Okay, if you know me well, you know that I tend not to jump up and down over red nail polish. Normally I’m lying down, yawning, and dreaming of David Beckham…or more recently, Colin Farrell! 😉

(Oh my, I just saw Total Recall on Sunday night, and when he was shirtless, my eyes got bigger! Don’t know why I never paid attention to him until now…Maybe I need a new prescription for my glasses.)

However, there are the rare days when I feel ‘the itch’ to sport a classic red. And then there are some that actually get my attention because they stand apart from the generic sea of reds.

Zoya Elisa is a red that not only got my attention, but  also made me admire my nails throughout the day like a vain polish peacock!

Zoya Elisa Pictures

Zoya Elisa Ingredients

Zoya Elisa Swatches

All swatches have:

• Nubar Foundation Base Coat
• 2 coats of Zoya Elisa
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Natural Light Photos

Flash Photos

Claims: TRUSTED

√ Bright, shining medium crimson red with subtle gold shimmer
√ Glowing metallic finish

Key Notes

• Name: Zoya Elisa
• Collection: Zoya NYFW 2012 Collection
• Press Release: Click here to see the Zoya NYFW 2012 Collection press release
• Colours Available in the Zoya NYFW 2012 Collection (Broken up into 3 Parts):
  • Designer Collection: Natty, Rekha, Toni, Monica, Evvie & Noot
  • Diva Collection: Elisa, Suri, Song, Ray, FeiFei & Daul
  • Gloss Collection: Katherine, Paloma & Frida
• Amount: 15 mL (0.5 fl. oz.)
• What I Paid: Nothing! (This was provided by Zoya.)
• Where to Buy: Zoya website, NailPolishCanada & Trade Secrets

Zoya Elisa Review

Colour

As usual, Zoya impresses me with their accurate and extremely detailed colour description: “bright, shining medium crimson red with subtle gold shimmer”. A lot of other companies would probably just call it something like “red with golden shimmer”.

No matter what I say now, Zoya’s description is going to trump it. 😛 But I’ll still try my best.

Elisa by Zoya is a vibrant red that reminds me of ribbon candy because it has that glowy kind of shimmer to it. I also am reminded of Christmas whenever I look at it, so it could make a great festive manicure in December.

Finish

Zoya Elisa has a shimmer finish.

The dominant colour here is red, and although there’s gold shimmer, it definitely is very subtle and isn’t the high-contrast variety. You’ll have to really look to notice it. Instead, it seems to brighten up the red so that it comes to life like fire.

Application & Formula

Application was a breeze because the formula is extremely easy to work with. It flows onto the nail perfectly, and it has a very forgiving formula. Because of this, you get a wonderful finish that makes your nails look nearly flawless! (Even if you aren’t very good when it comes to painting your nails, I think that if you use this polish, you’ll still get fabulous results!)

The first coat offered a lot of pigmentation, and then a second coat helped me to even everything out. You shouldn’t need a third coat.

Animal-Friendliness

Zoya is a brand that is vegan and cruelty-free!

Pros Gorgeous shimmery-red polish Formula is perfect & easy to apply Vegan & cruelty-free

Cons Red isn’t the most unique colour (but the outstanding formula & finish make this polish wonderful) If you don’t have a Trade Secrets nearby to shop in person & you’re a Canadian, it may be tricky to find because the official Zoya website doesn’t ship to Canada.

Final Verdict: 9/10

Zoya Elisa gets a very high Final Verdict score for its impressive formula and brilliant colour.

Although there are tons of red nail polishes on the market (to the point of being overly saturated), this one managed to stand out to me.

Not only is the colour very feisty, but the application was so dreamy and perfect! I’ll have to remember to reach for this red again at Christmas.

Does this red excite you, too, or does it make you yawn (and dream about your favourite sexy stud)? If a polish has a perfect formula, does that make you like it more even if the colour isn’t your favourite?