a-england Gothic Beauties Collection

I have been itching to post about the Gothic Beauties collection for months and they are finally here! 

Gothic Beauties

I spent a few days in London this week and squeezed in a visit to Adina and company before heading back home. My timing couldn't have been better!

When I first heard of the concept I was immediately sold: a small collection of five black nail varnishes with an elegant and mysterious twist. For those who have been following me here and on Twitter, it'll come as no surprise that I loved these even before setting eyes on them! These nail varnishes are so me that I just had to get them all.

Indoors - natural light

Outdoors - daylight

Adina is very passionate about her brand and everything that she does, and created each shade with a lot of care and thought. Talking to her is a real delight and her love for her polishes is contagious.

As with all a-england nail varnishes, each shade has a story behind it. These gems are based on characters from literature who either have a darkness within or end their lives in tragic circumstances. This darkness is represented in the base of all of these colours: Camelot, a-england's signature black creme.

The formula on these is excellent as usual: it goes on smoothly and requires minimal clean up if you have a fairly steady hand, which is a bonus considering black polish can be tricky to get off from your cuticles.

They are so richly pigmented that one coat would have probably been enough; two ensure perfect coverage and leave no staining upon removal. One thing I love about a-england polishes is that you have the flexibility to just apply one coat if you're doing your nails in a hurry! They are also great for stamping, as I have recently discovered.

I applied a coat of The Knight base coat, two coats of each polish and one coat of The Shield top coat for the photos below. A skittles mani seemed apt so you can see the differences between each colour:

Jane Eyre (little finger) is packed with red and coppery micro particles which resemble embers. It's very effective, yet subtle, and a perfect fit for the character it is named after. 

Ophelia (ring finger) is my personal favourite. The darkest of all, it is brimming with purple and some fuchsia particles. The purple is piercing, much like Avalon - I think the two together would make a lovely mani!

Avalon (top) - Ophelia (bottom)

Lady of Shalott (middle finger) is full of blue particles, with a hint of purple/pink to add depth.

Tess d'Urbervilles (index finger) is probably the most noticeable of all, with its emerald green particles. I think I saw some teal in there too, but don't quote me on that.

Dorian Gray (thumb) started as a black but became pewter in the process. It has shimmering gold particles that add intensity to this shade and it's very classy and wearable. When compared to King Arthur, Dorian Gray is more sepia, like an aged version of a-england's other dark silver/pewter shade.

King Arthur (top) - Dorian Gray (bottom)

King Arthur (back) - Dorian Gray (front)

Despite being black, you can still notice the difference between one polish and the other indoors, but they really come alive in the sunlight. Besides Dorian Gray, which is the most unique of the five, Tess d'Urberville and Lady of Shallot look lighter than the other two (Ophelia and Jane Eyre).

If you are desperate to get your hands on the Gothic Beauties collection and can't wait for the a-england website to sell them, you can order them from tomorrow, Saturday 1st September, by emailing your choice to hello@a-england.co.uk. Did that make your weekend or what?!

I understand from Adina that two new shades will be available before the end of the year, so stay tuned. 

By the way, in case you are not familiar with each character, a perfectly executed description of them, as well as a full review, is available at Eugenia's highly recommended blog: ommorphia beauty bar.

Last but not least, I am sure you all want to see handsome Tristam, looking very grown up indeed, so here's a little photo for your viewing pleasure:

Tristam, Adina's gorgeous cat

Nail art ideas using a-england Guinevere

I haven't had a lot of time to post lately but I am still experimenting with my nails on a regular basis and try to take photos whenever possible. 

Nail art has been growing on me since first attempting it back in February and I now try to enhance my manicures with simple designs.

I have a couple of ideas to share with you, both using the same base colour. As you are probably aware, I am a big fan of lilac cremes and Guinevere is one of my favourite nail varnishes.

The first option is with a-england Elaine and three different sized dotting tools. It's really easy to do, all you need is a steady hand!

The second option is what I would probably consider cheating: stamping! I'd fancied getting some Konad plates for a while, tempted by the possibility of achieving symmetry and more intricate patterns, so I gave them a go.

For this mani I used a-england King Arthur, as I wanted a subtle silver shimmer instead of a more eye-catching, contrasting look. The plate is M65 and I chose the roses design for a delicate and utterly feminine result.

The photos below are in bright sunshine to appreciate the roses more clearly.

Mythical Fair

If you have been following my blog since its start, you are probably well aware that I am a huge fan of a-england's.

To celebrate 5,000 Facebook likes, Adina has launched her biggest promo ever: All of The Mythicals nail varnishes at just £5 each, almost half price! This includes some fan favourites like Tristam and Lady of the Lake.

The only catch is... it ends on 22nd July, so you'll need to hurry! Get them here.

For swatches, reviews and nail art, check out my a-england posts here.

Leighton Denny - Coral Reef

Ladies in the UK have been spoilt this Summer, we have a choice of nine top quality nail polishes free with fashion magazines!

Today I am showing you my latest acquisition: Coral Reef by Leighton Denny, which came free with July's issue of Harper's Bazaar. This is my first nail varnish by this beauty expert and, unlike the free polishes by Ciaté and Nails Inc I got this month, Coral Reef is actually part of the S/S 2012 collection and retails at £11. So you really are getting a bargain!

I have to say I am not a huge fan of the bottle. I think it looks a little dated and, although this has no reflection on the quality of the product inside, it would not grab my attention on a shelf. Having said that, the nail varnish itself is very good, goes on smoothly and evenly and offers optimum coverage in two coats.

This colour is a coral red shade with a pink shimmer which makes it very glossy indeed. I am not sure this is very me, but I have a feeling it might grow on me after a while. My husband reckons it would appeal to an older audience, but it's a matter of taste I suppose. I feel that is it so summery it makes my hands look tanned. See for yourselves:

Click to enlarge

Brand: Leighton Denny

Collection: Castaway

Name: Coral Reef

Type: Creme/Shimmer

Colour: Coral red

Pantone equivalent: N/A

Make Up Alley rating: N/A

Potential dupes: Zoya Nicole, Nicole by OPI The Right Thing and OPI Bright Lights Big Color definitely look more orange.

Free with the July 2012 edition of Harper's Bazaar (£4.20)

I used:

1 x Save the Nail Eau So Hydrated Base Coat

2 x Leighton Denny Coral Reef

1 x Save The Nail 45 Second Top Coat

Metadata:

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

Nail Art: Irregular Dots

Continuing with the freebies, a few days ago I decided to try Ciaté Bon Bon, a near nude with a hint of mauve that I got with July's Marie Claire magazine.

I found it was good formula and application wise, but the colour looked a bit washed out against my skin tone. So I decided it was the perfect background for a nail art design I'd seen some time ago on Pinterest:

Source: bellasugar.com via Cecilia on Pinterest

I really liked the middle finger on Jennifer Love Hewitt's right hand so I copied that design on my left ring finger. Every other nail was inspired by her mani.

I used OPI Black Onyx and two dotting tools. I found that this was one of the easiest nail art designs ever because you don't have to match every nail, so I even managed to do my right hand with some success. A steady(ish) pulse and a table to rest my hands on was all I needed!

I've had this on for four days now and I love it. The photos I took when it was fresh came out terrible so I had to re-take them today before removing it; you'll have to excuse my cuticles on the pictures below:

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge