I don’t like shimmery reds. In fact, it’s pretty safe to say that I abhor shimmery reds. The strength of my anti-shimmery red leanings are such that I don’t even own OPI I’m Not Really Waitress which is arguably the best sold nail polish of all time. I do own several shimmery reds but they are unloved outcasts in comparison to the rest of my collection. I usually only venture into the shimmery reds during Holidays. This year for Valentine’s Day I wore Essie Love, Beverly Hills xx. It’s limited edition and infused with 24K pure gold. I didn’t expect to actually like this color, but I’m a sucker for gimmicky nail polish.

To my utter and complete shock and amazement… I freaking love this color. It’s gorgeous. Essie describes this deep red as opulent, I could not have put it better myself. The gold shimmer is very obvious in the bottle but not on the nail. Once applied, the gold is very subtle. It just adds depth to the base color and makes it glow. The overall effect isn’t sparkly, it’s more like a semi-metallic finish. The application was excellent. It’s perfect in two coats, but I used 3 for my manicure.

My usual gripe with shimmery reds is that they seem so common; Love, Beverly Hills xx is anything but common. As silly as this may sound, I felt a little chic wearing it, like old school Hollywood glamour chic. I’m trying to pin point what makes this color different from other reds that are similar to it. At least for me, I think the gold glow really complements my skin-tone. Of course, it’s also possible that I’m just blinded by my love for marketing gimmicks. (Just ask me how hard I fell for MAC’s Hello Kitty collection.)

Unfortunately, the downside is the price tag. Love, Beverly Hills retails for $18 at Nordstrom and $19 from Essie. However, it is possible to find it for a lot cheaper if you poke around on the Internet.

Honestly, this realization has turned my nail polish world upside down. Is this color just an exception to the rule? Or has my disdain for shimmery reds dissipated. Are there other shimmery reds out there that I might not hate? Dare I say it… I’m sort of lemming I’m Not Really a Waitress now. *feels forehead*

(Essie also launched a sweepstakes giveaway in connection with the release of this color. For details about the giveaway and information on how to enter visit Essie’s Win a Trip to Beverly Hills Sweepstakes. The last day to enter is February 28th, so hurry if you haven’t entered already.)

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Disclosure: Love, Beverly Hills xx was sent to me for review by Essie.

I’ve gotten a few questions concerning the format of my Top 20 so here is some information concerning my choices and how I went about choosing them.  First, some of the colors here are not necessarily here because they are my absolute favorites, some are here because I felt that they represented something significant about the world of nail polish. However, most are here because they are my favorites or they have some special meaning to me.

I plan to do a list every year. My list will likely differ greatly from year to year as I acquire and wear more colors. For example, Nars Zulu will probably be on this list next year but it is not this year because I did not own it when I finalized the list back in December. I am only choosing colors I own and have worn because I can provide more information and insight concerning those colors. The list would probably look very different if I were choosing from the entire universe of nail polish. I would probably lose my mind writing that list.

You can see the entire count down as posted so far by visiting this link.

And I deeply apologize for the length of time it’s taking to get this list finished. I’m trying to wear all these colors again before I post about them, that’s why it’s taking so long. It’s going to speed up a little bit now.

Whew. Okay. Now for #9: Color Club Sexsea.

Sexsea is one of the colors that is on this list not only because I LOVE the color but because it also means something  to me privately. I wore this color for the first time last year after my second mock trial. We won but it was a horrible experience for various reasons. I’ll spare you guys the gritty details; suffice it to say that by the time I got home, I was still livid heart-beating-out-of-chest-in-anger  pissed. No one else was home, so I popped in a Netflix DVD (Snoop Dogg’s Hood of Horror, haha) and went about the task of taking off my work appropriate manicure (Zoya Stephanie) and putting on the loudest color in sight. I chose Color Club Sexsea. I immediately felt better wearing it. This color fills me with an inexplicable sense of nostalgia, probably because the second trial was the equivalent of a final exam so I associate this color with feelings of accomplishment.

I had an immediate love affair with Sexsea. It intrigued me. I pondered and pondered, what color is it? It’s so hard to pin point. Is it coral? red? orange? hot pink? Sexsea is so tricky. Sometimes it seems like all 4. Sometimes I am convinced that it is just one of those colors, but never for very long.  It shifts between those shades, the true color is somewhere in the middle. I consider it to be truly unique, despite the fact that it is a creme and belongs to a class of colors that I usually ignore. I suppose the true test for uniqueness is the reception a color receives from the Peanut Gallery (i.e. the boys in my life). Even the usually nail color oblivious boyfriend commented on the uniqueness of this color. I rest my case.

Sexsea applies semi-chalky but well. The application looks good with 2 coats but I prefer 3. This color was released with the Color Club Yacht Club Collection (an excellent collection, by the way.)

