2015 Favorites

It's my first post of 2016! Another year has come and gone, so what better chance to look back and select my year-end favorites of 2015. The items featured will be things that were new to me this year and are not necessarily new to the market in general. Most of the things I have to share are polishes, but there are a couple of nail care items to talk about as well. By the way, the polishes are ranked in no particular order, except for my #1 favorite of the year. So, let's get into it!

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• CND: Stickey Base Coat. Ever since I started using this base coat I have been so happy with it that I've used it exclusively all year long and when it came time to get a new bottle there was just no question----I was re-purchasing. It is very effective at anchoring the polish to the nail and my manicures will generally last a full week without chipping or anything more than a little tip wear (part of the longevity is also due to my top coat, which I will discuss next). It truly does have a bit of a tacky/"sticky" finish, but that does not hamper the application of the polish on top in any way, nor does the green color of the product affect the color of your polish. It's a terrific base coat and I highly recommend it! Here is a link to find it on Amazon. It comes in 0.33oz or 2.3oz; I started with the smaller bottle but when I re-ordered I went with the larger size. 

Stickey Base Coat (2.3oz), CND

• Glisten & Glow: HK Girl Top Coat. This is another product that I have used religiously since getting and I have been very happy with. A lot of people talk about this top coat being the best ever, and for good reason. I used to use Seche Vite, and it was great for a while, but then I experienced all of the things that people said would happen: It thickened up, shrunk my polish, dragged over nail art, etc. I wound up buying Seche Restore, which certainly does help, but once I found HK Girl I pretty much never used Seche Vite again. It's just a workhorse top coat that doesn't have the problems Seche Vite has, plus I feel like it dries and hardens down a little bit faster, too. I wish Glisten & Glow had more sales and free shipping offers, but since they are just a small business I certainly understand. I also really want to try one of their nail & cuticle balms at some point too, I've heard really good things about them as well. Here is a link to their website. I think HK Girl is something every nail polish lover should try, at least once. 

HK Girl Top Coat, Glisten & Glow

• Burt's Bees: Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. I've tried a quite a few cuticle products this year, but if I were to pick one item I was especially impressed with in 2015 I'd have to give it to the Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. I definitely enjoy cuticle creams & balms and this one does a really terrific job of softening and hydrating the skin. Plus it has a gorgeous lemon scent that I just can't get enough of. Sometimes I open the little canister just to get a whiff of it, haha. This is the sort of product that I will use after work, when I'm just sort of just relaxing at home watching TV or something. I originally purchased it thinking it would be something I would keep in my purse and use on the go when necessary, but it's a little bit too rich for that. For me it's best used when I can slather my cuticles in it and just let it set for a while. In the 8 months that I've had this product I've used about 75% of it and once it's gone I will definitely re-purchase it again. 

Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, Burt's Bees

• Essie: Van D'Go. Oh, my darling Van D'Go... There's just something about you that makes my little heart flutter. It's just so damn pretty in all of its peachy-pink deliciousness! When I found this at TJ Maxx I'm pretty sure I did a funny little happy dance right there in the store because I had been wanting it and (as usual) I didn't want to pay full price, and then it was just THERE---looking all gorgeous and nearly half-price. It made my day. I really don't have enough words to express how much I love this color. Van D'Go has my heart. 

Van D'Go, Essie

• Essie: Romper Room. It's your quintessential pastel pink and I just never, ever get tired of baby pinks! I chose this one over Fiji because of the formula---it's not the best formula ever, but between the two my bottle of Romper Room won. It's just a hair more white than Fiji and less of a struggle. You certainly don't need both. Romper Room for the win!

Romper Room, Essie

• Essie: Flowerista. The namesake of the Essie Spring 2015 collection, Flowerista grew on me so much that it went from being a "nice" polish to one of my favorites of the year. The formula is great, which for me adds to its high rating. It's a polish that I can grab knowing application will be a breeze, which I appreciate. And the color is just stunning. I like it in the Spring and the Fall, it's just fabulous!

