Favorite Holiday Polishes: Basics Edition

Hello!

After a couple of false-starts, lol, here is the real post about my favorite basic holiday polishes!

I'm going to do two 'Favorite Holiday Polishes' posts, one that looks at basic, standard polishes, and another that looks at specialty polishes. Today I'm doing the 'basics', and what I mean by that are the typical colors you think during this season that you'd want to use for basic wear, and for nail art. In my mind, these are reds, greens, blues, golds & silvers, and purples. I think these cover a variety of the holidays that are celebrated this season, but if there is a holiday color that I've missed, please let me know...And please don't judge the older, very icky, swatches too harshly. >.<

Reds

Barielle Dinner At 8

Barielle Dinner At 8

Barielle Dinner At 8

The perfect happy Christmas red. Good for nail art, or just shining on it's own. I'm pretty sure that this is what Mrs. Claus wears on her nails. :)

Orly Smolder

Orly Smolder

Orly Smolder

Orly Smolder

If Mrs. Santa was a vampire, this is the polish she'd wear. Sexy, vampy, perfect for that amazing holiday party with that cute guy that you're hoping will ask for your number...Heck, wear this polish and you won't feel like waiting. You'll walk up to him and tell him what time to pick you up.

Zoya Elisa

Zoya Elisa

Bad swatch of an awesome polish. This is what Mrs. Santa wears when she wants to make some new elves. Hmm...is that how that elf thing works? I'm not sure, and I don't think so, and the more I think about it, the more I realize I don't want to go there. A-hem. But yeah, this is what she'd wear. Christmassy but sexy all at once. :)

Zoya Pepper

Zoya Pepper

Zoya Pepper

This is a little darker than the typical Christmas red...But for those girls who like a little danger in their polish...why should that have to stop at Christmas time? ;-)

Greens

Color Club Ho-Ho-Holly

Color Club Ho-Ho-Holly

A pine green flecked with gold. If you put a Christmas tree decorated with gold ornaments into a blender, this is what would come out. But please don't. 

Julep Cindy

Julep Cindy

A lighter, more grass-green polish with gold flecklets in it. Perfect for gatherings that are fun, flirty, and funky. 

Barielle Polished Princess

Barielle Polished Princess

Want to capture that retro 1960s How-The-Grinch-Stole-Christmas sort of look? This is the perfect polish to send you on your way. Add some kartoonkers and some foo-floonkers, and you're set.


Zoya Hunter

Zoya Hunter

If you're looking for something a little more adult, understated, and elegant, Hunter will do the job for you while still capturing the spirit of the season.

Models Own Golden Green

This actually has a bit of duochrome to it, so I maybe should have saved it for the specialty polishes list. However, I think this is the perfect polish if you're going for a more Victorian Christmas-type of feel, so I wanted to include it here. :)

Blues

Zoya Crystal

Zoya Crystal

Zoya Crystal

Bad swatches and shrinkage aside, this is a beautiful blue holiday polish. Slate blue with flecks of gold throughout, this feels like it's reflecting candlelight all the time. If you've had too much red and green this season, reach for this beauty.


Zoya Hazel

Zoya Hazel

Zoya Hazel

Hazel is Crystal's lighter, more silver cousin. This also is a salve for the soul if you want something festive, twinkly, but not red or green.


Zoya Neve

Zoya Neve

Zoya Neve

Neve has a lovely holiday jewel-tone royal blue with an incredible shimmer. Very, very sexy without being typical or expected. :)


Sinful Colors Ciao Bella

Sinful Colors Ciao Bella

Sinful Colors Ciao Bella

Ciao Bella is a bit brighter for your more fun, funky holiday looks, but still keeps that sexy sizzle. This is one of my favorite blue polishes of all times, for any occasion. :)

Layla CE10

Another slight cheat, but totally worth it. Bright, fun, and beautifully blue. :)

Purples

Orly Velvet Rope

A rich, velvety blue-leaning purple that sits firmly in the jewel-tone family. The little brush of teeny glitters gives it a bit of extra holiday punch. :)

Wet n Wild Fergie Ferguson Crest Syrah

This one makes me think of a yummy plum pudding, with those spiced raisins and plums and the amazing rich sauce...It also makes me think of mulled wines. :)

Finger Paints Plum Startled

This one screams visions of sugar plums to me...Deep plum purple with blue shimmer...aaahhhhh.


Zoya Mason

This is possibly my favorite red-leaning purple ever. Ever. Gorgeous. Flawless application. A.Dore.

Golds & Silvers

Orly Flare

I don't like plain metallic colors, I think they look a bit tawdry unless they're done really, really well. In my opinion, a metallic has to have some je ne sais quoi to make it acceptable for wearing on its own or as a base for nail art. Flare has that in the form of a very lightly flecked polish that gives texture to the color. This is what a gold should be.

Jessica Gingersnap

If you took a gingerbread man, gilded him, and them crumbled him up, this is what you'd get. I love the rusts and the golds all together, making this a very compelling polish. If you want something that has the richness of gold but doesn't just blind you, check her out.


