2007-2008 Top 20: #10-#5 Vignettes

#10: Chanel Vendetta

Dark purple? As a SPRING color?! There was definitely progress in the nail world. There are a few close relatives to Vendetta for those seeking cheaper alternatives (i.e., Finger Paints Black Gumdrop and China Glaze Midnight Ride), but Vendetta has a true purple base.

#9: Zoya Zara

I loved the Zoya Flourish collection. It was unique yet winter-appropriate. Zara was my favorite of the collection with its icy grape Easter egg shade. The gold shimmer makes it stand out.


#8: OPI Hollywood Blonde

Hollywood Blonde is my favorite sheer. I was astounded when I first applied it; I was impressed by the incredible glitter flecks in the sunlight. In pictures the glitter flecks are muted, unfortunately. This reminds me of the infamous dress Marilyn Monroe wore while singing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President”.


#7: OPI Midnight In Moscow

This color came out right in the middle of my vampy craze. I owned Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine Glossy; a very similar blackened red shade. However, Glossy was a pain to apply; the brush was hard to control and the formula thick and goopy. While MIM has the dreaded Pro-Wide brush, it was definitely more user-friendly than Glossy. I love the deep shade; it reminds me of lacquered Asian wood.


#6: OPI Black Cherry Chutney

While OPI was the first nail polish brand I cherished, I don’t understand the inconsistency of their collections. I loved the deep shades and vibrancy of the Russia/Fall 2007 and the India/Spring 2008 collections, but then they followed up with the blah and boring France/Fall 2008 and South Beach/Spring 2009 collections. I’m not a fan of the mushroom-y colors a la You Don’t Know Jacques!. Black Cherry Chutney was another color deeply ingrained in my original vampy craze. I liked it better than MIM due to the fact that it did not have a black base.


#5: Misa Candy Girl

I would like to give major props to Misa, Scrangie and the Polish Addict for the awesome December/January promo. I picked up 8 colors; 5 of which were from the Sugar Sugar collection. I was bowled over by the Polish Addict’s amazing pictures, especially of the toppings over black nail polish. While I also liked the base colors, I was intrigued by the sheer colors over black. This novel concept was a revelation to me; I finally had a reason to own sheers!

For New Years Eve 2009, I wanted something flashy but unique. I already wore a showy Vendetta/OMG Konadicure for Christmas and had trouble deciding between the Moscou colors. Instead, I applied Zoya Raven and layered Candy Girl over it; just as I had seen on the Polish Addict. My pictures don’t quite capture how breathtaking this effect is.