Starry Starry Nights is another hard-to-find polish that has found its way into my heart and onto this list. I really can’t say much more about it other than it’s unspeakably stunning. I really wish Essie would kick back to the old days and create some new colors as gorgeous as the coveted SSN.

Here’s an excerpt from my original post about Essie Starry Starry Nights.

“Now that I can finally wear ‘out of the ordinary’ colors again, I went hunting in my ‘untried’ box and rediscovered Starry Starry Nights. “Wow” is all I can say. Dark blue jelly with small silver glitter makes for an amazing polish. I can definitely see what all the hype was about.

The jelly-ness gives the glitter at different coats varying degrees of visibility, which really makes this polish look the way the sky does in places where there are no lights to drown out the shining light of the stars. One of the girls on MUA said that my nails looked like they came straight out of the Van Gogh paining. Love the reference, and so very true.”

Chelsea Psycho Green is a dark Zulu-esque green with very subtle nearly invisible bluish green shimmer. I love this color, but honestly, it’s here as a place holder for Zulu since I didn’t own it when I finalized this list back in November. However, that doesn’t belittle the significance of Psycho Green to my personal collection. I received Psycho Green is my very first swap on MUA. My swapping partner knew about my unrequited love for Zulu and decided to send this amazing polish as an extra. Essentially, Psycho Green was my first brush with the amazing kindness of the nail board. For that reason, this is a much loved polish in my collection. Not to mention that Psycho Green definitely helped curb my hunger for Zulu because it’s a good base color dupe even though it differs as far as texture and finish. (See this post for a comparison of Psycho Green versus other green polishes.)

Sadly, Chelsea polishes can’t be purchased online (at least not to my knowledge). You have to hunt these babies down in dusties and beauty supplies. Lack of easy accessibility is it what makes Psycho Green hard-t0-find. I don’t believe it’s been discontinued but then again, I know very little about this mysterious little brand.

As far as application, Chelsea measures up. This is 2 coats very easily applied. The wear, however, leaves something to be desired. I usually get an abnormal amount of tip wear when I sport this polish.

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.)

A lot of you asked me for a good alternative to the white version of OPI Bubble Bath so I figured now would be a good time to pick up the count down again. OPI Time-less is More is whiter than Bubble Bath and it doesn’t lean towards pink but I passionately love this color. In my endless search for the perfect off-white, I’ve tried many, many polishes and, to me, this is absolutely the most perfect one. It should be everyone’s go to off-white. You can read my original post on this color here¹.

I also have an announcement unrelated to nail polish. Some of you may remember that I’ve been on the job hunt. I’ve received an offer from the State Attorney’s Office (Florida’s equivalent of a District Attorney’s Office) in which I’ve been interning and I’ve decided to take the position! I’m so excited that I’ll have the opportunity to continue working with them as an Assistant State Attorney upon my graduation. This is truly a dream come true. Annnnnd since this is my final semester of law school and I won’t be interviewing any longer, I don’t have any professional obligations so I can wear ridiculously unprofessional colors! For those of you that like to see professional colors, I’ll still be posting those too but now there will a good mix that should make everyone happy.

Happy New Year Everyone! I have a few nail polish related resolutions this year. First and foremost, I’m going to cut back on my nail polish expenditures. I’m only going to order colors when I run out of staples and I plan to limit myself to 3 to 5 per order. I’ll allow myself impulse buys but only for colors that are hard to find and already on my wish list. Addicts refer to this sort of endeavor as a low-buy/no-buy. I don’t know how successful it’s going to be but I’m going to try!

We’re finally approaching the top 10 in the countdown.  Number 11 is an exhibitionist, OPI Designer Series Exclusive.

Don’t mind my bottle, it’s a little jacked-up. Exclusive is an older color and I believe I received it in a swap. I’m a pretty huge fan of holographic nail polish in general but there is something particularly beautiful about Exclusive.

My love for this color is surprising because I’m really not a fan of pinks but Exclusive is just so… luxurious and exquisite. My picture above just does not do it justice. The nail wheel swatch to the left is more accurate in showing the amount of bling one should expect from Exclusive. As you can see, this color goes all out. Love it.

I am a *huge* fan of vampies. To avoid having a top 20 list made up almost entirely of them, I decided to pick only one. Surely, that would have been an insurmountable task but Zoya Casey is so incredible that the choice took only seconds. In my original post concerning this color I wrote:

“Holy &*%^. Zoya Casey is by the far the prettiest vampy I’ve ever seen, ever. It’s a deep deep deep deep jelly-like ultra glossy plum with a red base. The color is an ‘almost black’ which normally would irritate me to no end but there is just something alluring about this color, dramatic and intense. My ultimate test for nail polish is whether a color makes me continuously stare down at my nails. Casey definitely caused some major mani rubbernecking. Despite my nail polish ADD, I didn’t want to remove Casey. This is one for the top 20 list for sure.”

And like I predicted then, it did make it on to the list. Love this color.

Alright, today we’ll be resuming The Top 20 Polishes of All time countdown. For a recap of the colors so far check out the Top 2o (2008) category.

