All Lacquered Up Fanatic Favorites 2010 – Winners

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1. Elizabeth says:

   January 31, 2011 at 10:19 am

   meh. Not being an OPI fan, I’m not thrilled with the winners, but I realize there are many OPI fans out there. It was fun, thanks for doing this.
2. Aurora's Nails says:

   January 31, 2011 at 10:20 am

   I love that you did first and second runner-up polishes, too…this musthave taken forever to tally, so thanks for doing it! It’s interesting to see how much I agree/disagree with others
3. KatieM says:

   January 31, 2011 at 10:20 am

   Sadly with OPI in the running there’s no way to discover any new products. As a suggestion (which will be immediately rejected) Remove OPI from the competition this might force (I don’t like that word) us to try something out of our comfort zone. IMO the only notable thing OPI did last year was the amazing MAAH, everything else was rehash(Burlesque) or gimmicky (Seriously! Justin Bieber?)
   • All Lacquered Up says:

     January 31, 2011 at 12:37 pm

     I hear you Katie and I certainly don’t reject your idea but it seems unfair to eliminate a brand that so many people do love. I agree that people need to step out of their comfort zone and discover new brands but it’s not like OPI is a bad product. The fact is, a lot of people use OPI because it’s so widely distributed and such a household name. The challenge is to find a way to showcase fan faves from the emerging/niche brands without having to exclude the majors.
     • flipflopgal says:

       January 31, 2011 at 2:34 pm

       What if you created a few new categories that showcased other brands (I happen to love OPI, the brush is awesome, plus they just go on so nicely & last), like best new brand, best new color, etc, or something like fave nude, fave black, fave whatever in a name brand AND in a new or off brand or something like that? Or, created an OPI only “best of”? New to your website, LOVE it Keep up the good work!
       • All Lacquered Up says:

         January 31, 2011 at 2:52 pm

         Thanks for your ideas. I’ll take them into consideration. It would be a lot of work to do two separate surveys and doing an OPI only survey would seem unfair to the other major salon brands like China Glaze, Essie, Orly, Zoya, etc. But adding some extra categories for niche brands could be good.
         • Amanda says:

           January 31, 2011 at 4:53 pm

           Actually, I was expecting a lot of OPI because of the notoriety of the brand, and was pleasantly surprised to see how many China Glaze products made the list! I also really liked that you included first and second runner ups, as a fair few of them were the smaller/less common brands. I’m sad to see so little Zoya, as I love their polishes, and I was surprised that the Burlesque collection won out as I found it a little underwhelming. I did, however, love the Orly Cosmic FX collection and was happy to see that it was the first runner up. Overall – great job. And honestly, OPI makes a solid polish with a formula that I have NEVER been disappointed in (I hear ya about the brush – flipflopgal!), so it doesn’t bother me that they won so many categories.
     • BL says:

       January 31, 2011 at 2:44 pm

       Hmm…I know that tallying the results for winners as well as runners-up is a huge amount of work, but maybe you could add some kind of “dark horse” feature to the eventual write up?

       I didn’t see how the survey was conducted so I’m just assuming the final poll was multiple choice — maybe include a write-in field and mention the top write-in vote getter as well as the multiple choice winners?
       • All Lacquered Up says:

         January 31, 2011 at 2:50 pm

         The nomination round was a write-in round. Readers could vote for any polish they wanted in all the categories. When I created the final survey I included the Top 5 and then selected a wild card from the rest of the nominations though in a lot of cases it was still major brands getting the votes not niche brands
4. KC says:

   January 31, 2011 at 10:21 am

   Thanks for posting the results! They are great recommendations!
5. Emilie says:

   January 31, 2011 at 10:28 am

   I love this! I have some shopping to do!
6. Bite Buff says:

   January 31, 2011 at 10:39 am

   Love the full list of results!
7. Lauren says:

   January 31, 2011 at 10:53 am

   RBL was robbed for best formula! I agree the most with the nail trend category and the least with the purples. I looove purple and none of my faves made the cut. This was fun and I am even more looking forward to hearing YOUR best of 2010 picks! Congrats to the lucky prize winner. So jeal!
   • All Lacquered Up says:

