KBShimmer Summer Collection, Available 6/20!

KBShimmer is excited to announce the addition of 12 new colors to their 3-Free polish line. The Summer 2014 Collection includes 10 glittery shades, and two bold creams. “When designing our summer collection, glitter was on our mind. We were inspired by summer treats, bold colors, and summer flowers. We translated those into 10 glitter packed polishes and 2 fun creams,” KBShimmer Owner, Christy Rose, says.

“We adore glitter top coats” Rose says. “With almost a dozen creams in our collection it was time to bring more glitter pairings to our line. We are adding 4 new glitter top coats that pair well with many of our cream polishes. In addition, we are bringing in two new cream colors, including a near neon peachy orange ideal for pedicures, and a cream inspired by the 2014 Pantone color of the year, Radiant Orchid. We are also bringing in more creally and jelly polishes to round out the summer collection.”

In addition to polish, KBShimmer is branching out into nail art products with 6 varieties of nail vinyl decal sheets. “Nail art is a booming area in the fashion and beauty industry” Says Rose. “Even so, nail art is not always easy to create for the home polish lover. With these nail vinyl decals, it is a breeze for the home user to create wearable nail art that looks professional.”

Nail vinyl decal sheets will retail for $5 each. Each glitter polish will retail for $8.75 per 15 ml bottle, while the creams will retail for just $7.50 per 15 ml bottle.

The Glitters & Holos:

 

Mixed Peelings – A creamy off white polish with citrus and fruit colored glitters in neon green, lemon yellow and watermelon pink.

Look High And Holo – A raspberry jelly with a rainbows worth of holographic glitters in hexes and squares.

Peak My Interest – A melon pink colored polish with triangle glitters in white, pink and dark aqua.

Sea You Around- This deep emerald green near teal jelly features fuchsia and silver circle glitters, light blue squares hexes in a base with scattered fuchsia micro slivers and micro sparkle.

Mint-al Vacation- This light aqua seafoam has two personalities. In low light, is has a beautiful white shimmer, but in the sun or bright light, you can see a holographic rainbow of color.

Periwinkle In Time – A periwinkle colored creally polish loaded with holographic glitters in aqua, navy blue, sliver and violet.

Glitter Top Coats:

 

Scribble Me This – A graffiti inspired glitter top coat featuring mini stars, triangles, and neon glitters.

Sweet Wave – A Bright pastel candy inspired glitter top coat with white, mint, periwinkle and watermelon colored glitters.

Red, White & Blue-tiful – A limited edition top coat with mini red, holographic sliver and holographic blue stars. Small red, silver and navy blue glitters along with micro holographic sparkles complete this patriotic polish.

Happily Ever Aster – A floral inspired glitter top coat with purple, lavender, light aqua and white glitters swimming in a sparkling base.

The Creams:

Radiant Orchid – Radiant Orchid, 2014 color of the year, is the ideal shade to transition nails from spring to summer and even fall.  This pink toned purple has fuchsia and mauve undertones.

You’re So Shellfish – Near neon peachy orange perfect for summer pedicures.

Nail Vinyl Decals:

 

KBShimmer products can be found at Http://www.KBShimmer.com. For sales outside of the US visit http://www.HarlowandCo.org.

Zoya Celebrates Earth Day

Zoya has the best Earth Day promotion, hands down. If you are a nail polish lover but you have old bottles that are not 3-5 Free and you just don’t use them, what do you do with them? They’re not supposed to just be chucked in the trash, but what are your options? Zoya is your option come Earth Day week, hosting a polish exchange from 4/21-4/28!

Details below –

What is the Zoya Nail Polish Exchange?

Exchange your old nail color for BIG5FREE** ZOYA Nail Polish and let us properly dispose of your unwanted bottles.  Only $4.50 per bottle OR $5 for PixieDust and special effect toppers. Shipping and handling fees apply.

How it works:

1. Visit www.zoya.com and add at least 6 bottles and no more than 24 bottles of polish to your cart. Excludes ALL Summer 2014 Collection shades.
2. Apply the code: ZDAY2014

3. Your order value will be adjusted to reflect a 50% discount (we use these funds to properly dispose of the old nail polish).
4. Complete check-out, review and submit order.
5. Zoya will ship out your NEW polishes right away. The exchange runs on the honor system, which means offer is not contingent on customer returning polish.

The Exchange

1. Once you get your order – ship back the equivalent number of bottles you received to the return address below (ie. If you ordered 6 bottles of Zoya – you would send us 6 NON-ZOYA polishes).

– See more at: http://blog.zoya.com/Moment/Announcing+the+2014+Zoya+Nail+Polish+Exchange/?Moment=1388#sthash.kdfCPXhh.dpuf

 

Happy polish shopping!

 

KBShimmer Spring Press Release

KBShimmer is excited to announce the addition of 16 new colors to their 3-Free polish line.  Owner Christy Rose says, “Spring has inspired the KBShimmer staff to create two collections filled with fun, vibrant color.  For the first time, we will also be offering cream polishes.  These polishes pair wonderfully with many existing KBShimmer polishes, but are also wonderful alone.”

The Spring 2014 Glitter Collection includes one glitter top coat, one sparkling jellies, four glitter creally polishes, and two holographic polishes.  “Spring is such a fun time, with flowers in bloom, warmer weather, and Easter.  Though the snow is still around for many, we were inspired this spring by the thoughts of warmer weather, and the many different flowers that come with it.  Easter also played a part, with us borrowing many of the tones and colors you find in Easter candy,” says Rose.

The Spring 2014 Cream Collection offers 8 polishes in opaque, cream finishes.  Rose states ,“We are very excited to offer up polishes in cream finishes.  Not only can each of the 8 new colors be worn alone, those creams are ideal for layering.  We use creams not only for glitter top coats, but for under creally and jelly polishes too.”  Both collections are set for release March 14, 2014^st at KBShimmer.com.  Polishes in the Glitter Collection will retail for $8.75 per 15 ml bottle, while polishes in the Cream Collection will retail for $7.50 per 15 ml bottle.

* Descriptions below are those of owner Christy Rose, not my own.

The Glitters & Holos – For quick dry time and smooth feel, follow with KBShimmer Clearly On Top.

Full Bloom Ahead– This white based polish is loaded with small, medium and large hex glitters in fuchsia, navy, teal, gold and orange; colors reminiscent of those floral tones that signal spring is near. Best in 3 Coats.

Belle Of The Mall– This coral toned pink polish is a fun color to brighten your day. This jelly like polish is loaded with holographic silver hexes in various sizes and is stunner in the sun.  Best layered in three coats, or worn over a coordinating cream.

Rush Flower Traffic– A metallic glitter top coat with fuchsia, gold, green, sapphire, and aqua glitters in hex and dot glitters fill this polish. Ideal as 1 coat over our Chick Me Out or Honeydew List creams, this topper can be worn over so many colors!

Daisy About You– A pale green creally, this spring polish features neon green hex glitters swimming among purple and lavender hexes and a scattering of lavender daisy glitters.  Best in 3 Coats.

Laugh Myself Lily– A muted jade creally with holographic hexes in gold, pink, sliver, lavender and blue.  Pink and light aqua dots complete this muted polish.  To allow the glitters to shine this polish more sheer and is best layered in three coats.

Quick and Flirty– Every girl needs a good violet colored polish in their collection, and what better than one that comes with a rainbow!  This linear holographic offers full coverage in 2 coats, add a third for a deep lilac color.

Make My Gray – A pale shade of gray sets off glitters in turquoise, gunmetal, pale aqua and coral. Wear alone in 3 coats, or layer this over a grey like My Life’s Porpoise for a unique spring manicure.

Prism Break– This linear holo top coat was designed to bring maximum rainbow bling, while still allowing the color below to shine.  One light coat over any cream will turn your color into a holographic lover’s dream.

The Creams – Ideal for wearing alone, under glitter polish, or for nail art.  For quick dry time, follow with KBShimmer Clearly On Top.

Life Rose On – This is my perfect pink, bright cheery, and it covers in 1-2 coats.  This vivid cerise polish has blue undertones, making it wearable for many skin tones.  Pair this with your favorite glitter topper or use in stamping for a girly manicure.