Number 13 is China Glaze For Audrey. I wore For Audrey last Halloween. I was dressed as Marie Antoinette and the costume was a similar shade of blue. This color was released in 2007 as a Limited Edition polish in honor of Audrey Hepburn. Fittingly, For Audrey is a nearly true Tiffany Blue. A true match is unlikely because, apparently, Tiffany & Co. holds a color trademark on their famous blue.

The minute I saw the promotion for this color I simply had to have it. Now… I’m going to impart some information that many of you may find shocking. I don’t particularly care for Audrey Hepburn. I’ve only seen portions of Breakfast at Tiffany’s and didn’t really care for the film either. And… I really, really dislike Tiffany & Co. jewelry. My point is that I love this unique color for the actual color and not for anything that China Glaze intended for it to represent. There is just something extraordinary about For Audrey. It will always have a special place in my collection (even though it does absolutely nothing for my skin tone).

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 drool all over myself when I find a truly unique color. It’s a pretty rare occurrence, but every once in a while it happens. I know many of you will be surprised to see this color on the list. It wasn’t popular with the masses, probably because it’s very ‘out there’ but that’s why I love it.

This truly gorgeous dirty mustard yellow reminds me of run ways and high fashion. In a perfect world, colors like this would be staples for everyone. Until then, I’ll keep drooling for these rarities.

As a meaningless side note, I tend to associate certain polishes with whatever was going on in my life the day I wore it. I wore The “It” Color while studying for finals last spring, specifically I was studying Criminal Procedure Police Practices. I remember constantly staring down at my nails which significantly hampered my study efforts. You can read the original post on this color here.

Some girls will trample innocent people to get their hands on Chanel Le Vernis. Me? Um… not so much. Chanel is overrated. 99.5% of their colors are boring and the wear is not exceptional for the price tag. Excluding the amazing but impossible-to-find Chanel Holographic (which wasn’t released in the U.S. because why would they ever release something actually worth buying in the U.S.), I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Chanel that made me jump out of my seat… until I saw Chanel Kaleidoscope.

Kaleidoscope is the quintessential non-glitter ultra-bling polish. It’s like ultra-bling all grown up. The blinginess is more subtle indoors, it becomes a mirrored greenish platinum in indirect lighting. If you only ever buy one Chanel, it has to be this one.

Of course, this color was ‘Limited Edition’ as per Chanel’s modus operandi of creating articifical hype for their polish -insert eye roll- so sadly, it’s probably no longer available in stores. If you want it, you’ll either have to turn to evilbay scalpers and shell out absurd amounts of money for it or  you can settle for one of the very worthy alternatives.

Lilacs and lavenders always look horrible on me but I wear them anyway. I just love lilacs and I always will. Of all the lilacs I’ve accumulated in my effort to find one that does not make me look undead, Orly Bon Bon comes out on top as my favorite.

My original review of this color explains my love for Bon Bon extensively. Since I can’t possibly give a better explanation for why this color is so deserving of being on this list, I’ll leave you with a brief quote from my original post (but I recommend reading the whole thing if you are not convinced.)

“[To] my astonishment, I found that [Orly Bon Bon is] actually a really gorgeous, ethereal color. Honestly, I could not stop staring down at my mani, that’s how other-worldly it looked on my nails. If angels wore nail polish, this would be their go-to shade.”

Alright, I have to post faster if we’re going to get through all 20 polishes in a timely manner. I present to you, #18 Sephora by OPI (affectionately dubbed ‘$OPI’) Metro Chic:

Bet you guys didn’t see that one coming. I do love this color, but it’s on this list because of the impact it had when it hit the market. Metro Chic was a polish phenomenon. I have hopes that Metro Chic will have revolutionary implications. Is the existence of Metro Chic an indication that the nail polish industry is going to become more innovative? That is my hope. So many people pursued this polish in a ridiculous frenzy, it proves, once again, that there is a viable market for out-of-the-ordinary colors. (Although, the frenzy was probably exacerbated by scalpers buying available bottles to flip them on ebay.) There is such a thing as innovation in this industry and it seems like polish companies often forget that. Consumers are obviously hungry for something different, it’s time that something different is given to us! In any case, it’s a fairly rare occurrence when the general population frenzies over a shade. Nail polish collectors frenzy constantly but it’s extraordinary to see a color that is so universally appealing that it actually moves non-collectors into action. That is why Metro Chic is on this list.

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. 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.

Twice a year, the girls on the Nail Board vote for their top 20 polishes. I’ve been promising you guys my personal top 20 for a while and I’m finally getting around to it. My top 20 has some classics in it but there are also a few colors that people might not expect. First up is # 20, this year’s OPI Tickle My France-y.

This color is so subtle, so chic, just perfect.  As completely ridiculous as this may sound, I rarely wear colors more than once but I’ve worn OPI Tickle My France-y a whopping 3 times. This color has become my go-to ‘professional’ color. As some of you may know, I’m applying for a position as an Assistant State Attorney. It’s a 3 round interview process. I’ve worn TMFy to two of the interviews already and plan to wear it one more time this Monday for my final interview. I almost feel like this color gives me confidence, maybe even a little bit of luck. If I get the job on Monday, I guess we’ll know for sure. Even if TMF-y isn’t bestowed with magical job granting powers, it’s still an excellent color. It definitely belongs in everyone’s collection. (You can read my original post about TMF here.)