Friday, December 27, 2013

LLPT's Best Of 2013!! Mainstream Polishes

*contains press samples

HI everybody!!  It's that time of year again, New Year's is imminent and Best Of compilations abound.  My list loving self has been eating all this up with a spoon, both checking out my fellow bloggers' choices and compiling my own selections.
It's been a pretty freaking fantastic year for a lot of reasons but narrowing my choices down to a top 15 ended up being a fairly easy task once I thought about the ones Ive reached for the most and the ones that have truly wowed me.  So, let's jump right in (and please enjoy the continuing evolution of my nails; it seems inconsistency is my signature), in order of release.


OY-Another Polish Joke, the shimmery gold topper from spring's Euro Centrale collection that I put all over everything, lol.  It's shown here with other Euro Centrale colors.


 OPI Eurso Euro, another Euro Cetrale shade.  I fell in complete and utter love with the dark yet bright royal shade and glossy creme finish.  It was also my Christmas polish :)


Butter London Molly Coddled, from the spring Sweetie Shop collection, is the prettiest, creamiest pinky lavender to ever grace my nails.  I could not get enough of this one this spring.


 OPI Don't Burst My Bubble from the Oz, The Great and Powerful Softshades collection.  A delicate blushed white jelly, soft, clean, sheer, ridiculously pretty, and unique from all my loves in last spring's NYC Ballet collection.


 OPI Tiffany Case, from summer's Bond Girls Liquid Sand collection.  OPI pretty much knocked it out of the park for spring and summer.  This collection hooked me on textures, too.


  China Glaze Strap On Your Moonboots.  ChG's summer holo collection was highly anticipated and then pretty disappointing for a lot of people who were expecting something a little more eye searing.  But a holo doesn't need to look like the Eye of Sauron to be freakin' awesome and this one is certainly strong enough, and that gorgeous indigo base... not to mention the name, lol.  It reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite's big dance scene.  But maybe that's just me...


Zoya Josie, from summer's Stunning collection.  It's like jadeite for your nails.


Butter London Wellies, from the fall Colour Clash collection.  I was looooving my discordant greens this year and the unexpectedness of this bright chartreuse for fall captured my lil heart.  By the by, this looks really cool with OY- Another Polish Joke on top ;D


Zoya Maria Luisa, from fall's Satin collection.  I feel like I really embraced the special effects toppers this year and this gold cellophane flakie looks remarkable over each and every creme in the counterpart Cashmere collection this year.  If you only bought one polish from Zoya's 18-polish offering this fall, Maria Luisa should have been it.  LOVE.  Shown here over said cremes.


This year introduced me to a new brand I fell head over heels for, LVX, Latin for light, if you want to know.  Their fall collection was hands down my favorite of the entire year (which is saying a lot), boasting six gorgeous cremes in shades that all spoke to my classic-loving heart.  Viridis in particular blew me away...


...as did the Rioja-colored Dahlia.


I decided I was going to pay some attention to a brand I'd previously not had much interest in and it was a good year to do so, especially towards the end.  Essie Sable Collar, from fall's Shearling, Darling collection, is beautiful, unique, and full of glamorous imagery.


...and speaking of Essie, they took texture up a notch with their holiday collection!  Belugaria is much maligned and the most temperamental polish to ever grace my nails.  The formula is difficult, it chips within hours, it gets caught up on hair, clothes, jewelry, what have you.  It's completely polarizing.  I knew I had to have it the minute I saw the first swatches appear and despite its MANY difficulties, it did not disappoint.


Revlon China Flower, from the new Parfumerie core line collection, is the prettiest shade of coral red and the scent is wonderfully delicate and pleasing-- a spicy, slightly sweet and demure floral that won't compete with whatever perfume or creme you're wearing.  And did I mention the color?  It's a must-have for any of my fellow red nail polish afficionados.


Butter London Bramble, from the holiday Illusionists collection.  This collection reintroduced two staples and launched three special effects toppers and one gorgeous new creme.  In all the glitz and sparkle that holiday collections are known for, the cool, deep violet-indigo Bramble stood out as simple, elegant, and dramatic, all on its own.

 
And finally (though this makes it 16), Zoya's beautiful brand of holo, Payton and Dream, from this winter's Zenith collection.  They're jelly based and scattered, and the two coats to make them opaque also gives them incredible depth.  Those of us in need of a constant holo fix can wear these beauties during the cold and stormy months and feel satisfied.  These two are almost as fun to look at in their bottles as they are to wear ;)


And there you have it, part one of my Best Of 2013!  Thank you for reading and have an awesome Friday! ♥♥♥
*contains press samples

29 comments:

  1. Great picks for your favorites of the year! There all gorgeous in their own right :)

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  2. love these posts!!! I really have to get Zoya Dream... and OPI Eurso Euro!

