A-England The Legend Collection Swatches and Review!

Good afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers!  I hope you all are having a fabulous Wednesday!  Due to the day off on Monday, I'm so thrown off on what day of the week it is!  Today, I have an AMAZING collection to show you!  I had tried three A-England polishes from the Mythical Collection and fell in love with them so now that I had the chance to try the Legend Collection, I'm hooked!  While the Mythicals were based in Camelot stories I knew the tales but the legend of Saint George was new to me and I had to Wikipedia it!  I have 6 out of the 7 to show you today (I don't have Ascalon) but these are awesome!  Unfortunately since it's been rainy and grey every time I've had time to swatch, I can't show you these beauties in all their glory in the sun but they are still gorgeous!  Now, without further ado, on to the polish!

 Above:  2 coats of Bridal Veil

Above:  Macro Bottle Shot of Bridal Veil

First up is Bridal Veil, a gorgeous black polish that's packed with scattered holographic particles.  This was NOT easy to photograph and really convey the true gorgeousness.  The holo effect was fairly strong in this one, not quite like a linear holographic polish but fairly close!  This is a great "new" way to wear black since sometimes just a black creme can be severe.  The formula was excellent, it was practically a one coater!

 Above:  2 coats of Dragon

Above:  Macro Bottle Shot of Dragon

Dragon is the first polish from this collection that I bought!  Dragon is a gorgeous medium green that in the right lighting has flashes of bronze/gold to it!  I didn't even notice the slight duochrome until I had it on but it's stunning!  The holographic particles in Dragon have a bit of a blue tinge and it's just stunning in direct light!  The formula was excellent, practically a one coater but I used two for good measure.

 Above:  2 coats of Order of the Garter

Above:  Macro Bottle Shot of Order of the Garter

Order of the Garter is the only polish in this collection that does not have holographic particles in it which made me a bit sad because this polish would be STUNNING as a holo!  However it's a glass fleck so we'll let that slide.  Order of the Garter is a bright royal blue with lighter blue glass flecks that looks stunning on the nail.  My only complaint is that the formula was a lot more thin than every other A-England that I've tried and definitely needed two thicker coats to be opaque but it's still gorgeous!

 Above:  2 coats of Princess Sabra

Above:  Macro Bottle Shot of Princess Sabra

Now I was expecting this to be a brighter gold based on the other swatches I had seen but I actually liked it much better in person!  I found Princess Sabra to be a gorgeous light gold with flashes of olive green and a really strong holographic effect for being a scattered holo polish.  I love that this is subtle but still interesting, it's the perfect polish for when you need something demure but can't stand the thought of a boring nude!  The formula was fantastic, almost a one coater!

Above:  2 coats of Princess Tears

Princess Tears is one of those awesome shades where you can't tell if it's a grey or a light purple and it switches between them due to the holographic effect.  I'm in LOVE!  The holo effect on this one was amazing, it almost looks linear!  I absolutely adore how this looks on the nails.  The formula was great, opaque in two coats and oh so very pretty!

 Above:  2 coats of Saint George

Above:  Macro Bottle Shot of Saint George

Saint George is the other polish I bought along with Dragon when this collection came out.  As many of you know, I love teal polish.  Teal HOLO polish and I was sold!  Saint George is such a rich and saturated teal, it's, dare I say, the perfect polish!  I'm seriously obsessed with it.  Best part about it?  Unlike many teals, NO STAINING!  Hallelujah A-England has perfected the art of a non staining teal!  The holo effect in this one was one of the weakest of the group but I don't care, it's still stunning!  And, this one was actually a one coater but I still did a second coat because I feel weird if I don't!

All in all, this is one amazing collection!  Holos, one coaters, vibrant shades and a bit of duochrome, what more could a girl ask for in her nail polish?  Now I need to go read the story of Saint George and the Dragon so I can know what all the polishes are named after!  A-England is available on their website or at websites like Llarowe and Ninja Polish.

What do you think of this collection? Any must haves? Any dupes?

Some of the products in this post were sent to me for my unbiased review. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

A-England Tristam Swatch and Review!

