Best of 2010: A Look Back At The Year In Polish

As I did last year, I made a compilation of the best releases in 2010. I apologize for this being so late, I meant to get this up sooner, but I do work a ton and this was a big post to work on, but what slowed me down more is I had an issue with my external drive that hold lots of my swatches. I essentially lost all of my pictures that I have taken in of my nails in the last two years. So I guess you could say I had some re-swatching to do. But it's all here now!

There is no limit to the polishes I picked. It's not a Top 10 or a Top 20. It's just a bunch of the most interesting and most wanted and talked about shades. Some are place holders for several shades or whole collections. Some are shades that many people like and some are just my personal favorites. One overall theme of what's to come is greens and purples and lots of glitter! AND NOW! In no particular order... the best of 2o10>>>

Barielle - A Bouquet for Eva - Not only is this creamy, bright teal gorgeous, but it was also for a good cause. 100% of the profits from the sale of this shade and two others from this collection went to The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. That's awesome. Another shade that I really loved from this collection was Blossom.

Hard Candy - Fabuluxe - This is fabulous and luxe so I guess the name fits. This is a hot hot hot pink, full-coverage glitter. I wore this to my company Christmas party and it looked amazing against my bright blue dress.

Chanel - Khaki Vert - I just had to get it. For me to get a Chanel shade it has to be awesome considering the price tag and this one is. I can see how some may not like this but I am obsessed with weird colors like this. I did want to get the other shades in the Khaki Collection but I really couldn't swallow the price for all three. I am happy I got this one.

China Glaze - Mistletoe Kisses - This color just makes me so happy! It is so sparkly and bright and fun. I really loved all of the holiday collection from China Glaze this year so this can take the place for several such as Mrs. Claus, Peace On Earth, Frosty, Mommy Kissing Santa, Naughty and Nice, Party Hearty, Jolly Holly and Midnight Kiss.

Deborah Lippmann - Razzle Dazzle - This one is hard to post. I think it is incredibly beautiful. The fine raspberry glitter in that black cherry base is stunning but I hate that it is not available individually! This was in the All That Jazz Trio released for the fall. I would have thought if it were to be released separately it would have happened by now but maybe it still will.

NARS - Zulu - This is no surprise. This is not a unique release exactly. It is a re-release of a highly coveted shade from NARS and it was a long time coming for it to come out again. We've been waiting a while and it was worth it. I never thought I would ever see this one. I have gotten my hands on several discontinued, hard-to-find shades before, but I was sure I would never, ever see this one. But thanks to NARS taking care of its fans, I got it now. I also got myself Midnight Express and that one is equally beautiful.

Revlon - Perplex - The reason I chose this instead of the expensive polish is was based on (Chanel - Paradoxal) is because it is not the expensive one! This is a gorgeous brown/gray/purple and of course when Paradoxal came out it was that battle again of whether to spend $25 on a bottle or not, but thankfully Revlon came out with Perplex quickly after and I am glad. It's much cheaper, easy to find, and has a great formula.

Nubar - Knight's Armor - This came out at the start of 2010 and even then I knew it would end up on this list. I loved this so much when I first tried it and I still do! It is so packed with glitter. It is the BEST silver-glitter-in-a-black-base. Most black/silver combos disappoint me because they are mostly black with a sprinkling of glitter but this is glitter packed!

Nubar - Jewel - I had several favorites out of this set so it was hard to pick just one. I really loved Gem because it is holo AND duochrome but that one is hard to photograph and Jewel is beautiful. I love the idea of a brown holo. I also really love Prize from the Prisms set.

Nubar - Violet Sparkle - On man. The Sparkles Collection was amazing. A whole set of full coverage glitter? Hell yes. Violet Sparkle has to be my favorite though. This is so deep and sparkly and purple! I love it. I also really love Night Sparkle and Petunia Sparkle.

MAC - Blue India - This was a done deal the second it came out. I had to go get it. And I don't think there has been a dupe found still. This is a beautiful blue creme.

China Glaze - Flip Fop Fantasy - This is the most amazing neon ever!!! I have declared my love for this several times. And of course you can see it is on my Top 20 list so I must love it. I love neons and the Poolside collection was really great. I also love Sun Worshipper but this one is sooo pretty and unique.

China Glaze - Ick-A-Bod-Y - Wow. Stepping it up with the Halloween shades. No orange cremes here! I really loved the other two shades in the Awakening set but this is by far my favorite. It is packed with glitter... orange glitter! And I love the murky green, black base.

