Lacquer Slacker Liz: a england

Showing posts with label a england. Show all posts

Sunday, May 20, 2018

A-England Puck A Fairy

Pardon my absence! Fuzzy's surgery went very well. The crippled, arthritic knee was replaced without complications and she has a good start on the road to recovery -- they had her up and walking with a walker the day after! She has a lot of pain, perhaps more than she expected, and she's a little cranky because of it but they're giving her meds to help. I'm proud of how determined she is! On Monday she'll be going to short-term rehab for two weeks.

Back to nail polish! Today I have yet another A-England from the Shakespeare's Fairies collection for you: Puck A Fairy, described by Adina as a vivid peacock blue-green with additional iridescent glimmer. The color is a strikingly bright, clean, medium-toned variation of blue-green along the lines of aqua cerulean, a little brighter/less dusky than a true cerulean with a lush, tropical vibe. It has the finely-grained visual texture common to holographic polishes, and a dimensional prismatic bloom of gold and azure with hints of indigo travels up and down the center of the nail in ambient light, shading to a deeper blue-green at the edges. In bright direct light, there's a sparkling scattered holographic display predominated by brilliant hues of azure, spring green and gold.

Application was fantastic. The consistency of Puck is fluid, light and smooth with a medium viscosity and an even, buttery, self-leveling slip over the nail, a gorgeous, eminently-paintable formula that is on par with the best from the brand. Pigmentation is very good, delivering evenly opaque coverage and full bottle color in two coats. Cleanup is surprisingly easy for this kind of color, with just a tiny bit of pigment travel but no trace staining to speak of. Puck dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat seems only to enhance the holographically-generated dimensionality of the polish on the nail.

Photos show two coats of Puck A Fairy over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

A-England Puck A Fairy

Fabulous! It's almost too intense and lush to be called a pool blue but it's definitely of that ilk, kind of like a "bionic pool blue" or a "pool blue to the nth" or something. This sort of bold, bright color is unsual to see from A-England, so all the more welcome by lovers of such shades (ahem!) when we do. Energetic and showy on the nail -- an excellent summer bright and gorgeous scattered holo as only Adina can do. Love!

xo,
Liz

Monday, May 14, 2018

A-England Peaseblossom A Fairy

Continuing with A-England's Shakespeare's Fairies collection, today's polish is Peaseblossom A Fairy, officially described a violet red hologram with additional iridescent glimmer. The color is a bold, well-saturated, medium-dark red-violet, a lush, berried purple-ish red shade that's about 3/4 of the way between red and magenta on the color wheel, closer to magenta than red. It's saturated enough to nearly swallow the holographic effects in ambient light, but reveals a beautiful prismatic flush in bright direct light featuring a flame-shaped flare of bright red and indigo sparks.

Application was excellent. The consistency of Peaseblossom is fluid and smooth with a medium-ish viscosity that is slightly thicker than the other Shakespeare's Fairies, and I added a little bit of polish thinner to my bottle at the outset. Thinned, it had a fluent, velvety, self-leveling glide over the nail that was opaque in one medium coat, although I used two like I always do. There's some pigment travel with cleanup but little to no residual staining. Peaseblossom dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

Photos show two coats of Peaseblossom A Fairy over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

A-England Peaseblossom A Fairy

Adore!! Red-violet polish is always among my favorites for the poignancy of the color and the fiercely feminine, romantic sensibility it evokes. It just seems to have this amazing, almost untamed kind of vitality, making for an irrepressibly lively, dramatic manicure that simply brims with panache. Superb!

love,
Liz

Thursday, May 10, 2018

A-England Moth A Fairy

More Shakespeare's Fairies! Today's A-England is Moth A Fairy, described by the maker as a black hologram with additional iridescent glimmer. Black holos often have more of a very dark grey appearance, and so it is with Moth. The color reads as an anthracite or charcoal hue, liberally dusted with luminous holographic particles that create a broad greenish-gold flush along the center of the nail edged with shadowy hints of pink, gold and violet and shading gracefully to black at the edges. The holographic display in bright direct light is truly glorious, a mobile, gradated flare of sparkling prismatic color that sweeps around the nail as you move your fingers.

Application was fantastic. The consistency of Moth is fluid, full-bodied and creamy with a medium viscosity and a luscious, even, self-leveling glide over the nail that is a pleasure to manipulate with the brand's flexible, paddle-style brush. Pigmentation is very good to excellent. Two coats nets completely even opacity. Cleanup is surprisingly easy, with no pigment travel or trace staining. Moth dries naturally in very good time to a beautiful glossy finish.

Photos show two coats of Moth A Fairy over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

A-England Moth A Fairy

This darkling holo has the brightest, most sparkly prismatic color in the sun! Perhaps it's the darkness of the base that does it, making the rainbows amazingly bold in contrast. It has an elegant, dimensional presentation in ambient light outlined with those deep edges, very neat and sleek. A gorgeous A-England holo!

love,
Liz

Monday, May 7, 2018

A-England Mustardseed A Fairy

I have another polish from A-England's new Shakespeare's Fairies collection for you today: Mustardseed A Fairy, which Creator Adina describes as a light coral pink hologram with additional iridescent glimmer. This one surprised me, because I'd had it and the other Shakespeare's Fairies lined up on a table in my office under an incandescent lamp, where it looked like a bricky orange/ terracotta.

In bright natural light, however, the color adjusts to a rosy medium pink along the lines of rose pompadour. It's filled with countless, light-catching holographic particles that glow in rich sunset shades of orange, amber, pink and light red, adding a warm, salmony aspect the color and giving the polish a dimensional, Pointillist appearance on the nail. There are hints of raspberry and violet edging the prismatic flush in ambient light that increase in intensity in the sun, where the scattered holographic flare features bright sparks in all of the sunset hues above plus lavender and violet.

Application was wonderful. The consistency of Mustardseed A Fairy is fluid and creamy with a medium viscosity and a fluent, even, self-leveling glide over the nail. Pigmentation is very good, close to a one-coater using thicker coats but use two thin-to-medium for fullest expression of color and holographic effects. Cleanup is easy. Mustardseed A Fairy dries naturally in very good time to a glossy finish. Topcoat seems to accentuate the warmth of the holographically-generated sparkle.

Photos show two coats of Mustardseed A Fairy over KBShimmer Love You Strong Time treatment and KBShimmer Fillin' Groovy basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

A-England Mustardseed A Fairy

This color is beautiful, a rich, warm, grownup pink with a touch of that sunburned, organic quality that makes it feel quite natural on the nail. Love, love, love the prismatic effects! It's one of those polishes where the closer you get to it, the lusher, more fascinating and more incredibly gorgeous it becomes.

xo,
Liz

Thursday, May 3, 2018

A-England Titania Fairy Queen

Like A Midsummer Night's Dream and Oberon Fairy King, Titania Fairy Queen was released in April this year as part of A-England's Shakespeare's Fairies collection. Officially described as a silvery white hologram with additional iridescent glimmer, it reads as a very light, translucent silver-grey or platinum on the nail, within which are suspended countless glimmering holographic particles that give the polish a luminous, snowy visual texture. There's a dimensional, glowing prismatic flush in ambient light, shimmering pastel gradations of yellow, pink and violet, and a glorious, sparkling scattered holographic display in the sun.

Application was lovely. The consistency of Titania Fairy Queen is fluid, light and smooth with a medium viscosity and a fluent, silky, self-leveling slip over the nail. Pigmentation is sheer but the coverage is very even. I could still see hints of nail line at two coats so I added a third. Cleanup is easy. Titania Fairy Queen dries naturally in very good time to a beautiful glossy finish.

Photos show three coats of Titania Fairy Queen over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

A-England Titania Fairy Queen

I love the translucence of this polish. It lets in all kinds of light to fire up the clouds of holographic particles, giving the impression as you study it that each particle is individually illuminated at some point or other. It's like a magical, miniature snowstorm of tiny glowing flakes on each nail, very dimensional and luminous. The iridescent shimmers are even finer than the holo particles, and really can't compete with the prismatic light play but do offer a faint lavender sheen in certain viewing circumstances. There's an airy, ethereal feel to this pale platinum scattered holo that is wholly different from the brash, futuristic sensibility that often accompanies silver holographic polish.

xo,
Liz