Chick Me Out– This bright yellow cream is the ideal shade to welcome warmer weather.  Full coverage in two coats, I love this under Rush Flower Traffic.

Honeydew List– Just like ripe honeydew, this dusty pastel green is perfect for spring or summer.  This is the ideal color to wear under Rush Flower Traffic, or pair with Ice Queen for a sparkly spring manicure.  Full coverage in just 2 coats.

A Touch Of Glass–  This light aqua mint cream reminds me of tumbled sea glass.  A pastel green with blue undertones, this color is covers in 2-3 coats.

Sky Jinks– I love those days, the ones when there is not a cloud in site, and the sky is the most stunning shade of bright blue.  This medium blue cream with a hint of dustiness, reminds me of those perfect days.  Sky Jinks covers in 1 coat with careful application and is perfect in two.

Pansy-Monium– This pansy purple cream offers full coverage in just two coats.  With a slight red undertone, this purple will look great even on warm skin tones.

My Life’s Porpoise– No matter if you spell it gray or grey, this pale shade is a neutral that is fun to wear alone, or under bright toppers like U Rock My Heart.  This creamy shade covers fully in two coats.

Eclipse– Black is a fashion staple, not only in clothes, but on your nails!  This is a true black cream, covering in 1-2 coats.

KBShimmer products can be found at Http://www.KBShimmer.com.  For sales outside of the US visit http://www.HarlowandCo.org.

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I definitely am going to snag Make My Gray! We’ll have to see about the creams, as I already have quite a “staples” collection. What do you think of this spring line? Any must-haves?

KBShimmer Winter 2013 Press Release – 22 Polishes!!!

…shut up and take my money.

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KBShimmer is excited to announce the addition of 22 new colors to their 3-Free glitter polish line.  Owner Christy Rose says “This winter, we are set to release the largest amount of new polishes to date. We were honored to work with a great group of bloggers to create a stunning set of winter and holiday inspired polishes.  These eleven polishes will release alongside additional polishes designed by KBShimmer to capture the joy, color and wonder that surrounds us all.”

The blogger collection includes three glitter top coats, four sparkling jellies, two glitter creally polishes, one matte, and one shimmering cream.  “We are launching eleven unique polishes that capture the feelings of winter and the winter holidays.  Each blogger had a different idea, and it was so fun working with them to create a polish that told their story.” says Rose.

Returning this year a charity polish. “Kringle All The Way is this year’s charity polish.  $4 from each bottle will be used to purchase toys for Toys For Tots.  Last year we raised over $800 and we hope to top that this year!” says Rose. “In addition to several holiday and winter themed polishes, we are also excited to release our first set of multi-chrome
and linear holographic polishes. We think that this release is our most exciting to date!”  All 22 polishes are set for release Friday, November 1^st at KBShimmer.com and will retail for $8.75 for a 15 ml bottle.  KBShimmer will also be offering free priority shipping through 12/31 for all orders over $50.

KBSHIMMER – BLOGGER 2013 COLLECTION

Christmas Now – Crystal from Crystal’s Crazy Combos – A green jelly with multi-colored squares, circles, and stars. 3 Coats Recommended

Green Hex And Glam – Kayla from Kayla Shavonne – A forest green jelly with holographic hex glitters.  Best in 3 coats.

I’d Rather Be With Blue – Lisa from Cosmetic Sanctuary – A light blue is a matte polish with subtle iridescent shimmer sparkles like the snow.  2 Coats Recommended

Snow Much Fun  – Victoria from The Manicurator – A  light blue jelly  with light blue holo glitter, white glitters in several sizes and finishes, a sprinkling of micro holographic glitter, and white snowflake glitter. 3 Coats Recommended

Merry Pinkmas – Cris from Let Them Have Polish – A light cotton candy pink polish featuring red, green and neon glitters in a variety of shapes.  2-3 Coats Recommended

Plum Tuckered Out – Sheila from Pointless Café – A rich plum color with blue shimmer. 2-3 Coats Recommended

Toast-ess With The Mostest  – Valesha from Peachy Polish – A clear glitter topper loaded with glitters in shades of gold, silver and pink in circles and hex shapes to mimic champagne.  1 Coat Recommended

