May 11, 2020

Zoya Kotori


If you ask me what is the most beautiful nail polish there is, I'd say it's Zoya Kotori without hesitance. This nail polish has been long discontinued and I don't even wear it often, but that doesn't change the fact Kotori is such a unique beauty. "Kotori" is a Japanese feminine name and also means "bird of luck". The color does resemble beautiful and lustrous feathers of a bird. 



Some people say this is a shimmery teal but to me, it is just a ton of blue microshimmer in a sheer black jelly base. Some also complain that Kotori is too sheer that you'd need 3-4 coats to get the bottle color. I personally don't think Kotori is meant to be worn opaque and prefer to wear just 2 coats. This way, you get the rater melancholy greyed blue shimmer that's very special.



If you insist on more coverage though, you can apply a black polish under and add 1 coat of Kotori rather than wearing 4 coats of it. I don't own any black creme polish at this time so I used Deborah Lippmann Dark Side Of The Moon instead. The result is similar but there is a tinge of purple peeking through.

(It is still stunning, but not as special if you ask me.)

Zoya Kotori is a bit fussy so let me give you a few practical tips. It takes a long time to dry and if you put on a fast drying topcoat, it will shrink quite a bit and you'll see major cuticle drags. To avoid this, take time between coats and wait for 10-20 minutes before putting topcoat. This rare beauty is still available on eBay so I guess this isn't totally useless advice. 


Thanks for looking. What is the most beautiful nail polish in your book?


*The Zoya nail polish was purchased by me a long time ago. This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for choosing to use them.


Join the conversation!

  1. I have a huge soft spot for all blue polishes and I think this one is almost magical. "Melancholy" is totally the word for it because it's not vampy, but does feel a bit sad. I find a lot of Zoya's shimmers from awhile ago have this sort of jelly quality to them and that's ok with me!

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    1. I love blue nail polishes, too! Zoya used to make such interesting colors (Kotori was created when bunch of the OPI designers jumped ship) and so many memorable collections came out each season. It's quite possible that Zoya still does a great job but it's me who is less interested in nail polishes..I don't know. ;)

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  2. I love Zoya nail polishes, I own Brigitte and it's a great everyday shade. Kotori is lovely but I agree with you that I don't think it's meant to be worn opaque, I think all sheer polishes with shimmer look better layered on top of another polish. xo

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    1. Oh, I love Brigitte, too! It's such a sophisticated and posh color. I used up my bottle but you just reminded me that I need a new one. I even like the look when I wear just one coat of Kotori - it makes a great summer color! :)

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  3. it's beautiful! My Zoya colors are at my parents' place and i can't wait to pick them up!

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    1. Zoya makes some of the most unique yet wearable nail polishes!

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  4. AHHH. another Zoya added to my wish list...

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    1. Old nail polishes are just good as new if stored right, so I'd say get discontinued Zoyas!! I mentioned it in the comment above, but these colors were created by top-notch designers back then and so much better than the ones coming out these days....

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