     January 31, 2011 at 12:40 pm

     I completely agree with you on the formula Lauren. I think it’s a cost issue. Given the accessibility and lower price of brands like OPI, China Glaze & Zoya vs RBL, there aren’t enough people who have discovered the magical formula in Ji’s bottles to help put it on top.
     • Carrie says:

       January 31, 2011 at 9:24 pm

       I’d love to try RBL but the price point gives me sticker shock! I’ve only got two polishes in my stock that break the $10 mark – NARS Zulu (wish I hadn’t) and Chanel Black Pearl (which I love)

       I’m sure I’m not the only one who normally can’t justify spending nearly $20 on a single bottle of polish (at least here after sales tax). Even if Ji’s formula is fantastic, I’ve yet to see a color that makes me so excited that I’m willing to take the risk.
     • Anna says:

       February 1, 2011 at 7:09 am

       Is it just me? I’ve had an awful time with RBL polishes. I purchased No More War, Plie, and Pepto Pink during the last sale and I have been extraordinarily disappointed with the application and the wear time like little girls peel off drug store bargain bin disappointed. Tips?
       • Caity says:

         February 1, 2011 at 3:32 pm

         Anna – I’ve had the same problem with the RBL polishes that I got during the last sale. I’ve only tried 3 of the 5 that I purchased, and 2 of those chipped within 12 hours. I didn’t use a fast dry top coat with the 3rd and it lasted a little bit longer, but not nearly as long as some people are able to get…
     • beady says:

       February 1, 2011 at 2:18 pm

       I think that one reason for this result might be that brands like RBL is not available for the international readers as RBL and most other “smaller” brands does not ship overseas.
       • Polly says:

         February 6, 2011 at 8:28 am

         RBL do ship overseas – it’s just that they cost an arm and a leg for the privilege! And if you order ‘enough’ polish to make the p&p charge seem worth it, then you are likely to get hit with customs/import duties

         But still, at least RBL do give that option, I agree that many other smaller brands are only available to the US at all.
   • Cate says:

     February 1, 2011 at 6:34 am

     Their insane shipping charges and lack of an EU distributor puts them pretty much out of my reach – I think that’s probably true of a lot of people, which is a shame, as the colours are generally pretty awesome. Plus they’re hella expensive, even if you live in the US, so there’s no way they can compete, even if they’ve got the best formula ever.
8. Luka says:

   January 31, 2011 at 10:55 am

   No Butter London winners? Crazy
   • Shannon says:

     February 2, 2011 at 5:51 am

     I agree.
9. AnnaAnastasia says:

   January 31, 2011 at 11:10 am

   Thank you SO MUCH for doing all this tallying! I love hearing from other ALU-ers about what they like/dislike. Unfortunately, now I have to make a shopping list for some polishes…:)
10. Shakeia says:

    January 31, 2011 at 11:28 am

    Based on these winners, I feel like I need to try China Glaze. Some of these colors I might just give a try.
    • leesie says:

      January 31, 2011 at 1:27 pm

      China Glaze is my personal favorite brand–their color selection is just fantastic. And their relative affordability is a major plus for me. If you can get over to Sally’s today, they have a coupon for a free ChG with purchase of Seche Vite (which I know many polish enthusiasts use anyway), but today’s the last day to use it. The coupon’s on a tear pad by the SV, at least at the two stores at which I’ve seen it.
      • Erin says:

        January 31, 2011 at 3:38 pm

        The Sally’s by my house don’t have China Glaze in the stores It’s so sad! I’m excited for “Anchors Away”.
        • leesie says:

          February 1, 2011 at 11:07 pm

          Oh, man, I might never have started my ChG love affair if not for the way For Audrey called to me at Sally’s (after reading Christine of Temptalia raving about it). I would be sad if the stores near me didn’t have it. I order my China Glaze online more often than I buy it in-store, but it’s nice to be able to run over and snag a color if I need a specific one for a certain event, and sales sometimes make polishes cheaper than I can get them online.
          Anchors Away is so fantastic!
    • Katy says:

      January 31, 2011 at 4:27 pm

      Yes, you need to!
    • Carrie says:

      January 31, 2011 at 9:26 pm

      Also check out transdesign – they sell China Glaze for under $3.00 a bottle! It makes it worth trying out colors you’re otherwise on the fence about, and their shipping is pretty reasonable too.
    • Molly says:

