Top 10 of 2012: Best Nail Lacquers

I really don’t know how I managed to keep this list to ten, because I feel like I fall in love with a new polish every week. There were SO many more amazing polishes that aren’t on this list, though. I tried to go across brands and put together a list of ones that really struck me or were more original.

• Hare Holiday Hoopla — glittery gold and red
• NARS Night Porter — deep forest green
• Chanel Malice — rich, decadent red
• Lacquistry Wattle Over With That Stuffing — green, gold, copper
• Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light — flakies in a purple jelly
• Cult Nails Princess — Cinderella blue
• Zoya Song — intense blue
• KB Shimmer Candy Cane Crush — peppermint for your nails
• Illamasqua Creator — silver over black
• Lynnderella Undead Red — red, purple, blue

What’s was your favorite nail lacquer of 2012?

So, What’s All the Hoopla Over the Holidays, Anyway?

Hare Holiday Hoopla Nail Lacquer ($10.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “festive assortment of red squares [and] hexes in several sizes, satin pale pink hexes, gold glitter, and gold shimmer” suspended in a clear base designed as a glitter top coat. It’s a mix of medium-sized red squares, smaller red hexagons, and medium-sized pale pink hexagons that make up the more noticeable shapes and colors, while there is both gold glitter and smaller gold shimmer in the background that helps to fill in the composition. The colors are similar to China Glaze Electrify, but Holiday Hoopla has much more variance in size/shape (plus the pale pink hexes) so Electrify ends up looking almost one-dimensional in comparison. (In the same vein, China Glaze Pure Joy is a mix of small red glitter and then just slightly larger gold glitter, but it is less dense and very unlike this one in shape/size.)

I layered two coats of Holiday Hoopla alone on my index and ring fingers, and then I layered one coat over Illamasqua Boosh (black cream) on my middle finger. Alone, it’s semi-to-mostly opaque in two coats–I think it’s quite wearable as a standalone shade. One coat for layering worked well to deliver plenty of glitter and shimmer coverage without losing the base color. All of the bits and bobs laid completely flat, and there really wasn’t much texture before a top coat, but a top coat definitely gives it a better overall finish. The consistency was amazing: not thick at all, and dare I say, almost thin, but all of the glitters spread evenly across the nail just dragging the brush across. No pulling or tugging required–it was one of the easiest glitter top coats I’ve applied.

This is the shade I chose to test for wear (I will also be testing Swanky Soiree specifically but at a later date), and it’s going four days strong. Of course, next to nothing chips on me, so you’ll have to take my wear experiences with a grain of salt. Most polishes last seven days with minor tip wear but no chipping; particularly excellent formulas will have very minor tip wear and may last up to ten days. It has been my experience that glitter top coats/layering polishes tend to as long as whatever is underneath them. If by some (horrible) miracle, this falls outside of the average wear, I’ll be sure to update this post to reflect that.

I bought mine from Hare’s Etsy shop, and they’re all sold out now, but Llarowe still has some in stock.

The Glossover

	Hare Holiday Hoopla Nail Lacquer Review, Photos, Swatches A
	No pulling or tugging required--it was one of the easiest glitter top coats I've applied.
	Product 9.5/10 Pigmentation 10/10 Texture 9.5/10 Longevity 9/10 Application 5/5
	Where to Buy
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Hare Holiday Hoopla Nail Lacquer

Hare Holiday Hoopla Nail Lacquer

Hare Holiday Hoopla Nail Lacquer

Hare Holiday Hoopla Nail Lacquer

Hare Holiday Hoopla Nail Lacquer

Hare Holiday Hoopla Nail Lacquer

Hare Holiday Hoopla Nail Lacquer

Hare Holiday Hoopla Nail Lacquer