2014 Review of the Year - My Favourite 14 Polishes of 2014

Hi Goddesses

Today is one of THE posts of the year - what were my favourite polishes.  


I'm going to tell you straight away, they are ALL indies.  I haven't bought that many mainstream polishes, and those that I have, I consider to be mainly nail art polishes.



So, where to start?  Well, my initial list was 43 polishes long.   Yup, so THAT wasn't gonna work.   Then I realised there were 5 key top polishes, so I debated a Top 5, but that seemed too puny.  So then I thought of a Top 10 and some honourable mentions ..... and THEN I realised last year I chose my 13 of 2013, so behold, the 14 of 2014 !!


The Ones That Didn't Make The Top 5
* in no particular order*


Nire's Desire - REVEL



Not only is this a STUNNING polish, but it had so much impact when I posted it.   It was a joy to introduce a brand to an audience, and create a swatch that everyone drooled over.


Celestial Cosmetics - BlITZEN'S BUDGIE SMUGGLER



I am a sucker for many types of polish, but a dark, vampy, purplish holo?  Sign me up.   There were loads of fab ones this year, including A Currant Affair by Too Fancy Lacquer, but this was the one that stole my heart.


Indigo Bananas - HOLE IN THE SKY



This polish literally made me purr with pleasure when I put it on.  Pure lilac perfection with added shimmer and flakies.  Wow, what's not to love.


Nire's Desire - PRANA



Prana or Indian Summer by Crow's Toes?  Both are stunning but for me Prana had the edge.  I love when red and purple co-exist, and in Prana they will forever :)


Literary Lacquers - THE ULTIMATE OUTLAW



Rich, sea-jewelled perfection, the aquatic beauty of The Ultimate Outlaw was summer perfection.  Cool and hawt in equal measure.


Celestial Cosmetics - MEN OF MAYHEM



Another stunner from Nicki, this again fell into one of my "must have" categories - pink-magenta-holo-bomb.   There are no words, just drool.


Indigo Bananas - MOLTEN UNIVERSE



What's better than a stunning orange polish?  One that contains lemon and pink fizz of course!  It's all about the shimmer in this polish ... maximus gorgimus.


Literary Lacquers - STRONG STEADY HAND



A clear winner from the Wrinkle In Time Collection, SSH is summertastic.  Juicy and succulent and fizzing with holographic micro glitter.  Scorchio.


Girly Bits - TOO HOT TO HANDLE



Stunning in a thousand ways, this wins in its overall jumble of gorgeous ingedients.  It's a little bit holo, a little bit micro-glittery and a little bit flakie.  Added together, it's a whole lot schexy.


The Final 5


Cadillacquer - IT'S IN HERE WITH US



An orange polish littered with micro green glitters may not sound like a Crumpet-y polish, but this polish stunned me like a stun gun on max stunning power.   Delicious.


Cadillacquer - SURVIVOR



Purples don't come any more ravishing than this glitter perfection from Cadillacquer.  Darkly midnight, infused with the violet scatter of a million stars, this is poetic in the extreme.


Darling Diva - THE ALCHEMIST



The perfect red holo has been one of my holy grails since I can remember, and many times, I have thought I have found the perfect one.  I was so confident, I had called off the search, and then THIS landed.  This exquisite, tantalising and YES goddamn sexy beast.   This polish is EVERYTHING.


Darling Diva - ROOM'S ON FIRE



Another holo-bomb of astounding beauty and goodness, ROF just takes the breath away.  AND puts a smile on my face.


And finally ... consider these a joint entry ...  there are 2 other polishes I have loved this year, but not been able to get a semi-decent photo of.  Again, they both made me gasp, and whilst they may look the same, they are, in actual fact, *similar* :)

Pahlish - Sarey's Berry



and Pahlish Petropolis

OPI, next time you're debating how many millions of reds you can release in a year, just take a look at some of the above ... and think again.