      February 1, 2011 at 12:21 am

      Sally has had ‘buy one get one sales’ on nail polish and they usually let you mix and match brands. I bought 2 China Glaze colors, Shower Together (dk. Turq.) and Celtic Sun (neon yellow) for around $6.
    • Tamara says:

      February 1, 2011 at 7:28 pm

      I have found China Glaze not to be good AT ALL!
11. MissMaryJane says:

    January 31, 2011 at 12:01 pm

    Personally, I HATE China Glaze formulation. Always too runny. IMO Zoya is the best.
    • Katy says:

      January 31, 2011 at 4:51 pm

      I like China Glaze, but Zoya has always been the easiest to apply for me.
12. Shatteredshards says:

    January 31, 2011 at 12:17 pm

    I have to agree with KatieM about OPI; for starters, Burlesque was pretty darn *boring.* Then you get the brightest color category and OPI was the dullest color out of all the options, so how the heck did it win? I won’t even start on the formula issues with OPI….

    Honestly, I think OPI swept so many of the categories because people are unwilling to get out of their comfort zone. Their salon has OPI, so they go with OPI. If more people would look around and try other brands, I don’t think the results would have looked so…biased.

    On another note, in response to Luka, maybe I got bad bottles but when I tried butter London, I was so disappointed in the formula that I gave them away, and they were the most expensive nail polishes I had purchased to date.
    • All Lacquered Up says:

      January 31, 2011 at 12:41 pm

      You aren’t the only one who was surprised by Fiercely Fiona’s win. That shocked the heck out of me. I know some of the brands promoted the vote on their Twitter/Facebook accounts and OPI has a lot of followers/fans.
13. Chockycake49 says:

    January 31, 2011 at 12:19 pm

    Just discovered OPI’s My Private Jet..and it’s my favourite too..even if I’m a bit late!!!
    • Lara says:

      February 1, 2011 at 12:53 pm

      I just found a bottle of MPJ in my collection and decided to try it and I just don’t see it — could it be a dud? It’s not holographic at all. More like a muddy greyish/brownish/mauve with glitter. It looks the same in all lights and not like any swatches I’ve seen. Just blah. Is this just my bottle?
      • Chockycake49 says:

        February 1, 2011 at 3:58 pm

        I just think it has very subtle sparkles in it..not really holographic…it makes it a more wearable colour for daytime..not in your face glitter….I think it’s one of those you either love or hate, perhaps?
        • Lara says:

          February 1, 2011 at 5:02 pm

          http://polishaddict.com/2008/10/21/the-opi-my-private-jet-controversy/

          This explains a lot. I think I have the “new” one. OPI is sneaky!
14. Noelle says:

    January 31, 2011 at 12:31 pm

    How did Deborah Lippman not win in the best formula category? Her polish is incredibly chip-resistant and long-wearing. I love OPI but I’m just saying….
15. Miranda says:

    January 31, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    I’m actually kind of surprised how often For Audrey is mentioned. In my opinion it really isn’t that special. And I don’t think any of the colors are the ones I voted for LOL. But I do love reading lists like this!!
    • Bronwyn says:

      January 31, 2011 at 6:47 pm

      I gotta say I agree with you about For Audrey. I don’t know, I just.. don’t like it. I guess maybe I don’t go for the pale colors? I don’t know, it really doesn’t appeal to me, though, and it doesn’t seem that special.
      • ggggg says:

        February 3, 2011 at 9:44 am

        I toiled about getting For Audrey for months and months. I liked the color every time I saw it swatched. I would pick it up in the store and then put it down again thinking “how often would I really wear a color like this?” It appealed to me so much I finally bought it.

        When I put in on (proudly) I was sooooooooo disappointed. It looked HORRIBLE with my skin tone. It wasn’t that Tiffany blue but a sickly green with no life whatsoever in it. I wanted this to look good on me so badly.