I Only Have Ice For You – Sarah from Chalkboard Nails – Clear top coat with shimmering white flakes and holographic glitters. 1 Coat Recommended

Strung Out- Jackie from Candy Coated Tips – A black jelly polish with circle “light” glitters in gold, silver, green, blue, red.  1-2 Coats Over Black Recommended

Sand In My Stocking – Jen The PolishAholic – A golden toned sand inspired polish with pops of orange, aqua, and holographic stars.  1 Coat Recommended

Will Yule Marry Me? – Chelsea from The Nail Network – A navy blue creally with sparkling silver holo circle and hex holo glitter.  2 Coats Recommended

KBSHIMMER– Winter 2013 COLLECTION

Kringle All The Way- 2013 Toys For Tots Charity Polish  – A glitter top with circle glitters in red, green, and silver. 1 Coat Recommended

All Elf’d Up – A white creally with hex glitters and micro slices in red, green and sliver.  3 Coats Recommended

Snow Flaking Way – A deep indigo jelly base with violet and sky blue holographic glitters and sliver holographic snowflakes. 3 Coats Recommended

When The Doves Sigh – A warm gray creally filled with fuchsia circles, square and hex glitters.  Turquoise, sapphire, and chrome hexes, micro slices and circles swim among micro holographic sparkles.  2 Coats Recommended

Pigment of Imagination – This multi-chrome polish shifts depending on the angle and the light, from blue, to purple, to red, and more. 1 Coat over Black or 3 Coats Alone Recommended

Myth You Lots (Holographic) – Similar in shift to Pigment of Imagination, this multi-chrome also has a linear holo! 1 Coat over Black or 3 Coats Alone Recommended

Shade Shifter – A multi-chrome polish that changes depending on light and angle from cyan, to blue, to red orange, to purple, and more.  1 Coat over Black or 3 Coats Alone Recommended

Rollin’ With The Chromies (Holographic) – Similar in shift to Shade Shifter, this multi-chrome also has a linear holo! 1 Coat over Black or 3 Coats Alone Recommended

Urban Camo – A multi-chrome polish that shifts from a pretty pistachio green, to a bright green, to silver, to a soft pink almost lavender color depending on the light and viewing angle. 1 Coat over Black or 3 Coats Alone Recommended

Pretty in Punk (Holographic) – Similar in shift to Urban Camo, this multi-chrome also has a linear holo! 1 Coat over Black or 3 Coats Alone Recommended

Maybe Navy – A deep blue polish is filled with shimmering flakes. 2-3 Coats Recommended

On Sale And Shipping November 1, 2013

KBShimmer products can be found at Http://www.KBShimmer.com.  For sales outside of the US visit
http://www.HarlowandCo.org.

China Glaze ’13 Monsters Ball – Howl You Doin’ & Boo-gie Down Swatches

It’s almost Halloween! I don’t really get too into the holiday anymore (although I do indulge in some Hocus Pocus watching and gorging on Reeses in celebration), but I have a soft spot for fall polishes, Halloween included. This year, I tried to limit my Halloween-collection spending and managed to walk away from China Glaze’s Monsters Ball collection with just two polishes – Howl You Doin’ and Boo-gie Down.

Howl You Doin’ is a deep wine purple crelly with small blue glitter and flecks/shards of coppery glitter. The formula was a little thick and patchy on the first coat, although everything evened out okay with a second coat. It dried a little chunky and dull, but top coat fixed all that right up. The polish is okay in low lighting but is really pretty in natural and bright lighting when the light is able to catch the glitters in the dark base.

Indirect sunlight

Boo-gie Down is a clear base filled with hex, micro, and bar glitter in black, white, and copper. I really liked the speckled look of the polish in the bottle and thought the color mix was great. The formula was a breeze (sometimes clear base glitters can be such a thick mess) and I had no issues picking up glitter. I decided that I wanted to layer Boo-gie Down over something light so that the glitters could stand out and ended up using it as a topper over OPI I Theodora You. I ended up loving the combination and wore it on my nails for the entire week.

