Today I have another of A-England's Gothic Beauties to share with you. Lady of Shalott is named after a poem by Lord Alfred Tennyson. If you are unfamiliar with the poem, I do suggest checking it out. It is the beautiful, yet tragic tale of Elaine of Astolat, who is afflicted with a mysterious curse which forces her to view Camelot through a mirror (and continually weave images upon a loom), as opposed to looking directly upon it. One day she sees Lancelot pass, and stops weaving, only too look directly out the window, bringing about the curse. She leaves the tower, and floats down the river in a boat that she has inscribed with her name, but dies before he reaches the palace. In an ironic twist, Lancelot sees her as she passes, and thinks her beautiful.
A-England's Lady of Shalott is a breathtaking deepest Sapphire Blue, with interwoven specks of fuchsia and teal. The flecks are very evident in the bottle, yet harder to see on the nail. I actually prefer it this way, since the flecks make this polish literally glow from within when the light hits it just right. To me, this polish embodies the darkness that shadows The Lady of Shalott, as well as the mirror itself (There is a line in the poem that says " And sometimes thro' the mirror blue") and the water in the river on which she floats.
See? This is what happens when a polish addict that was a hairs width from majoring in English (always my best and favorite subject, even through college) polish with literary themes! At any rate, Lady of Shalott is the kind of blue that leaves my little heart pitter-pattering.
All photos are 2 coats of Lady of Shalott over The Knight base coat and The Shield Top Coat (I'll be sharing a bit about these in this post as well). Please forgive my pesky bakdrop - the sun was at the perfect angle to reveal part of my lovely blue backdrop!
Oh but The Lady is beautiful!! I love blue polish, and this is among my very favorites. Dark enough to satisfy my love for dark colors, yet bright enough to still appear Blue.
Formula:
Perection. Lady of Shalott bears the signature A-England formula, thicker consistency, yet not so thick as to be problematic. No dragging, balding, thickening during use, or glopping.
Application:
Smooth as silk, Lady of Shalott applies like a polish lover's dream. It is a touch streaky on the first coat, but evens out beautifully with the second. It does dry a touch matte, so top coat is a must!
The Knight:
A-England's The Knight Base Coat is, and I'm not exaggerating, as close to perfection as I have come. The Knight applies smoothly and evenly, using very little product. Dry time is quick, and The Knight provides a perfect base for polish adherence. I have less issues with chipping and tip wear with The Knight than with any other base coat in my vast arsenal.
The Shield:
If you love Seche Vite, but hate the shrinkage, then The Shield could very well be your Holy Grail Top Coat. The Shield boasts superior shine to any top coat I have used, literally leaving a shine that resembles liquid glass. Dry time is a touch slower than SV, but I would much rather have a slightly longer dry time than skrinkage and the hassle of adding an expensive restoring agent to my top coat every few uses. This is also my go to top coat for restoring shine to an older mani.
All A-England Polishes, Including The Knight and The Shield, are 3-Free and can be found by visiting A-England's website. Keep an eye out for promos! Right now the Knight and The Shield are available as a combo pack for 10GBP, or as singles for 7GBP.
Have you tried The Knight or The Shield? What do you think about Lady of Shalott?
Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar