Acetone Files: 2013 Year-End Review
Acetone Files
2013 Year-End Review
It's that time of year ... the end of it. Last year I only started doing nails seriously halfway through, so I have a lot more to recap this go-round! I hope you've enjoyed watching me stump along and learn new things, while enjoying way too much acetone. Let's have a look at the best of the best!
10 Favorite Polishes of 2013
Covergirl Coy Coral
This is my perfect coral - it's just a bit rosier than most of your other standard corals, and Covergirl's new line has great smoothness with an amazing finish.
Butter London Fishwife
I searched high and low for a dupe, but you just don't get that perfect seafoamy blue-green with any other polish. I had to go with quality - this holo is truly gorgeous in a color that looks good anywhere.
Butter London Posh Bird
Two Butter Londons make my list, because not only are they unique, but are a couple of the few that don't have texture issues. Finally managed to find this incredible sparkly greige for a less exorbitant price. I gotta say they don't make 'emlike this anywhere else - the shimmery, metallic shine is a true wonder besides the color.
Orly Synchro
It's hard to capture the awesome icy blue/peculiar red duochrome of this polish in photos, but it's an incredible combination that changes every time you look at it. I put off getting it cuz it looked like it would be streaky, but it's definitely not, so go for it!
Pure Ice Alter Ego
Possibly my favorite Pure Ice to date, this is the most special brown you can find. It's rough, tough, chocolatey and lightly shimmery - perfectly embodies the werewolf concept and has those amazing subtle flakies. Still not sure if it's the same as I'll Never Tell, but either one is definitely worth tracking down (as I haven't seen either in stores since summer).
Zoya Wednesday
What can I say, it's a staple. I bought it mostly for the name, but it turned out to be my favorite of my collection of "Tiffany"/seafoam/mints, for its smooth texture and spot-on blue-green balance.
Blackheart Copper
Not really "copper" at all, I just love this unique burnished bronzy gold metallic - I've never seen a color quite like it (not even Pure Ice Risk Taker, which was a contender for this list) and I'm glad I snapped it up from Hot Topic in its awesome skull bottle!
Sinful Colors Candy Coated
This cool pastel violet color had a long history with me: it's a dupe of Deborah Lippmann Shoshanna, which I fell in love with earlier this year, and was elated to find in a $2 brand. Something about this shade just speaks to me - it's more eccentric than lavender, more edgy than sky blue.
OPI What Wizardry is This?
This polish initiated me into the Liquid Sand phenomenon this year, and I can't get enough of the antiqued gold metallic color with this sandy finish. I still prefer the less-sandpapery textures, but this one just looks awesome and applies like a dream.
Maybelline Color Show Styled Out
I picked up this denim-esque shimmery matte polish on sale for $1.50, and ended up using it several times: a polish that really looks like blue jeans is just so useful! My favorite thing is the slightly matte finish, which gives it that clothy look, and differentiates it from other denim-colored blues.
5 Favorite Indy Polishes of 2013
Dandy Nails Bathed in Light
I never thought I'd find one all-time favorite polish, but this may be it! The elegant silvery-red duochrome and the extravagant dusting of holo glitter are stunningly perfect together. There is nothing even close to this polish anywhere else - anyone who loves nail polish needs to order this one right now.
A England Princess Tears
I've since decided to classify this as a greige; it's a perfectly elegant grey-lavender-pink scattered holo that I can't imagine looking wrong on anyone. I'm attracted to unique-hued holos, and this one is definitely a winner.
Lush Lacquer (Polish Me Silly) Freckles
This was a big deal this summer, and it's no surprise why - Freckles and Clowning Around are just way fun. Neon confetti in multiple sizes and colors? Hell yes! Another polish I think anyone with a polish addiction needs to order. The makers sadly recently had a legal issue with the name and had to change it to Polish Me Silly, where fortunately the rainbow spots are still available.
InDecisive Lacquer Speckled
Anyone who likes dots needs at least a couple of these - Aleksandra is now one of my friends, and I just can't get enough of her microscopic monochromatic speckles. The best thing about indies is their uniqueness - this is something you just can't find in the mainstream. Black and white are currently on sale at her shop, but she's experimenting with neon colors as well, which is exciting!
