LLPT's Brand Crushes of 2013!!

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Hi everybody!!  I was thinking about all the new brands I've been introduced to this year, as well as the old standbys who've been nailing things right and left, and it was really hard to nail my personal most influential brands down to two, especially regarding mainstream brands.  OPI had a super exciting first half of the year and I loved Zoya's fall and winter collections; and then there's LVX, who blew my mind with the first two collections I've had the privilege to try.  In the end, one brand has been knocking it out of the park all year long with amazing formulas, outside the box collections, and a perfect transition into color cosmetics-- Butter London.

Butter started out with a perfect palette of sweet pastel shades with the most stunningly smooth formulas I've ever seen in a pale creme, including my top 15 of the year pick, Molly Coddled.  Summer brought a set of five natural sandy beach-inspired metallics and one beautiful aquamarine creme, an elegant, cohesive, and much welcome deviation from the typical neon brights.  Then, Butter London went all avant garde with their Colour Clash collection, taking the lights and brights that are usually associated with summer and placing them in the fall.  The bright chartreuse Wellies, the start white creme perfection that is Cotton Buds, and the cool, rubberized bright pink Cake-Hole are my favorites of that outstanding set.  

Fall also saw the debut of Butter London's color cosmetic line, Rock Your Color, a collection full of wild creme eyeshadows and mascaras, and for those of us with a more demure sensibility, luxurious and easy to apply creme blushes in an array of classic shades and highly pigmented lip balms that actually do an adequate job of moisturizing.

 I'm starting to sound like a broken record here, but the holiday/winter Illusionists collection was both beautiful and brilliant, reintroducing the classic Come To Bed Red and Union Jack Black, as well as launching the superlatively stunning Bramble, a cold and rich indigo creme, and three special effects topcoats.  The Fire and Ice sets were also launched, which included red and a blue metallic bases to go with corresponding flakies.... Yes, Butter London is doing flakies and I'm dying to get them on my nails.

It's been a big and exciting year for my favorite polish company and I'm so excited to see what the new year brings for these mavericks.

My favorite indie company of the year was an even more difficult choice.  I nearly forewent indie and went with Jade because this ♥♥♥♥♥ but as far as all around awesome and worthy of their well-earned reputation go, a-England is it for me.  I don't know how long they've been around but I do know that it's been lauded as one of the premier indie makers since I began to really take care of my nails back in 2011, for the classical art and literature inspiration and elegantly wearable colors and finishes.  I received a proper introduction this year and fell in love with the formulas, colors, inspiration, and energy behind the brand.

This summer's Burne-Jones dream collection, and the dusty rose metallic scattered holo Briar Rose in particular, quickly cemented my addition to the many nailistas who adore a-England polishes so much.  Briarwood, from the same collection, and the made-over and relaunched champagne gold Excalibur, were two of my favorite polishes this year-- both stunning shades with wonderful formulas and a really nice wear time.  Also shown is Saint George, the mind-blowing teal holo that topped so many best of lists last year.  I had to see what the big deal is, and it's all true.  The black creme Camelot was a gift from my dear friend Christine and indeed, it is the nicest black creme I've had the pleasure to paint these nails with, and in one coat, no less.  Can this company do no wrong?!  A-England's most recent collection is ballet inspired, full of soft, muted holo shades.  It's as much fun to see what the latest inspiration is as it is to see the actual colors.

So, last but not least, there it is, the third installment of my 2013 Best Of!  Here are links to part 1 and part 2, in case you missed either.  Thank you for reading and for being a part of la blog this year!  It's been a remarkably good one and I sincerely hope to see you all in the new year ♥Have a safe and fun night tonight, beauties!

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