Shade

With flash

I think China Glaze came out with a fun collection this year, but I’m glad that I just stuck with these two. They’re pretty polishes that work for Halloween and that I can wear outside of the holiday season without looking Halloween-specific. Out of the two, Boo-gie Down is definitely my favorite and I can’t wait to try it as a topper over more colors. Self-control prevailed this Halloween season, but I have a feeling that may go out the window now that winter collections are coming out…

Did you pick up any fall or Halloween polishes that you love? How do you celebrate the holiday? Let me know in the comments  🙂

 

KBShimmer Teal Another Tail Swatches & Review

I love fall and winter holiday nail polish lines. They always seem to be made up of warm shades, deep shades, jewel-toned shades…so I was a little surprised when KBShimmer’s fall release included Teal Another Tail, a polish that screams “mermaid tail.”

“Teal Another Tail is dusty teal green polish with a strong pink almost duo-chrome shimmer. A color I imagine would be on a mermaid’s tail.  Micro holographic glitters ad a bit of shine.  This polish can be worn without top coat for an almost velvet look, or apply top coat to bring out the shimmer.” 

So how did this mermaid-y polish end up in a fall collection? I have no idea but I’m happy that it did! I was a little on the fence about this polish but pictures do not do it justice at all, not even my own. This polish is so stunning and unique in person. One of my friends saw it on my nails and was like, “Oh my gosh, you have to tell me where you got that beauuutiful polish!” I showed her the KBShimmer link and she told me that if she hadn’t seen it on me in person, she might not have been interested. Moral of the story is just buy this polish, haha.

I used three thin coats. Two might do it for some people, but I still had some VNL. I didn’t care for the “almost velvet” look of the polish alone, so I used a healthy layer of top coat for shine. The formula was great, smooth and easy to control.

Sunlight

Sunlight

Shade

Flash

Indoors

 

You can purchase Teal Another Tail and the rest of the fall line for $8.75 through the KBShimmer site or Harlow and Co.

What do you think of Teal Another Tail? Have you found another “mermaid” polish that you love?

 

 

Dollish Polish Walker Bait and Zombie Flesh – Swatches & Reviews

It’s that time of year again…time for The Walking Dead! Woot, woot!

I am not the type of girl that likes horror in any form. Haunted houses? No, thank you. Horror movies? Pass. Scary novels? That’s okay, not for me. Blood? Gross. Pop out at me from around the corner? You deserve it if I hit you in the face. Pride and Prejudice…and Zombies? How dare you desecrate that book in that manner. What I’m saying is that I have no idea how my hubs convinced me to give this show a shot, but somehow he did. Throughout the first episode my reactions alternated between “ew,” “this is highly implausible,” “these people seem stupid,” and “that’s freakin’ disgusting, why are we watching this.” The next episode rolled around and hubs asked if I wanted to watch. And somehow I found myself sucked in. Now October 13th is just around the corner and girlfriend is pumped up! So pumped up that she may or may not have bought two Walking Dead themed polishes from Dollish Polish…

Okay, so that “may or may not have” is a definite “did.” Today I have Zombie Flesh and the new, limited edition Walker Bait to show you. Eeep!

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First up is the original Dollish Walking Dead polish, Zombie Flesh – “Blend in unnoticed with your local zombie horde with this sickly Gang-Green shade, bursting with small & medium Black hexagons and ultra fine glitters in various shades of green & gold….or is that just some body pieces that fell into the polish? Ewwww! *** WARNING ***   This polish does not protect against zombie attacks!” What an alternately gross and lovely description.

Zombie Flesh actually is a fantasmic polish. It’s a murky, olive green shade with the perfect speckling of black, green, and gold glitters. The polish applied easily and the glitters spread out wonderfully without any fishing or placing required. I used three thin coats of Zombie Flesh on its own so that I could get some depth as well as the true polish color. I’m so tempted to buy a back up bottle because this shade is usually sold out.

Direct sunlight

Shade

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Now for Dollish’s limited edition beauty, Walker Bait – “…this holographic/duochrome  shade has been zombie tested, and Daryl approved! A Deep rich Olive green, with a duochrome finish flashing from a forest green to burnt orange, has a strong scattered holo effect, worthy of any zombie apocalypse.
Kick some zombie ass & take names with this epically awesome polish available now thru October 13th. ” Is it any wonder that I could not resist this polish from that description alone?

