MY Favorite Polishes from 2012

I've already shown you YOUR favorite polishes from the past year, based on the views each post received, but now I'm showing you MY Top 12  personal favorite polishes of 2012. I'm only including polishes that I have actually shown on the blog- there are a few that may have been included otherwise, but we'll just have to wait and see if they stand up next year :) Click on the name of each polish to be taken to the original post, which will include buying info. 

12. Love Always Shines by Trelly's MISC Polish. The love for this one may be more for the layering combo- I LOVE the yellow and white over steel grey!

11. Central by U-Neek Polish. This one, again, may be the combo- SOO gorgeous over dark colors!

10. An Honest Puck by Literary Lacquers. I've never been a fan of brown anything, I always prefered black and grey as my go-to neutrals. But this brown is an absolute stunner, and actually gave my a favorite brown polish!

9. Frog Prince by Varnish Vixen. I was at a loss with this color, until I layered it over a neutral grey. Wow!

8. Private School by Pretty & Polished. It's no secret that I love grey polish, and the pops of red in this beauty make it really special.

7. Lady of the Lake by A England. EVERYONE reviewed this polish this year, and EVERYONE loved it. I'm no exception :)

6. Celestial by The Polish Bar. I'm a huge fan of the "galaxy nails" look, without all the extra work, and this is THE polish to achieve that effect.

5. Vanessa by Shimmer Polish. One of the first polishes I reviewed, and still one of my favorites! The almost monochromatic blend of glitter with slight pops of red and aqua is just mind blowing. And talk about versatile!

4. Chandelle by Darling Diva Polish. I'm pretty vocal about my love for Darling Diva, and for nudes, and this glitter just hit it out of the park! An English Rose Garden turned into polish.

3. Crotch Rocket by Wonder Beauty Products. I'm just entranced by this grey creme, and the myriad glitters that speckle it. For everyone who jumped on the white based glitter bandwagon this year, this is my preferred version of it.

2. Master Shake by Daring Digits. I have no idea what it is about this polish that obsesses me, but it does! I stalked it for nearly a month before I was able to get a hold of it, and to date, it is the only indie polish that I own a backup of! This was your number three pick, and one of only two polishes that made both lists. 

1. Space Beetle by Darling Diva. Is anyone surprised by this one? It's the absolutely perfect silvery linear holo, PLUS a pinky-green-y duochrome shift. Stunning! This was your top pick of the year as well, and I can't agree more! 

So how does your favorites list compare? Any overlaps? Anything you really feel I should have included? Until next year, dolls!

YOUR Top 12 of 2012: Polishes

I've already shown you the top 12 nail art posts of the year, as chosen by you. This post is the top 12 POLISHES of the year, as chosen by you via pageviews. Click the link with the polish name to be taken to the original post. 

12. Boo by Tara's Nail Art. 95 views, tied for 11th place. Probably my favorite pink this year. 

11. Jealous Oberon by Literary Lacquers. Tied with Boo for 11th place with 95 views. I put this one higher simply because it was more recent- more views, shorter time span. Beautiful gold with gold holo glitters, and came in quite handy for Christmas manis. 

10. Fiesta by Amy's Nail Boutique. 100 views. This was the first rainbow glitter topcoat I came across, and man did they become the rage over the summer!

9. Sunflower Seeds by Nail'd It. 108 views. I loved this super unique glitter combo! Perfect for summer. 

8. Confetti by Miss March. 110 views. I don't own many white-based glitter polishes, but I did get this one when they were just becoming the hot new thing. 

7. PENNY!!! by DIFFERENT Dimension. 112 views. Who doesn't love Sheldon Cooper, honestly? 

6. Bubble Tea by Pretty & Polished. 121 views. I love this polish. I do. I agree with you on this one. 

5. Pink Penquin by F4 Polish. 122 Views. The very first polish review I ever posted! And the very first indie I ever purchased. This one will always hold a special place in my heart. 

4. Clown Car Exhaust by Trelly's MISC Polish. 129 views. This post also included a half-review of Elmer's Glue as a base coat, within the first week that that phenomenon was storming the blogosphere. 

