Favourite Things of 2013

Since the year is over, I thought I would do a big post on all of my favourite things for 2013, such as polish, products, treatments, designs etc. I've been trying to finish this post for a few days and if you follow me on instagram, you'll understand why some things take me a while. But anyway, 2013 was a good nail year for me, I realised my love for nail art and decided to follow that career pathway by starting a course in Nail Technology and then I decided to create this blog. And while I haven't been the best at updating it lately, I'm trying my hardest to create things that I love and feel proud of. So thank you to everyone who reads this blog, whether you follow it or not, I appreciate you all.

All of these lists are in no particular order!

Nail Polish:

• My Boyfriend Scales Walls - OPI
• Mock Snob - Revlon
• Suzi Says Feng Shui - OPI
• Grapetini - Savvy
• Big Hair, Big Nails - OPI
• Bamboo Shoot - Sally Hansen
• Royal - Revlon
• Magic Croisette - L'Oreal
• Liberty - W7
• Metropolitan - L'Oreal

Bottom and Top Coats:

• 24/7 Nail Base - Essence
• Pro White Hardener - Essence
• Insta-Dri Anti Chip Top Coat - Sally Hansen
• Matte Top Coat - Revlon

Other Nail Products:

• Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream - this is probably my overall favourite nail product. I don't talk much about my nail care routine but I always try to use this while I'm in bed watching a movie or some TV so that it has time to soak in.
• Sally Hansen Cuticle Eraser + Balm - I recently bought this and have only used it a few times, but I loved it instantly. It smells amazing and while it's a bit thick it does everything it's supposed to. I usually apply this whenever I have enough time before painting my nails and then I use a cuticle stick to push them back and sort of scrape away some of them. I do find I have to wash my hands a few times before it feels gone, but it's no big deal for how great it makes my cuticles look.
• Acetone - it may be silly to put this in the list, but I only discovered acetone in 2013 and it's a miracle. It is really drying and tends to give me headaches but it's useful, it's great for clean up and it's great for water colour designs (which you know I love). I bought a big bottle from Big W for about $11 about four or five months ago and I've barely used half.
• Dotting Tool and Brushes - I purchased nail art tools for the first time in 2013 and I wouldn't be able to do half the stuff I do without them, so they're all definitely a favourite this year.
• Vaseline Healthy Hands + Stronger Nails Hand Cream - this hand cream is my number one, I use it every day and it lasts forever. I've had the 75ml since July and I think I've almost run out. It doesn't go on thickly or leave a slight residue, it soaks completely into your hands and they feel amazing after applying it

Designs:

This last one is a bonus because I haven't posted it yet (and I'm not sure I will, but it's still a fave).

My goals for 2014 nail wise to is to figure out lighting/editing and get that sorted, because looking at all these photos gives me anxiety because of the difference in tones in each of them. And to post more frequently/do a lot more nail art. I hope everybody has enjoyed this post and hopefully you'll be seeing something from me very soon.