        I guess if it works for you it’s really beautiful but I am sadly one of those few that it just cannot be worn on. I can see why it would be popular as it is a great color – just not on me!
        • Ronnie says:

          February 4, 2011 at 10:34 am

          That’s so unfortunate! I love For Audrey, but I love a bunch of colors so that doesn’t say anything. I guess this comes back to how colors wear on different skin tones. We have a Tiffany box at home and it is genuinely the closest match that I’ve ever seen. But a lot of colors wear ultra red on me, so I know the feeling.
16. kelly says:

    January 31, 2011 at 12:59 pm

    i agree with most of the categories. but essie marshmellow as best white? i mean if you like sheer whites…marshmellow gives me definite VNL. and i personally have had no prob with OPI polishes, but i havent ventured out and tried the more expensive brands. anything over 10 dollars is too much for me!
17. Samantha says:

    January 31, 2011 at 1:10 pm

    I’m jumping on the bandwagon of not being thrilled about all of the OPI wins. I agree with Shatteredshards that “Their salon has OPI, so they go with OPI.” and everything else she said. It’s getting annoying. There are so many brands that are coming out that have phenomenal products and bring something new to the table. And personally, I don’t find OPI to generally be as high quality as the pedestal they’re put on. Gargantuan Green Grape? They seriously thought it was ok to put such a streaky mess into their line? I also feel that many of their products were copies of other brands that got there first. Also not thrilled about their buyout to Coty, who does animal testing.

    Anyway, hopefully next year people will have broadened their polish range and realize that OPI is not the only polish out there. And I look forward to seeing your choices, ALU!!
    • Polly says:

      February 6, 2011 at 8:46 am

      Hmm, I think your comment (and Shatteredshards’) is a little insulting to those of us outside the US who basically can’t readily get anything other than OPI or drugstore brands. Other than drugstore brands (or designer brands in concessions), I have only ever seen OPI, Essie, and Nails Inc on the shelves of any shops anywhere. And it is increasingly hard to buy from abroad with high shipping costs and customs duties to consider as well. If I could find China Glaze, Orly, Zoya et al for sale in the UK, I’d buy them! It is not a matter of ‘comfort zone’ and it is the stores who need to broaden their polish range, not me. And for the record, I’ve only been to a salon twice, one had OPI and one had Jessica – salons are far too expensive here for it to be a regular thing for me (polish is expensive too – OPI and Essie both sell for about a tenner ie c.$14US and drugstore brands go for about
18. TropicalChrome says:

    January 31, 2011 at 2:36 pm

    Well, yes, I’ve discovered something important. My taste in nail polish differs drastically from the majority of those who voted :). Oh, well, more for me!
19. Andrea says:

    January 31, 2011 at 2:39 pm

    OPI’s getting a lot of flack in the comments, which surprises me because if it wasn’t for OPI, I honestly don’t think I would have ever gotten into nail polish in the first place. Their displays just drew me in.

    I knew OPI Bubble Bath would take the sheer finish votes. I adore BB!

    I already knew that many people liked China Glaze For Audrey but I’m still pretty surprised by it taking three wins. It’s definately a pretty colour and I like it a lot too, but not enough to vote it in as the best creme finish ever. But I’m sure a lot of FA fans are really happy

    I liked this favourites, it was a lot of fun. Thanks MUA.
    • Carrie says:

      January 31, 2011 at 9:29 pm

      I agree Andrea!

      When I started doing my nails again last year I started with OPI because it was something familiar, and now that I’m more comfortable I’ve been branching out.

      It definitely helps that I live in LA where I have pretty easy access to a lot of brands, I can readily find China Glaze, Essie, Zoya, Deboarh Lippman, RBL, Chanel, Butter London in stores near me – a lot of people don’t have that luxury!

      So yeah, while it’d be nice to see a bigger diversity of winners, I can’t begrudge the win either!
      • Shannon says:

        February 2, 2011 at 2:53 pm

        Awesome. All of those brands are exciting and if it wasn’t for this blog I never would have heard of them. I live in Leeds, England and we just got Deborah Lippman here, don’t get RBL, Zoya, or Butter London. I think people only voted for OPI so much because it is a pretty good brand (if not, salons across the USA and UK would not carry them) and it is so difficult to get the other ones. But hopefully with the Internet and word of mouth that will change. It’s not about people being in a comfort zone – lots of us tried and were excited by the new brands; it’s just that is what people have used and know is good.
20. Erin says:

    January 31, 2011 at 3:45 pm

    This process was very fun! Thanks for all the hard work. It was fun to think through my collection and remember the ones that I go back to constantly (Chapel of Love!!) and ones that others always comment on.

    My suggestion for next year is (if there aren’t legal issues) to have links to all of the nail polish sites, either next to each question or at the beginning of the survey. I felt the answers/choices for the “best ofs” in each category didn’t really include anything pre 2010 (with a few exceptions). The way the question read I thought it was for best ever. Perhaps with links it would inspire voters to look back at the brand’s entire color story to remember what’s REALLY out there.

    I agree with previous poster about “For Audrey”. It’s beautiful, but not nearly prettiest ever.

    This is also my very favorite thing to look at online– I check almost daily to see new posts. Can’t WAIT for “Texas” swatches!!
    • All Lacquered Up says:

      January 31, 2011 at 4:52 pm

      You’re absolutely right Erin. I think we tend to remember what is most recent and what we are currently using instead of going back through our own polish archives. Though it seems that some colors just stick; ChG For Audrey & Ruby Pumps, OPI LPAD, etc. There are so many amazing colors out there it’s hard to remember them all when looking at a blank nomination ballot. I like your idea of linking back to the brands though with so many of the colors being LE I don’t know if the true faves will still be listed.
21. Radina says:

    January 31, 2011 at 4:02 pm

    I think that a lot of the people getting pissed off at OPI are forgetting polish lovers outside the US. OPI are widely available in my country, while brands like RBL, Lippman and Butter are not only not imported at all, but are also hard to find online for international shipping. If you check out some European polish blogs you will see that such brands are almost never featured on them. It’s very much a matter of distribution.
22. ach167 says:

    January 31, 2011 at 4:31 pm

    would love to see some link backs to some swatches of these winners! a lot of these are new to me so look forward to trying them out! and i’m always looking for a good top/base coat! thanks for the fun in voting and results!
    • All Lacquered Up says:

      January 31, 2011 at 4:49 pm

      I meant to include those but I ran out of time and I wanted the results to go live this morning as promised. I will try to update the post with links sometime this week.
23. Katy says:

    January 31, 2011 at 5:15 pm

    For Audrey might be my favorite color in my entire collection, so I am satisifed! Surprised that Burlesque made it up there, though.
    • Katy says:

      January 31, 2011 at 5:15 pm

      If I would have picked an OPI collection to win, it would have been Shrek (my favorite) or Hong Kong (seemed very popular).
      • Tamara says:

        February 1, 2011 at 7:32 pm

        I agree Katy, Shrek is my favorite OPI collection too
24. Bronwyn says:

    January 31, 2011 at 6:49 pm

    As always I’m a bit disappointed to see OPI taking so many categories, but I can’t say I’m surprised and I do think they are a decent polish, just maybe not as worthy of the pedestal they get put on sometimes I’m always sad when I see Nubar getting so little recognition in these things. I
    • Thal says:

      February 2, 2011 at 1:34 pm

      I agree, I love Nubar, they have the best duochrome nail polish line up.
      The formula is as good as OPI too

      I think it’s naturally OPI had a lot of win cause it’s more of a sociable and known polish world wide
      I love polish but nail polish is not so popular at my country and I only get my hands on few brands, OPI, China Glaze, Nubar and Zoya, and most of it I have to get it online
25. kristina says:

    January 31, 2011 at 6:52 pm

    Although many of these are beauties, a couple of my top faves are: Rescue Beauty 360 and Jane, Chanel Black Pearl and RGB Sea….
26. Chelsea says:

    January 31, 2011 at 8:27 pm

    I disagree with everyone saying that people only picked OPI because it is what the salon has. Do you all really think the majority of people participating in this poll are salon people? I would bet most of us are not…

    OPI is a consistent brand- interesting colors, great formula, huge presence everywhere nail polish is mentioned, and affordable.
    • Kareberry says:

      February 1, 2011 at 3:47 pm

      I agree…I highly doubt the majority of people who voted here go to the salons regularly and results were probably skewed cuz of the brand asking their fans to vote. Plus, the simple fact that ALU is always introducing me to new brands that I can’t even find in salons, I’d have to order them myself to try it out! So, I for one branched out from OPI just from being an ALU fanatic…haha…but not everything I’ve tried is as safe as OPI so it’s easy to fall back to it. Anyway, thanks for the list! Can’t wait for ALU’s Best of 2010, should be interesting!
27. J says:

