It's New Year's Eve!! Are you guys ready for the countdown and a brand new, shiny year? I am! I'm also excited to share with you my very favorite polishes of 2014! These are really fun posts for me to do because they give me a chance to look back at the year's worth of polishes I've tried/ swatched, and bring down my iron hammer of judgement upon...the nail polish. Um, yea. Let's get to it!




This year, I tried to keep it to ten polishes, plus a couple runners up, as I did last year, but I just wasn't able to narrow it down! These decisions are hard, people! All of the polish is pretty. So, I ended up with 13 polishes, and made sure not to pull multiples from the same brand.

I'll talk about the indies first, since that's what most people will be interested in:


I've really gotten into indie polishes more this year than I have in the past, and I regret nothing.  Here we go, in no particular order (other than photo bottle order):

SUPER BLACK- The Whale:


It feels a bit...enthusiastic? to include this one since it is the first from the brand that I've swatched.  Still, I love it so much, and the formula was great! This is one of those polishes that doesn't translate well to still photos. Although my shots are color accurate, you just need to see this one in person!


ALIQUID Lacquer- Puppy Love:


This polish is a glorious, glorious shade of teal with the nicest, subtle holo shimmer. At times, it feels like most indie brands focus solely on glitter/ jelly mixes, and while those can be wonderful, I usually prefer something...less obvious.  Plus, this polish was for a great cause!



Picture Polish- Fool's Gold:


This one shouldn't surprise you, as I'm not alone in my love for its lovely turquoise base and gold flecks and glitter!


Emily de Molly- Tread Lightly:


Big holographic circle glitters in a lovely aqua crelly base? Um, yes please. This polish right here is why Emily de Molly rocks. I love how all the other particles mixed in it don't really compete with those big circles- they just complement it!  This one, too, is way better in person.


I Love Nail Polish- Masquerade:


It's SO SHIFTY.  I love multichromes to death, and it's really hard to pick between all the nice ones that ILNP has released recently. There's something about Masquerade though! I think I love seeing magenta and chartreuse next to each other!


Indigo Bananas- Hole in the Sky:


All of the Summer Rains collection polishes I tried were astonishingly beautiful, but this one was easily my favorite. That bright, pigmented violet base shade is just...hnnnng. Add holo shimmer and color-shifting flakies, and I'm sold.


Cirque Colors- Panacea:


This year, I loved putting anything chartreuse on my nails, so this polish was an easy decision. The holo is strong enough that you can see it indoors, but is not too strong as to dull the lovely, vibrant base color. I can't wait to wear this one again!



Commercial Polishes:


I think we saw a lot of innovative (insofar as keeping up with indie polish creativity) things from mainstream, commercial brands this year! These six polishes were really just the highlights for me, and some will probably not surprise you.


China Glaze- Choo-Choo Choose You:


When commercial brands try to release multichromes, I am often disappointed because they usually just don't compare to the indie versions. There are exceptions of course, and I think this is one of them. You don't just see the shifty shimmer here- the base peeks through, and in this polish the contrast between them is so nice. This color is dirty and beautiful at the same time.


Zoya- Binx:


Binx is from Zoya's Summer Bubbly collection which featured jelly polishes with shimmer and coordinating holographic glitter. I thought that entire collection was unique, and loved every polish in it save the green one, Stassi. Binx stands out to me because it has a slight purple tone and the golden shimmer in it is so vibrant and eye-catching. So beautiful! I really need to give it a full test drive, because I only wore it one day to swatch.


Essie- Style Hunter:


Okay, yes, a red. But look at it! It is the most juicy, wonderful red- not to mention that it has a great undertone for cool skin. This is the only Essie polish that I picked up this year from the new collections. The others just didn't seem inspired to me? I am so glad I did, though, because it's really, really gorgeous, and the formula is perfect.


OPI- Don't Bossa Nova Me Around:


I didn't feel like I had to include a nude for any particular reason, but this one took me by surprise! It's meant for cool skin with the slight pink undertone. I just think it's very flattering, and there aren't many cool-toned nudes with nice formulas in the world, guys. Two coats!


Formula X for Sephora- Mischievous:


Just look at it! I can't think of another polish quite like Mischievous. The champagne colored hex glitters really tie the whole idea together. It's really clever!


Orly- Mirrorball:



Along with China Glaze- Choo-Choo Choose You, Orly- Mirrorball was another mainstream release that made a lot of waves in the nail blogging world. It's holo-on-holo, and that can't be a bad thing, right? This one is so nice because the holographic hexes pick up the light before the other holo particles do, so they really grab your eye and keep your interest!


...And, that's it!





If you , you might be curious about the polishes from the original shortlist which didn't make the final cut. Well, fear not, because I took a group shot for you:

left to right
Zoya: Veronica, Aubrey, Harlow, Hudson, Prim, Yuna
Formula X for Sephora: Hyped, Danger Zone
Butter London Trifle
Orly Smoked Out
Picture Polish: Lagoon, Unicorn
I Love Nail Polish: Undenied (H), Sirene
Indigo Bananas: 2% Butterscotch Ripple, Perfect Night (for Mystery & Horror)


Zoya had a particularly great year, I think. (I'm not the only one who thinks so.) I had a really hard time deciding amongst the pretty Zoyas, and nearly all of those are close ties with Binx for a spot in the 13. I mostly chose Binx because all of the Bubbly polishes were pretty innovative, and I felt like they needed representation!

Similarly, both of those Indigo Bananas polishes are stellar, and as I write this I'm wearing (soon to be swatched) Hot Ice Creams for Cold Days...and it is fantastic. It would definitely have made this list had I actually tried and swatched it sooner in the year!

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