Best of 2012 Results!

Happy New Year's Eve everyone! Thank you all for voting in this year's Best of 2012 poll. I checked last year's results and I had 170 votes, this year I have 305 votes!

I'm going to reveal the winners as well as how many votes each nominee in the categories got. I will also let you know my personal picks. There were some VERY close races in these!!!

Best Spring 2012 Collection:

Winner-

1. OPI Holland---112 votes
2. China Glaze Electropop---104 votes
3. Zoya True---41 votes
4. Essie Navigate Her---27 votes
5. Orly Cool Romance---13 votes
6. Color Club Blossoming---8 votes
My Pick: OPI Holland

Best Summer 2012 Collection:

Winner-

1. China Glaze Summer Neons---104 votes
2. Zoya Beach & Surf---96 votes
3. Essie Bikini So Teeny---46 votes
4. OPI The Amazing Spiderman---29 votes
5. Color Club Take Wing---24 votes
6. Orly Feel the Vibe---6 votes
My Pick: Essie Bikini So Teeny

Best Fall 2012 Collection:

Winner-

1. OPI Germany---128 votes
2. China Glaze On Safari---83 votes
3. Zoya Designer, Diva, & Gloss---60 votes
4. Essie Stylenomics---17 votes
5. Color Club True Fashion---11 votes
6. Orly Fired Up---6 votes
My Pick: OPI Germany

Best Winter/Holiday 2012 Collection:

Winner-

1. Zoya Ornate---107 votes
2. OPI Skyfall---104 votes
3. China Glaze Holiday Joy---52 votes
4. Essie Winter 2012---22 votes
5. Orly Naughty or Nice---11 votes
6. Color Club Winter Affair---9 votes
My Pick: Essie Winter 2012

Best Non-Handmade Indie Brand of 2012:

Winner-

1. a-England---129 votes
2. Cult Nails---124 votes
3. Pretty Serious Cosmetics---27 votes
4. RBL---19 votes
5. LEX Cosmetics---6 votes
My Pick: Cult Nails

Best Handmade Indie Brand of 2012:

Winner-

1. KBShimmer---61 votes
2. HARE Polish---59 votes
3. Pretty & Polished---57 votes
4. Girly Bits---50 votes
5. Dollish Polish---45 votes
6. Lush Lacquer---33 votes
My Pick: KBShimmer

Very close race here!

Best High-End Brand of 2012:

Winner-

1. butter LONDON---168 votes
2. Deborah Lippmann---78 votes
3. Nails Inc.---28 votes
4. Chanel---21 votes
5. Sephora by OPI---10 votes
My Pick: Nails Inc.

Best Drugstore Brand of 2012:

Winner-

1. Sinful Colors---75 votes
2. Revlon---70 votes
3. Sally Hansen---69 votes
4. Wet n' Wild---34 votes
5. L'Oreal---25 votes
6. Milani---22 votes
7. Maybelline---10 votes
My Pick: Revlon

Best Top Coat of 2012:

Winner-

1. Seche Vite---169 votes
2. Other---90 votes
3. Cult Nails Wicked Fast---23 votes
4. Poshe---14 votes
5. Glisten & Glow HK Girl---9 votes
My Pick: Cult Nails Wicked Fast

What other top coats are you all using? I must be living under a rock!

Best Nail/Nail Art Trend of 2012:

Winner-

1. Glitter Bombs---113 votes
2. Accent Nail---111 votes
3. Gold Flakie Top Coats---74 votes
4. Fish Egg/Caviar Nails---7 votes
My Pick: Accent Nail

Indie Nail Polish---Love it or Leave it?

Winner-

1. Love it!---234 votes
2. Leave it---71 votes
My Pick: Love it!

Only a handful of people wrote down their one favorite polish this year. There were a ton of polishes that tied with 2-5 votes, so I narrowed it down to the Top 5 who all received more than 5 votes. These are in ranking order!

