Favorite Manis of 2013

Well, I can't believe the year has come and gone! I have been here... sort of... I have been posting my manis on my Instagram account, just haven't had time to do full posts on the blog. Been plagued with computer problems (lost most of my photos and spent half the year trying to get them back), had a new client this year which took up most of my time (that's a good thing, more $$$ to buy polish!) and unfortunately, a sick dog as well as a sick Dad that needed tending to. You know, all that "life" stuff that gets in the way. I do continue to get inspired by all the other blogs and Instagram posts I read however, and my hope is that in 2014 I will find the time to post more and share in detail some of my favorite polishes that I have accumulated over the past year, that I haven't even had time to try yet!

I wanted to do a kind of "year in review" post but to do a year's worth of manis would take, well, a year! So I thought I would share some of my favorites I did this past year.

One of my favorite manis of this year had to be the one I did in honor of one of my all time favorite  tv shows, Breaking Bad. Rainbow Honey released a limited edition polish - Heisenberg and I jumped at the chance to purchase this bad boy!

Rainbow Honey Heisenberg

I actually did some stamping with this mani, which you can see on my pinkie and added crystals on top.. very impressive for me. Stamping is still something I am trying to perfect but I was pretty happy with the way this turned out overall. On my middle finger I used Zoya Purity and Skylar (duh!)

Speaking of Rainbow Honey, I had purchased the mini set of The Summer of 199X Collection (which is amazing!) and decided to pair it up with Nails Inc. Beaded Polish:

Nails Inc and Rainbow Honey

Love the sparkle of the Covent Garden Beaded Polish by Nails Inc! That little bit of texture was all this mani needed for my ring finger, I used Mint Flavor from the Summer of 199X collection for the rest.

Next up is Lynderella The Stars In Her Eyes over Pomegranate Nail Lacquer Taps on Apps and Prince Charmer:

Lynderella and Pomegranate Nail Lacquer

I have always been a big fan of Lynderella polishes but had never tried Pomegranate polishes. They are amazing! I thought this combo turned out great! Have about 6 more bottles to try and get to in the new year...

Back in September, I did a mani for my husbands birthday, it combined two polishes that were special to me because of him:

PiCture POlish and Pretty & Polished

First, Ocean by PiCture POlish. We both love the ocean, we are scuba divers, love all things ocean and this polish just called to me the first time I saw it. Second, I used Pretty & Polished's Wherever You Go, I Virgo.. because, well... he's a Virgo. :)  It doesn't hurt that it's a beautiful polish too!

I know there is a theme here going of all blues...hmmm... when did I become a blue-aholic? Can't help myself, something switched in my brain. Can't get enough of the blue polishes! I did love this pink mani that I did earlier this year though. Who doesn't love Ozotic holos?

Pink has always been my favorite color and this pink holo is just gorgeous! It's Ozotic 516 which is a medium bright pink with a linear holo finish. I'm 99.999% sure it's discontinued but am so glad I own it, it makes me happy. I actually used this shot on the Instagram account of my sister's jewelry company whose web site I maintain. Yes, I get to photograph and keep the jewelry, a great perk of the job. ;) Shameless plug - if you want to see some great jewelry at some great prices, visit her at orionfashionjewelry.com. I should also mention if you are a blogger and are interested in blogging about her jewelry, get in touch with me, I can set you up.

Contrary Polish is a polish collection that I have had in my stash all year and had been wanting to try and finally got a chance with this mani:

Contrary Polish

This beautiful blue is Santorini and I stamped a sea turtle on my ring finger using Polish Me To Go in Yell, Oh Mint. It was done for World Oceans Day and oh by the way, yes, the turtle did glow in the dark!

By far my most special and dear to my heart polish of the year had to be the one that was custom made for me by the fabulous Kunimitsu Nail Potions:

I had Jessica make it for me in honor of my 16 year old Birman, Perry:

I think Jessica did a fantastic job in making that polish and I cherish it as one of my very favorite polishes ever!! Perry has been battling renal failure for some time now, and I don't know how much time we have left with him. He is my special boy.

This list is just a tiny fraction of the special polishes I wore this year. I left out some of my other favorites like Different Dimensions, Jindie Nails, Polished by KPT, Enchanted Polish.... oh the list goes on! Be sure to follow me on Instagram where at least there I try to keep up to date. LOL

And on that note, I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year! And I look forward to all the new and exciting polishes that await us in 2014!

All the best,
Laura