3. Master Shake by Daring Digits. 131 views. I can't say enough good things about this polish either- it was a killer. 

2. Grade A Honey by Utopia's Polish. 133 views. Perfectly named, and a perfect summery glitter topper. 

1. Space Beetle & Diabla by Darling Diva Polish. 143 views. Space Beetle has quite a cult following, so it's no surprise that this took the top spot! Of course, Diabla is a lovely and interesting topper as well. 

Do any of these match up with your personal favorites? Be sure to check back tomorrow to see how they line up with mine!

Happy Hobbit Day! + A Mani

If you read my Leibster award post, or just retain a lot of random information that I post, you'll know that I am a huge nerd at heart, and the number one nerd franchise for me is the Lord of the Rings. I use that name to embody the whole of Tolkien's Middle Earth writings, most DEFINITELY including the Hobbit. So, of course, I was out at midnight last night for the premier! Actually, we were in the theatre waiting at 10pm. About 20 to 12, the other 5 people who were at our midnight showing showed up! There were only 8 people! I live in a smallish town, so it's understandable, though I was slightly disappointed to know that there are so few die hard Hobbit fans here! But it was nice to have the theatre practically to ourselves :)

Of course, this being a nail blog, there is a manicure buried in here somewhere, and here it is:

The One Ring, on my nails. I've seen a few of these today, so obviously I wasn't as original as I thought, but I still love them :)

I started with two coats of Sinful Colors This Is It, topped it with two coats of Literary Lacquers' Jealous Oberon, and then drew on the Elvish script with a Sharpie. Sharpies are seriously my new best friend for black detail work. I'm thinking about picking up one of those 24 packs of various colors and seeing how that goes! 

Has anyone else seen The Hobbit yet? Thoughts? I cannot stress enough how much I feel Martin Freeman was THE best possible choice for Bilbo! I hadn't even heard of him way back when he was confirmed in the role, but I've since watched BBC's Sherlock, and thought he would do well. Then he just blew me out of the water! It's like this was the role he was born for. I enjoyed most of the added bits (that is, bits that weren't in the book), with the exception of Radagast, who I thought was a bit campy. Though the hedgies were just too darn cute! 

I loved that the movie referenced the Lord of the Rings trilogy, though I thought that some of the visuals being basically identical was too much. 

Overall, it lived up to my expectations, which is saying rather a lot! I've been counting down to this film for about two years, and I wasn't disappointed. 

Good Night Unto You All: An Honest Puck by Literary Lacquers

"If we shadows have offended,

Think but this, and all is mended-

That you have but slumbered here

While these visions did appear.

And this weak and idle theme, 

No more yielding but a dream,

Gentles, do not reprehend.

If you pardon, we will mend.

And, as I am an honest Puck, 

If we have unearned luck

Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,

We will make amends ere long.

Else the Puck a liar call, 

So good night, unto you all.

Today is, sadly, the last Literary Lacquer that I have to show you :( (Check out Jealous Oberon and Love in Idleness!) BUT- I saved my absolute favorite for last!

Literary Lacquers' An Honest Puck. Three coats, no undies. Topped with Seche Vite. Photos taken in natural sunlight. 

Amy from Literary Lacquers describes An Honest Puck as "bronzy-brown at its base and is loaded with gold, copper and bronze sparkle and dusted with elfin green glitters. . . The large hex glitters in this polish do have a slight curl to them, with the curl face down on the nail they are still smooth." An Honest Puck is also available WITHOUT the larger green hex glitters for those who either do not like larger glitters, or do not want to manipulate glitter.

I absolutely love the base on this polish! The multi-metallic micro glitters really combine to create an interesting base, and then the green just pops! I can't even . . . I just don't have words. This is a beautiful fall color, combining the last green of summer with the dead (but not dull) brown of winter. I think it would be an excellent spring color as well! I know everyone wants pastels and brights come springtime, but this would be a perfect transitional polish. Early March maybe. Yeah, everything is still dead (at least it is in Wisconsin!), but there is the hope of Spring, and of new green growth. It's multi-seasonal!