OPI La Boheme was my NOTD a few months back.[1. Don't be alarmed, these pictures are old, my current nail length is still intact.] This color is a major favorite among nail polish enthusiasts but it never really called my name. Shimmery, sparkly reds just aren’t my thing.

Then one day, for no particular reason at all, I decided to pick one up. I can see why everyone loves it. It’s very pretty, but to me it’s just another sparkly red.

La Boheme was released in 2003 as a part of the very glitzy Holiday on Broadway collection. That collection featured a few sparkly and glittery low intensity duochromes. La Boheme has the reputation for having two versions in existence, like OPI Black Tie Optional, one version is a high intensity duochrome that changes from red to amber, the other version only has a slight duochrome effect.

I believe mine is a dud. Everyone warned me to watch out, lest I be distracted by the sparkly duochrome-y-ness while driving. It was very beautiful and I admit I starred down at my nails during a few red lights, but I just didn’t see the magnificence that other people see.

Happy Holidays everyone!

I’m following the unloved OPI The “It” Color with the ridiculously loved China Glaze Ruby Pumps. I actually surprised myself by deciding to put this on the list. I resisted buying this color for eons. Everyone constantly raved about it and I just didn’t see what the big deal was all about. I hate to say this, but I even had a little bit of disdain for this color because it was so popular. China Glaze Ruby Pumps is like the Da Vinci Code of the nail polish world. It’s the same reason I don’t own OPI I’m Not Really A Waitress. In any case, I did not fully understand or appreciate how disgustingly gorgeous this color is until I purchased a bottle. I got it inadvertently because I really wanted China Glaze Emerald Sparkle and Ruby Pumps came in the set. I found that pictures simply don’t do it justice which is part of the reason why I wasn’t able to understand all the raves.

Ruby Pumps is stunning, plain and simple. The bright red glitter under the jelly red base has a complexity that just does not translate well into photographs. If you’ve been fighting the Ruby Pumps lemming like I once did, stop it. Get a bottle right now. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

I’m happy to be sharing my top 20 with you guys, mostly because I decided to make this a tradition. Once a year I will pick out my top 20 favorite colors and actually wear them. I’m disgusted to say that my collection has reached such a ridiculous size that I don’t get the chance to re-wear colors very often, this way, I have an excuse to return to my favorites.

OPI Got the Blues for Red was released in Fall 2005 with the Chicago collection. It was one of the first OPI reds I ever bought so it has a very special spot in my heart. (Oh… memories from when I had a manageable collection.) I only chose one red for the countdown because reds have a tendency to look like each other in way that other colors do not. I decided on this red in place of other much loved reds (like OPI Thrill of Brazil and OPI Vodka & Caviar) because Got the Blues for Red is the perfect balance of chic classic red and high drama depth of color. As the name suggests, this is a darkened red, so it’s stunning without being ‘too much’[1. No color is ever really 'too much' for me, I'll wear anything - I'm saying 'too much' because very bright reds seem to scare some people.]. This color, despite its simplicity, is a bonafide show stopper. Even my Mother, who has no real interest in nail polish, passionately loves this color. We both recently purchased back-up bottles since this color has sadly been discontinued. Also, it goes without saying, the application is smooth like butter, absolutely perfect in two coats.

I have a two-fold apology for everyone. First, I’m sorry it’s been so long since my last update. I had to do a bit of traveling for that interview and my immune system held on just long enough so that I was mildly healthy for it. I started coughing up a storm the minute I walked out of the office. I’ve done nothing but watch Six Feet Under and X-Files for the past 2 days. Second, I’m sorry it’s taken so long for me to post the Pulse collection. I know everyone has seen it already but since Zoya is launching a promotion, I figured now would be a great time to play catch up. If you like this collection you can get it for free by entering the code PULSE at check out when you purchase the Zoya Color Lock System on www.zoya.com, or you can enter VIBE for Vibe Fall Winter Collection, or FLOURISH for Flourish Holiday/Winter Collection.

Overall, this collection isn’t for me but I can definitely see why everyone else went ga-ga over it. It’s shimmery goodness, so if you’re into shimmer – this collection is for you.

Zoya Mikka is a deep frosty plum, almost borderline metallic. This is 2 coats with 1 coat of Zoya Armor as a top coat.

Zoya Rihanna is aubergine with magenta shimmer. This is 2 coats with 1 coat of Zoya Armor as a top coat.

Zoya Sloane is dark plum with purple shimmer. This is 2 coats with 1 coat of Zoya Armor as a top coat.

Zoya Blair is a vivid burgundy with red shimmer. This is 2 coats with 1 coat of Zoya Armor as a top coat.

Zoya Colbie is brick red with red shimmer. This is 2 coats with 1 coat of Zoya Armor as a top coat.

And finally, Zoya Jacy which is a reddish medium violet with somewhat subtle purple and magenta shimmer. This is 3 coats with 1 coat of Zoya Armor as a top coat. This color is probably my favorite from this collection.

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Disclosure: This collection was sent to me for review by Zoya.