Top Ten Favorite Nail Polishes

A while ago, I compiled a list of my top ten favorite nail polishes.
This was an extremely difficult thing to do because I have over 100 polishes in a variety of colors and finishes. How do I narrow it down?
The funny thing is, even though I have so many polishes, I tend to go to the same several colors over and over. Some are reserved for special occasions. Some are trend polishes that maybe don’t really flow with my style anymore. So after some careful consideration and thought, I came up with the polishes you see above, all of which should be easy to find if you so desire.
There is no ranking for these, just random order.

On the left: Deborah Lippmann’s Hapless Hunter Green (Hannah) from the GIRLS collection.
Considering that I love the show GIRLS and I love nail polish, this set was a must-have. The price was wince-worthy, but I’m glad I got it because the colors, this one in particular, are gorgeous. Before I got this polish, I was often covering my nails with designs and glitter…anything to avoid a flawed look. But this polish applies smooth and is such an interesting shade of green that it’s PERFECTION on it’s own.
It finally gave me the confidence to do simple one-polish manis.
On the right: China Glaze’s Fairy Dust is a must-have for polish (and glitter) enthusiasts. I couldn’t wait to get it myself. I haven’t tried it for this purpose yet, but I hear it’s perfect for galaxy nails. It is a super fine, non-gritty holographic glitter that can be layered for an intense look but one coat is enough to add some flair to absolutely any color you own.

On the Left: Essie’s In the Cab-Ana…I got to be honest, I don’t actually “own” this one. My sister has it and I borrow it A LOT. I want to get my own bottle, but I just can’t get myself to do it. I’ll regret it if I don’t soon. While it’s easy to find on Amazon, it is from the resort collection this year, so it’s Limited Edition. It is a beautiful, tropical, almost juicy looking blue that goes on beautiful in one coat and looks amazing with a variety of colors, glitters, or on its own.
On the Right: Sally Hansen’s Xtreme Wear in Black Out is CLASSIC. If you want an excellent black polish, pick this up. Don’t bother with expensive brands. For no more than 3 dollars, you can own the best. It’s shiny, it lasts, it covers in one coat, and it’s excellent for nail art.

On the Left: As I’ve mentioned on the blog before, I am a Julep Maven. When I first started the program, I got a code for 50% off any polish and it was hard to choose. Since I can only look online, I did a lot of swatch research and settled on Julia. This metallic polish is sometimes purple, sometimes gold, and always beautiful. I couldn’t have picked a better polish to start with. Once again, it’s excellent to have a a great color that works for one-polish manicures. This one is so interesting without any extra art or glitter coverage.
On the Right:  Essie’s Good as Gold is a part of their Mirror Metallics collection. Out of the several colors they offered, I chose this classic gold and it is beautiful. The finish is outstanding and top coat only adds more oomph! Most metallic shades tend to go on streaky, showing visible brushstrokes. But this polish goes on smooth and it also works great for nail art! I’ve done stripes and polka dots with ease.

On the Left: Nail polish connoisseurs will know that glitters don’t just come in chunky multi-colored blends. Black and White glitter was something I couldn’t wait to get my hands on. If you follow Chalkboard Nails (if you don’t, you should), you might have seen her massive collection and comparison post. Who woulda thunk that black and white could be so versatile? Most of the glitters she has shown are indie brands, but mainstream has been allowing various glitters (matte, bar, hex) to trickle into their formulas. I had no idea Maybelline was releasing a Polka Dots collection, which has a few polishes with color bases, but as soon as I saw Clearly Spotted, I snatched it up. At less than 4 dollars, how could I say no? The first time I used it, I nearly cried. Glitters can be tricky but this polish has excellent glitter coverage and plenty of each color in various sizes.
On the Right: Black and white nail polishes are, without a doubt, nail art staples. Without them, you’re limited with what you can achieve. But I didn’t realize how important nude polish was until recently. OPI’s Don’t Pretzel My Buttons is the perfect beige-y nude. It applies smoothly and is perfectly opaque. It’s beautiful on it’s own, but it provides an excellent base for neon nail art to pop.

On the Left: Pink is one of the colors I don’t own many of. I purchased Spring Break, a Nicole by OPI polish from the Selena Gomez collection, after seeing the movie Spring Breakers. I was all excited, and the hue really went with the bright colors in the film, so I snatched it up, knowing there was a hot pink gap in my collection. Though I knew I’d use it occasionally (and actually had an idea for it right from the start), I didn’t expect it to become a go-to polish like it has. You can’t see it in the picture, but the bottle has a visible line showing how much I’ve used. This is a feat since I hop from polish to polish, but that’s why it’s a favorite. Excellent pigmentation, great coverage, and easy to work with in terms of nail art. I actually have it on right now!
On the Right: I didn’t want to do a Top Ten without including an indie brand nail polish. Happy Hands Nail Polish is the first indie brand I’ve purchased from, and I will continue to go back. The formulas are excellent and the color combinations are gorgeous. Most of the collections are inspired by your favorite TV shows, movies, and music. However, Afternoon Thunderstorms is inspired by the weather in the Florida. This polish is a best seller on the site, and for good reason. It is honestly a thunderstorm in a bottle. The gray base and black glitter would’ve been enough to showcase stormy weather, but the gold shimmer adds that post-storm silver lining look of the hopeful sunshine!
This is an excellent and super beautiful polish.

And there you have it!
Since my polish collection is always growing, the list will certainly change at some point.
Do you have any favorites? What polish(es) is your go-to?