Sunday, November 15, 2015

A-England Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights was released in late September this year by British bijoux polish maker A-England as part of the To Emily Bronte collection, a series of polishes inspired by Bronte's 1847 novel Wuthering Heights. This polish is an homage to the ancient stone farmhouse that is "the setting of the novel; a dark, windy, stormy place." The house sits on the northern side of a hilltop also known as Wuthering Heights, a very exposed position on the Yorkshire moors at the end of a steep, twisting lane.

This polish is a creamy medium-toned cool grey with a gentle touch of violet, or as Sammy of The Nailasaurus adeptly characterizes it, a "bruised grey." It's a somber, moody sort of shade that seems to take its cues from the complexion of the wearer and the circumstances in which its viewed, with the violet tones more or less apparent depending. Like its stablemate Cathy, Wuthering Heights bears a modicum of finely-milled holographic pigment, just enough to produce a diaphanous, vestigial sprinkling of pale prismatic sparks in direct sun. In bright indirect light, the holo pigment reads as a luminous dusting of silvery specks with a glistening aspect that gives the polish a transcendent, otherworldly quality. Low light elicits a shadowy heathered appearance with an unexpected earthiness that hearkens to the weathered expanse of heath and stone of the Yorkshire moors. 

Application was dreamy. The consistency of Wuthering Heights is fluid, creamy and dense with a beautifully balanced viscosity for painting. It has a lush, velvety glide over the nail and excellent self-leveling properties. Pigmentation is also excellent, with near-opacity in one coat, although two coats provides fullest color and depth. Cleanup is easy and straightforward. Wuthering Heights dries naturally in very good time to a smooth shiny finish. A glossy topcoat adds a becoming elegance to the look. 

Photos show two coats of Wuthering Heights over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. Sincere apologies for the ill-groomed nail surrounds, which received some much-needed TLC immediately after I got done cropping these pics. Nothing like a serious dose of chagrin for motivation.


A-England Wuthering Heights


A-England Wuthering Heights


A-England Wuthering Heights


A-England Wuthering Heights


A-England Wuthering Heights


A-England Wuthering Heights


A-England Wuthering Heights


A-England Wuthering Heights


A-England Wuthering Heights


A-England Wuthering Heights


A-England Wuthering Heights


A-England Wuthering Heights


A-England Wuthering Heights


A-England Wuthering Heights


A-England Wuthering Heights

As you can see, Wuthering Heights shows almost none of its violet tint on my nails. If you'd like to see what it looks like with the violet more forthcoming, check out the astonishingly beautiful photos included in the review of it on the Dutch blog Nailtalk (translation by Google). Comparatively, there's only creator Adina's delicate holographic touch to suggest that they are even the same polish!

Formulated with the brand's signature excellence, this mercurial grey befits its inspiration well. The color is suggestive of lowered clouds before an impending storm, which speaks brilliantly to the atmosphere of Wuthering Heights in the novel. I wish that more of the purpley lavender aspect was apparent on my nails, but it has an understated, elegant beauty nonetheless. 

love,
Liz

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