LLPT's Best Nails of 2014!!

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LLPT's Best Nails of 2014

  Ahhhh!!  I finally feel like I'm emerging from the tornado of activity and subsequent mini hibernation that has composed the last five days.  C and I are fortunate to have the next few days off so we slept in until 11ish yesterday and 10ish today (and I'm sure a nap is in order, again).  Hosting Christmas dinner is a LOT of work, especially when both of us have full time jobs and especially when I'm stubborn and insist on doing it all myself... Thankful for a mom who understands the work and brought over one of my favorite desserts and appetizers to supplement (as well as a Christmas chicken... thanks, Dad).  Anyhoo, time marches on, New Year's is imminent, and my nails are roached.  Sounds like a perfect opportunity to list my favorite nail polishes of 2014, no?

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.

LLPT's Best of 2013!! Indie Polishes

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Hi everyone!!  Before I get into it today I just want to chat about something happening in the blogging community right now.  I'm not a nail artist but I do know this-- crediting is important.  Whenever you take a design or technique that you found on the web and recreate it on your own blog/channel/IG/whatever, you credit and link back to the source of inspiration.  It's the decent thing to do and moreover, it's illegal not to.  When a big, well known blogging entity takes that and throws it out the window it is a big deal.  And for those of you who think it's okay,  check your references and consider that spending more time deleting and blocking anyone who suggests your designs aren't original than actually addressing the issue is as big an admission of guilt as anything.  No one is too big to credit, to follow the law, to be a decent person.  Here's a link to a video made by blogger/vlogger Zenorah fully addressing this issue that I shared on my fb yesterday, if you're interested.

Okay, moving on to my next installment of my favorite polishes of 2013... This was the year I had the opportunity to be immersed in the world of indie polishes.  I got to play around with some international as well as domestic brands and the things that impressed me the most are the sheer quality of these polishes (it seems a lesson in testing your product before marketing has been taken to heart by many) and how well defined the individual brands have become.  The gals who succeed and will succeed have a strong and distinct vision of who they are and it's been a joy to discover their world a little bit for myself.  Here are my top picks, in no particular order.

LLPT's Best Of 2013!! Mainstream Polishes

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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.

LLPT's Best of 2012

Hello!!  As the new year approaches, lots of us blogger types are doing Best Of posts or polls.  Here's my offering.  I present to you Liesl Loves Pretty Things' favorites of the past year, in chronological (I think, lol) order.  Enjoy! ;)

Julep's Resort Collection and January Maven box

Julep's collection of shimmering pearls and foils amidst bright, saturated cremes was exciting, surprising, and sheer genius for the coldest and dreariest of months.  When the Maven boxes were announced it was hard to choose among the five.  I kept with my American Beauty box, and these are the two I received-- Anne, the ultraviolet creme, and Maria, the rose gold foil.  I'd later receive Maya as a gift from the lovely Candice at Mommy Does Her Nails... but more on that later.  

Rescue Beauty Lounge Fan Collection 

Cuprum

You don't have to be a scientist to appreciate the coolness behind this creation-- a blue inspired by the reaction that occurs when ammonia meets copper.  This polish is a true work of polish art.  The energy surrounding it is fantastic and though it is notoriously difficult to capture on camera, it is an absolute pleasure and beauty to wear and officially made me a ReBeL.

OPI NYC Ballet Collection

Yes, this one made my short list.  Shocker!  I've not felt it necessary to own a whole collection before or since this one.  The collection contains five absolutely gorgeous pale jellies, each with a distinctly different feel-- from the pristine milky white Don't Touch My Tutu (thumb, top left photo) to the macabre My Pointe Exactly (ring, top and bottom left)-- and one beautiful, subtle, and versatile glitter.  My favorites of my favorite are the ones that exude health-- the natural nude of Barre My Soul (top right) and the tantalizing peachy pink of You Callin' Me A Lyre? (bottom right).  They are completely forgiven their terrible names. 