Good afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers! I hope you all had a great weekend! I spent this last weekend in Chicago with the bf and my family (and yes, I did get 4 new polishes thanks to my mom) AND the new iPhone 4s! It's so fun! But, enough about me! Today I have the last of my 3 new A-England polishes, the lovely Tristam, so without further ado, on to the polish!



Above: 2 coats of Tristam

Ah Tristam, (or as he's known more often in Arthurian Legend) was a sexy knight of the round table. The polish that uses his namesake is a gorgeous dark blue, almost a denim blue, that is packed full of shimmer. After 2 coats it was perfectly opaque, the formula was just wonderful as all the other A-England polishes I've tried, and I just love it. But wait! There is a surprise hidden in this polish!





In the light, it's holo! It's a scattered holo, not as strong as could be seen in Lady of the Lake, but it's so pretty! I love a good hidden holo, don't you? Here is a quick macro shot of Tristam:



All in all, I loved Tristam! It's definitely unique in my collection because I don't have too many scattered holos and certainly not a dark blue one! I absolutely love the formula on these A-England polishes, definitely worth the money.

What do you all think of Tristam? Do you like the hidden holos? Are there any other A-England polishes I should get?

A-England Avalon

Good Afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers! First of all, I just want to let you all know that the 700 Follower Giveaway has been extended to October 21! I'm going away this weekend and just don't have enough time to get together another giveaway so I'm extending it a week AND adding a surprise polish for each winner!

Now, for today's polish I'm bringing you another stunner from the A-England Mythicals collection. These are all just so gorgeous! Now, without further ado, on to the polish!





Above: 2 coats of Avalon

Above: macro shot of Avalon

Ah Avalon. The Island of the Dead, home to immortal beings and where Kind Arthur's sword Excalibur was forged. Yes, I'm a dork for Arthurian legends. So Avalon, really cool place and a really cool nail polish color! Avalon is a deep purple that's packed with shimmer and just gorgeous. Completely opaque in two coats, this is one of those purples that looks like it's lit from within, but I love that it's not blackened on the sides! Avalon is simply a gorgeous purple for fall! I haven't looked into dupes yet, but off the top of my head I can't think of a purple with this much blue in it that doesn't go into "blurple" range. Avalon actually may be my new favorite purple!

So far, I am really impressed with A-England nail polishes. Yes, they are more expensive than your average brand but their colors are beautiful and unique (of the ones I've tried) and are really a great quality. To order these lovely polishes, check out Llarowe's website!

What do you all think of Avalon? What are some of your favorite purple polishes?

A-England Lady of the Lake

Good afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! First thing is that I'm still working on the giveaway that closed on Friday and hope to have a winner up by tomorrow! Second, I'm doing something really fun and exciting tomorrow and I can't wait to share it all with you later this week, so if I don't get a chance to post anything other than the giveaway winner tomorrow, I apologize in advance.

So, now that the housekeeping is out of the way, today I am going to review a polish for you from a brand that's completely new to me! Yay I love finding new brands! A-England is a British brand that just recently began to be sold in the US. Today, I'm showing you what might be my favorite of theirs that I got to try! Now, without further ado, on to the nail polish!



Above: 2 coats of Lady of the Lake

First of all, let me say that I love that all the A-England polishes are named after references to King Arthur and Camelot! I'm such a sucker for the King Arthur stories. Lady of the Lake is a gorgeous deep purple filled with what looks like multi-colored micro glitter pieces. It's fully opaque in 2 coats and has a great formula that goes on incredibly smooth. But wait! Look what happens when they light hits it:




It's HOLOGRAPHIC! Oh my god! I was so freaking excited when I saw this! It definitely does not look like it would be as holographic as it is and it is just stunning! I couldn't get a picture in full sunlight but you can imagine how incredible it would be! Here is a macro shot:



Absolutely gorgeous! I also bought 2 more A-England polishes that will be reviewed soon but I was very impressed by this brand. I bought them from Llarowe which can be found HERE for $12 and she also carries some great brands like Glitter Gal and Ozotics!

What did you think of Lady of the Lake? Do you like the hidden holo? Have you tried any A-England?