a-england Week: Day 6 - Guinevere

I was drawn by this colour, not quite knowing why I was attracted to such a light shade. Then Adina put my thoughts into words: "it's so chic!"... and I was sold!

This lilac has a hint of grey that makes it oh-so-interesting. It's not a little girl's lilac, it's a mature lavender, if that makes any sense. It's classy, glossy and incredibly feminine.

Cremes can often show ridges and imperfections and, despite being quite light, this polish is very forgiving. The formula on this is great. It's smooth and has great staying power.

One thing that normally annoys me about light colours is that you need loads of coats, but this nail varnish looks gorgeous with just two. Ideal for impatient or busy ladies!

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I had it on with a holo glitter accent finger and got many compliments. See it for yourselves below:

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Brand: a-england

Collection: The Mythicals

Name: Guinevere

Type: Creme

Colour: Lilac

Pantone equivalent: 272

Make Up Alley rating: N/A

Potential dupes: Haven't found any yet!

Buy it directly from a-england, £9 with free worldwide shipping

I used:

1 x OPI Natural Base Coat

2 x a-england Guinevere

1 x Save The Nail 45 Second Top Coat
Accent nail:
2 x OPI Servin' Up Sparkle

Metadata:

Canon EOS 450D - 50 mm - f/1.8 - ISO 400 - indoors - no flash - daylight

a-england Week: Day 5 - Tristam

Another best seller, Adina advised me to get this little gem when I visited her in London. 

I can see why this would be popular: I haven't seen many navy blue holos before! This colour is so tasteful and the scattered holographic effect is so delicate... it's definitely beautiful.

I am starting to sound like a broken record here, but Adina is not compromising on quality. Did you know her nail varnishes are made in the UK and are B3F? The brushes are consistently good, pick up enough product and are easy to use. As with all other a-england products, I also like the shape of the cap, since it allows me to apply the polish with accuracy and minimal clean up.

Once again, this shade is very pigmented and you could possibly get away with one thick coat. It's bound to get noticed, so be prepared for compliments.

Tristam is like a starry Summer night: twinkling under open skies, yet unassuming when indoors. Simply stunning!

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Some photos in direct sunlight:

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Did you think I was going to talk about this sweet little fella?

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Brand: a-england

Collection: The Mythicals

Name: Tristam

Type: (Scattered) Holographic

Colour: Blue

Pantone equivalent: N/A

Make Up Alley rating: N/A

Potential dupes: Haven't found any yet!

Buy it directly from a-england, £9 with free worldwide shipping

It's out of stock I'm afraid, but you can email Adina and secure yours when the next batch is ready!

I used:

1 x OPI Natural Base Coat

2 x a-england Tristam

1 x Save The Nail 45 Second Top Coat

Metadata:

Canon EOS 450D - 50 mm - f/1.8 - ISO 400/200 - indoors/outdoors - no flash - daylight/sunshine

a-england Week: Day 4 - Galahad

Adina told me that coming up with The Mythicals took its time. The first collection has a bit for everyone and the most youthful shade in it, in my mind, is Galahad.

If Galahad is a knight in shiny armour, then blue is the perfect colour. In Spanish, my mother tongue, Prince Charming is called príncipe azul (blue prince), so it's very fitting and heroic indeed. By the way, did you know that Adina speaks great Spanish?

The colour itself is very pretty. It's a light teal, as easy to apply and glossy as the rest of the collection. The formula is excellent again, it dries quickly and is saturated without staining. I can't fault it!

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Brand: a-england
Collection: The Mythicals

Name: Galahad

Type: Creme

Colour: Blue

Pantone equivalent: 2925

Make Up Alley rating: N/A

Potential dupes: Haven't found any yet!

Buy it directly from a-england, £9 with free worldwide shipping

I used:

1 x OPI Natural Base Coat

2 x a-england Galahad

1 x Save The Nail 45 Second Top Coat

Metadata:

Canon EOS 450D - 50 mm - f/1.8 - ISO 400 - indoors - no flash - daylight

a-england Week: Day 3 - Lady of the Lake

When I first checked out a-england, this was the polish that stood out for me. Purple is possibly my favourite colour and I love holos, so it was a match made in nail heaven. 

Once again, the formula is excellent. It's smooth, glossy and has all the attributes a quality nail varnish should have. This was the first a-england I ordered so I gave it a good test run: after four days of having it on, there was very slight tip wear but no chipping at all. 

Adina is not a flashy character, and neither are her holos. Some holos are all about showing off, as if they were shouting: "look at me, I'm a rainbow!"; a-england's version is more subtle and understated, as if they were whispering: "now you see me... now you don't". It's about being enchanting and mysterious - definitely a look women of all ages can successfully pull off.

I could see people focusing on my hands as I spoke to them and got many compliments, even from those who hadn't seen it under direct sunlight. A winner all around, no wonder this is one of a-england's best selling shades!

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Can you see the magic?

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Below is a photo of an accent nail in Lady of the Lake, using Elaine as the base colour:

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Brand: a-england

Collection: The Mythicals

Name: Lady of the Lake

Type: (Scattered) Holographic

Colour: Purple

Pantone equivalent: N/A

Make Up Alley rating: 5/5

Potential dupes: Haven't found any yet!

Buy it directly from a-england, £9 with free worldwide shipping

I used:

1 x OPI Natural Base Coat

2 x a-england Lady of the Lake

1 x Save The Nail 45 Second Top Coat

1 x OPI Natural Base Coat

2 x a-england Elaine

1 x a-england Lady of the Lake

1 x Save The Nail 45 Second Top Coat

Metadata:

Canon EOS 450D - 50 mm - f/1.8 - ISO 400/200 - indoors/outdoors - no flash - daylight/sunshine/artificial light

a-england Week: Day 2 - Elaine

Sometimes it's nice to go back to your first love. In my case it's dark cremes, so Elaine was an easy choice for me.

I love this deep aubergine. When I told one of my blogger friends that I had got this nail varnish she said: "it's very you" and she was spot on. 

This is a very pigmented purple which might look almost black to the untrained eye. It reminds me of discovering nail varnish as a teenager, it's one of those classical shades that never goes out of fashion.

It goes on like a dream and is true to the bottle. One thick coat might be enough for some but I am happier with two, especially as it dries quickly enough. It's very smooth, glossy and self levelling.

It has quickly become my go-to purple. Are you a fan of vampy shades like me?

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Brand: a-england

Collection: The Mythicals

Name: Elaine

Type: Creme

Colour: Purple

Pantone equivalent: 2695

Make Up Alley rating: N/A

Potential dupes: Close to Zoya Pinta, but not enough!

Buy it directly from a-england, £9 with free worldwide shipping

I used:

1 x OPI Natural Base Coat

2 x a-england Elaine

1 x Save The Nail 45 Second Top Coat

Metadata:

Canon EOS 450D - 50 mm - f/1.8 - ISO 400 - indoors - no flash - daylight