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    1. I do, too! So fun, this time of year, lol :) I can see you rocking both these beauts, Gosia!

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  3. They're all so pretty!! Especially the Zoya's :)

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  4. These were some of my favorites too. Great post! I love looking back at the end of the year.

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    1. Thanks Erin! Looking back is fun and it's fun seeing everyone's take on everything :)

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  5. I love how varied your favorites are. Mine all tend to be so similar.

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    1. Lolol, turquoise and sky blue? You're so cute :) I've got a lot of cremes in here, though, lol....

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  6. That eye of Sauron comment about holos and ChG Strap on Your Moonboots cracked me up!! (and I agree)

    I loved Tiffany Case til I took it off and had my first Smurf nails from the staining. It was pretty though!!

    I love Zoya Payton and Dream, they were my Thanksgiving and Christmas color choices, respectively. I have the others with same jelly holo finish: Aurora, Blaze and Storm. Want many more colors in this finish!!! One of the standouts of the year for me!!!!

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    1. I've never experienced staining with TC, maybe I'm just lucky?? Great choices for holiday polishes, they're so darned pretty in indoor light! Zoya is so good about listening to their fans, I think we'll see more of these finishes this year, for sure :)

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  7. Gorgeous review sis!!! And loving eyeroll regarding OY - that one was all over your nails ever since you got it :-)! But it is a great polish and is one of the Stars of the year for sure. Next to all the Butters (I think I have to get Wellies after all) Zoya Josie is my favorite - now I feel nailpolish regret to have skipped Zoya all year :-S. Great summary and way more diversified than my list - LOL!!! And inspiring - winky-wink to Wellies and Bramble xxx

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    1. Your list was fantastic and plenty diversified! I feel like I have some definite types and definite favorites, lol. I figure you can either be truly diverse or true to yourself and we're all going to choose the latter, lol :) Yes... OY... As the Frank's Red Hot Sauce old lady says, I put that sh*t on everything! It's fun to be able to be excited about BL with you :) :)

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  8. Love your picks. And quite a few are my favorites too! Happy new year. Can't wait what pretty things you will share with us in 2014

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    1. Thank you so much, Victoria ♥♥ Awesome that we have a few faves in common!

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  9. Lots of pretty polishes. The only one I own is Zoya Josie, that means that I've missed out on a lot of beauties!

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    1. As did I... I saw your list of gorgeousness :)

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  10. Love all of these! Especially the gold topper by OPI :) xx http://fromfilmwithlove.blogspot.ca

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    1. OY!!! lol. I seriously could not get enough of that one ♥♥

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  11. Great pics!! I realized that I only have 2 of them though...but I have always loved Eurso Euro. Why don't I have that one? But I have to say that my favorite of all of these is Sable Collar...I actually procured an Essie with a wonderful formula recently (Maximillian Strasse-Her) and it makes me have some hope in Essie formulas after all. :) And I can't think of a better person to pull off such fabulousness as Belugaria as you. <2

    Best LLPT line of 2013: "a holo doesn't need to look like the Eye of Sauron to be freakin' awesome..." :D

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    1. Oh, I think Es did a review on Max! It does appear that Essie's stepped up their game on many fronts this year. It definitely makes me excited about them in 2014. You're so sweet about Belugaria :) And seriously, that's the first thing that comes to mind (okay, second, behind WOWEEWOWWOW) when I see those super strong linears :D

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    2. Yes, Max is one of my favorites. And the last few Essie's I have purchased have had great formulas.

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  12. Great round-up. I love Josie! I am going to wear that next :) The Zenith Collection from Zoya was so pretty - I wish I would have hung on with the blogging a bit longer so I could receive them ;)

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    1. Aw. I'm guessing you would have done a skittlette with Dream and Payton first. Or Belinda, that one's very you :)

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    2. Argh, you are making me want to place an order. I don't see deals because I don't have FB anymore. I wonder if any are going on.

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  13. Great picks! The OPI Bond Girls Collection is also what kicked off my love for textures, and Tiffany Case was the best of the bunch. Sable Collar looks so fab on you. It did make me giggle a bit that you included Belugaria though. :P

    ~ Yun

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    1. Lolol, I love Belugaria! I had to include it ;) I haven't seen it on another list, yet, though, lol. Funny, the initial Pixiedust collection only piqued my interest in textures. Bond Girls was just all-around fun, from the colors to the inspiration.

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