Five Top Trends of 2013: #5 Indie Polishes FT. Spy Princess' Kir Royale

Happy 2013! Wonderful wishes for a fabulous new year! Mojo is clicking about something, but it's more likely " Ma, stop typing a hamster's gotta sleep." Welcome to the final installment of my top five trends. I have to say that this has been a lot of fun, so you might see more trend forecasting from me in the future.

I have to say this one was a no-brainer. Indie polishes are amazing for a few reasons. First, it's about the creativity. I look at each one being a little piece of art, the selection of colors and the time it took to craft. Second, I love the names! I have to say it, even if a color is just cool sometimes the name throws it over the top... Finally (and most importantly), its about encouraging small business, I come from three generations of small business owners and am a total supporter.

The polish I am featuring was selected by my husband, Jesse.  I had been showing him about 5,000 polish shades to give him ideas for Christmas. He snooped out my Etsy favorites and found this one. He loves purple. It was no surprise to me when I saw this color that it was the perfect gift from him.

Also, I am super psyched because it's a polish from Spy Princess. I have waxed poetic about Christina's line so many times. Seriously though, awesome colors, fabulous brand concept- you have got to love it! Kir Royale was a holiday release and is a great festive winter color. It is a sheer dusky purple jelly with silver, copper, black, and plum glitter hexes of various sizes. I have to say that I am partial to glittery polishes with colored bases, and this definitely fit the bill. This color can be worn on its own, but I layered it over Essie's Wicked for a more vampy look. Super sexy. 

Spy Princess is available at Etsy. Please check them out on Facebook and Twitter. I know that Christina is hard at work on a new release for 2013...

A few indie polish lines to check out for 2013. I have a feeling that they will continue to amaze...

Whimsical Ideas by Pam
Serum No 5
Sinister Benediction
Tough As Nails Lacquer
Maisie Shine
All That Glitters
Oopsie Daisies

And oh yes, a bit of a countdown extra... Elena's top ten of 2013:

1. OPI On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
2. OPI Unfor-greta-bly Blue
3. Julep Julia
4. Julep Ivy
5. Whimsical Ideas by Pam Magical Mystery Tour
6. Spy Princess Cloak & Dagger
7. Essie Beyond Cozy
8. Essie Mojito Madness
9. Tough As Nails Lacquers The Baconian Method
10. LVX Midori

I was trying to get a photo of Mojo "announcing" my number one color OPI's OHMSS. (I never wear colors twice any more, but I LOVE this color.)  He was not having it last night... here are some super cute (non-edited) attempts of trying to get the picture...

Look at that cute paw!

" I am not going to look where you want me to. The back of me is amazing."

"I will totally eat your ring, woman, if you don't put me down!"

What are your fave indie brands and polishes of the year?

Five Top Trends of 2013: #4 Not Quite 50 Shades of Almost Gray (Polish)

It's day four of my 2013 trend forecast, and of course I had allude to "that" literary title of the year. (Love to love it or love to hate it...) All that aside, gray is a trend that is not going any where soon. As seen most recently on Michelle Obama and Eva Longoria, gray continues to be a super hot neutral.

As the title suggests, this is a nod to the almost grays, the not-quite steels, and the barely charcoals. They might be almost blues, kinda greens, or straight up glitters. No matter what they are take charge and sexy as hell.

The mani I am featuring is a very much a steel blue gray, in some lights it's almost pure silver. Blue Rhapsody is from Essie's Mirror Metallic Collection. This color is a stunner that looks like an icy, snowy New Hampshire morning. My nail art is a total throwback to when I used to get my nails done in high school. I would get them painted in Creative Nail Designs' Iced Cappuccino with the double black stripe like you see here.

Here are some almost ( or not quite) grays in creme, metallic, glitter and everything in between...

OPI's On Her Majesty's Secret Service
OPI's Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine
OPI's I Don't Give A Rotterdam
LVX's Legendaire
Lynnderella's 50 Shades of May-Be
Revlon's Smoldering
Butter London's Dodgy Barnett

What almost grays are you treasuring?

Stay tuned tomorrow for the final trend of the new year and my top ten from 2012...

Five Top Trends of 2013: #3 Matte Glitter FT. Whimsical Ideas by Pam's Cookie Monster

Day three brings a trend that started to take root in indie collections in 2012. I see it moving towards mainstream polishes in 2013. I'm talking about matte glitter. It's eye catching without being flashy, and complex without being busy. Matte glitter can work during the daytime when shiny, holographic, or reflective glitters scream cocktail time. (Not that there is anything wrong with that... lol)

I love the fact that any glitter can be "mattefied" with a decent matte top coat, but a true matte glitter has a distinctive graphic look. The matte effect will continue to be ever present in 2013, with basic glitter and its variants like OPI's Liquid Sand and Zoya's Pixie Dust.