    January 31, 2011 at 11:39 pm

    I’m a For Audrey lover so it was quite nice to see it all over the place RBL was definitely robbed for best formula but I like you said it’s definitely not as widespread as a brand like OPI or CG. & yay for Burt’s Bees! I use that stuff every night and it is an all star.
28. Briana says:

    February 1, 2011 at 12:46 am

    Thanks for doing this it must have taken AGES to tally all those votes!
    Def wrote a few down for my next nail polish splurge.
    • Briana says:

      February 1, 2011 at 12:55 am

      I also forgot to mention I agree with the posts above, you cant hate OPI or winning a lot simply because they are one of the most known brands. Brands like RBL, Zoya or even China Glaze you simply cant buy here in Australi and finding a website with international shipping thats not through the roof makes it difficult. Also brands like Chanel, they are what $19 a bottle in the US? Here in Australia we pay around $19 for a bottle of OPI nail polish and for chanel your looking at between $40 and $70 a bottle depending on where you shop so its not accessable for everyones budget.
      • Cincly says:

        February 7, 2011 at 1:40 am

        Briana I feel your pain! I’m an aussie too I found http://www.crushcosmetics.com.au/ a few months back. It has a small range of China Glaze polishes as well as Seche Vite and Poshe. Affordable postage and extremely well packaged, hope that helps you!
29. Kitty says:

    February 1, 2011 at 2:28 pm

    Great list! I say pretty much what I expected. I knew that OPI had tons of fans out there. Glad to see some Lippmanns as runner ups and lots of China Glaze.
30. Bay says:

    February 1, 2011 at 4:03 pm

    I’m still too new to my lacquer obsession to be mad about the results. Like another commenter, I’m just making a shopping list. This is nothing but fun for me! Thanks to ALU for compiling the votes!
31. Mandy says:

    February 1, 2011 at 4:40 pm

    Really enjoyed this, thank you so much for doing this. Personally, I’m not an OPI fan and really did not like Burlesque……….just shows you can’t please all the people all the time!
    Love your blog!
32. Tamara says:

    February 1, 2011 at 7:18 pm

    I enjoyed doing the quiz, though I am really surprised that China Glaze won 1st place for alot of these catergories. China Glaze has the absolute WORST finish and looks awful (after drying it has no type of shine or sheen, until top coat is added) It doesn’t last long and it’s so thin!! I am not a fan of China Glaze at all!!!
33. Amy says:

    February 1, 2011 at 7:32 pm

    This was fun and I was looking forward to seeing the results! There were some real surprises. Now I really hope you post how you voted in each category. You have so much experience with a wide variety of brands, and you have great taste.
34. tricialee says:

    February 5, 2011 at 9:16 am

    I loved this round up, and I thought so many of your choices were dead on. As a salon owner, I own everything under the sun-but these are really good choices. I would have had a hard time with the base and top coats (yours are on the money)but Zoya has a mean combo as well. And even though I don’t use Sally Hansen-I have to give them credit for some awesome products at a drug store option. And thank you for showing China Glaze some respect, they have awesome color pay off and often introduce the hottest colors first!
35. Linda Nordstrom says:

    February 5, 2011 at 1:56 pm

    I have to say that you did an incredible job on this project. A lot of hard work, time and obviously patience. Thank you for doing this for us. There are always some new nail products coming our way, I am hoping that next year you will have Lumos Top and Bottomcoats in the running as they are incredible new products!!!!
36. Emmy says:

    February 5, 2011 at 10:31 pm

    I loved seeing the results. I use mostly OPI polishes because I have a hairdressing license, though severe nerve damage in my hands keeps me from working in a salon at the moment. When I walk into my local beauty supply house, they have all the new OPI polishes, CND and Essie. I live in a VERY small town and my access to a lot of the brands I see on here is limited. I am branching out and trying new things but I won’t start hating OPI because I find other polishes to love. I don’t go to Sally as much as my favorite beauty supply place, which is only open to licensed professionals, but when I do, their nail polish is the first stop I make. I have only a couple of CG colors, but I have liked them so far. Thanks for bringing new and exciting polish into my life!