A-England Dorian Gray and Lush Lacquer Lite Brite

Here's a look at a combination I did back in January: A-England's Dorian Gray with Lush Lacquer's Lite Brite layered overtop. First up, here are a couple pictures of Dorian Gray by itself:

Dorian Gray is a charcoal metallic grey, opaque in two coats. It has a somewhat pearly finish, and at first I thought it might show a few frosty brushstrokes, but after drying it looked pretty smooth. Overtop I layered Lush Lacquer's Lite Brite, an extremely punchy and vibrant glitter topcoat; I can spot big magenta metallic glitters, small turquoise squares, various orange, blue, and purple glitters, along with some tiny silver speckles. Overall, it's a really fun and high impact layering glitter. Highly recommend.

As I mentioned, I originally wore this manicure earlier in the year, and at the time I happened to be visiting Banff and Lake Louise. While sight-seeing around the Chateau Lake Louise, we were lucky enough to have a look at some amazing ice sculptures that had been carved as part of an ice-scupting competition. There were so many incredible and intricate sculptures- here's a look at one (with a pretty stunning backdrop, to boot).

A-England Princess Sabra / Black Cat Lacquer Black Hole

I must say, I have never been let down by an A-England polish. Another amazing colour with a flawless formula. Princess Sabra is a gorgeous golden-olive with a linear holographic effect. This was such a dream to apply and wear... it just feels effortlessly chic. 

I decided to attempt an accent nail with Black Cat Lacquer's Black Hole, although I think a different base colour might have helped it pop more. Love the holographic black diamond glitter in this, though. The bottle looked amazing in the sun (somewhat visible in the second picture).

What do you think of A-England's Princess Sabra? Can you think of any other possible pairings for Black Hole?

Finally, I'll leave you with a few details about a recent purchase; every holiday I look forward to holiday-themed scents. Philosophy is a notable one for putting out delicious-smelling shower gels, and this year I couldn't resist their "Cookbook": a set of four scented shower gels in Old-Fashioned Eggnog, Buttered Rum, Cinnamon Buns, and Peppermint Bark.

I'm happy to say that all of these smell delicious, and I've especially been enjoying the eggnog and buttered rum scents... because it's basically a perfect start to the day when I can roll out of bed, jump into the shower, and come out smelling like rum.

Sally Hansen Concrete and A-England Merlin

Tonight I've got one of my very favourite polishes to share with you: Sally Hansen Concrete. What makes this polish so special? Well, it's the best neutral I own, and it's the colour I pull out whenever I want to feel professional and polished. Concrete is a perfect taupey-pinkish-beige (in some lights it pulls more grey, while in others it's more of a soft purple/pink). It's always incredibly flattering- more so than any other shade in my collection. It also holds the status of being the only truly back-up worthy lacquer in my collection- quite a distinction! Without further ado, here's my beloved Concrete: 

I also decided to add a gradient of A-England's Merlin to this mani; the fine, delicate silver glitter makes a nice addition to Concrete, although I didn't get the glitter dispersion as even as I would have liked!

What do you think of Sally Hansen Concrete? Can you see why it's perhaps my favourite shade of all time?

Do you have a favourite polish of all time? Let me know in the comments!

A-England Dragon

Today I have another fabulous lacquer from the A-England Legends collection (you can see pictures of St. George here and Ascalon here). I really adore the A-England polishes; they have the most fantastic formula out of any brand I've tried. A-England Dragon is no exception. It's extremely easy to apply, and smooth and opaque in one or two coats at most.

Dragon is a gorgeous yellow-toned green, with subtle holographic sparkle and golden flash. Behold!

And it looks like Dragon found a companion in another dragon of mine:

Although I feel obligated to mention another dragon this brings to mind:

"TROGDOR!!!"

I hope you've enjoyed having a look at all these dragons! I wonder, which one is your favourite? 

A-England St. George (featuring more Space Guerrillas! Part 3)

Today I have A-England's St. George to share with you, and it's a knock out. I know I've raved about A-England's formula before, but I have to do it again. It's awesome. Just fantastic. And I think I'm prepared to take the step of calling it the BEST formula I have ever tried. It's thick and pigmented, self-leveling, easy to control... practically applies itself! I adore it. What you see below is two coats of St. George, but if I'd taken my time it could have been perfect in one.

The holographic effect isn't as pronounced in this lacquer as in others, but I like that. This is such a lovely teal with so much depth, I don't feel that it's lacking anything by not being blindingly holographic. Gorgeous.

Now, you might have noticed that I've been having issues with Space Guerrillas purloining my precious polishes as of late. And I really must say, they are eyeing A-England St. George in a rather surly fashion...

Uh-oh...

Okay, this schtick is getting a little old, guys. First my China Glaze, then my Dollish Polish, and now my A-England? Not cool!

If only someone could stop them...

Oh, valiant tiny Domos! You'll help me retrieve my lacquers, won't you?

Hmm. Well, they make up for what they lack in stature with bravery. It's very endearing. What will become of our valiant heroes? I have a feeling my next post might include the thrilling conclusion to our story.

Well, what did you think of A-England St. George? Do you love A-England's formula as much as I do? And more importantly, what do you think will become of those tiny Domos?

A-England - Ascalon

I wish every nail polish had the same formula that A-England polishes do. They're incredible. Always thick and opaque, yet easy to apply. I might have been able to get away with one coat for Ascalon if I was careful, but I did two. The brush is excellent- and is probably my favourite brush out of any brand I've tried. In summary, this lacquer practically applied itself. It was a breeze. Now, let's get onto the colour...

Ascalon is a pretty grey, with a strong lavender duochrome flash and holographic particles which sparkle in the light. It's a subtle holo, to be sure, but that's part of the reason I love it. If there ever was an office appropriate holographic, this might be it. It's very... dignified. A restrained grey-lavender holo. Let's see Ascalon in the sunlight, shall we?

I don't think I quite captured the strong lavender flash it has... it's present not only in the sun, but also in ambient light. I think the combination of the duo chrome and the holographic sparkle kind of freaked my camera out; this is definitely best observed in person. Which I highly recommend. It also reminded me of black pearls:

Yeah, I think that black pearls are a pretty good match with this polish. They share a lot of the same qualities (grey/multichrome/lavender finish). They also don't photograph very well. :P

So that was A-England Ascalon. A highly recommended lacquer with an amazing formula. So amazing I broke out both the italics and the bold font. Watch out. When you see me underlining something as well, you should probably take cover.