The must-have nail polishes of 2018 have been announced! But are they worth the hype?

Photo from Essie Envy

The must-have nailpolishes of 2018 have been announced. Now I know what to spend my money on this year!

All jokes aside, I'm definitely one of those people who believe that a person's nails need to reflect their personality and sense of style (I mean you'll be looking down upon them all day everyday as you do almost everything. They should be the style and color that make you feel good and comfortable. And I will be wearing holo and multichrome polishes all year round no matter what anyone tells me.

But, for those who are curious about what's predicted to be trending in polishland this year, here are 7 specific polishes that Coveteur and Miss Pop have decided upon. I will be going over what I think about their color selection, if I think the polish is worth the price, what other people are saying about the polishes, and if I think there are better alternatives that give the same effect.

Before we get started, I just want to mention that I am not sponsored by any nail polish company, and cannot say whether or not Coveteur or Miss Pop are. And I the below photos are found on company websites and review blogs.

"Leia" by Zoya

is it worth a try? Yes!

I know it's a little predictable that I'm going to praise a sparkly polish, but hear me out. Zoya is known for its quality and vibrancy, and the reviews are stellar. While the polish in the photo of the bottle looks clear and iridescently pink, according to many reviews, it appears purple in light. The darker the polish it's painted over, the more purple it appears. You can also wear it as your full polish for an iridescent purple and white look. It seems to give enough coverage for a full manicure.

But in the future, just remember this moment when buying irridescent top-coat type lacquers. They don't always appear the same color over every nail polish, or even on your bare nail compared to the bottle. Some polishes give off completely different colors when painted over dark polish vs light. Check out this Simply Nailogical video of that exact concept here at the 6 minute 46 second mark. 

 

"Bikini so Teeny" by Essie

is it worth a try? If you like LIGHT creme polish

I will admit, I'm not the biggest fan of creme polishes. My fingers were destined for glitter, and I wear a on of black eyeshadow, which starts to get into the cracks of light-colored creme polish over time unless I wear gloves while I do my makeup. Even when I'm wearing an incredible top coat! So based on my lifestyle, I probably won't be purchasing this robin egg blue polish. But that's just me.

After seeing all of the stellar reviews and the oh so reasonable pricetag, it seems to be a gorgeous self-leveling polish for those of you with the right stuff for cremes. I'd recommend this polish for those with peachy, tan or cocoa skin and not a speck of black eyeshadow in your life!

 

"Head to Taupe" by China Glaze

is it worth a try? Yes

I may not be a fan of light cremes, but I do love my dark ones! And I am a taupe girl for sure. The problem is that not every taupe is the right color for everyone. If you have a dark or cocoa complexion, a taupe this light may be too close to your skintone to give off the right effect. While I recommend you purchase this polish if you have light skin, (although please use my link below and not Amazon because for some reason their seller keeps sending people the wrong colors,) for girls with tan skin and darker, I recommend another shade. See below to find out what it is!

 

ALTERNATIVE SPOTLIGHT

You don't know Jacques by OPI

I have been in love with this polish for years now. OPI's "You Don't Know Jacques" is the version of "taupe" for girls with tan or dark skin. It's the tint of eggplant in this polish that makes it stand out against my skin and gives me the effect I want, as no one's skin is eggplant. Plus it's self-leveling. This one is a staple in my life for sure. 

 

"Turn on the Northern Lights" by OPI Infinite Finish

is it worth a try? Yes

Don't be fooled by the boring bottle photo that she's got. She's not called "Turn on the Northern Lights" for nothing. While the bottle shows what looks to be a one-tone creme, this polish is anything but! It has a gorgeous iridescent finish that glows red over the violet, creating a gorgeous contrast. I'm thinking of getting a bottle myself!

Plus I've tried two polishes from the new Infinite Shine collection so far, and have been very happy with their pigmentation, self-leveling and lasting ability. It's definitely worth the $12.50 investment. And for those of you who want to know, this color comes in a gel option too. 