Since our Indie goddesses brought this look to the forefront, I am featuring one of those lacquers in my mani. I also wanted to use this because I featured it in a Christmas mani, but want to show you how versatile this polish really is. Whimsical Ideas by Pam's Cookie Monster is a smorgasbord of cobalt blue, black, and white matte glitter. I can't say it enough, this polish applies like a dream. No fishing for glitter and absolutely no curling makes this a fave in my book. I wanted something bold and nothing that I have seen from other bloggers ( white or cream undies) or I have done before ( blue duochrome- Julep's Ivy- undies). Also, it was an awesome excuse to do a trigger manicure. (Like I need one.)  I used Revlon's Posh and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow. This makes me think of Rubik's Cubes, 8-bit video games, Popsicles, Crayola crayons and all that is awesome eighties nostalgia. Love it. A lot.

Some glorious mattes that deserve an honorable mention:

Polish Revolution's A Better Tomorrow
JENSations' Pinata
Mack Gives Back's Whip It
Happy Hands' Flowers on the Highway
Pretty & Polished's Elvis' Pink Cadillac
Nailventurous' Floam
Jindie Nails' Megapixels

Let me know if any of these matte beauties have made it into your collection!

Stay tuned tomorrow for another trend for the new year....

(Cannot wait for Pam's Valentine's Day collection!!! Mojo is very excited, too... or he wants a yogurt bite...)

Whimsical Ideas by Pam are available to order via e-mail. Please refer to Pam's purchase instructions on her Facebook page.

Five Top Trends of 2013: #2 Brights & Nudes

Welcome back to my trend forecast for 2013! Once again a shout out to the Daily Varnish for the inspiration for this post series...

So, first and foremost brights are not exclusively neons, but super saturated hues. I do not think we are done with full rich shades any time soon. I think the tendency to contrast with them will be in full force. Julep is leading the nail pack with their January Maven releases- a collection of ( in their case) neons and nudes. It's very Resort Collection inspired and super fun. 

My mom, Marina, who has always been my fashion consultant and all around beauty diva has been rocking this trend already. She has amazing nails and loves french manis. She has rocked french based nudes with such splashy shades as Revlon's Sassy, an acidic lime green, and Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Back to the Fuchsia.

I wanted to showcase this trend a little differently. I love all the graphic nail art out there! Its great that we have so many talented nail pros in the forefront these days. I love the work of Madeline Poole.  She has done manicures for Ke$ha, Kelly Osborne, Kreayshawn, and many other celebs in various fashion trades. Her style is not for wallflowers...

So, here is a Madeline Poole inspired brights and nudes mani. Jes loves this! He thinks it's super graphic and clean. I used Julep's Otte, Daphne, Delaunay, Harper, and Niecy. I also threw in Revlon's Graceful for good measure. The color that I am most excited about is... Essie's Mint Candy Apple! (I guess you could say this was one of my lemmings). I sharpened it up with some white lines in Stripe Rite. I got my nails done, time to go on a winter cruise to somewhere warm....lol.

Here are some brights and nudes combos that definitely deserve mention...

OPI's Don't Pretzel My Buttons and OPI's Don't Talk Bach to Me
Essie's Where's My Chauffeur and Essie's Beyond Cozy
LVX's Midori and LVX's Ecru
Julep's Bette and Julep's Ava 
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Wet Cement and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Caribbean Coral
Zoya's Pandora and Zoya's Zuza
OPI's A Roll In the Hauge and OPI's Did You 'ear About Van Gogh?

Do you have a fave brights and nudes combo that you are dying to try out?
 
Stay tuned tomorrow, for the next trend for the new year...

Five Top Trends of 2013: #1 Pantone's Color of The Year- Emerald

This post was partially planned, partially spontaneous, and completely inspired by Alli over at The Daily Varnish. (If you haven't checked them out, go over there right now.) This is the blog that truly got me to jump in the game. Alli and Katie do a fabulous job of keeping up on the latest colors, nail trends, color combinations, and product lines out there. Also, I think it's pretty amazing how they respond to every comment. Lately, they have been doing a bit of a year in review and also have been forecasting what 2013 may hold. Specifically, there was a post on the five trends of 2013- of course I had something to say about that...

So in honor of the New Year, five trends in five nights...

First up, Pantone's color of the year is Emerald, and I think we will be coming up green in 2013! Hallelujah! Finally a year with out an orange-based tone. First Honeysuckle, then Tangerine Tango, I get it corals are fun- but I love cool colors! Regarding Emerald, Pantone says, "Lively, Radiant. Lush... A Color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony." 

Now since it is me- and I am not one for exactness- I am taking this to embrace all rich shades of green this season. My featured mani is OPI's Live and Let Die ( Yes, a Skyfall lacquer- not a gelcolor! Who is shocked?) Live and Let Die is a gorgeous almost-black hunter green with gold and emerald microglitter dancing along the surface. In order to ring in the New Year, I decided to break open a silver Julep Glitter Pot for my accent nail. In order to tame the glitter grit, I used about 4 coats of clear top coat. In the end it feels like OPI's Liquid Sand without paying $8.50 a bottle.

 
Other gorgeous greens ( or exotic emeralds, if you please...) that are worth mentioning:
Illamasqua's Viridian
China Glaze's Emerald Sparkle
Essie's Mojito Madness
Essie's Stylenomics
Revlon's Posh
OPI's Here Today Aragon Tomorrow
OPI's Jade is the New Black 

Of course there are many more...which is your favorite green to rock in 2013?

Stay tuned tomorrow, for the next trend for the new year...