New Release: A England — Sargent’s Vision (Summer 2017)

2017-05-122017-05-12 fivezero4 Comments

Collection: A England 2017 Summer, Sargent’s Vision

English indie nail polish brand A England has released Sargent’s Vision, a collection of four holographic shades.

The collection is named for American artist John Singer Sargent; one of the shades is named for his 1885 painting “Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose” (pictured in the banner above).

I’m partial to Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl (1862) and “Portrait of Madame X” (1884):

“Portrait of Madame X”, John Singer Sargent (1884)
Image: wikipedia.org

The four shades are:

Carnation Lily Lily Rose (holographic)
Angelic translucent azure radiating delicate multiple hues.
Symphony In Green and Gold (holographic)
Sublime honeydew green with hints of gold reflections.
Symphony In Blue and Silver (holographic)
Dreamy powder blue enhanced by flashes of green and silver light.
Nocturne (holographic)
Holographic. Twilight black with a red nuance revealing at times its prismatic spectacle.

A England Nail Varnish retails for GBP£11 / CA$15.50.

Happy shopping!

[Featured Image: a-england.co.uk]

A England Nail Varnish in Her Rose Adagio, swatch

A England — Her Rose Adagio (Nail Varnish) Swatch & Review

2017-02-142017-05-22 fivezero8 Comments

Collection: A England 2013 Winter, Ballerina

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today’s polish comes from indie brand A England’s 2013 Ballerina collection.

Her Rose Adagio is described by A England as “faded roses in a silver prismatic base, as romantic as it is ‘en pointe'”. The base is a pastel pink, but as the polish is loaded with fine, silver holographic shimmer, the overall look is pale mauve.

A England Nail Varnish in Her Rose Adagio

A England Nail Varnish in Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty, swatch

A England — Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty (Nail Varnish) Swatch & Review

2017-02-062017-05-08 fivezero4 Comments

Collection: A England 2013, Burne-Jones Dream

Indie brand A England‘s 2013 collection, Burne-Jones Dream, references the work of 19th century British artist Edward Burne-Jones. I’ve previously reviewed Rose Bower and Sleeping Palace from this collection.

The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon (1898), Edward Burne-Jones — The Legend of Briar Rose: The Garden Court (1885–1890), Edward Burne-Jones.
Buscot Park, England.
Image: wikipedia.org

Briar Rose / Sleeping Beauty is another romantic shade from this collection. It’s a deep cranberry pink with fine holographic shimmer that gives it a soft-focus look. The shade veers a little purplish on the nail, but it’s still remarkably neutral and I think it’d look good on most skintones.

A England Nail Varnish in Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty — A England Nail Varnish in Briar Rose / Sleeping Beauty

A England Nail Varnish in Rose Bower, swatch

A England — Rose Bower (Nail Varnish) Swatch & Review

2017-02-032017-05-09 fivezero5 Comments

Collection: A England 2013, Burne-Jones Dream

Indie brand A England‘s 2013 collection, Burne-Jones Dream, references the work of 19th century British artist Edward Burne-Jones. I’ve previously reviewed Sleeping Palace from this collection, where I talk more about the collection’s inspiration!

I’ve been trying to swatch some more romantically-inclined colors for Valentine’s Day, and Rose Bower struck me as a particularly lovely option. It’s a gorgeous azalea red—intense and pinked—with fine holographic shimmer.

Indie Nail Polish Haulage from Harlow & Co (November 2016)

Haulage! Harlow & Co (November 2016)

2017-01-26 fivezero8 Comments

Well, I had a rough night so I have no swatch post written up for today.

I stupidly stayed up until 3 doing (mostly) some work and then little Olive, who had been so nicely sleeping through the night for a month, decided she would wake up at 4 in the morning and stay like that for an hour or so, instead of sleeping through to 7 or 8 like she usually does. Of course, both she and Peanut woke up at 7ish so I basically got an hour of sleep, and then about an hour and a half after that.

So here’s a haulage post! ‘Cause they’re pretty easy to do, ha!

I actually ordered this back in November but didn’t get around to even opening it until a week ago. (I know that’s a bad idea, just in case the wrong items were shipped. It’s a very bad habit I have.) It’s my first order from Canadian online nail polish retailer Harlow & Co. They were running a Black Friday sale, so I got my first two Colors by Llarowe and three more A Englands.

(By the way, Harlow & Co’s website doesn’t load when you type in “harlowandco.org” without the “www.” I’ve emailed them about this—it’s a pretty quick fix—but they haven’t bothered. I never type in “www”, so this annoys me. Also I think it’s weird that they’re clearly a for-profit business with a .org domain. I guess someone’s squatting on harlowandco.com.)

Here are my goodies!
Read More »

A England — Sleeping Palace (Nail Varnish) Swatch & Review

2016-10-172017-05-06 fivezero8 Comments

Collection: A England 2013, Burne-Jones Dream

Indie label A England‘s 2013 collection, Burne-Jones Dream, references the work of 19th century British artist Edward Burne-Jones. Much of his work is dreamily romantic, and often inspired by works of mythology and literature.

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing some of his work in person, at galleries in London and Birmingham, England—my favorite, however, was one I was lucky enough to catch on loan at Madrid’s Prado, The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon (1898).

As an aside, I just want to share a related story. I was lining up at the Prado—the same time I saw the Burne-Jones—and they were advertising an exhibit by another British artist, Francis Bacon, on loan from the Tate Modern. A little Spanish girl in front of me stared at the posters for a while, then tugged at her parents’ sleeves, pointed and exclaimed, “Francis Jamón!” (ham). So adorable! I didn’t have time to check out the Bacon exhibit, which also cost extra, but I’m kind of glad because I think it would probably have given me nightmares.

Another of Burne-Jones’ famous works is The Legend of Briar Rose, a series of paintings that refer to the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. A England’s Burne-Jones Dream consists of five polishes inspired by this series: Briar Rose, Briarwood, Fated Prince, Rose Bower, and my polish today, Sleeping Palace.

Sleeping Palace is, like other holographic A England polishes I have, a subtle but stunning holographic shimmer. It’s a deep, muted eggplant purple with glints of silver and copper.

New Release: A England — Tennyson’s Romance (Winter 2016)

2016-10-172016-10-16 fivezero4 Comments

[Image: a-england.co.uk]

Collection: A England 2016 Winter, Tennyson’s Romance

English indie nail polish brand A England has released Tennyson’s Romance, a collection of five holographic shades.

The new shades are (descriptions are mine based off the image above—I’ll update this later when they show up on the official website):

King Cophetua (black holographic)
The Beggar Maid (mink holographic)
Angel Grace (orchid holographic)
In Robe and Crown (wine holographic)
Shall Be My Queen (ruby holographic)

I can’t wait for the actual descriptions, as these all look intriguing!

♦♦♦♦♦

A England Nail Lacquer is 0.39 fl oz / 11 mL and retails for £12 / CA$15.50. The polish is free of toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl phthalate (DBP). The company is cruelty-free.

A England is based in London, England.