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.
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.