the bad pic, but I used my phone.

I looked at my other nails and noticed all but one of them had the polish separating from the nail, most of the polish peeled off before I got off work.  To say I was sad would be an understatement.  I have tried 3 times with this system and don't know what to do with it.

I know a lot of people have had positive experiences with this system but I'm afraid the only true star is the polish remover.

So onto my ranking (from 1 to 5) .....

Value : 5 - it comes in a cute sealable bag that you can take along with you and is a great price for the amount of product.

Ease of Use : 5 - the system is super easy to use and all the steps are laid out for you.

Quality : 2 - while I'm sure the products do work, I just can't get them to work for me.  I will try to experiment more but for now this goes to the back of my drawer

Repurchase : 2 - I might in the future purchase this as a gift or to use certain parts of the system and gift the rest, but if things keep working out this way I would only probably buy it for the polish remover and give the rest to friends.

Overall : 3.5 - While this kit has it all, I'm finding the finished results to be average.  It's meh for me and that makes me sad since I love Zoya.

Now, I've gone back to my routine of Orly Bonder for a basecoat and Seche Vite as a topcoat.  May I present my new manicure....

MAC Biker Blue nail polish (2 coats) w/ Cartwright ultrafine glitter in Planetarium. 3 coats of Seche Vite.

Glittery and blue all in one.  I'm hoping that this will last me through the weekend, or at least through the day.  I suppose the silver lining in all of this is that I was able to change my nails so many times this week.  Though it's become a bit "ma fan" (troublesome), I do love playing with polish.

Confection  

I haven't had these in so long!  Like before I was 10 years old.

If you love toffee peanuts you'll love these.  I found these at CVS for $0.99 and must say that this has been the best $0.99 I have spent in a while.  They're sweet, salty and yummy.  The sugar gives you a kick and the peanuts keep you filled up longer.  And with only 4 ingredients (peanuts, sugar, salt and butter) it's practically health food.  When was the last time you indulged in something so simple yet so yummy?  Only down side is that some times the toffee coating gets cracked away from the peanut so you have toffee bits in the bottom of the bag, but I use that to top my ice cream so I have no complaints.