Yesterday, I shared my favorite posts from the first half of the year and now let’s wrap of 2008 with my faves from July through December.

July
I shared the deets on my brunch with the ladies of China Glaze and previewed the green sparkly hit of the year, Emerald Sparkle.

Neons were all the rage last summer for both tips and toes and Essie and Orly both hit the trend hard.

The fish pedicure that I first spotted on Ugly Betty made its way stateside and caused a media frenzy. Everyone from Tyra to Diane Sawyer dipped their toes in the fishy water soon after.

August
I hit a personal and blogging high when my name & ALU appeared in Glamour Magazine as part of my favorite column, Andrea Pomerantz Lustig‘s Beauty Q&A.

August was a huge month for collection debuts including Rodeo Diva with the Hay Ride and Flannel Fixation color palettes and comic book themed Operation Colour from China Glaze.

OPI’s La Collection De France hit shelves and standouts Parlez Vous OPI? and You Don’t Know Jacques became staples of many nail polish wardrobes.

When word of the Sephora By OPI collection got out, stampedes of women trekked to Sephora to scoop up sell-out shade Metro Chic from the Autumn & Eve collection with much of the Core Collection selling out soon after.

September
Metallics were one of the biggest nail trends of the fall with Chanel Kaleidoscope leading up the charge.

In an unexpected twist, China Glaze released a set of tropical themed blues for winter to take away the chill followed by the holiday Sleigh Ride collection with my beloved Emerald Sparkle.

The Nail Files series took you behind the scenes at NYFW with CND in a three part series. Catch up on parts 1, 2 and 3.

Chanel delivered a warm, rich brown just in time for the cold holiday season with Haute Chocolat.

October
ALU participated in BCA month with its Comments For A Cure campaign and Donate & Win giveaway which helped raise over $700 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The Amazing As Polish feature launched with my pick for best mascara of the year, Estee Lauder TurboLash.

With all the great muted nail shades coming out for fall, it was clear that Smoky Tips were an emerging trend.

Rescue Beauty Lounge pumped out four amazing cremes for fall including the incomparable Teal and No More War.

November
I discovered hidden treasure when the Shades by Barielle Fall Affair collection crossed my path.

A Fanatic Feedback discussion on men wearing nail polish brought out extreme opinions from ALU’s readers.

I went on a major purple kick when I brought home Shu Uemura’s Tanzanite Aquarium and Givenchy’s Purple By Night, both from their holiday collections.

December
I got a first hand experience with Minx nail coverings. The hottest nail art trend amongst celebrities.

As part of my annual gift guide, I shared the 21 Hottest Holiday Polishes, including traditional choices in red, green and metallic mixed with more trendy options like gray, brown and purple.

I gave you a sneak peek into spring when I showed off my NOTD from the Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen collection for Spring ’09.

Well, that’s it. 2008 in a nutshell. Do you have any favorite posts or nail polish happenings that I missed? Share in the comments!

Like I said in my anniversary post, this was an amazing year in lacquer. Here’s a recap of my favorite moments from the first half of the year.

January We got our first look at Minx nail coverings on the cover of Nails Magazine. Nails by Tom Bachik. I got Mr. ALU involved in my nail craziness when I had him test infomercial pedicure wonder – The PedEgg My love affair with Rescue Beauty Lounge polishes began when I was gifted a bottle of Under the Stars, a glorious sparkling blue.

February I went backstage at New York Fashion Week, covering the nail trends at shows including Tracy Reese and Baby Phat. Canadian magazine, Glow, named ALU one of their favorite beauty blogs. OPI released the India collection, including the stunning Yoga-ta Get This Blue, and reignited my love for the brand.

March Big Brother 9 contestant, Natalie, expressed her artistic side with the only paint medium at her disposal, nail polish. One of my 2008 polish wishes came true when the ultimate green creme nail polish debuted; Rescue Beauty Lounge Recycle. China Glaze hit us with a one-two punch with the environmentally themed Ecollection and neon extravaganza Ink.

April Rihanna started the biggest color trend of the summer when she wore neon orange to the Grammy’s. ALU celebrated Earth Day with a month of “green” posts including one on healthier nail polish. Chanel’s Summer collection included a pink that converted this non-pink lover.

May I ventured to the west coast for Total Beauty’s first blogger summit and LA beauty tour. The release of OPI’s Mod About Brights collection brought up images from Showtime’s Dexter. The Nail Files series premiered with celebrity manicurists Jenna Hipp and Kimmie Kyees.

June I shared my growing obsession with gray nail polish like Carolyn New York Handball Courts. MAC’s Neo Sci-Fi collection of bright summery shades included four bold lacquers. Chanel created a nail board frenzy when it released the Robertson Boulevard & Fall collections including the uber-unique Kaleidoscope.

Hey kids! I’m back from my mini vacay to Put-In-Bay, Ohio. The ultimate island party destination for us Lake Erie folk. It was a great time but not having a laptop or internet access was freaky. I had the shakes the first day or so but managed to survive. Twitter updates were my only link to the outside world.

If you’ve never been to Put-In-Bay on South Bass Island, I highly recommend it. It is home to the world’s 3rd longest bar (405+ ft), The Beer Barrel Saloon, in addition to 10+ other bars all jammed into a small town square. Between the campers, boaters and renters the tiny island draws thousands of 20 & 30 somethings every Summer weekend. Just don’t take the kids on a Friday or Saturday. The debauchery is not for young, impressionable eyes.

I had a fab time but wow am I dead tired. We plan this trip every year with friends from my days as a ride host at Cedar Point Amusement Park (the best coaster park on the planet!) but packing and planning and grocery shopping take a toll on me and the boyfriend. But getting to hang with my favorite party people make all the work worth it.

I couldn’t leave all the polish behind though; I may have ended up in a straight jacket. All kidding aside, one of my boys, Joel, is loving the look of painted toes. My friend Christine slapped a drunken coat of gunmetal gray on him in May and I noticed it being quite a convo starter with the ladies the following weekend. So he requested I bring a “manly” selection to choose from. Joel’s pick; the soon to be released Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Stormy Blue. It looked really cool and since he had to do his own toes (I wasn’t up for touching boy feet at 10 a.m. with a hangover) he learned just how hard good application is.

So I’m sure you’d all rather see the Fall polish collections than hear about my trip so let me tell you what’s in the works. I’m currently swatching/editing/reviewing:

China Glaze Rodeo Diva Flannel Fixation
OPI France
China Glaze Operation Color
Color Club Musique
Color Club Glitter Vixen
Misa Poisoned Passion

along with some other treats. So stay tuned! Fresh content in the a.m.