a-england - Crown of Thistles

Press Sample

Hello!!

It's a-england time again! I have another polish from the most recent a-england Elizabeth and Mary collection and I think this is my favourite from the collection and possibly one of my favourite a-englands of all. As some of you may know I don't gravitate towards purple polish, but this one is the perfect purple for me. This is a-england 'Crown of Thistles'.

I love how rich this purple is – such a regal colour. 'Crown of Thistles' is a gorgeous scattered holo. The holographic effect is not too subtle and is obvious in most light without taking away from the purple colour of the polish.


Short, sweet post today because my wrist is still a bit unhappy, but I will finish by saying that this polish has the a-england formula that we have all come to know and love. Super opaque (these photos show 2 coats) and wonderfully long wearing on me. All in all, 'Crown of Thistles' is an absolute must-have for everyone.

a-england polishes can be purchased from a lot of places around the world. Unfortunately, you can only order direct from them if you are in the UK, but be sure to check out their list of worldwide distributors to find a place close to where you live. You can also follow a-england on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to keep up with the latest news from them.

This product was provided for review. This is my personal, unbiased opinion.

For more information, see my disclosure policy.

Takko Lacquer - Dark Paradise

Press Sample

Hi all!!

I hope everyone has had a lovely and safe Christmas and New Year! We are visiting my family in Wellington and it's so nice to be home. I haven't been able to paint my nails much lately as my wrist is still immobilised, but I let it out of my brace to take these pictures. Also please excuse the still slightly broken nails, it is taking me a while to get on top of it all. Anywho… this is the ridiculously gorgeous Llarowe-exclusive polish by Takko Lacquer – 'Dark Paradise'.

'Dark Paradise' has a beautiful deep, but very sheer, inky base and is packed full of multi chromatic flakie glitter. The flakes change from red to gold and blue to green, with all the shades in between. Pictured here is one coat over a-england 'Queen of Scots'. I actually wore this mani for New Years as it reminded me of fireworks.

In lower light, the more copper tones peek through the blackened blue base. In bright light and more extreme angles, this polish really comes alive – bright green and red glow from your nails. 'Dark Paradise' was stupidly difficult to capture (even after 100-odd photos) and so you will just have to take my word that you NEED this polish.


As I mentioned, this polish is jam-packed with flakes and so you can easily control how much you have on the nail. I think it would be relatively easy to build up. I didn't experience any dragging or anything, however one thing I noticed was that even after 2 coats of top coat, my nails were still slightly textured. I think a thicker top coat would be recommended.


Make sure you check out Sheryl's blog to find out about the inspiration behind her polishes, along with other updates. Also keep an eye on Takko Lacquer's twitter and instagram for info about restocks etc. Takko Lacquers are sold from their own shop, but only with US shipping. For us international ladies, Takko lacquers are stocked at Llarowe, Femme Fatale and Mei Mei's Signatures.

This product was provided for review. This is my personal, unbiased opinion.

For more information, see my disclosure policy.