Top 5 Favorite Polishes Released in 2012:

1. OPI Every Month is Oktoberfest---13 votes
2. Zoya Zuza---9 votes
3. Zoya Storm---8 votes
4. butter LONDON Two Fingered Salute---7 votes
5. China Glaze Riveting---6 votes

That's it!

I must say based on these results....what the heck happened to Orly? They have REALLY faded into the background this year. The same goes for Color Club too, but to a lesser degree.

How did your picks fare this year? Are you pleased with these results?

Happy New Year! I look forward to what nail polish will bring us in 2013!

Share With You Sunday: 12/22/12-12/30/12

Please check out my Top 20 of 2012 posts---Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and  Part 4.

Posts I'm Loving:
Rachel Marie's Nails shows us her winter nail art.
Will Paint Nails for Food shares with us her Silent Night inspired nail art.
Gotham Polish shows us her NYC Holiday Windows inspired nail art.
Polish, Please! shares with us her nail look using OPI Ski Teal We Drop and Goldeneye.

Posts You're Loving:
Kell's DIY Nails swatches KBShimmer Candy Cane Crush.

You can submit your links for Sunday posts here. 

Reader Manis of the Week:

Name: Barb
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Manicure Description: For this dotticure, I started with OPI Nail Envy for soft nails and then used OPI Nein Nein Nein OK Fine as my base for three fingers and OPI My Pointe Exactly on my ring finger and thumb. For the dots on the ring finger and thumb, I used A-England Avalon and for the other dots I used Sally Hansen Pedal to the Metal. I topped it all off with a nice coat of Seche Vite.
Favorite Polishes: Too many to name
Instagram:  barb_mcgregor

P.S. Hello Max! :)

Name: Xana
Location: Sweden
Manicure Description: This was my first attempt at a splatter manicure and I was pleasantly surprised with the result :) OPI's Alpine Snow was used as the base and Flormar's bright pink 407 was used for the splatter itself. The things you can do with nailpolish and a straw :)
Favorite Polishes: China Glaze's Midtown Magic, Color Club's Revvvolution and Kleancolor's Pink Lady. Blog: www.laqlust.wordpress.com


I need manis  January! You can find information on how to submit your manicures for Sunday posts here. 

Happy Sunday!

Top 20 of 2012: Part 4

It's time for the final installment of my Top 20 of 2012. If you haven't seen Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3 yet check them out!

L-R:
Sinful Colors Rain Storm, Spoiled Shrimp on the Barbie, Two Birds American Beauty, Urban Outfitters Silver Holo, and YSL Bleu Majorelle

Sinful Colors Rain Storm

I'm pretty sure I wore Rain Storm most of August. I just loved this dusty muted blue creme. I did not have any shades quite like this one. I think this color is very sophisticated and at the Sinful Colors price it was a no brainer. Check out my full review here.

Spoiled Shrimp on the Barbie 

Shrimp on the Barbie besides for it's stinkin' cute name, is such a beautiful pink shade. I love the intense fiery golden shimmer throughout this color. This is the type of color that looks like it's glistening in the sun. I just love the sparkle this has, it's beautiful! Check out my full review here.

Two Birds American Beauty over WnW Black Creme

American Beauty is hands down my all time favorite 4th of July/American themed polish. I love the different shapes of glitter in this with the different finishes. This polish was like fireworks on the nails. The sad part about this polish it was super limited edition. I think 4 or 5 bottles were made :(. Check out my full review here.

Urban Outfitters Silver Holo

I was shocked to find holographic polishes at Urban Outfitters. I was even more shocked that these holos were some of the best I had seen. I love this silver holo, it's linear and the holo effect is very strong. Check out my full review here.

YSL Bleu Majorelle

Bleu Majorelle was definitely the priciest polish I purchased in 2012, but was well worth it to me. This is a bright blue creme. Bright blues were definitely my favorite this year, and the formula on this was incredible. Plus, this polish at a little historical back story. Check out my full review here.

