A friend on Twitter asked me a question the other day – what is my “must -have” nail polish for the holidays? My first thought was “just choose one?”. The past few years have seen the nail polish world changing dramatically and growing exponentially. Past seasons have been more about nail polish trends, than about specific colours. That said, each season certainly has a colour (or two!) that really shine and are most certainly “must-haves”!

What do you need this Holiday season? Well, first, as with every season, you need a Red. A gorgeous, glowing red that brightens shorter days and that glows at nighttime parties. This year, that red is Chanel Le Vernis Rouge Rubis. This has become my Perfect Red, and I am already thinking I better get a back-up bottle just in case. It’s a limited edition colour, let’s hope they make it permanent. It may be the most gorgeous red polish I’ve ever seen.

The next colour you need is a dark vamp. Last year my favourite dark colour was Chanel Malice, which I still love, but this year is about glitter. And especially in darker vampy colours. This year, I have two Vamp Sparkles for you, because I loveth them both. First is Dior Minuit, a rich bordeaux burgundy with gold flecks:

The other Vamp Sparkle is a gorgeous midnight grey-black with multicolour glitter flecks – the stunningly gorgeous Jin Soon Choi Obsidian. Jin Soon Choi is a niche luxury nail polish line that has become a favourite of mine. I’ve been using Jin Soon Power Coat strengthening base coat and Top Gloss quick-dry top coat, and I can safely say that in conjunction with with Obsidian these three polishes have given me the longest lasting manicures I have ever had. I can go minimum four days with only minor tip wear. Amazing! The camera cannot capture the sparkles – can you believe how gorgeous it is? You need it. You can buy Jin Soon Choi polishes on their website. I get mine from Gee Beauty in Toronto, but they also have a shop in Bal Harbour.

It wouldn’t be a holiday without sparkle, and boy oh boy is there glitter this season! Essie took glitter polish to a whole new level this year with their Encrusted Treasures Collection. This collex has a bunch of textured polishes, from a fine sand texture, to giant glitter, to crazy caviar like boules. Really. My favourites? On A Silver Platter – a violet holographic and antique silver glitter in a stunning pearlescent gold base. Wow. This is two coats, with a base and top coat. Removal was actually pretty easy for a glitter, just a little elbow grease.

The other glitter in the Encrusted Treasures collex that stole my heart is Hors D’Oeuvres! Wow! It’s an incredible platinum gold glitter nail polish with a touch of iridescent silver glitter – I am wearing two coats here. This is seriously luxe and gorgeous and perfect for any occasion. The craziest thing about these glitter polishes – after a day or two of wearing them, they start to feel like neutral polishes! Gold and silver goes with anything, you know. Tip – can you imagine how gorgeous one coat of Essie Hors D’Oeuvres would look over Chanel Rouge Rubis?

Are you wearing glitters or colour this holiday season? How about both? Tell me what your favourite nail polish for this season?