Pahlish El Topo Petit
I get really excited when a new greige pops up, and I couldn't wait to wear this dark greige with red shimmer. I think greige was made for red shimmer, and it really does look like that weird fur-sheen of a mole. (What can I say, I like weirdly beautiful things!)
10 Favorite Nail Art of 2013
Django Unchained
This design was just begging to be nail art and I'm shocked that I was able to hand-paint this pattern to look halfway decent.
Pure Ice Matte Lightning Bolt
This manicure lasted about two hours (lol the matte-ness comes off and the polish chips almost immediately) but I love the effect of the finishes and the lightning bolt shape I stenciled.
Hot Pink / Blue Glitter Zig Zag
This technique is pretty easy to do and a lot of fun, and I love the sharp contrast of the colors.
Reciprocal Stripes
Now this was damn hard, and it doesn't look that great, but it's a really cool technique I had a lot of fun attempting. I especially like how the sheen of Orly Fantasea comes through.
Pink Ombre with Gold Deco Accent
Weirdly basic but classically cool - this ombre effect was everywhere this fall, and I did mine with only 3 polishes! Not counting the gold accent of course. For someone who's not usually into pink, this was a fun way
Dicey
I don't know why, I'm just visually interested in dice - they're fun to look at, fun to draw, and fun to put on my nails! I did this one to match a temporary tattoo I liked, and I really like how the cube perspective turned out.
Water's Edge
I'm still in awe of this manicure - I don't know how fooling around with one of my Mustache Lacquers and a brush turned into this cool representation of water! I think the little bronze star pulled it all together.
Navajo Turquoise
Kinda obvious this is my favorite manicure of all time - I worked hard on it and I'm so proud of how cool it looked. I owe a lot to a tutorial - it's a surprisingly easy effect to achieve with some time and effort. Also the first time I really used Born Pretty studs, which looked amazing as turquoise jewelry.
Milkweed Nails
This probably takes the cake for favorite freehand nail art - it's a perfect thing to use a striping brush for, and easier than it looks. Thanks for the inspiration, mother nature!
China Glaze Halloween Texture + Studs
I was just trying to use my new Halloween China Glazes and came up with what turned out to be a really cool textured effect with studded accents. I don't know why I like this so much - it's just easy, classic, and brilliantly shiny!
2013 Year-End Review
It's that time of year ... the end of it. Last year I only started doing nails seriously halfway through, so I have a lot more to recap this go-round! I hope you've enjoyed watching me stump along and learn new things, while enjoying way too much acetone. Let's have a look at the best of the best!
10 Favorite Polishes of 2013
Covergirl Coy Coral
This is my perfect coral - it's just a bit rosier than most of your other standard corals, and Covergirl's new line has great smoothness with an amazing finish.
Butter London Fishwife
I searched high and low for a dupe, but you just don't get that perfect seafoamy blue-green with any other polish. I had to go with quality - this holo is truly gorgeous in a color that looks good anywhere.
Butter London Posh Bird
Two Butter Londons make my list, because not only are they unique, but are a couple of the few that don't have texture issues. Finally managed to find this incredible sparkly greige for a less exorbitant price. I gotta say they don't make 'emlike this anywhere else - the shimmery, metallic shine is a true wonder besides the color.
Orly Synchro
It's hard to capture the awesome icy blue/peculiar red duochrome of this polish in photos, but it's an incredible combination that changes every time you look at it. I put off getting it cuz it looked like it would be streaky, but it's definitely not, so go for it!
Pure Ice Alter Ego
Possibly my favorite Pure Ice to date, this is the most special brown you can find. It's rough, tough, chocolatey and lightly shimmery - perfectly embodies the werewolf concept and has those amazing subtle flakies. Still not sure if it's the same as I'll Never Tell, but either one is definitely worth tracking down (as I haven't seen either in stores since summer).
Zoya Wednesday
What can I say, it's a staple. I bought it mostly for the name, but it turned out to be my favorite of my collection of "Tiffany"/seafoam/mints, for its smooth texture and spot-on blue-green balance.
Blackheart Copper
Not really "copper" at all, I just love this unique burnished bronzy gold metallic - I've never seen a color quite like it (not even Pure Ice Risk Taker, which was a contender for this list) and I'm glad I snapped it up from Hot Topic in its awesome skull bottle!
