Best Of 2012: Nails

As promised in the December's favourites post, I will be sharing with you my favourite products from the past year in a series of posts. Part 1 is going to deal with nail products for you know I am very fond of them. The products are listed in no particular order and they are not necessarily 2012 releases.

I will start with what is probably my most expensive polish... O.P.I. The Man With The Golden Gun 18 Carat Gold Top Coat. This was released in September as part of the Skyfall Collection to celebrate 50 years of James Bond and the latest movie that goes by the same name of the collection. The top coat lends a very sophisticated and expensive look to any manicure and is definitely a polish worth coveting! 2012 saw me try O.P.I. for the first time and I also liked The World Is Not Enough (also from the Skyfall Collection) as well as Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It from the Vintage Minnie Mouse Collection launched earlier in the year. I love the names the people at O.P.I. give their polishes and they quality of the polishes is second to none! They are a bit on the expensive side though.

Speaking of new polish brands I tried last year, I also bought my first Zoya and my choice naturally fell on Lara from the Summer 2012 Beach Collection as it has the same name as me. It is a beautiful bright pink creme and the formula is a bliss to work with. There is also something about the bottles which I like and this definitely won't be my last Zoya polish.

Next, comes my all time favourite nail polish brand...China Glaze. I have accumulated quite a good number of polishes from the brand but my 2012 favourites are definitely Jungle Queen from the Safari Collection and It's A Trap-Eze from their latest collection, Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away.

I was also really keen on the magnetic polish trend as I feel it gives a beautiful effect in no time. I was able to try this trend thanks to Pupa Milano Magnetic Nail Kit in Red*. The kit comes complete with two magnets for different effects and the polish dries fairly quickly!

Moving on to the more budget friendly brands, I was really impressed with Essence and Catrice for the fabulous collections they came out with this year and also for improving on the Colour & Go Polishes* range in terms of finish, durability and size of the bottle. My favourite shades include Essence Vampire's Love Trend Edition Nail Polish in 03 True Love*, Re-mix Your Style Trend Edition Pop Top Coat*, Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer Brushed Metal Effect Nail Polishes in 900 Steel My Heart* and 905 Steel My Soul*.

Two other polishes which have been favourites of mine last year are Essie Luxeffects in Shine Of The Times and Gosh 549 Holographic Hero*.

As for the random stuff such as base coats and the likes, these are the products that have helped me and many a client have stronger and more beautiful nails this past year, namely, Orly Nailtrition (the best, strengthening base coat I have ever ever tried!), AODL UV Gel Top Coat* (can be found at bornprettystore.com and makes nail polish last up to two weeks. The only downside is that you have to dry it under a UV lamp), Rimmel Cuticle Scrub and last but by no means least, Seacret Cuticle Oil* which moisturizes my cuticles and nourishes my nails. Moreover, my absolute favourite hand cream this year has definitely been La Roche Posay Lipikar Xerand* (not shown) that restores my skin's moisture levels instantly and protects my hands against the constant use of gloves in my profession. I have also found a new favourite nail polish remover...Essence Nail Polish Remover which smells of fruit and removes nail polish quickly and effectively. More importantly, it is an extremely good value for money product!

I cannot conclude this first post in the series without mentioning my winning nail art embellishments that I used over and over again in 2012. All of these products can be found at Born Pretty Store which has an extensive range of nail art embellishments amongst other products. So here goes! First up are the round 1.5mm gold stud rhinestones* for which there are only too many ways to use! They give an interesting edge to any manicure and are sure to make a statement! Next is the red brown flocking powder* for that much sought after 'fuzzy sweater' effect. Lastly, I am really fond of this little tray that comes with the rhinestone picking kit*. It has the ideal shape to contain rhinestones while working and makes it easy to transfer them back into the wheel after use!