2013 Faves - Dusky and Berries

In my list of categories for 2013 favorite polishes, I wasn't sure what to call these as they aren't really pink, so I named this section "Dark Pinks".  As I was preparing this post, I realized that some are dusky pinks, some are dark pinks and the some are what I would call berries.  So now what?  Nothing!  The only thing that changes is the name....now they are my favorite dusky, dark pinks and berries.

Before we go further, just a reminder.  I always paint to opacity and then add one more coat for the macro pics.  In other words, when it says I used 3 coats, you can achieve "in real life opacity" at 2 coats.  In no particular order:

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Julep Joan - 3 coats
The lovely Joan!  She would be fully opaque, even in macros, with two coats, but I added a third for added depth of those gorgeous flakies.  Julep describes this as "A raspberry plum with a rose gold shimmer".  Raspberry plum, yes!  Rose gold, yes!  Shimmer?  NO!  What you see here is actually micro flakies!  Want proof?  Here is an ultra close up with flash to show them off.

No wonder I love Joan, considering my fascination with flakies!  Careful with her though, you can see that she is a bit of a cuticle stainer.  She is worth it though!  Yes, there is an overuse of exclamation points here, but this juicy girl deserves them!

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China Glaze Santa Red My List - 2 coats
I don't know why I love this so much.  It has a metallic berry shimmer and is what I would consider a weak duochrome with it's dark red edges.  I guess part of it is that this can easily be a one coater.  I love one coat polishes!  I haven't tried stamping with it yet, but I bet it would be brilliant!

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Etoile Winter Dusk - 3 coats
Etoile's site describes this as a "dark brownish mauve".  They also say that it has a "subtle rose glow".  Don't see it.  It does, however, have the scattering of diamond dust that Etoile is known for.  This is one of those high end polishes that I would not usually have in my stash, but it was another discount purchase from HauteLook (affiliate link).  I love this dusty berry color....and diamond dust?  Who doesn't love that!  Plus, it applies just like you would expect a high end polish...smooth as butter!

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Finger Paints Enchanted Winter - 2 coats
Two pinks with "winter" in their names?  I don't really think of pink in winter, but I guess it might be the rosey cheeks they are thinking of. This is one of several textured polishes on my list.  It is a dusky copper filled with silvery glitter.  When the NOPI Gumdrops came out, I really wanted Cinna-man of My Dreams, but couldn't find it anywhere.  This is not quite as dark as the NOPI (I think), but it captivates me just as well.  I was very happy to see Finger Paints jump on the texture finish bandwagon, especially since I have been underwhelmed with previous FP purchases.  They need to up their game, though, as there was NOTHING anywhere in their display to indicate that these were textured.  The sales person at Sallys Beauty did not even know!  I only knew because of the many nail blogs I follow.

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OPI I Knead Sour-Dough - 3 coats
Finally, my favorite dark pink of 2013.  This category was created because I needed to put this somewhere.  It has a pink leaning brown base, but with its pink shimmer, it does not belong with the browns.  This is my #1 dark pink.  Do you notice a pattern here?  All the others are in no particular order, but my top pick shows up last.  I think this color is elegant, interesting and unique.  It coordinates perfectly with my favorite pink, OPI Hands Off My Kielbasa, which only makes me love it more!

In writing this post, I realized that NONE of these have been featured on my blog!  I think it is just wrong that my favorites don't show up on my blog more often, don't you?  What do you think of this category?  Do you like my new category image?  Which of my favorites is your favorite?  Let me know, lovely readers!