Here is a recap:

L-R:
Row 1: a-england Saint George, Avon Illusion, BadAss Polish Dusk, Claire's Pinata, & Cult Nails Evil Queen
Row 2: Cult Nails Flushed, Essie Stroke of Brilliance, KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie, LEX Tuilieries, & Nail-Venturous Floam
Row 3: Nina Ultra Pro Cobalt, OPI Every Month is Oktoberfest, Revlon Coastal Surf, Sation Hail to the Pink, & Sea Lore Adella
Row 4: Sinful Colors Rain Storm, Spoiled Shrimp on the Barbie, Two Birds American Beauty, Urban Outfitters Silver Holo, & YSL Bleu Majorelle

There you have it! These were my favorite polishes this year. I think I had a good mix of mainstream and indie polishes. Blue was clearly one of my favorite colors this year. I think I had a few blue picks! This list was not easy to make. I had few polishes that didn't quite make the cut, but I think they deserve honorable mention.

Honorable Mentions of 2012:
Once Upon a Polish Queen of Hearts
Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light
China Glaze Running in Circles
Spoiled I'm So Jaded
Sindie Pop Lacquer Velvet Darkness
Enchanted Polish Austin Powers

2012 was a great year for polish, and I look forward to what 2013 has to offer!

Did we share any favorites this year?

Happy Saturday!

Top 20 of 2012: Part 3

On to Part 3! Be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 if you've missed them!

L-R:
Nina Ultra Pro Cobalt, OPI Every Month is Oktoberfest, Revlon Coastal Surf, Sation Hail to the Pink, and Sea Lore Adella

Nina Ultra Pro Cobalt 

Let's be honest Nina Ultra Pro is a brand we skip over at Sallys. I did take a second glance at the brand when I saw Cobalt, what an amazing surprise this polish was. This a bright cobalt blue jelly. Did I mention cobalt is my favorite color? I live for blues like this! Check out my full review here.

OPI Every Month is Oktoberfest--- Germany Fall 2012 Collection

Every Month is Oktoberfest I'm sure has become a favorite among many. This deep vampy shade with that beautiful glowing shimmer is stunning. I had no idea what we were in for with this polish with those stinky promo images OPI puts out. This polish is breathtaking. Check out my full review here.

Revlon Coastal Surf

Coastal Surf was a summer favorite polish for me. I love this bright creamy light blue creme. This is the perfect shade between a pastel and a medium blue, and I adored the formula. This is just one of those colors that makes you happy too. Check out my full review here.

Sation Hail to the Pink

Hail to the Pink became one of my favorites for 2 reasons. One reason is it's a jelly neon pink shade! I love jelly neon polishes. The second reason is the formulation on this was amazing. Neons can be known to be streaky and have tricky formula. Hail to the Pink's formula was awesome, it applied evenly and smoothly in 3 coats. Check out my full review here.

Sea Lore Adella over Sinful Colors Olympia---Triton's Daughters Collection

Adella was a color I typically do not purchase ever. I usually steer clear from green-yellow shades, but I loved this one. I love the combination of colors, glitters, and that micro golden shimmer. I wore this polish a lot this summer, and found it very flattering. Check out my full review here.

Stay tuned for Part 4 tomorrow!

Happy Friday!

Top 20 of 2012: Part 2

On to Part 2 of my Top 20 of 2012. Be sure to check out Part 1 if you missed it!

L-R:
Cult Nails Flushed, Essie Stroke of Brillance, KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie, LEX Cosmetics Tuileries, and Nail-Ventrous Floam

Cult Nails Flushed---Behind Closed Doors Collection

Does this really need a reason? Flushed with the bright pink shimmer throughout that already gorgeous purple is divine. Just look at it. No more words needed. Check out my full review here.