BB Couture - Paradise - I love this color so much. I feel awful it was discontinued. I wish they would bring it back. But it was for a great cause which makes it more than just a polish. 25% of the sales from this collection was donated to the Salvation Army to aide the women and children affected by the by the earthquakes in Haiti.

China Glaze - Re-Fresh Mint - This is a place holder for the Up & Away collection. That whole set was incredible so it was hard to pick one. I went with this because mints were huge this year and of all the ones released this was still my favorite. I also really love Lemon Fizz, Four Leaf Clover and Grape Pop from this collection.

Nubar - Verde - Wow! So deep and interesting. I love the deep, blueish green with it's smoky look and strong shimmer.

China Glaze - Bogie - Another knockout collection from China Glaze was the Vintage Vixen Collection. This may be my favorite. Others that I love are Goin' My Way?, Ingrid, First Class Ticket, Classic Camel, and Foxy.

OPI - Absolutely Alice - This is the best blue glitter I have ever seen. The blue is beautiful and the itty-bitty gold pieces really set it off.

OPI - Mad As A Hatter - The other glitter in the Alice in Wonderland Collection. This is one of my most favorite glitters ever. I know there are multi-colored glitter haters but I don't care. This is so cool!

OPI - Jade Is The New Black - Very unique green creme. I love green cremes and happy to have this one. It is very smooth and dreamy and it reminds me of tennis courts.

OPI - Ski Teal We Drop - Another awesome creme from OPI. This is in the Swiss Collection which had a few great shades like Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous and I'm Suzi & I'm A Chocoholic.

OPI - The Show Must Go On - You would think since this came from an amazing collection consisting of half a dozen full-coverage glitters, I would pick one of them, but this color really, really, got me. I love this so much. I do also love all the glitters and also Tease-y Does It, and Let Me Entertain You!

Orly - Rage - Geebuz. I love all the Foil FX. I think Rage is worthy of the photo since it's the most unique. There aren't many foils this color gold but there are plenty gold an silver like Luxe and Shine.

Rescue Beauty Lounge - Diddy Mow - Wow. The second I saw pics of this I knew it was special. This is the chicest, gray-green and I love the hidden shimmer. If you don't want to shell out the big price tag, Essie - Sew Psyched was cheaper alternative released this year.

Orly - Space Cadet - Holy Cow. The Orly Cosmic FX collection was a whole lot of win. My favorites were this one, It's Not Rocket Science, Galaxy Girl and Lunar Eclipse. Although there are some dupes out there, the ones in this set beat out the competition in my opinion thanks to formula. These all look awesome together too.

Chanel - Illusion D'Or - So cool! A polish from Chanel needs to be really cool to get me to spend 25 bucks and this one is. The super shimmery, fine gold is gorgeous but what sets it off is the iridescent flake-like glitter pieces that are like a illusion of glitter. I love it.

Deborah Lippmann - Across The Universe - Neat. This is a beautiful navy blue jelly with light blue, green and bright blue glitter... lots of it! This is so fun to look at.

Essie - Pretty Edgy - Green creme! :c)

Essie - Demure Vixen - There were a lot of great shades from Essie this year including greens and such but one that really stood out was a more toned down, "safe color": Demure Vixen. This mauve is delicate and very understated, but still extremely beautiful. This was a big favorite this year. Another mauve-ish shade I loved this year is Diamond Cosmetics - Razzmatazz. It also has that purple flash like Demure Vixen that makes it special.

Bundle Monster plates - not a polish per se, but an important release in 2010: a super affordable set of good quality image plates.

Orly - Snowcone - Of all the pretty pastels in the Sweet Collection this past spring, this was the only one I felt was necessary to get. The sky blue/cornflower color is beautiful and on top of that, it is an incredible, one-coat formula.

Zoya - Shawn - There were several colors from the Wicked and Wonderful Collection this fall but I really, really love Shawn. I have a weakness for olive greens and this is super cool. I also love Julieanne and Kelly and I really love that they are named after people on Dancing With The Stars. I love that show.

Zoya - Valerie - Another great collection from Zoya this year was the Fire and Ice collection that Valerie is from. Other favorites include Tiffany and Crystal. I am really happy that Crystal came out because it is a dupe of OPI - Reflecting Pool which was a Eruopean exclusive and really beautiful but hard fro us in the U.S. to get.

