Top 30 of 2012! (part 1)

So, about a year ago I showed you my all-time favorites. I was going to do it again on the same day, but obviously that didn't happen because I am lame. I was also going to show you how my all-time favorites have changed in the last year, but I don't think they've changed a whole lot, so instead I will show you three lists over the next three days: my ten favorite polishes released this year, my ten favorite indies, and my ten favorites for layering (both base colors and layering polishes).

Several of them, I have not yet blogged about, so you'll be getting a sneak peek of some upcoming posts. And there are a few polishes for which I've not even taken photos, so you'll get a few bottle photos here and there. So, let's get started!

OPI Did You Ear About Van Gogh?

This year, I tried nude cremes! I'm still overwhelmed by all the combinations of hue, undertone, etc. but this one kinda works! It's greyish and cool-toned, but I think it has enough yellow in it that it sort of works. Regardless of my skintone weirdness, this is a great color with a great formula.

Revlon Urban

LOVE. Shiny, squishy dark blue creme with slight purple undertones. Great formula.

Essie Penny Talk

I've told you of my weakness for coppers, and this pretty much epitomizes it. One of the worst formulas I've ever worked with, but I can't resist the color! I'm even willing to forgive some brushstrokes for it.

Illamasqua Charisma

As you probably know, I'm not a pink fan. But this dark berry has some reddish undertones, and that shimmer. I just love it. Great pedicure color, too.

OPI I Have a Herring Problem

This is definitely one of OPI's better names, and one of their better colors too. Despite the sheerness, I love the finish and color, and the application is great.

Essie Ole Caliente

Coral is not really my thing but this is so pretty. It's reddish enough that I don't feel that weird wearing it, and Ole Caliente makes for an awesome summery pedicure.

Deborah Lippmann Cleopatra in New York

I'm not sure how she does it, but Deborah Lippmann really nails the balance of base color to glitter. The black base is opaque, but the gold still shines through, and the end result has so much depth. Plus, you can't go wrong with black and gold. (cue Sam Sparro playing in the background)

Essence Walk on the Wild Side

Really, I could have put all four of the new Colour & Go's on this list, but since I only left space for one, I chose this. Formula could be better, but the finish is great.

Nails Inc. Baker Street

I bet no one was expecting this. /sarcasm
Seriously though, how can you resist such a bold blue?

Revlon Guest List

In addition to nude cremes, I also tried an olive green for the first time this year. The formula is less than stellar, but I really like this.

Thoughts? Do we have any mainstream/mass-produced favorites in common? Tell me about yours!

Thanks for looking and commenting, and I hope you're having a great week! 

Essie Penny Talk

Essie Penny Talk was released with the Mirror Metallics collection earlier this year. Aside from Penny Talk, the collection consisted of silver, gold, blue, and lilac chromes. They're supposed to impart a mirror-like finish, hence the name of the collection, but they were mostly unsuccessful, I think. They are fairly reflective, but based on swatches that I've seen, the Layla Mirror Chromes did a better job. Of course, I've not actually seen the Laylas in person, so I could very well be wrong!

Anyway, on to the Essie. 2 coats on most of the nails, but my ring fingernail wound up needing 4, and I'll tell you why in a moment.

It's a bit frosty, but VERY opaque. It barely needs a second coat for opacity, and it dries very quickly. Unfortunately, those qualities also mean that Penny Talk is extremely streaky.

First of all, the fact that it's frosty means that you've got to be careful with application to manage the brushstrokes, but the combination of that much pigment and that quick of a drying time....basically, if you try to be careful with application you'll wind up with a ton of bald patches.

And second, if you try to go back over the patches to fill them in, you'll have a raised spot that just does not want to even out. It took me a great deal of effort, but I got it looking half-decent. Here it is in indirect light. Pretty cool effect! It actually looks somewhat smooth here.

Oh, and did I mention that chromes/metallics highlight pretty much every flaw in your nails?? Ridges, bumps, any sort of inconsistency in the surface will be highlighted and emphasized. In order to counteract this, I started with 2 coats of OPI Ridge Filler and let it dry overnight. I still had a few bumps, so I buffed the surface the next morning, since I didn't want to directly buff & weaken my nail plates. And yet, we've still got this:

See that lumpiness at the top edges? See the brushstrokes? Bleh.

Given all that, somehow, I still really like this polish. Not only that, but I now want the gold one from this collection, Good as Gold. What. To be fair, Layla doesn't make copper or gold chromes, but I'll probably go there for the silver/gunmetals I've been craving.

The formula is among of the worst I've ever used, but the color...I really do have a weakness for nice metallics. And while it looks pretty freaking terrible up close and in macro mode, at an arm's length, it looks really cool. Maybe I should finally invest in an Aqua Base, to help the application. I've got a few of the China Glaze OMGs, and I know it would help with those too.

How do you feel about chromes and metallics? I know the frostiness is a big turn-off for lots of people, and the tricky application must not help. Have you picked up any of the Essie Mirror Metallics or Layla Mirror Chromes?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and have a great weekend!

Chanel Peridot

Chanel Peridot was released as part of the Fall 2011 Illusions D'Ombres collection. There were two other polishes released along with it, Quartz and Graphite, but Quartz looks weird and frosty, and Graphite isn't all that interesting to me. Peridot, on the other hand, is AMAZING! I know a lot of people were disappointed with the lack of a clear blue color shift, but that doesn't bother me too much. In the bottle:

The blue is really clear along the edges of the bottle, but you can barely see it on the nail, and only at awkward angles.

You can kiiiiinda see it at the very edges there, but not too well. At an awkward angle:

It's slightly more visible at the edges there, but it's still not prominent at all. Peridot is gold, but it's a really yellow, almost green gold. At first, I declared it ugly and decided that it would turn my hands into lobster claws anyway, so why bother. A few weeks later, I saw it in person and changed my mind completely. This is my only Chanel, but I'm very very happy with it. I know brushstrokes are a pretty big concern, but they weren't an issue for me at all. They showed a little while wet, but it dried quickly and the brushstrokes disappeared almost completely, so now it just looks like metal. In direct sunlight:

Sunlight brings out the green in Peridot, and I usually hate light yellow-greens but this is just awesome. The formula is almost perfect. It took 3 coats, but that's the only flaw. Each coat applied smoothly and dried quickly. I didn't even have to clean up this manicure after painting! I wore it for four days, and got neither chipping nor tipwear. This is Top 20 material. Maybe even Top 10?

So yeah. Peridot is great. It's a shame Chanels are so expensive though. I think Ozotic Pro, Chemistry, Missha, and Peripera have dupes or near-dupes, and OPI has a dupe in their upcoming Spiderman collection, called Just Spotted the Lizard. Based on the promo pics, it looks like we've got a China Glaze dupe on our hands in their New Bohemian collection, but there aren't any swatches or official press releases yet.

Thanks for looking!