Essie Stroke of Brilliance over OPI I Have a Herring Problem---Luxe Effects

Stroke of Brilliance was a nice surprise for me this year. I had never seen steely blue glitter before. This is such an usual color for glitter, and I loved it. I also liked how this unique polish came from a mainstream brand. Check out my full review here.

KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie---Winter 2012 Collection

Sugar Plum Faerie was another great surprise polish for me. I love how non-traditional this holiday color is, but what I love most about is the creativity put into this shade. I would of never thought to combine these colors together, and I love when someone creates something I could not even fathom. The color combination here is great. This is fun, whimsical, and it made me smile. Check out my full review here.

LEX Cosmetics Tuileries 

Tuilieries combined two of my favorite elements in a polish--something soft with a punch of fun. I love the combination of this sweet girly pink jelly with the little red,orange,white, silver, and purple glitters. This is polish frilly, fun, airy, and feminine. Check out my full review here.

Nail-Venturous Floam

Floam I'd say for me, and I'm sure many others jumped started our indie polish addiction.When I saw Floam for the first time, I could not believe someone could take those colors, that finish, and make it into a nail polish. Floam is a genius nail polish, and I'm sure has become a cult classic! Check out my full review here.

Stay tuned tomorrow for Part 3!

Happy Thursday!

Top 20 of 2012: Part 1

We've made it to the Top 20 of 2012! I started this Top 20 list at the start of this year. I've been working on this since January! My Top 20 of 2012 will be divided into 4 posts, with each post having 5 polishes in them. This list is not in ranking order. There is no way I could choose a favorite among these! I put it in alphabetical order just because. This Top 20 list contains only polishes released in 2012. I have also linked each polish to my original review of it on my blog.

Let's get started with the first 4!

L-R:
a-england Saint George, Avon Illusion, BadAss Polish Dusk, Claire's Pinata, and Cult Nails Evil Queen

a-england Saint George---The Legend Collection

Saint George is a beautiful rich scattered holo teal. The richness and depth of this shade is what really drew me in. Plus, I got a ton of compliments wearing this color this year!  Check out my full review here.

Avon Illusion---Enchanted Spring Collection

Illusion is definitely one of the most unusual nail polish colors I've encountered, but this only made me love it more. This is a strange gray-green shade with a gorgeous violet shimmer. This one is super unique, and I couldn't get enough of it! Check out my full review here.

BadAss Polish Dusk over Cult Nails Time Traveler

Dusk is a polish I tried recently from BadAss Polish, which also happens to be a new indie brand. What I love about this one is it's subtle beauty. This isn't a typical chunky glitter that I see from indies (I love those too BTW), but it looks just as beautiful. I love the small glitters in this, it sparkles and shimmers just right...oh and it's my favorite color combination of blue and gold! Check out my full review here.

Claire's Pinata over Cult Nails Nevermore

Rainbow glitters are everywhere. I'm sure I have at least 20, but rainbow shredded glitter? I did not have any of those. Pinata is a colorful and bright party on your nails. The shredded glitter really resembles confetti, and  the glitter in is all colors of the rainbow. You can't go wrong. Check out my full review here.

Cult Nails Evil Queen---Fairy Tale Collection

Evil Queen I have found to be that perfect punchy red. This red is pigmented and rich. I know it may have dupes out there, but the quality of Evil Queen is spectacular. This red is so glossy, I couldn't stop looking at my nails. My nails looked liked colored polished glass when I wore this. Shinestastic! Check out my full review here.


Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow!

Happy Wednesday!

Holiday Polish Spam

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! I have some holiday polish themed spam for you all today.

 China Glaze Ring in the Red

KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie

Nicole by OPI A Gold Winter's Night over Cult Nails Nevermore

 Pretty Jelly Sugar Cookie

Piggy Polish Ivy Leaf in Santa Claus

Pretty Jelly Confetti Countdown

China Glaze Holly Day

Revlon Glitz and Glam

YSL Wintergreen

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Happy Tuesday!