Top 25(ish) Polishes of 2013!

Even though I haven't been blogging regularly, I still paint my nails quite often. There have been some beautiful polishes this year and I've decided to swatch out my top 25 or so. Whenever I use a polish in my spreadsheet, I rate it 1-5 stars. These are my 5 star polishes released in 2013 that I've gotten to use so far.

So let's see what types of polishes drew my eye this year:

Color: 26% were blue, 23% were green and 19% were blue. Quite characteristic.

Brand: 23% were Zoya, 15% were Picture Polish and Orly, KBShimmer, Julie G and Digital Nails each made up 7%.

Price Range: 30% were salon polishes, 27% were indies and 15% were foreign.

Finish: 30% texture, 30% holographic, 23% glitter

#25 SquareHue Flower Power

This green is a gorgeous, happy green. It was kinda streaky on the first coat, but perfect on the second. I had my doubts including this in my top 25, but one I got it on the nail, I knew it had to be there.

#24 Color Club Mamba

I picked this one up at an outlet store on vacation. It is the PERFECT red. Rarely needs more than one coat on me. I reached for this one countless times for Christmas manis and Texas Tech game day nails.

#23 Zoya Miranda

Texture was probably my favorite thing of 2013. I cannot get enough of them! I didn't get Miranda at first, but the pink is so pretty and feminine! It reminds me of a princess.

 #22 OPI Jinx

I also hesitated buying this one at first since there were so many orange textures that came out around the same time. I am so glad I bought this! It's got a touch of pink and a gorgeous gold shimmer. Summer in a bottle!

#21 Orly Melodious Utopia and #21.5 Elevation Stay Behind, Catch a Wave

I absolutely love these two together! Melodious Utopia has a gorgeous pink shimmer I couldn't quite capture. Stay Behind in a lovely aqua shade and CIRCLES!

#20 Colores de Carol April Fools

This polish makes me so incredible happy. It's a white based glitter, the glitters are square, it's got rainbow glitter and it's named after my birthday! It's like it was made for me. It's like a party on my nails! There is a little VNL after 3 coats, but I like it. I'd like it more if my nails were more even :/ 

#19 Orly Sparkling Garbage

Sparkling Garbage is too thin to make it looks its best alone, so I layered it over Cult Nails Riot. Riot complements Sparkling Garbage's teal-ish color and is a great base for it!

#18 Zoya Liberty

Another texture. I really can't get over them. This shade of blue it just so stinking gorgeous. It's like ground up jewels on my nails. 

#17 Sinful Colors Pine Away

A metallic green? How could I not love this? Another favorite for Christmas manicures.

#16 Salon Perfect Green Room

This seafoamy/teal-ish halographic underwhelmed me at first. But outside, it blew my socks off.

#15 Picture Polish Hope

My first Picture Polish on this list! They make gorgeous polishes and this is no exception! A gorgeous deep blue scattered holo with glitter.

#14 Picture Polish Ocean

Picture Polish nails scattered holos. The blue of this is perfect for the name Ocean. Beautiful! I should've gone for one more coat.

#13 KBShimmer Get Clover It

KBShimmer always has amazing polishes. I love the green base with sparkle and the gorgeous circle glitters. So perfect for St. Patrick's Day.

#12 KBShimmer I've Got a Crush on Blue

Another fantastic glitter from KBShimmer. This blue is so deep and amazing. The base plus the shimmer and holo glitter makes this polish mesmerizing.

#11 Zoya Godiva

Zoya Godiva is a neutral, which I typically don't like. But make it into a texture and I am all in! This was one of my first textures and led to my addiction with them.

#10 Zoya Sunshine

Once I hopped on board the texture train, I needed a navy texture. Who better than Zoya to make this? This is what I was craving so badly. So perfect for fall. Now I just need a texture the color of Zoya Zuza.

#9 Julie G Sugar Plum Fairy

This rich purple texture is perfection. And a one coater!

#8 Julie G Mistletoe

Julie G Mistletoe is the best green texture I've seen. It's like a Christmas tree!

#7 Picture Polish Freya's Cats

Freya's Cats is a bright blue holo. As with all Picture Polishes, they apply flawlessly.

#6 Digital Nails Stars at Night

A navy holo that's named after Texas. How can this be any better?! Digital Nails makes gorgeous polishes that reference so many things I love!

#5 Zoya Tomoko

Tomoko is perfect for Christmas nails. Doesn't it make you think of a party? Such an amazing metallic champagne color that is just so classy.

#4 I Love Nail Polish A Fresh Evergreen

I'm a sucker for nearly any polish this shade of green since it's so rare in mainstream polishes. Make it a holo and I will drool. This was my first ILNP and I am so impressed.

#3 Digital Nails The Ultimate Ginger

This polish was a part of the "Ladies of Who and Rory Too!" collection. It's a gorgeous aqua which I love and named after my favorite companion and one of her best episodes. So much love.

#2 Zoya Dream

Zoya's holographic polishes last year were fantastic and the follow up was even better. Such a deep blue with an amazing silver fleck holo. Mmmmm.

#1 Picture Polish Sea Jewel

This polish is my absolute favorite polish of all time. I actually ranked it 6 stars in my stash doc. The shade of teal is phenomenal and the metallic-y mesh finish is just utter perfection. I am planning on buying so many backups of this!

So those were my favorites of 2013. What were some of yours? Any that I'm missing and should try?

Blogger Friends Forever: Movies

It's finally my week! I thought cities was first, so I had it all planned out with no ideas for movie yet, then realized I was wrong haha. So I had to think about what movie I wanted to do since there are tons that I love, but I finally picked one. Can you tell what it is?

It's The Sound of Music! I absolutely love this movie. It makes me happy just thinking about it. The thumb and ring finger go together as one image (shown below). It's the lovely green field Maria spins around in at the beginning with the mountains in the background. The index finger is music notes since music obviously plays a huge part of the movie. The middle finger is an abstract version of raindrops on roses. For the pinky I recreated the curtain outfits the children wear as play clothes. I really love how this came out and how it reminds me of the movie as I wear it :D

Polishes used: China Glaze Kinetic Candy, Elephant Walk, Sally Hansen Whirlwind White, L.A. Colors Circuits, Orly Emberstone, Essence Julia, China Glaze Starboard, Color Club Object of Envy, Zoya Pippa, Sinful Colors Athens. Plates used: Fauxnad M73 and Mash 43.

Here are the fabulous bloggers participating in this challenge:

Thiamere of On Beauty Stuff & What Else's

Pram of My Nail Polish Addiction

Bec of Lacquer Dreams

Kerrie of PishPosh and Polish

Caitlin of Caitlin's Creative Corner

Emma of Manicurity

Sally Of Nail Pron

And here's what we have in store! (My week is August 23-25)

Summer Challenge: Jungle Mani

Today's challenge prompt was Jungle or Parrots. Birds seriously freak me out, so I opted for jungle :) Also I had a bunch of greens sitting in my untrieds and I decided to knock them out :)

My goal was to make it look like a wet and lush rainforrest. I started with two coats of Sinful Colors HD Nail, then added the following glitters: Orly Here Comes Trouble, Love & Beauty small green glitter (L.A. Girl Purge dupe) and then a sparse green glitter with huge hexes. I loved this a lot! So dang sparkly!

Then to make it more Jungle-ly (or Jungle-like) I stamped with CND Green Scene and fauxnad plate M72. This green was too close to the layers under it and didn't really add anything :/

Finally I added the last layer of leaves with Bundle Monster plate BM19 and Sally Hansen Just In Lime! This is one of my favorite stamps of all time and why I ordered this Bundle Monster set first :) Although the leaves are kinda hard to see, I still really like this mani :)

Make sure you check out the other awesome blogs participating in the challenge! Click the image above if you'd like to join us!

Debbie at The Crumpet

Danielle at Little Book of Beauty

Neivys at Maquiclub Girl

Jo at Northern Nails

Arlene at Nails and Vanities

Helena at Nail Wish

Róisín at Cuti-Clue-Les

Katee at A Girl and Her Polish

Sarah at Y Nails...Why Not?