Where do I begin with this beauty? I applied two coats of Walker Bait indoors along with base and top coat, and the polish applied like a dream. The formula and application were smooth and even. Indoors, this polish looked like a color-flecked charcoal gray. My reaction was that it was a really pretty polish. First up is a shade photo so that you can get the idea.

Then I stepped out into the sunlight and had my mind blown. The holo effect explodes in the sunlight and I could catch the duochrome charcoal-olive green shift, although my camera struggled to catch it. Droolworthy. You could lure me around with this polish on your nails now and I’m not even a Walker. Click to enlarge for a better idea, although my camera doesn’t do this polish justice (seriously. My camera tried to focus, freaked out a little, and then threw in the towel on me).

Sunlight

Now here’s the catch – this polish is limited edition and stops selling on October 13th, the day of the premiere. Bottles are numbered for this reason; I’d suggest snagging yourself a bottle if you’re tempted.

If you’re a fan of holos, olive green polishes, unique glitters, and/or zombies, go order these beauties before they’re gone! Are you as pumped for polish as me? As pumped for The Walking Dead? As pumped to see Daryl? October 13th is so close!   🙂

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Seriously, who was responsible for such confusing spray painting?

Every Girl Loves a Good Sale!

One of my favorite indie brands, KBShimmer, is celebrating its 5 year anniversary – what an accomplishment! It can be tough for an indie brand to break out into the polish world and make a name for itself, but KBShimmer has done just that.

In celebration of 5 years, KBShimmer has released two polishes as a birthday duo – Would Jubilee It? and The Grape Beyond. Would Jubilee It? is a glitter topper made up of circle, hex, and micro glitters of fuschia, aqua, sapphire, and silver in a clear base. It’s designed to go over The Grape Beyond but is versatile enough to work with other polishes.

Image courtesy of KBShimmer

The Grape Beyond is a matte purple polish with a subtle turquoise shimmer running through it. The Grape Beyond is designed to make the colors in Would Jubilee It? really pop. Out of the two celebration polishes, The Grape Beyond is the one that I ordered – hopefully it comes soon so that I can show you swatches!

Image courtesy of KBShimmer

In addition to a celebration duo release, KBShimmer also decided to celebrate with a sale – woohoo! The site just had a 20% off sale, but don’t fret if you missed it because KBShimmer simply replaced it with another sale. You can get free shipping on all orders over $15.00 from now until August 21st. Don’t forget to sign up for an account through the site so that you can get reward points for your purchase!

Sale times are the best times to snag any polishes you’ve had your eye on, so head on over to https://www.kbshimmer.com/ and start looking. What are you waiting for? Get shopping!  🙂

OPI Eiffel for this Color – Swatches/Review

With fall approaching, I’m once again falling for (ha ha) everything that comes with the season – pumpkin scented candles, cuddly sweaters, and vampy shades. There is something about jewel-toned and vampy purples especially that calls to me, so of course I had to pick up OPI’s Eiffel for this Color when I spotted it my local Ulta.

Eiffel for this Color is a deep red-based purple shimmer from the Fall ’08 French collection. Sure I’m a little behind the times here, but that’s okay – I wasn’t really into polish until a year or two ago (it was a pretty quick descent into polish madness). I used two coats with base and top coats. Sorry my nails are a little wonky, but a couple broke just before I swatched  😦  These swatches are a bit eh overall; it was just one of those days where nothing would cooperate. Lighting is in the captions.

Cloudy sunlight

Indoors

Blurry but it shows some of the sparkle

I like Eiffel for this Color, but I don’t love it. It’s so beautiful in the bottle but some of the shimmer is lost on the nail, at least in my case. It reads a little black cherry if not black when not in direct lighting; I wish it held more true to its purple color in all lighting. The formula was up to OPI’s usual standards – easy to control and opaque in two coats.

You can purchase OPI online or at major beauty retailers like Ulta for $9. Have you tried Eiffel for this Color? If so, what are your thoughts on it?