Butter London Lippies

 Long-lasting, gorgeously pigmented lipglosses that match my favorite polish colors?  Um, yes, please!  I fell in love with the lips and tips idea when these first arrived on the scene this spring, and since then they've helped me become bolder in my makeup choices.  All I need's that clear lipliner to keep them from getting all over my face and I'll be in lippy heaven.


BB Creams

I told you all about L'Oreal's bb cream here sometime this summer and I thought it was the be-all, end all of skincare.  The Garnier is so far superior that I doubt I'll use the L'Oreal again.  Experiment and find what works best for you.  Both are light and moisturizing, provide adequate coverage, even skin tone, and don't look or feel anything like traditional foundation, or mineral makeup, of which I'd been a devotee for years.  These bb creams kind of stormed the scene here in the US and though the word is they're nothing like their Asian counterparts, I hope they're here to stay.


NARS Storm Bird

I've had a small obsession with grey in fashion for the past couple years, and as soon as the first swatches of NARS Storm Bird came out, I knew it must be mine.  The glossy, sophisticated shade of blue tinged dark grey didn't disappoint, and kickstarted my love affair with all things NARS.  More on that later.


The Many Iterations of Chanel Peridot

I mean, come on.
I know some of you are sick and tired of it, but every major polish company who didn't put out a Peridot dupe this year could have and I would have still salivated over each and every swatch.  I picked up China Glaze's dupe, Rare and Radiant; bonus points for being named for a line in The Raven.  Extra bonus points for being part of a collection containing excellent dupes of Deborah Lippmann's Mirrored Chromes.  Thanks, ChG, for keeping my wallet happy and my nails pretty! <3


Zoya FeiFei

Zoya's fall collections were outstanding in my book, all three of them, Diva, Designer, and Gloss.  FeiFei was the standout of the whole lot, though.  All the big gals fawned over this color when it came out, but the fact is, no photo compares to the gorgeousness in real life.  FeiFei became a fast favorite of mine because of its surprising versatility.  With its steely, cadet blue base and shimmers of every color under the sun, it's a neutral while being anything but. 


NARS Andy Warhol Collection

My general knowledge of Andy Warhol doesn't extend too far beyond the soup can painting, the 15 minutes of fame thing, and Jim Morrison and Nico's affair.  Maybe that's part of the reason why I found NARS' holiday Andy Warhol collection so fascinating, because I know virtually nothing about the artist.  The more I saw and the more I read, though, the more I realize the brilliance of the inspiration.  I went conservative with my makeup choices and stuck with the Sephora exclusive Walk On the Wild Side gift set, which includes the inky violet-black polish called It.  In addition, I picked up the most gorgeously saturated, true to NARS form glossy dark teal, Superstar.


...and finally,
You Kids <3

I tried to figure out a way to cut and paste the GFC widget here so that could be my final picture, but either I'm not tech savvy enough or it violates some sort of law, lolol.  Either is very possible. ;)  But the point is, you ALL make this so darn much fun, you truly are the best of the best :)  I love that you take the time to read what I have to say and I absolutely love your comments and our interactions, the relationships I've made, how supportive and honest and real you guys are.  

So, there you have it!  You probably know that I'm one of those who strictly prohibits links in comments, but if you've got a blog and are doing a Best Of post, gimme the link and I'll go check it out.  And, as always, comments on how much you agree with my choices, or how completely and utterly off base you think I am, are most welcome.

Either way... thanks for reading. <3

Editing to add honorable mentions to a couple products.  First is NARS Lhasa eyeshadow, which has easily become my go-to shadow for casual and dressup.  I forgot it was a 2012 release, and besides, if I added it in now, this post might start to look like a NARS shill.
Second is Duri Rejuvacote, the best basecoat in the world which IS amazing and has restored my confidence in my natural nails again.  Not a 2012 release, but it is the year I discovered it. ;)