Bec at Lacquer Dreams

Misha at Enigmatic Rambles

Sharon at What Color Is My Coat

Melissa at (Mis)adventures of a Wanna Be Martha

Laurie at Dressed Up Digits

Lucie at Lucy's Stash

Emma at  Manicurity

Caitlin at Caitlin's Creative Corner

Jane at Absolute Varnish

Amber at Never Naked Nails

Vic at Glowstars

Jackie at Mema's Manis

Rychelle at Colorsplash Nails

Stella at My Wet Nails

Missy at Missy's Manis

Kim at A Polished Addiction

Christine at Lost in My Reverie

Angie at Our Painted World

Bazzia at Polish My Mind

Missy at The Manicured Maniac

Michelle at Lacquer or Leave Her

Nikki at Lil Green Heart

Elizabeth at Nail Polish is My Crack

Ana Cris at Esta Cerrada la Drogueria

Shayleen at Simply Handy All Year

Dina at Secretary's Nail Art

Nayade at Toxic Vanity Toxic Vanity

Karen at Nails by Kaybel

Sinful Colors Zeus

I'm currently taking Classical Mythology in summer school. To get in the mood for studying, I bribed myself with Sinful Colors Zeus. Zeus is a gorgeous dusty purple with pink shimmer.

This is two easy coats. I did have some shrinkage after top coat :( Like the other recent Sinful polishes, I was really impressed with application and coverage. A second coat was almost unnecessary.

Untried Month Day 16: Glitter Gradient Skittles

The other day I decided to go through my untried box and try to use as many polishes as possible. I found that I had a few multi colored glitter and decided to do a skittle with them! I really love this mani :) It's so sparkly and magical! And the gradient was super easy! I just used a ripped up makeup sponge dipped in glitter and moved up the nail.

From thumb to pink: Prisma Colors purple with Ulta Indigogo Girl, Ulta Alter Ego with OPI Simmer & Shimmer, Barry M Emerald Green with China Glaze Optical Illusion, China Glaze Champagne Bubble with OPI Glow Up Already! and Sinful Colors Flutter with China Glaze Full Spectrum.

Be sure to check out the other ladies' untrieds!

Helen at Nail Newbie

Alyssa C at Polish Junkie Ninja

Ashley at One Nail to Another

Nicole at The Epitome of Superficiality

Zoe at Obsessive Compulsive Nail Painting Disorder

Lexi at Finger Painted

Miagi at Pretty Kitty Claws

Teal Tuesday: Marble

This week's Teal Tuesday theme is Marble (any style). I decided to try a needle marble. I just kinda winged it haha. I should probably find a good tutorial next time.

For this mani I used Sinful Colors Firefly, Sinful Colors Rise and Shine and China Glaze Recycle. I painted one coat of the lighter colors and then let it dry. Then I painted a thick stripe of each color and dragged a needle through it.

I definitely need to practice this technique more. The ring finger is my favorite. Recycle didn't really want to cooperate with me.

Check out these other Teal Tuesday blogs!

Missy at Gnarly Gnails

Rhonda at Nails Beautiqued

Kirsten at Geeky Owl

Amanda at Mandy's Polish

ColorSplash Nails

Simple-and-Beautiful

Aimee at Persistently Glittery

Nat at No Holos!

Teal Tuesday: Color Block

Hey guys! Today's Teal Tuesday theme is color blocking! I wanted to do a tape mani but I'm out of Seche Vite and didn't want to wait, so I just freehanded with a small brush :)

I started with two coats of Essence The Dawn is Broken. I just got this polish and I love it! Then I painted on OPI Fly and Sinful Colors Bikini. I wasn't totally satisfied with it, so I smoothed out the edges by outlining the blocks with L.A. Colors Circuits.

I like this mani so much more than I ever thought I would! I can't stop looking at my hand!

Check out these other Teal Tuesday blogs!

Missy at Gnarly Gnails

Rhonda at Nails Beautiqued

Kirsten at Geeky Owl

Amanda at Mandy's Polish

ColorSplash Nails

Simple-and-Beautiful

Aimee at Persistently Glittery

Nat at No Holos!

Untried Month Day 11: Sinful Colors Timbleberry and Cover Band Sticks 'n Stones

Hello! I finally got to charge my laptop and load some stuff for you! I first used Cover Band Sticks 'n Stones over a blue and absolutely loved it. And now I love it over this. I'm pretty sure this polish will look awesome over everything and I can't wait to experiment!

This is two coats of Sinful Colors Timbleberry and one coat of Sticks 'n Stones. I like how each nail got a different mix of glitters. I makes things interesting and random :)

Also, Timbleberry is gorgeous! It's just so bright and cheery. It's perfect for toes in the summer.

Be sure to check out the other ladies' untrieds!

Helen at Nail Newbie

Alyssa C at Polish Junkie Ninja

Ashley at One Nail to Another

Nicole at The Epitome of Superficiality

Zoe at Obsessive Compulsive Nail Painting Disorder

Lexi at Finger Painted

Miagi at Pretty Kitty Claws

Hauls and Nail Mail: Birthday Edition!

