A England Tristam

Tristam was released by British indie polish maker A England as part of the Mythicals collection, Adina's very first polish collection, in 2011. So it is an older polish, but not the least bit wanting for that. All of A England's offerings are kept in stock and available via the A England website and a variety of international stockists. No disappearing acts here!

Tristam is described as a "night blue sky with starlight glimmer and glow." It's a deep nicely-saturated denim blue scattered holographic polish. The holographic pigments in this polish are of a relatively large and easily visible particle size, producing rainbow sparks of light throughout in direct sun with a trace linear display at certain angles. The purpose of the holo here is not to fight for dominance over the color, but to subtly enhance it. And this it does quite well, producing a gently nuanced azure bloom along the axis of light in almost any lighting situation that deepens to indigo at the edges of the nail. It's a beautiful sophisticated dark blue polish that is graceful and chic on the nail, with subtle holo propensities that are fluently incorporated into its composition.

Application was, as with every A England polishes I've experienced, a pleasure. The consistency of Tristam is fluid, creamy and dense with a supple, silky smooth slip over the nail and outstanding self-leveling properties. Pigmentation is also outstanding and this polish is for all practical purposes an easy one coater. I used two for all my usual reasons. Cleanup takes a little extra care with a dark polish this well-pigmented, as it can leave trace staining on skin and cuticles. If I experience nail staining upon removal, I'll let you know but I'd be surprised if one of Adina's polishes turned out to be a nail stainer. Tristam dries in good time to a high gloss finish.

Photos show two medium coats of Tristam over treatment and basecoat with a slightly bubbly topcoat of HK Girl.

A England Tristam

A England Tristam

A England Tristam

A England Tristam

A England Tristam

A England Tristam

A England Tristam

A England Tristam

A England Tristam

A England Tristam

And I've got some shots in direct sunlight so that you can see how the scattered holo responds....

A England Tristam

A England Tristam

A England Tristam

A England Tristam

A England Tristam

A England Tristam

A England Tristam

I love scattered holos and generally prefer their subtleties over the fierce blaze of linear holos. This wonderful polish is a perfect example of how large-particle holos work their magic. It isn't going to produce a flame-shaped delineated display on the nail, but it will charm you with it's stealthy dimensional influence over the base color and make you smile with it's scattered rainbow sparks in direct sunlight. The particles themselves are clearly visible in the base color, giving Tristam a finely-grained visual texture that I find delicious. 

Yum!

love,
Liz