 

"Mirrorball" by ORLY

is it worth a try? I DON'T THINK SO

Mirrorball is ORLY's attempt at a silver linear holographic polish...with what looks like flecks of larger holo polishes scattered about in it. What is that for? Texture? Oh well. I appreciate their making silver linear holographic polish available to those shopping at the drug store, I'm just not sure if I can trust them after seeing Simply Nailogical test their last scatter holo top coat attempt, Prisma Gloss Silver, here at the 10 minute 15 second mark. Cristine commented that it looks like they were trying to cut costs by adding regular silver glitter into the mix, and that the rainbow wasn't as apparent as their promotional photos showed off.

And while their price tag for Mirrorball is quite reasonable at $6.50 for a 0.6 oz bottle, I still don't think I can trust one of their holo polishes for now. In my opinion, if you want the most bang for your holographic buck, you should invest a few more dollars in the alternative I have listed below.

ALTERNATIVE SPOTLIGHT

"HARP ON IT" by COLOR CLUB

I have countless polishes from the Color Club Halo Hues collection, and they've all given great coverage, are self-leveling and look incredible in the sunlight! This alternative to Mirrorball may be more pricey, but you're truly paying for quality here. "Harp On It" is essential to a holo-lover's collection and is trusted to not be filled with giant glitter pieces or silver filler.

 

"Footloose" Deborah Lippmann

is it worth a try? IT DEPENDS...

Just like my review of "Head to Taupe," this one comes with a caveat. Just like red dresses, red shoes and red lipsticks, your shade of red must go with your skin tone. This polish is a bit on the orange side (and doesn't have many reviews because it's so new, that we can't really know for sure what it's like until one of us tries it,) so I recommend it for people who are tan but not orange (like the person whose and is shown bottom right,) and those with extremely fair or extremely dark skin, because you're guaranteed nice contrast.

Besides that, it's all guess work! For instance, I'm slightly tan, but I also have a yellow tint to my skin, so anything orange doesn't stand out enough. I like a much darker Coca-Cola red or even closer to a burgundy. And for you, you'll have to do your own research to find the red polish of your dreams. But I don't think anyone should make blanket statements that a specific shade of red polish is right for everyone. So I recommend everyone check out OPI, Essie and Cirque collections to find your right shade of creme red, if you'd like to follow this trend. And maybe I'll go shopping with you as my favorite shade of red is a discontinued American Apparel polish I bought years ago.

 

"Celebrity" by Chanel

is it worth a try? Maybe if you have the salary of a celebrity

If you're rich, buy this polish. It looks gorgeous and the reviews are good. But if you're like me and you're not ready to spend $28 on a bottle of nail polish, I have alternatives for you! I mean sheesh, who do these Chanel people think they are charging $28 for a small bottle of plain black nail polish? It's not like their lacquer Sargasso, which is such a uniquely chic shade of green that you just have to splurge...(Forget I said that.) There are plenty of gorgeous black nail polishes that are opaque in one coat and give stunning coverage that don't cost an arm and a leg. See two examples below.

ALTERNATIVE SPOTLIGHT

MEMENTO MORI BY CIRQUE / LIQUID LEATHER BY CHINA GLAZE

Queen Cristine of Simply Nailogical has done two separate experiments where she's tested black polishes for quality in hopes of finding the best options on the market. She found one by indie brand Cirque and one by drug store brand China Glaze that she feels work wonderfully. See her experiments below. I don't use black polish too often, so I went for Liquid Leather by China Glaze, and have been very happy with my purchase. While it doesn't self-level for me, a quick-dry top coat fixes everything and gives it an incredible finish that I recommend. Sometimes it can be found for as low as $6!

But as I've said in the beginning, not everything works for everyone. My advice is based on what I know about brands and what I've seen bloggers and Queen Cristine say. But whether you're interested in trends or not, just be smart with your money and be sure to get the colors that will keep you staring down at your hands!

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