Zoya - Adina - Oh Adina. You are gorgeous. This is just stunning. Lovely lilac with that slick, duochrome-y green shimmer and flash. So pretty. And as a side note, I looove my nails in this pic.

OPI - Fiercely Fiona - So unique! Sorry if you don't like yellows but I do and I think this one is awesome! It's great because if you don't like a bright, taxi cab yellow, but still want to wear a yellow creme, this works well because it is toned down and sort of murky. And of course, the whole Shrek collection was awesome.

Sinful Colors - Gorgeous - Mermaid love. This is seriously gorgeous. Sinful had several great new releases this year and they always blow me away. They have great colors, they have a great formula, they are readily available, and they're cheap! AWESOME. Other faves from this year are Easy Going, Happy Ending, Tapping Nails, Innocent and Soul Mate.

Zoya - Ivanka - The whole Sparkle Collection really deserves this spot but this one is my favorite! I know another fave is Charla and it may be even more popular than Ivanka, but to my eye this one is prettier.

Mlani - Cyberspace - This can pretty much go for the whole 3D Holographic set from Milani this year. These are beautiful holos. I really love Hi-Tek and Hi-Res as well. And Milani gets bonus points for making this permanent and not just limited edition.

Essie - Lilacism - Wow, this is such a super pretty lilac creme. It's just perfect It's bright and clean, blue enough and soft enough. Soooo pretty!

Deborah Lippmann - Waking Up in Vegas - I love this chic greige creme. Greige was one of the colors this year and of all the ones released this is my fave.

Icing - Glamorous - This is just the most insane, sparkly holo glitter ever.

Sally Hansen - Purple Gala - I love this! It's very similar to Hard Candy - Mr. Wrong which I put on my list last year, but I think Purple Gala is better :c)

Sally Hansen - Hidden Treasure - I hate this polish. It is so beautiful and it deserves a place for the frenzy it created this year but seriously, the distribution of this was awful. I still have never seen it myself. It's like a leprechaun or something. Luckily someone nice sent it to me... because it is so beautiful!

Sally Hansen - Pacific Blue - There were several great Xtreme Wears released this year but this one may be my favorite. This is just breathtaking. Other great releases from this year were Wet Cement, Going Green, Wet Cement, and Purple Pizazz.

Confetti - My Favorite Martian - We got a new drugstore brand this year: Confetti. The whole collection isn't that exciting, but they really hit it with this one. I also really love Moonstruck and Bombshell Blue. And they're inexpensive.

Diamond Cosmetics - Tranquility - This is just awesome. At the time that this came out I was really craving a pastel blue creme just like this. And then I got it! It's a bit stark, but that is why I like it.

LA Splash - Golden Seahorse - I have a deep fascination with this. There is something so appealing about seafoam green and gold together. It's so "Caribbean Sea". I also am a fan of several other LA Splash shades but more importantly I am a fan of the bottle! I posted about it before but I love the shape of them. They are very unique.

Claire's Mood - Calm/Wild - AH! How fun are these! These were an awesome release this year. They have a drastic change and change very easily. I also really love Daring/Innocent and Happy/Earthy.

Ruffian Mani - Not a polish but an important look for 2010. I still want to do them all the time!

Sally Hansen - Commander in Chic - The Complete Salon Manicure line was a big launch this year from Sally Hansen. It's the line the leprechaun, Hidden Treasure is from. Some of my favorite shades from this line are this one, Cloud and Sequin Scandal but my absolute favorite is
Thinking of Blue. That one is incredible and would have been used for the photo but it doesn't photograph true to life and it bugs me.

Sephora by OPI - If You've Got It, Haunt It - This was a HUGE breakthrough in 2010. BLACK GLITTER! Successfully! This is awesome. It has black, silver, and little iridescent blue pieces. Another great black glitter release this year was Nicole by OPI - Pitch Black Glimmer. It looks just like this in the bottle but that one is a top-coat and this is full-coverage.

Milani - Purple Gleam - More black glitter! These One Coat Glitters were another amazing release from Milani. This one and Gold Glitz are my favorites and of course the Happy Birthday dupe, Gems. Purple Gleam really is a one coater, too. It's amazing. It's black and purple glitter in a clear base and it is really one coat. Very impressive.

Borghese - Mediterraneo Sea - This and it's counterpart, Purple Confetti were an awesome limited edition release this year from Borghese. So fun!

Here's to more beautiful shades in 2011!