Sinful Colors Candy Coated
This cool pastel violet color had a long history with me: it's a dupe of Deborah Lippmann Shoshanna, which I fell in love with earlier this year, and was elated to find in a $2 brand. Something about this shade just speaks to me - it's more eccentric than lavender, more edgy than sky blue.
OPI What Wizardry is This?
This polish initiated me into the Liquid Sand phenomenon this year, and I can't get enough of the antiqued gold metallic color with this sandy finish. I still prefer the less-sandpapery textures, but this one just looks awesome and applies like a dream.
Maybelline Color Show Styled Out
I picked up this denim-esque shimmery matte polish on sale for $1.50, and ended up using it several times: a polish that really looks like blue jeans is just so useful! My favorite thing is the slightly matte finish, which gives it that clothy look, and differentiates it from other denim-colored blues.
5 Favorite Indy Polishes of 2013
Dandy Nails Bathed in Light
I never thought I'd find one all-time favorite polish, but this may be it! The elegant silvery-red duochrome and the extravagant dusting of holo glitter are stunningly perfect together. There is nothing even close to this polish anywhere else - anyone who loves nail polish needs to order this one right now.
A England Princess Tears
I've since decided to classify this as a greige; it's a perfectly elegant grey-lavender-pink scattered holo that I can't imagine looking wrong on anyone. I'm attracted to unique-hued holos, and this one is definitely a winner.
Lush Lacquer (Polish Me Silly) Freckles
This was a big deal this summer, and it's no surprise why - Freckles and Clowning Around are just way fun. Neon confetti in multiple sizes and colors? Hell yes! Another polish I think anyone with a polish addiction needs to order. The makers sadly recently had a legal issue with the name and had to change it to Polish Me Silly, where fortunately the rainbow spots are still available.
InDecisive Lacquer Speckled
Anyone who likes dots needs at least a couple of these - Aleksandra is now one of my friends, and I just can't get enough of her microscopic monochromatic speckles. The best thing about indies is their uniqueness - this is something you just can't find in the mainstream. Black and white are currently on sale at her shop, but she's experimenting with neon colors as well, which is exciting!
Pahlish El Topo Petit
I get really excited when a new greige pops up, and I couldn't wait to wear this dark greige with red shimmer. I think greige was made for red shimmer, and it really does look like that weird fur-sheen of a mole. (What can I say, I like weirdly beautiful things!)
10 Favorite Nail Art of 2013
Django Unchained
This design was just begging to be nail art and I'm shocked that I was able to hand-paint this pattern to look halfway decent.
Pure Ice Matte Lightning Bolt
This manicure lasted about two hours (lol the matte-ness comes off and the polish chips almost immediately) but I love the effect of the finishes and the lightning bolt shape I stenciled.
Hot Pink / Blue Glitter Zig Zag
This technique is pretty easy to do and a lot of fun, and I love the sharp contrast of the colors.
Reciprocal Stripes
Now this was damn hard, and it doesn't look that great, but it's a really cool technique I had a lot of fun attempting. I especially like how the sheen of Orly Fantasea comes through.
Pink Ombre with Gold Deco Accent
Weirdly basic but classically cool - this ombre effect was everywhere this fall, and I did mine with only 3 polishes! Not counting the gold accent of course. For someone who's not usually into pink, this was a fun way
Dicey
I don't know why, I'm just visually interested in dice - they're fun to look at, fun to draw, and fun to put on my nails! I did this one to match a temporary tattoo I liked, and I really like how the cube perspective turned out.
Water's Edge
I'm still in awe of this manicure - I don't know how fooling around with one of my Mustache Lacquers and a brush turned into this cool representation of water! I think the little bronze star pulled it all together.
Navajo Turquoise
Kinda obvious this is my favorite manicure of all time - I worked hard on it and I'm so proud of how cool it looked. I owe a lot to a tutorial - it's a surprisingly easy effect to achieve with some time and effort. Also the first time I really used Born Pretty studs, which looked amazing as turquoise jewelry.
Milkweed Nails
This probably takes the cake for favorite freehand nail art - it's a perfect thing to use a striping brush for, and easier than it looks. Thanks for the inspiration, mother nature!
China Glaze Halloween Texture + Studs
I was just trying to use my new Halloween China Glazes and came up with what turned out to be a really cool textured effect with studded accents. I don't know why I like this so much - it's just easy, classic, and brilliantly shiny!