A-England Katyusha
Katyusha was released in June this year by British boutique polish maker A-England as part of the Russian Soul collection, a series of five polishes inspired by Russian music and dance. The name Katyusha comes from the Russian wartime song composed in 1938 by Matvei Blanter with lyrics from Mikhail Isakovsky, which combines elements of the heroic upbeat battle song with a peasant song depicting a girl longing for her absent love.
Creator Adina describes this as a "dramatic and unique flashing of rainbow hues, like a light opal on a precious holographic base." It is primarily a soft, smooth, luminous silver metallic with a bit of that brassy hue that sterling takes on as it oxidizes, and appears to contain duochromatic pigment with a green/purple shift. Heavily silvered, these are not powerful, abrupt shifts. They are gentle nuances, subtle but noticeable, in response to different kinds or angles of light. They generate a certain abstract abalone kind of vibe and are responsible for how differently this polish can appear from moment to moment, now with a cast of pale silvery sea green, then shaded by a faint penumbra of lavender grey. In the sun, the holographic properties are in full force with a brilliant display of fine prismatic sparks in a loose linear fashion surrounding a semi-metallic lick of violet-tinged silver.
Application was great! The consistency of Katyusha is fluid, creamy and dense with a medium viscosity and a silky, fluent, self-leveling slip over the nail that is a pleasure to manipulate with A-England's round, flexible brush. A light touch will help prevent brushstrokes from showing, as this polish is quite sensitive in that respect. Pigmentation is excellent. I used two coats for this manicure but it is almost wearably opaque in one. Cleanup is easy. Katyusha dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not appear to inhibit the holographic properties in any way.
Photos show two coats of Katyusha over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.
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From what I've seen, Katyusha is a fan favorite as a background for nail art. Its subtle complexity lends it to this purpose, I think, and makes it a sophisticated choice. It's quite moody for a silver holo, which also may be attractive to experienced nail artists. I find it rather otherworldly, quite unlike any other silver holo in my experience.
xo,
Liz
A wonderful review of this polish, Liz. You describe it perfectly and bring attention to facets of it that one might miss if not paying attention. It is beautiful. Your words 'subtle complexity' describes its character well.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lara! *beam*
DeleteShe's such a complicated beast but you nailed the description! Pun not really intended. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, she is! Thank you, lasoti!
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