Zoya Alegra Review

 Zoya's nail lacquer in Alegra is part of their 2010 Sparkle Collection and is now part of their permanent line. Alegra is a fuchsia jelly/glitter hybrid. Zoya polishes are formaldehyde, Dibutyl Phthalate, camphor, and toluene free. Zoya is a cruelty free brand that manufactures their products in the USA. Zoya is a professional brand, meaning you can't pick these polishes up at any old drugstore. Zoya can be purchased at http://zoya.com/, select salons, spas, and beauty suppliers, as well as a select Ultas. Each .5 fl oz bottle retails for $8. I received Alegra as part of a giveaway prize from TiffanyLacquer.

 I love the look and quality of Zoya's packaging. The bottle is made of thick, sturdy glass, and are in the shape of a rectangle with rounded corners. The black plastic cap is firmly attached to the top of the brush. I really like the shape of the bottle. I think it's cute, but it definitely looks high-end. Zoya polishes have my second favorite packaging.
Zoya's brushes are short, and flat with the right amount of flex. Zoya's brushes are very high quality and don't splay at all, despite being fairly flexible.

 Alegra's application is pretty good. It generally takes two coats to become fully opaque, though occasionally a third coat is needed on some nails; it kinda varies, depending on how thick the coats you apply are. The first coat goes on thin and sheer, but even. The second coat adds lots of opacity. Alegra could also be used for layering, if you apply it in a thin enough coat.
Alegra's color really isn't my cup of tea. It's a nice color, but I'm just not a fuchsia fan. Alegra is a blue toned fuchsia with a good amount of red and pink micro glitter suspended in it. Alegra has a jelly-ish finish without the sheerness. Unlike Ivanka , Alegra doesn't have a matte aspect to it, it actually has a good amount of shine and dimension.

 Alegra isn't technically classified as a fast drying polish, but each coat dries in roughly 40 seconds, which I would classify as a fast dry. Another quick note on Zoya polishes; they don't seem to be quite as pungent as most other polishes, so if you have scent sensitivities, please keep this brand in mind.
So how does Alegra wear? Awfully, that's how. For being a professional grade polish, I definitely expect more than one day of wear. Tip wear started only a couple hours after application. Severe, unprovoked chipping began the next day. What do I mean by that? I mean half of my polish was gone, and I barely used my hands. I didn't was dishes, or take a bath, or do any hand-intensive work, I was actually super light on my hands this weekend. This isn't an isolated incident either. This is the third time I've worn Alegra, and it never wants to stay on. Zoya calls it's self a professional brand, and also the longest wearing natural polish; if that's true than there is no reason for half of my polish being gone after two days of doing nothing. Unacceptable.

On a more positive note, what's left of Alegra removes very easily, especially for a glitter polish. You don't need any extra pressure n'at. Alegra does stain though. It leaves your nails slightly pink for a day or so, after that they fade back to normal.
I'm not a fan of Zoya's Alegra. It chips and just won't stay on. The color is pretty, but not for me. I expect more from Zoya and definitely won't be repurchasing Alegra. Zoya has many other quality polishes worth the $8. Get one of those instead and skip Alegra, unless you're really into the color.

Ingredients:
Butyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Sterikonium, Hectorite, Acrylates Copolymer, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer