Let's begin with Sir Loyal Heart, named with the sobriquet that Henry used when jousting and officially described as a "rich brown scatter holo with a dark burgundy reflection and golden shimmer." The color is a rich, dark, cool-toned seal brown with subtle aubergine and blackberry tones to it. Finely-milled holographic pigment gives it a shimmering, velvety, delicately-grained visual texture and abundant tiny golden microflake shimmers read as coppery gold through the base, gleaming brightly as light travels over them. The scattered prismatic display in the sun is especially gorgeous, a kaleidoscope of superfine, multicolored sparkle with a mobile, softly-gradated prismatic flush that travels up and down the nail as you bend your fingers in the light.
A-England has a new brush! Formerly round, it is now wide and flat with a tapered end, creating a perfect cuticle curve and delivering a smooth, even layer of polish over almost the entire nail in one stroke. I love it, although I imagine that it may take some getting used to for those with petite nail beds because it is even wider than the typical flattened-style brush.
Sir Loyal Heart has the excellent, eminently-paintable formula that we've learned to expect from the brand, with a medium viscosity and a fluent, buttery, self-leveling glide over the nail delivered effortlessly with the new brush. Pigmentation is excellent as well, designed for two-coat coverage but delivering full opacity in one medium coat if you prefer. Cleanup is straightforward with a tiny bit of pigment travel. This polish dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, ever-so-slightly flat finish. Topcoat does not inhibit the holographic properties in any way.
Photos show two coats of Sir Loyal Heart over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.
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| A-England Sir Loyal Heart |
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| A-England Sir Loyal Heart |
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| A-England Sir Loyal Heart |
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| A-England Sir Loyal Heart |
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| A-England Sir Loyal Heart |
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| A-England Sir Loyal Heart |
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| A-England Sir Loyal Heart |
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| A-England Sir Loyal Heart |
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| A-England Sir Loyal Heart |
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| A-England Sir Loyal Heart |
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| A-England Sir Loyal Heart |
A superb polish for the season! The cool-toned brown gives it a neat, nimble presence on the nail while the scattered holographic effects enrich the look, creating complexity and dimension. The tiny coppery gold microflake shimmers are a wonderful complement to the color and add an especially sumptuous quality to the prismatic display in particular. Love!
xo,
Liz
What a gorgeous polish! This collection arrived in the post yesterday - very exciting :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it though! A rich and sophisticated brown, and just poignantly beautiful in the sun (which I never thought I'd be saying about a brown polish, even a holo, but the prismatic display with this one is exquisite).
DeleteI am thrilled with this collection, I have them all lined up on my desk with the queens in chronological order. That's how I'm going to swatch them, one every few days. Talk about a gift that keeps on giving.... makes me so happy to look at them!