You guys, I've gotten nail mail every day this week. EVERY DAY! It's been awesome :D Recently, several this have coincided to create this insane week of nail mail. These things were 1.) My birthday presents 2.) the end of Lent (I gave up buying polish) 3.) Super awesome friends and 4.) Going to Dallas for a weekend. I've decided to present the polishes in the order I received them.

Everything from this week together.

Friday:

Love & Beauty Purple Glitter and Green Glitter (with large hex glitter!) Icing Power to the Pink, Mr. Right Now and Radio Super Star.

So, I bought these before Easter Sunday, but Lent was technically over. I had to run to the mall to buy an Icing polish for my spring surprise and couldn't resist these.

Sunday:

Sinful Colors Athens, Greek Isles, and Grecian Sun. Revlon Fall Mood and Rain Forest. Sally Hansen Celeb City and Golden I. Confetti Tazmanian Devil.

On Easter Sunday I HAD to go buy polish since I could and I had just gotten paid. I got these at Walgreens and CVS.

Monday:

Savvy Ruby Slippers. China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy, Sunshine Pop, and Grape Juice.

When I got home on Monday I had 3 packages waiting for me! This is from Ashley in my awesome birthday group!

a England Perceval, Bridal Veil, Ascalon, and Princess Tears.

My mom bought these for me for my birthday :)

Plate LO01, nail polish remover pump and plate QA9.

And my plates I ordered forever ago and a nail polish remover pump! I'd kinda forgotten about these lol.

Tuesday:

Zoya Remove+, Meg, Zuza, Shelby, Tracie and Wednesday.

My brother's birthday present to me! LOVE!

OPI In My Back Pocket and Need Sunglasses.

My awesome friend Melanie had an awesome surprise for me when I picked her up to go see Titanic! (Side note: I hadn't seen Titanic since it was last in theaters. When I was 7. You guys, that movie is...scarring. And slightly traumatic. I was freaking out so much that I was picking polish off my nails. I'm still not sure if I enjoyed it haha.)

Wednesday:

Adorable packaging!

OPI Simmer & Shimmer, Kleancolor Chunky Holo Fuchsia and OPI Glow Up Already!

This package was from another birthday group girl! Lexi at Finger Painted. Loved the packaging and the super pretty bubble wrap :) Also, I was super excited that I finally got some of the Burlesque glitter. I LOVE THAT MOVIE. A musical with Cher in it? What's not to love?

Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Dream, Footloose, and Almost Paradise.

Then my order from HSN. I had planned to buy Mermaid's Dream at Nordstrom in Dallas, but we didn't get to go, so I ordered it online. And threw in a Footloose set that was on clearance.

Thursday:

Love the wrapping :)

Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter, Barry M Spring Green, Tangerine, and Red Glitter. Models Own Emerald City and Juicy Jewels.

Another birthday package! This is from Miagi at PrettyKittyClaws. Gorgeous colors and my first Lemony Flutter! I'm in love with it!

Kleancolor Metallic Pink, Metallic Red, Metallic Orange, and Metallic Mango.

Kleancolor Metallic Yellow, Metallic Green, Metallic Aqua,  Metallic Sapphire,  and Metallic Purple.

Kleancolor Metallic Purple, Coffee Addict, Metallic Black, and Metallic White.

I kept hearing how great the Kleancolor Metallics were for stamping, so I broke down and ordered them. I got this set of 13 for $15.20 on eBay!

Cult Nails Vicious, Let Me Fly, and Quench.

And what I ordered from the Cult Nails $5 sale. So pretty and I can't wait to try them!

Friday:

Sally Hansen Flash. Models Own Purple Blue, Indian Ocean, and Aqua Violet.

I got my Polish-aholics Anonymous Spring Surprise package from Charlotte at Charlotte's Nails! These are sooo pretty! The stickers are adorable and the polishes!!! I was jumping up and down because I was so excited.

Saturday:

Whimsical Ideas by Pam Seuss and I Believe in Fairies.

Bottle shots.

I got my order from Whimsical Ideas by Pam! I can't wait to try these pretties out!

Ok, after this insane week. I'm slowing down. But I still have more birthday package on my way to me through the month of April, so I'll still have nail mail to look forward to! Thank you to all the lovely ladies (and my brother) that contributed to this insanely awesome polish haul!