a-england: Iseult, Holy Grail & Excalibur (review/swatches)

I continue to be impressed with a-england’s superb line of lacquers; today I bring you my third review on these beauties (part 1 reviewed here and part 2 here) which consists of ‘Iseult’ – an elegant princess pink, ‘Holy Grail’ – a pure molten gold and ‘Excalibur’ – a gleaming steely silver. One of the things I absolutely love about this range, is the high saturation of colour, along with the excellent application, high glossy shine and wonderful hues….oh wait; that’s more than one thing, right?! All swatches are with Sèche Natural base coat and two coats of lacquer, no top coat.

I confess that I initially passed over ‘Iseult’ in favour of certain other shades in the range but am so glad I finally got the chance to review this, as it has now become one of my favourite all time polishes. Never having been a ‘pink’ inclined person, ‘Iseult’ has made a believer out of me; this is an ethereal and dainty shade, of the most delicate pink (think inner part of a seashell) with a subtle silver, pink and some blue micro-shimmer in the base, lending it such incredible depth. Note how whether seen in full sun (top photo) or indirect light (bottom photo), the secret silver shimmer is always apparent. Not meant to be overly opaque, it has a modern yet ladylike feel to it and I love the clean and polished look it lends your nails. Pure bliss!

Going through my stash, I found that I didn’t have many shades in this range and the only one that came close is ‘Opal’, a discontinued shade from CHANEL. While the base tone seems to be very close, the biggest difference between the two is the lack of obvious silver shimmer and increase in pink shimmer of the CHANEL. ‘Iseult’ also seems to be a more cool toned hue, probably based on its delicate blue shimmer. I also found that ‘Opal’ seemed almost yellowish in comparison to the ballerina pink of ‘Iseult’.

‘Holy Grail’ is an antiqued looking golden hue, with very subtle reddish and green flecks of shimmer in its base. This is the colour I imagine that chalice of legend would be; a deep yet vibrant gold. At two coats, it still isn’t fully opaque, but I prefer it that way as it will never come off as too bright or gaudy but more of a regal yet wearable shade. Note how intensely it sparkles when viewed in full sun (top photo) yet how indirect light (bottom photo) tones it down enough to fully enjoy its depth.

Among the few golds I have in my stash, the closest I found was NARS’ ‘Desperado’ (reviewed here) and even though the bottle shades seem quite close, note how much lighter ‘Holy Grail’ appears on the nail. The similarity between the two is primarily in the hues of the shimmer particles they both possess which cloaks them each with a patina of age to them. ‘Desperado’ also seems to bear a somewhat brassier look to it, compared to ‘Holy Grail’s’ true molten gold hue. Note how full sun (top photo) brings out a different gleam in each, while indirect light (bottom photo) points out the obvious tonal differences.

Finally, we have ‘Excalibur’, a gleaming silver metallic foil hue. The intensity of the shine on this one was absolutely insane; seen in sunlight (top photo), you would be hard pressed to view it without sunglasses and I love how even in indirect light (bottom photo) you still have that reflective finish. The application was as smooth as butter, and probably because it is a foil polish, dry time was super fast, with no brush strokes to speak of. This is the silver hue I think of when I think of King Arthur’s sword of legend; forged of the finest metals and imbued with magic……superb!

The closest shade I have in my collection is Gosh’s ‘Silver’ (reviewed here), another metallic foil polish with slightly more grey in its base and chunkier foil particles as well. While they were both quite similar in application, ‘Excalibur’ has a much smoother finish and was fully opaque with two thin coats whereas ‘Silver’ was just a touch thinner making it minimally less opaque.

Final thoughts: At the risk of repeating myself, this entire line is more than worthy of its royal and historical references and each polish to date has totally impressed me. I find myself captivated by the highly pigmented shades and I love that they are all easily two-coaters. Even without a top coat, the resulting end shine is mirror like and while the colours themselves are not outrageous hues, they all have a certain undefinable “something” that takes them to a whole new level. Apart from being free from all harmful toxins, the range is also animal cruelty-free and the entire line is personally overseen by the founder and creator, the ingenious Adina Bodana. All polishes (including base and top coats) retail for £ 9.50 and the company also offers international shipping for your convenience. For more information or to order, please visit a-england’s website here.