A England Saint George – Swatches & Review

A England’s Saint George has long been one of my lemmings. Not the rodent that sometimes mass migrates in such a way that many die, but the nail polish kind of lemming. As in, I spotted a swatch of Saint George in passing some time ago and immediately had a strong, mindless desire that I had to own this polish. Would it look good on me? Who cares. Is it pricey? Doesn’t matter. Something about this polish sang a siren song to me and it had to be mine. So why did it take me so long to finally buy it? Saint George was out of stock every time I went to buy it, regardless of the site used. I knew if I was patient it would finally be mine and…the day finally came! Huzzah!

Saint George is a deep teal green holographic beauty. As a history major, it’s super cool to me that A England names its polishes after things like English legends, myths, etc. This means you can have a King Arthur polish, a Guinevere polish, and so on. I had heard of Saint George in passing and knew he had something to do with a dragon, but did not know any other details. A England’s description of Saint George hints at his dragony history and the inspiration for the color – Bearer of a valiant & courageous heart, this fathomless teal reveals the strength of the brave knight’s convictions with his gleaming, fiery core. Read the bold and you get the polish description – whoa!

Again, being a history major, I was still curious about the polish namesake and decided to dig in a little. Just a smidge. And I’m sharing it with you because my nerd side thinks it’s supa-dupa interesting but you can skip all this if you want and get right to the swatches. Okay, that was your fair warning, here we go –

A England’s site has a “Glossary” section where you can read about the inspiration and background of each collection (which is pretty flippin’ cool in my book). The Legends Glossary entry is as follows:

The epic tale of St. George and the dragon is shrouded in much mystery, but at its core it is a tale of incredible bravery and honour. The story begins with a prosperous kingdom, a king and his lovely daughter, and a tyrannical dragon that terrorizes the land unless he is appeased by a sacrificial maiden.  In the name of fairness, the king devised a lottery system where the names of all eligible girls are added; It was a terrible day when the king drew his own daughter’s name to be sacrificed, the pure of heart Princess Sabra, but she faced her fate stoically. Along came the sainted knight George, and upon viewing the doomed maiden tied to a tree, took it upon himself to challenge and ultimately slay the dragon, thereby freeing the land from its thrall and restoring peace to the kingdom.

What a gentleman. However, Saint George is actually a saint in real life. I know this because, while I am not a Catholic, I am engaged to one and his father’s name is George. I was out with his family one time and we saw a statue of a knight on a rearing horse and George was like, “That’s my saint!” And I never asked who the saint on the horse was…until now! It turns out that George was a soldier and imperial guard when his Emperor required that every Christian soldier be arrested and the rest give a sacrifice to the Roman gods. George was a Christian and put his foot down regarding this nonsense. In fact, he put up quite a public fuss about it. The Emperor didn’t want to lose one of his best men and tried repeatedly to convert George through bribery. The Emperor finally realized George wouldn’t cave and that he’d have to be executed. George gave his money to the poor and then was repeatedly tortured (and resuscitated several times so that the torture could continue) before being executed. George’s faith and suffering convinced the Empress and a pagan priest to convert and also become martyrs. The tale of George and the dragon is a representation of his martyrdom, with the dragon standing for his fight and the young maiden representing the Empress. Check out that history-legend connection!

Okay, sorry (ish), onto the polish itself. I used two thin coats over base and with a top coat. I do have some minor tip wear because I put this polish on and then couldn’t photograph for a few days because thunderstorms rolled in and decided to stay for awhile. And I didn’t want to take off my mani to reswatch because Saint George is so pretty that I just wanted to leave it on as long as possible. Sigh. Click to enlarge – my photos don’t do Saint George justice, but especially not in small photos:

Cloudy sunlight

close up

Shade

Guhhh…it’s so beautiful. The formula was a dream to apply and coverage was perfect in two coats. Lasting time was okay, but that’s fine for someone who has a bajillion polishes on her swatch list (*hangs head*).  A England polishes will run you about ten bucks (or nine pounds on the A England site, but I don’t know the conversion?), which is SO worth it for this gorgeous polish. The only problem is that now I want more A England’s…

Saint George and other A England polishes are available through the A England site or, if you cannot or don’t want to order from an international/UK site, Ninja Polish and Llarowe.

What do you think of Saint George (the polish or, I guess, the person)? Any other A England polishes that I should try?