The Etsy description does warn that the larger glitters tend to curl (as seen with Love In Idleness- which was still quite workable), but I really didn't have any problem with curling in this polish. The glitter came out smooth and laid flat for me. If there was any curling, it was slight enough that I didn't even notice it. I had to fish a little bit for the larger bits, but that's pretty standard for larger glitters. 

I used three coats here, and the base was completely opaque. This could probably be layered over another color, but I wouldn't recommend it. My three coats gave complete saturation of micro glitters on the nail, and I think that effect would be lost by doing one coat over a similar color. 

If you haven't tried Literary Lacquers yet, I can't urge you strongly enough to do so! They can be browsed (and purchased from!) on Etsy. Tons of great swatches on Facebook, too! Plus, then you get updates in your newsfeed.

Support your indies, ladies!
Cheers,

-Liz-

*This product was provided to me for an honest review.

Purple with Love's Wound: Love in Idleness by Literary Lacquers

"It fell upon a little western flower, 

Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound.

And maidens call it "love-in-idleness."

Fetch me that flower. The herb I showed thee once.

The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid

Will make a man or woman madly dote

Upon the next live creature that it sees."

Today's polish is another beauty by Literary Lacquers, Love in Idleness. Amy describes it as: "a very complex polish, with a light purple base; jam packed with fairy magic and iridescent glitters of many shapes and size, purple square glitter and some large purple hexes. . . The large hex glitters in this polish do have a slight curl to them, with the curl face down on the nail they are still smooth."

This polish is also available in a version without the large purple hex, but I didn't have any trouble getting the glitter to lay flat, and I think they definitely add to the overall appeal of this polish!

Three coats of Love in Idleness, topped with a coat of Gelous and a coat of Seche Vite. Photos taken in natural, though overcast, lighting.

I had such an incredibly difficult time photographing this polish! Between the purple (which is notorious for not photographing properly) and the punch of iridescent glitter (seriously, there is soo much iridescent glitter! Micro glitter, small hexes, tiny bars . . .), my camera just wanted to give up on me! The photos are fairly color-accurate. The base color is an almost dusty, grape jelly like color, and it shifts a bit due to the iridescence. So. Pretty.

Great shot of all the iridescence.

Aside from the pictures, I had little trouble with this polish. Yes the large hexes have a very slight curl to them, and they required a little bit of fishing (or setting the bottle upside down). If you're not interested in manipulating your glitter, this polish IS available in a version without the large purple hexes: look for "Love-In-Idleness (no hex)". But I think the manipulation is well worth the (small amount) of effort. I painted on my first two coats, brushing any large hexes that came out back into the bottle. Before I painted my third coat, I let the bottle sit upside down for a few minutes to bring the larger hexes to the top. Then I painted on the third coat, inspecting the brush for large hexes, which I placed, as advised, curved side down. Topped with Gelous and SV, the polish was glassy smooth. While I haven't tried the "without hex" version, I really do recommend this one, if you have the patience to play with your glitter a bit! 

Love in Idleness is pretty sheer, but very buildable. With three coats, I did not see any VNL, and I prefer to wear sheer polishes this way, in multiple coats, to showcase their true beauty. But this one would also make a beautiful layering polish. The iridescence would really pop over a dark color, and the purple shimmer would really bring to life any boring purple in your stash. 

My third, and favorite, Literary Lacquers review will post on Sunday. I've been so impressed with each of these polishes. Color + Glitter polishes are easily my favorite indie category, just for the sake of ease, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE polishes with a background story or some geeky inspiration. I strongly urge you to check out Literary Lacquers on Etsy and Facebook, then come back Sunday to see my absolute favorite of the bunch! 

Support your indies, ladies!

Cheers,

-Liz-

*This product was provided to me for an honest review.

I Have Forsworn His Bed and Company: Jealous Oberon by Literary Lacquer

Oberon: Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania. 

Titania: What, jealous Oberon? Fairies, skip hence; I have forsworn his bed and company.

Oberon: Tarry, rash wanton! Am I not thy lord?

A Midsummer Night's Dream is my absolute favorite Shakespear show. I love the fairies, and the forest in moonlight, and the witty bickering that goes on between Titania and Oberon, Queen and King of the Fae. 