Flowerista, Essie

• Essie: Bikini So Teeny. I feel like Bikini So Teeny is one of the most recognized and beloved Essie shades of all time, and for good reason... It's a beautiful color! It was one of the first Essie polishes I lusted after and I was so excited when I finally got it. If you don't own this polish you should (although Sally Hansen's Babe Blue is serious dupe. Here's a link to one of my previous posts that has a comparison between the two polishes). But I will never stop adoring this color, it's a real must-have item for all nail polish lovers. 

Bikini So Teeny, Essie

• Essie: Under the Twilight. This polish was a surprise love this year. I wound up buying the entire 2014 Resort collection on eBay for a killer deal and I didn't actually put this one on for almost the entire year. When I did I was shocked at how great it was. The color is the most beautiful deep, inky plum shade and the formula is TERRIFIC. You can even get away with one coat. I just love dark, vampy nail polish colors and this one is certainly no exception. It's another one of those star-performer polishes that you can grab in a hurry and rely on it being easy to apply and a great shade. I am obsessed with Under the Twilight and I HIGHLY recommend it!

Under the Twilight, Essie

• Essie: Go Ginza. This is another polish that I was on the lookout for and was super excited to find bottle of it at a local swap meet for only $3. I really need to go back to that swap meet because the booth I found Go Ginza at actually did have a bunch of other Essie polishes and at $3 a pop, that's too great a deal to pass up! But back to this color... I have a weakness for pastels and Go Ginza does not disappoint. The formula is just okay, but I don't even care.... It's so pretty, I just love it!

Go Ginza, Essie

• OPI: On the Same Paige. 2015 was the year that I realized how superior OPI formulas are. I was on the lookout for a red polish with orange undertones and this polish came my way thanks to a coworker and it was exactly what I was looking for. Another great formula, great color, and very Fall appropriate. Note: It picks a little more orange on camera than it is in person. 

On the Same Paige, OPI

• China Glaze: First Mate. Sigh... this polish! The color is STUNNING. the formula is STUNNING. I never used to like blue polishes on myself except for pastels, but that all changed with First Mate. I was so impressed with this nail polish this year that I just had to include it. You know how they say some polishes are a "joy to apply?" Well this is one of them. I know that colors like this have a tendency to stain, but for me, with this one, it's not so bad. I am OBSESSED with this nail polish and (here's a little secret) it's one of the only two China Glaze polishes in my collection. Obviously I need to explore this brand more!

First Mate, China Glaze

• Julie G: Cabana Boy. Obsession, thy name is Cabana Boy. What more do I need to say about this color other than "just look at it!" It's a stunner! I have never owned a bottle of the infamous original version of Sally Hansen's Pacific Blue, but from what I've read online this is a good substitute. The formula rocks, the color rocks, what more could you possibly want in a nail polish? 

Cabana Boy, Julie G

• OPI: Steady As She Rose. I discovered just how much I love neutrals this year and OPI's Steady As She Rose was a big part of that. It's just such a cool shade: nude with a splash of gray and lavender. I absolutely love wearing it. I also own Don't Bossa Nova Me Around, but the color and formula of Steady As She Rose is better, in my opinion. I just love having staple neutrals that you can wear with any outfit or occasion and this one is one of my top favorites. 

Steady As She Rose, OPI

• OPI: Bubble Bath. This, my friends, is my top nail polish pick of the year! I had heard of Bubble Bath as being a sort of an OPI cult classic before, but I never looked too much into it to be honest. And then when I got a really great coupon to use on HSN.com I decided to order it and holy crap I think I have a new favorite nail polish OF ALL TIME. It's a very clean, feminine, super pale pink that will go with anything, plus it has a jelly formula so when it's on the nail is has that cool squishy look to it. It's stunning and very classy. And for being such a sheer polish the formula is actually really good, which definitely surprised me. I did three coats for the pictures below, but for me it wasn't a big deal because the coats go on so evenly and it dries so fast that it was painless. I can't say enough about this nail polish---I think it's something that everyone can use in their collection and I highly, HIGHLY recommend it! I am officially in love with Bubble Bath and at this point in time can't even imagine a polish better than this one. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Bubble Bath, OPI

Bubble Bath, OPI

So those were my 2015 favorites! Did you have anything special that you discovered last year? Have you tried any of these polishes or products? I look forward to what 2016 will bring and wish you all a fabulous new year! XOXO.