Second Try - Zoya Color Lock System Day 1 (Yasmeen)

I really love Zoya's polishes, so I'm willing to give the Color Lock System a second try.

If you recall the first time, I had massive bubbling and had to remove my polish.

Now, normally, I never wear the same color more than two days in a row (usually I change every day), so I don't have a need for a product that makes my color wear longer. However, I am intrigued by Zoya's claim that the system will "dramatically extend polish wear on natural nails."

Here we go. Day one of my second run with the system.

This time I decided to go with a polish that has never let me down- Zoya Yasmeen. Yasmeen is pretty much my favorite purple polish of all time. I wouldn't mind wearing this color for 3 or more days.

I made sure to follow the instructions exactly. There was no moisture or oil of any type on my nails. I prepped my nails with Remove+ and waited for them to be bone dry before I applied one thin coat of Zoya Anchor. I made sure to polish my nails in an area that wasn't too hot or too cold and I was away from any sort of vent, fan or breeze.

I gave Anchor sufficient time to dry and then I applied two thin coats of Zoya Yasmeen, letting each coat partially dry before applying the next. Sometimes thick coats can cause bubbling, and sometimes letting them dry in between can reduce bubbling.

I applied one thin coat of Zoya Armor topcoat. I waited a minute or two before I applied Zoya Hurry Up Speed Dry Drops. I remembered to carefully wrap the tip of my nails with all layers to increase wear.

The polish looked great at first, but within five minutes I began to experience bubbling.

Within ten minutes the bubbling had become extreme. See here:
(Click to enlarge)


Left hand, shade. You can see the bubbling.


Left hand, full sun. The bubbling is hidden due to the shimmer finish of the polish.\


Right hand, shade. Bubbling here, too.


Right hand, full sun. Bubbling is slightly more apparent due to the angle, but the shimmer finish camouflages it quite well.

It's also been a couple hours since I applied it and I can still dent the polish.


There is no way I can be messing it up so bad as to cause it to bubble like this. Honestly, what am I doing wrong? I have never had this problem with any Zoya polish using my regular method- OPI Nail Envy or no base coat and Seche Vite on top. What on earth is going on here?

Since the bubbling isn't as noticeable as it was with Indigo, I think I'll be okay leaving this on for a while. I'm really curious to see how long it takes to chip.

The Polish Addict has had much better results using this system- only minor bubbling. My wear during the first test was excellent- no tipwear until day three (even with all my typing). There's no question that this system improves polish wear, but what's up with all the bubbles?