Continuing with the 2014 round ups, today I’ve picked out my Top Ten polishes from this year. Each made the list for their own reasons and every polish is special in its own way. This year, I really embraced light shades whereas I was always into moody colours in years past. There is definitely an abundance of purples and I don’t think my Number 1 will be a surprise to anyone!
I chose these ten shades without looking in to my Helmer to force myself to really think back through the year to the colours that were on my nails the most. Doing it this way rather than sifting through the bottles made it much easier because the ones that came straight to mind were obviously the ones that have become special to me over the last 12 months. I did have to concentrate a little harder trying to go back to the start of the year but I eventually came up with a shortlist and narrowed it down to just ten…
Barry M’s Gelly range has always been one of my staples for creme base coats to use in my nail art but there wasn’t a decent white until Coconut came along this year. It’s a slightly off white and just the perfect base for nail art. I’m on my second bottle now and it does need thinning out occasionally but when it’s at it’s best consistency, I only need to use two coats for perfectly smooth application.
Cowgirl Up has been a firm favourite of mine since 2013 but it still makes the cut all this time later. It’s just one of those old faithful polishes that I always grab if I’m in a rush. A stunning shade when worn glossy and even more fascinating, like velvet, when mattified.
This year I found THE PREFECT cobalt blue in NYC’s Hudson Breeze. It’s a pure creme, not a jelly like so many cobalt polishes, perfect in two coats and it doesn’t stain my nails at all.
I was very taken with Pastels this year and it lasted way past the ends of summer. Another perfect two coater from NYC, Peach Popsicles is the one that stayed out on my desk for the longest. I soon discovered that goes really well with almost everything – try a peach with purple and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results!
Black Orchid is basically my holographic version of Cowgirl Up. I’m a sucker for deep purples and to have one in holo form really ties my collection together nicely! This is one of my first ILNP polishes and I remember being so impressed with the quality and lasting power of this fall holographic collection.
After a long time pining after this polish, I finally got around to ordering it at the very end of 2013. A sprinkling of this superfine holographic glitter will make any mani look magical and even though it went unloved into the end of the year, I wore it on everything until May!
4. piCture pOlish LakoDom
LakoDom was released in October but I didn’t get my hands on it until early December. It immediately became a firm favourite and made my list of Top 5 Christmas Colours. It’s a slightly grey-toned white with holographic shards and looks gorgeous worn alone or with nail art. It’s a very soft and dreamy shade and it goes with everything so it’s quickly become a staple of my collection.
I picked this bottle up knowing that it would be a nice shade but the first time I wore it, I knew it was an amazing shade! It’s super vibrant with a wonderful formula and just an all around easy to wear polsh.
2. Nicole by OPI The Coral of the Story
This polish is one from Nicole by OPI’s Seize the Summer collection and the most beautiful coral I’ve ever worn. I wore this to death over the summer! This was a sample that I got from OPI and I’ve had trouble tracking it down for purchase in the UK (even online) but according to Of Life and Lacquer, OPI’s Live.Love.Carnaval is a perfect dupe.
1. piCture pOlish Fool’s Gold (by The Nailasaurus)
How could I write about my favourite polishes from this year without mentioning what is perhaps the single proudest moment of my time as a blogger. This is the nail polish that I’ve always wanted to own and having the chance to create my own shade meant that I finally could. So of course, it comes in at number 1 because it literally is the perfect shade for me! You can read more about the process of creating this shade with piCture pOlish here.