Enter Literary Lacquers, with a 7 polish line based off of a Midsummer Night's Dream! I have three of those to show you over the next week or so (scattered between the many Nail Art Challenges I have lined up!), and the first is Jealous Oberon. 

I love that there is a full ingredient label! Amy from Literary Lacquers describes Jealous Oberon as "champagne gold with holographic gold squares throughout." But honestly, this polish is far more complex than that. The base is a gold shimmer, there are micro gold glitters that are not quite holographic, but almost sparkle like they are, plus larger holographic squares which, apart from flashing rainbow colors when the light hits, appear to be either gold or silver depending on how the light doesn't hit it. (Does that make sense? Sometimes they seem gold, sometimes they seem silver, sometimes the holo out.)

This is three coats of Jealous Oberon alone, topped with a coat of Gelous and a coat of Seche Vite. Photos taken in natural sunlight. 

You all know by now that I love a good story while polish shopping, and Jealous Oberon doesn't disappoint!  There is a "twin" to this polish, Proud Titania, that is silver with holo diamonds. She (Amy) had intended to call the silver "Ill Met By Moonlight" but Jealous Oberon kept getting into her head and insisting that he have his own polish! Thus this gold beauty was born. But then Proud Titania demanded a polish of her own, so Ill Met By Moonlight was renamed, and you have the royal gold and silver metallic duo named for the Fae Court Royalty: Jealous Oberon and Proud Titania!

Closeup to show the individual micro glitters.

Blurred to show holo and sparkle.

This is actually my least favorite of the three Literary Lacquers that I have to show, and I still love it! I don't wear gold at all, jewelry wise, because I don't feel that it flatters my skin tone, but Jealous Oberon is a nice pale and not-too-yellow gold that would make it complimentary for all complexions. Application was a dream: it spread nicely, and the squares flowed freely, and lay completely flat (squares have a higher than average tendency to curling- these did not, at all). This is sheer enough to wear over another color, if you so desire, but was completely opaque in three coats. Any VNL you think you see in those photos is a result of the sun shining directly on the free edge of my nails: it was not at all visible in person! 

Finally: I have to say that Jealous Oberon is almost obscenely blingy! Between the color, the holo and the sparkle, this is NOT a neutral polish by any means. I definitely see holiday manis featuring this color!

Check out Literary Lacquers on Etsy. Full sized bottles run $10. There is the full Midsummer collection, as well as a few Dracula polishes! Be sure to stop by and Like Literary Lacquers on Facebook too, and quick! There is a coupon code valid through 10/31!

Support your indies, ladies!
Cheers,

-Liz-

*This product was provided to me for an honest review.

8 Spooky Nights Nail Art Challenge: Skulls

Today is the first day of my SECOND Halloween Nail Art Challenge this month. And I'm throwing a big party next Saturday. My costume isn't done, decorating isn't done, food isn't planned, and I have 7 nail art looks to complete by then! Needless to say, I'm a busy girl :) But I took a good chunk out of my day today to play around with nail art, so that I don't fall behind! 

For this challenge, as with the other challenge I'm participating in, I challenge myself to use at least one indie polish in each design, to keep in line with my blog mission statement. 

So here is my look for 8SN Day 1: Skulls. I had a super cute layered stamping thing in my head, but my stamper (or more probably, my polish) was NOT cooperating with me this morning! 

I started with three coats of Literary Lacquers' Jealous Oberon (check back tomorrow to see a full review on that polish!), then stamped on the skulls using Sally Hansen Insta Dry in Presto Pink, and Vivid Lacquer plate VL-001 (full nail skulls) and QA 5 for the single skulls. 

Be sure to check out all the other ladies participating in this challenge, and their amazing creations!

-Liz-

Peace Love Lacquer
XO, Noelle
College Polished
PishPosh & Polish
Beauty Dish
Nail By Katie
Jenerally Speaking 
Galactic Lacquer 
Tres' Chic Nails 
charlottes-nails 
Manic Manis
The Life, Time and Lacquers of Lilmoon
Makeup and Nails, Not War
Not Too Polished
Mimi Manicures
Seriously Swatched 8 Spooky Nights
Jilltastic Nail Designs