Julep Faye

You could argue that Faye is a brown. Okay, you don't have to argue, it's a brown. But the gold shimmer in it is so pretty, I felt it needed to make an appearance here somewhere. This is another way to get a glimmer of gold without having 24-karat nails. :)


Julep Mia

As I was putting this post together, I realized I have a lot of silvers that I use for stamping, but none that I actually like to wear as a base, except this one--and I just got this one in my most recent Julep box! This is a complex, interesting color, not just a plain silver--it has greenish-gold to it, and little gunmetal flecks. So if you're like me and don't want to look like you simply poured molten silver over your nails, I think you'll really love Mia.

Okay, that's it for the basics! Tomorrow I'll have some selections from the Incoco Winter 2013/2014 collection for you, and then I'll be back on Saturday with my favorite specialty polishes.

Thanks for your patience with those false-starts! Darn internet gnomes...sigh...
M.

Favorites: Blue!

Hello again!

Oh yes oh yes, it's time for the next installment of my favorite polishes I've found over the past year! I thought it was only fitting that I do blue this time, given the focus on Autism awareness this month.  There are so many blurples that I love so much, I'll do a separate post on them. I'm also not doing any glitters; I found I have a bunch of blue glitters I fell for, so I'm going to do them separately, too, otherwise this will be far too long! :)


China Glaze Deviantly Daring

China Glaze Deviantly Daring in the shade

This is from China Glaze's Bohemian collection, and is a slight green-blue duochrome. Honestly, in most lights it's just blue, but it's a gorgeous blue and when the green does show, it's like a bonus. Plus, it stamps!!


Barielle Blackened Blue

Barielle Blackened Blue; indirect light

Bad picture of a very pretty color. Dark and darker blue flecks in a blackened finish, going almost black at the edges. Sublime. :)


China Glaze Hanging In The Balance

China Glaze Hanging In The Balance; direct sunlight

A brilliant, energetic, fun blue creme from China Glaze's Cirque Du Soleil collection. This is such a versatile blue; it looks great with a lot of my wardrobe and is amazing for nail art. Yum yum yum.


China Glaze Man Hunt

China Glaze Man Hunt; direct sunlight

Oh yeah. That'll work. Deep like the lapis lazuli in an ancient Egyptian necklace. It pulls me in and I can get lost just staring into it. So rich and elegant and amazing. One of the many beauties from China Glaze's Safari Collection.


Zoya Zuza 

Zoya Zuza; direct sunlight

This is such a happy color, it makes me smile when I wear it. It's almost like a dark robin's egg blue with silver shimmery flecks in it. And the formula was so amazing I have nothing but positive associations with it.


Zoya Crystal

Zoya Crystal; in the shade

Slate blue with gold flecks. I went back and forth about including this one here, not because I don't love it, but because it's such a unique polish. It's not *quite* right to call it a blue, because the gold is such a force, but it's not a glitter or anything like that, so I stuck it here. Because it has to be recognized somewhere, it's such a beauty. :)


Sinful Colors Ciao Bella

Sinful Colors Ciao Bella; partial sunlight

Sinful Colors Ciao Bella; in the shade

I don't quote catch phrases that often, and I'm not a huge Rachel Zoe catch-phrase fan, but when I look at this polish...well...I die. I mean, like, bananas. Totally Maj.

Okay, now that I got that out of my system, ahem, seriously, this polish is transformative. Gorgeous in any light, and it makes my nails look flawless. All for $1.99, $1 if you get it on sale? How can you argue with that? I have $20 polishes that are nowhere near this maj. Oops, another one slipped out...Sorry!!


Layla Green Fever (CE07)

Layla Green Fever (CE 07)

Another one I wasn't quite sure where to put, and the (unofficial) name makes it even more confusing. It feels pretty blue to me, although it clearly has a strong green flash. I'm sticking with blue on this one...It reminds me of the ocean with that shimmer and green flash...I can hear the waves and feel the sea breeze on my face.


A-England Tristam

a-England Tristam; direct sunlight

This one flirts with the line between purple and tries to reach over it, depending on what you put it next to. A deep holo blue of that special sort a-England makes. Another richly pigmented polish that makes me think of precious jewels. :)


Polished Components Psyche

Polished Components Psyche; indirect sun

Polished Components Psyche; direct sunlight

And to end with a stunner, I give you Polished Components Psyche. This is a electric blue that feels like it's gonna zap you when you touch it. It has a sort of a satin, matte-ish finish, but isn't a full-on matte. It also has a pinky-purpley shimmer that makes it extra special. It's the sort of polish I hope for when I buy a non-glitter indie--something that has the extra components (no pun intended) that make it just a bit more special. If you need a lift in your day, a prance in your step--this polish will give it to you. :)

So there you have it! My favorites of the blues I've encountered the past year. I hope you saw something here you liked!

Thanks for reading. Big hugs!
M.