Now all I have to do is remember to wear these again before next year's sarcastic Where Are They Now post gggrrrr.


STOP PRESS !!!



Since I wrote this post, I have been using my untrieds for the 31 Day Challenge.  In doing so, I have discovered 2 utter stunners, which really need to be mentioned.

First up, Purple Queen Anthias by Elevation Polish - utterly gorgeous, incredibly intense, brights turned up to 11.  This fuchsia / magenta is incredible.




And secondly, Rebecca, Always Rebecca by Literary Lacquers.  If I'd worn this before I wrote the post, it would definitely have made the final 5.

In some ways, it's a bit like someone put Survivor through the blender and added holo sparkle.  It's that same spectral combination of plum base and violet sparks.  Just, wow.  WOW.


Ok, I think I'm done now. 

25 Days of Bloggers and My Favourite Blog of the Year

Hi Goddesses

Today we have a very special final edition of 25 Days of Bloggers.  The last blogger to be celebrated is also the lady who is my blogger of the year.


Behold, Jacki of Adventures in Acetone.


Jacki has just gone from strength to strength this year, drawing inspiration from Doctor Who and other cultdoms, her children, and amazing polishes.  She's one of the most inventive swatchers I know, and she also has an innate grasp of which colours will work well together, creating colour combos I would never have dreamt of.


So, let's do this the proper way round, THIS is why you should follow Jacki -

- amazing nail art

- fabulous nail art tutorials

- nice mix of patterns, gradients and mushes, meaning there is something for all

- amazing drawing skills


Here's Jacki, in her own words - 

Adventures In Acetone is primarily a nail art blog with some swatches and nail art tutorials thrown in. Being a mother of 2 young children, you will find my style is mostly “cutesy” and a lot of my tutorials reflect that as well. I also love Doctor Who and have done a lot of DW inspired nail art.

Let's start then with her Doctor Who and cult manis -












Here are some of my favourite simpler , colour combo and pattern manis












And finally, here's 3 kick ass tutorials








So, all that up there is why Jacki is my blog of the year.  Endlessly inventive, more cute than you can shake a stick at, a real variety of nail art from "I can to that" to "you must be bloody joking".   She has made me shake my head in wonder more times than any other nail artist this year.  AND she's lovely.

Wanna follow Adventures In Acetone?

Blog: http://www.adventuresinacetone.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adventuresinacetone Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdventInAcetone Instagram: http://instagram.com/adventuresinacetone Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JackiGentry/posts Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/AdventInAcetone/ Bloglovin: http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3728449

Crumpet Readers Poll 2014 - Nail Art Blog of the Year

Hi Goddesses

A couple of weeks ago, I celebrated The Lost Girls, the bloggers we had either said goodbye to this year, or who are on Bloggus Interruptus.


Before we start this post, it's important to remember how many talented nail artists were in that group - Gnarly Gnails, Manicurity, Manicurator, Let Them Have Polish, FingerFood.


It's also important to remember that although we have lost bloggers this year, or been on reduced rations from some, other, NEW bloggers have sprung up in their place, including one of your Top 3 ;)


In 3rd place .....







Chalkboard Nails.  Once your undisputed Queen, Sarah has lost her crown this year.  I suspect this is because her posting has been more sporadic, rather than a reflection of her talent.

In 2nd place ....









The utterly incredible PiggieLuv, a blogger who has blown so many of us away this year with her ability to tell stories (yes, including a zombie love story) across her nails.  This is so well deserved Narmai!


And in first place ....


















The Nailasaurus!  Last year's winner strikes again!

Sammi has had a great year, reminding us, over and over, that if you get the basics right, you can create incredible nail art of any, and all, varieties.

I love how she still "plays" with her polishes and her tools, creating simple new techniques along the way, with super cool tutorial videos to match.


And do you know what's also exciting, my nail art blog of the year didn't even make your Top 3 .... so, stay tuned!