A-England Nocturne

Continuing with the recently released Sargent's Vision collection from British boutique polish maker A-England, today's polish is Nocturne. In music, a nocturne is typically a single-movement composition of a romantic or dreamy character, inspired by or evocative of the night. This polish has a black base filled with red and holographic shimmers, symbolizing the looming darkness dotted with flowers and lighted Chinese lanterns in John Singer Sargent's 1885-6 painting Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose.

The general impression of Nocturne is of a pure, glossy black and that is how it appears in most viewing circumstances. Bright direct light, however, ignites the minute scattered red and holographic particles in the polish, producing a mobile, shimmering sheen of tiny sparks in red, spring green and gold with hints of azure and violet. It is an exquisitely delicate and ephemeral effect that conjures up the magical quality of the scene Sargent depicted in his painting. In addition, the red shimmers give the polish a faint, transparent red luster, almost more of a sensibility than an actual visual phenomenon but discernible as a glow or flash in certain circumstances.

Application was lovely. The consistency of Nocturne is fluid, full-bodied and creamy with a medium viscosity and a fluent, buttery, self-leveling slip over the nail that went on best for me in medium coats from a well-loaded brush. Pigmentation is outstanding -- this is a true one-coater. I added a second to tidy up some lines left wanting after my first coat, but it was otherwise unnecessary in terms of the look of the polish on the nail. Cleanup is straightforward with a bit of pigment travel as you might expect, but virtually no residual staining. Nocturne dries naturally in very good time to a beautiful glossy finish. 

Photos show two coats of Nocturne over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

A-England Nocturne

A-England Nocturne

A-England Nocturne

A-England Nocturne

A-England Nocturne

A-England Nocturne

A-England Nocturne

A-England Nocturne

A-England Nocturne

A-England Nocturne

A-England Nocturne

A-England Nocturne

I read that Nocturne has been described as a "rouge noir," a significant and fascinating detail that recalls Chanel's iconic Les Vernis No. 18 Rouge Noir nail lacquer that launched in 1994 and went on to become Chanel's best-selling unit-by-unit product ever. After its debut at the A/W Chanel show during Paris Fashion Week 1994, "red-black," as the color was referred to, was reformulated in the US and sold as No. 18 Vamp. Its intense popularity is credited by some as key to bringing dark, non-traditional polish colors into the mainstream of late twentieth century cosmetics. 

This bit of history is certainly part of Nocturne's pedigree, and reflects the scope of Adina's creative vision in designing her lacquers. Amazing!

love,
Liz