Favorites of 2011

So I'm going to join the trend and list my favorite polishes from 2011. Not all of these are new releases. Some are a few years old. But to me they were new and these are my favorites. Note: Some of these are brands or trends or a certain mani. It's not just polishes. Maybe I should have said my favorite nail trends? Although that doesn't really fit either. Anyway, on to the list.

10. Facets of Fuchsia. This became a pretty damn big polish in the nail polish community when it first came out in...September? It was one of those that everyone had to have. Of course I didn't wear mine until December, but that's no biggie. It's a polish that definitely needs to be in your collection.

09. Essie. I've said before that I wasn't necessarily a big fan of Essie before this year. I had about two or three older Essies that I didn't like and wasn't impressed with so I just shrugged them off. But Essie did something good-they made their polishes widely available and, I think, made the formula better. The Essies I do get now are the ones from the drugstores and I couldn't be happier. I've had nothing but good experiences and I highly recommend them. I can't wait to get a color I've seen on two or three blogs already from the Spring Collection, Armed and Ready. I'm a believer in you Essie. What you see below is Smooth Sailing, my personal favorite of the Essies I bought this year.

08. OPI Mermaid's Tears with Silver Shatter. OPI started and maintain the crackle trend this year, starting with the Katy Perry and Serena Williams collections from last January. It then exploded with seemingly every company coming out with their own crackle polishes. Whether you're tired of them or not, shatter/crackle polishes were a big thing the first part of the year. My favorite combination was this one, from the Pirates of the Caribbean collection. The green, combined with the silver contrast (not to mention that, for me, it broke up the best) was a great mani that I honestly didn't get tired of seeing no matter how many times it was posted on blogs.

07. Zoya. Another brand. I got my first Zoya polish at the beginning of the year when they had that three free promotion with the color spoons. I don't remember exactly what it was, but I'm pretty sure you guys remember what I'm talking about. I fell in love with Zoya then and they have become one of my favorite brands. I'm posting Sienna because I LOVE this polish, but really every polish I tried this year from them was aces. (Favorite from 2011? Either Yara or Neeka. I really can't decide. But one of them.)

06. A-England Tristam. So...I still have Lady of the Lake to try. I bought it the same time I did Tristam and just haven't worn it yet. I know, fail. But Tristam is amazing. It's blue. It's holo. Everything I ever wanted. There were rumors of a fall collection that was supposed to come out (with a green holo) but nothing yet. I need to get more A-Englands. I really do.

05. Loreal Owl's Night. OMG. There's nothing more to say about this polish. It's brownish, olive-ish, goldish, with shimmer. It's gorgeous and was so apropos for fall. It was a part of the Project Runway collection and I think it was LE, so it may be sold out by now. But if you can get it, get it. Beautiful polish.

04. Julep Emilie with Revlon Blue Mosiac. One of my favorite manis I did this year. Emilie is just a nice but basic kelly green creme. And Blue Mosiac is a cacophony of blue multi-sized glitter. But layering the blue over the green? Awesome. I also matted it and, for me, made it one of my favorite manis. But that was another trend this year a bit. Making glitter manis matte. One that I enjoyed.

03. Orly Royal Navy. I've been lusting after this polish since it first came out in 2009. I finally bit the bullet and paid retail for it. Favorite blue polish. Period. It's royal blue. It has the glass flecks inside. It's just gorgeous. I need to get another bottle.

02. Cult Nails. If I was to write down my favorite brands of the year, I'm pretty damn sure Cult Nails would be number one. I have liked every polish I've tried that Maria (owner, creator) has made. The colors are unique. The formula, for the ones I've tried at least, have been amazing. Maria has FANTASTIC customer service. I mean, what else do you want in a company? The picture below is of the amazing Unicorn Puke (now known as Clairvoyant) over Nina Ultra Pro Sailor. I was late to join the Cult, but now that I have I'm not ever getting out. I can't wait to see what they release next.

01. Holos. When holos become popular, back in, what 2008 and 2009, I wasn't really into nail polish. I was a polish fiend back in high school, but got out of it in college (my first stint) and the years after. I missed the original OPI My Private Jet and the China Glaze OMG and Kaleidoscope collections. So I'm basically making up for lost time. I'm working my way through them. Nubar Reclaim, a beloved holo, is in my collection. Glitter Gal is coming out with polishes that are popular, and Hits have made a name for themselves outside of Brazil. I'm okay with knowing that I'll never get my hands on the original MPJ or the OMGs or Kaleidoscopes because these other companies are more than sating my (and everyone elses) need. The picture below is of my absolute favorite holo, Gosh Holographic. I won it in a giveaway from Diava's Lacquer Box (it seems she's stopped blogging. Shame cause her blog is/was definitely one of my favorites) and I'm so happy I did. It really sparked my holo fanaticism and I can't get enough.

So, those were my favorite polishes/manis/brands of 2011. This is going to be my last post of 2011. Thank you all so very much for following me. It means so much more than I can eloquently state. I hope you all have enjoyed some part of my first year of being involved in the nail blogging community and I hope to be better next year. Have a safe and happy New Year's and may 2012 be the best year we've all collectively seen in a long time.