For the third installment of my year in review series, I am reviewing my top 3 brands of the year. These are the brands that I purchased the most, reached for the most, and consistently impressed me with colour and formula.
This post is picture heavy!!
Honourable Mention.
Wingdust Collections - Stephanie came out with some great stuff this year including an instant best seller/impossible to get colour. She doesn't shy away from glitter and her combos are always perfect. I'll always have a soft spot for this brand because it's Canadian and I provided inspiration for one of her polishes this year. :) Here are my two favourites from this year.
| Muskoka Sunset - this is the polish I provided inspiration for. Stephanie sometimes hold contests on Facebook and if she uses your suggestion she sends you a free bottle. As soon as I saw this I thought of the sun setting over a Canadian lake. My husband, like Stephanie, is from Ontario and he always talks about the lakes and how much he misses them. I searched for pictures of the Muskoka and
found one that had the exact colours as the polish. The rest was history. ;) |
| Steel Town Girl - the polish that launched a thousand Wingdust fans, this polish is hands down one of the most unique I own. It's a teal holo base with shards and gold leaf pieces and it's incredible. I wanted this one so much that I went in on a group order with several friends and we procured 4 bottles from
Femme Fatale Cosmetics in Australia! |
#3.
Enchanted Polish - most people who collect indie polish have heard of Enchanted Polish and the almost mythical status of their polish. They are expensive and difficult to procure and the after sale market? Forget it. The restocks are notoriously crazy and people get full on fanatical about their monthly releases. It's all for good reason - the colours are super pigmented, flow on the nail like butter and have incredible sparkle/shift/whatever the intended effect may be. I was first introduced to this brand when a dear friend sent me a bottle and it was love at first brush stroke. I've had good luck with Nail Polish Canada's Canadian only restocks along with some incredibly generous friends. Here are my top four this year.
| Across the Universe - the one that started it all. The multichrome shift and the holo sparkle are an irresitible combination. |
| Dream On - I was lucky to snag this Nail Polish Canada exclusive shade. |
| Mr. Burgundy - richly saturated colour with amazing holo bend. |
| Octopus' Garden - another crazy beautiful multichrome. |
#2.
KBShimmer (Canadians can purchase from
Harlow & Co.) - KBShimmer had a really stand-out year with several amazing collections. They balance the glitter bombs with more understated shimmers and mattes and have polish in every colour imaginable. This year's Christmas/blogger collaboration collection was a home run. I wanted to purchase every single one and was only held back by my wallet. Here are my favourites from this year.
| 24 Carrot Bold - bold is definitely the right descriptor - this neon orange shimmer dries matte and is flat out AMAZING! |
| Snow Flaking Way - this jelly is the perfect winter colour with amazing depth. I'm normally not a fan of shape glitter but the snowflakes in this are adorable. |
| Totally Tubular - the teal base of this polish is perfection, the formula was great (no dragging of glitter) and CIRCLE GLITTER! |
| Turbulence - another shimmer that dries matte, this dark gray had a flawless formula and the shade worked well with my skin tone. |
#1.
Emerald & Ash - some may call me biased with this choice because I consider Ashley (the lovely owner of E&A, along with her husband, Nate) a dear friend. That said, the lady makes some amazing polish. From her debut Armed Forces collection, to Deconstructed Daisy which is in honour of her mom, to her stunning Hubble collection, I love them all! The formula is great, the collection inspirations are unique and the colours are spot on. Also, the thing that pushes Emerald & Ash to the top of the proverbial polish pile is her cuticle oil. Seriously, guys, it's AMAZING! I have a bad habit of picking my cuticles and this stuff repairs a good majority of the damage with just one use! Plus, the scents are incredible and not at all artifical or cloying. My favourites are Chai Tea, Pumpkin Apple Butter, Chestnut & Brown Sugar, and Blood Orange. Do your cuticles a favour and go buy some NOW! Plus, it certainly doesn't hurt that Ashley is a doll and probably one of the most generous people I've ever had the good fortune to meet. Here are my favourites from the year.
| Black Forest, CO (limited edition) - this polish was created as a fundraiser for the Pikes Peak Community Foundation which helps the victims of the devastating forest fires that Colordao experienced this summer. The blackened green base is gorgeous and the flakes give it amazing depth. |
| Dirty 30 (limited edition) - this was created to celebrate Ashley's 30th birthday and is the perfect nude holo. |
| Red Shift - I purchased this one based on swatch pictures from Nina of
Model City Polish but in person it is STUNNING - I literally gasped when I opened the package. The deep red is gorgeous and the glitter combo perfectly compliments the base. |
| Yule Log (limited edition) - this one was included as a gift with purchase during their Cyber Monday sale. I've been loving brown polish this year and this one exemplifies everything I love about brown. It's a sophisticated as black without being harsh and seems to compliment most skin tones. This one has a gorgeous shimmer and seems to glow from within. |
Which brands stole your hard earned money this year?
