Zoya Jana - Swatches and Review

I can't even BEGIN to tell you how happy and excited I am about Zoya Jana! I am now totally torn though - is Zoya Petra my #1 favorite polish? Or is it Jana? Guess they'll have to share the title.

Zoya Jana

For the longest time, my go-to polish was this taupy/mushroomy color with hints of purple. It goes with absolutely everything, including my skin tone, which is no small feat considering I'm the color of bleached flour paste. It's perfect for vacations because no matter how much of a nail polish junkie I am, I refuse to change my polish when traveling and since it does go with everything, there's no need!

BUT, since I went CF (Cruelty-Free) I just don't like wearing my two old stand-bys, Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro Steel Grey and Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Commander in Chic anymore. The companies already have my money, so it's really not hurting anyone if I wear all of those polishes I already have that aren't CF, but I still don't like it.

Enter Zoya Jana. Problem solved! Zoya is not only 4-free, but it's also vegan, making it Cruelty-Free! There are so many great polishes out there, I find no reason to even use one that is tested on animals or is made by a company that tests on animals. I realize it's a small, probably insignificant line to draw in the sand, but it's my line officially as of January 1, 2012. (For more information on CF brands, click the Cruelty Free tab at the top of my page.)

Okay, now about Jana...it's from Zoya's Smoke Collection which is a part of their Smoke and Mirrors Fall 2011 Collection. It's a great medium taupy mushroom with purple undertones. At least that's how I see it.

Zoya's site describes it as follows:

A medium nude putty creme with grey, mauve and purple tones.

Color Family Mauve Grey & Purple

Color Finish Cream

Intensity 5 ( 1=Sheer - 5=Opaque )

Color Tone Cool

Original Collection Smoke

I'd say they're right on the money with that one. Though with my skin-tone, I'd probably not consider it a "nude."  It's the same great Zoya brush/grip with a smooth formula that is opaque in one coat, though I'll probably still use two out of habit.

Now for the photos...

Zoya Jana

Zoya Jana

Zoya Jana

Zoya Jana

Zoya Jana - Full Sun

And not only THAT but it matches my car's interior. *giggle*

Okay, wanna see how it compares to the ones I mentioned earlier?

I think the color of Jana and Steel Grey are practically identical, however that photo is showing Jana with ONE COAT while Steel Grey took TWO COATS but if I were doing a manicure rather than just swatching on a nail wheel, I'd use three. Commander in Chic is very close also, but also took TWO COATS. Plus neither of those polishes are Cruelty-Free. Buh-bye!  Now China Glaze IS Cruelty-Free, however, Below Deck isn't the same color. They're fairly close, but Below Deck has more purple making it less desirable for my reasons for wearing this color. Not that I don't love purples, but as far as being a neutral for me and going with everything, Jana is the one that has it going on there.

*Hint - if you want to bring out the purple more, wear it with green clothing! Awesome.

Setting aside Cruelty-Free for a moment, let's look at price.

*Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure retails for $7.99 and takes two coats. Zoya is $8.00 and is a one-coater. Both are 0.5 ounces. You do the math.  

*Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro retails for $4.99 ($3.99 in some places) and takes two to three coats. It's only 0.45 ounces.

So even if Cruelty-Free isn't important to you, Zoya Jana still wins for ME, hands down.

So what do YOU think? Do you have it already?