Happy Samhain! Happy Halloween!

*Birthday Giveaway – Week 5 ‘The Kardashian Kolors’ Collection! Details on how to enter here!

Samhain… All Souls’ Day… Halloween; however one refers to this day, one thing stays the same: it is a day of celebration! In Celtic Brittania, long ago when druids still walked the land, October 31st was the day when the harvest ended and the New Year was about to begin. To honour the Gods for providing the people with such rich bounty, festivals that lasted several days were held across the land, and huge bonfires were lit, as people took turns walking through the flames in order to be ritualistically “cleansed”. These celebrations also had elements of the “Festivals the Dead” , as it was further believed that the veil between the world of the living and the world of those who had passed before, was at its thinnest on this day, thereby allowing access between the two: on this day, the living welcomed the dead, and paid them homage.

The Celtic god, Samhain , and his autumnal countenance.

Mystery…

Revelation…

To commemorate the day, I opted to create a combination that encompassed the ancient and pagan “spirit” of this day, and to that end, it was only fitting that a-england’s ‘Camelot’ (previously reviewed here) be the anchor of this look. To enhance the lustrous onyx beauty of this incredible lacquer, the tips were lightly brushed with Sally Hansen’s Complete Salon Manicure in ‘Hidden Treasure’, a “flakie” iridescent top coat. Tying in all the elements of this celebration, the fiery glow of ‘Hidden Treasure’ represents the bonfire to ‘Camelot’s’ ebony backdrop of night. All swatches are with a-england’s ‘The Knight’ Base Coat, two coats of ‘Camelot’, Sally Hansen’s ‘Hidden Treasure’ on the tips, finished with a layer of a-england’s ‘The Shield’ Top Coat.

Ahhhh….sunlight paints a portrait of the rising flames of the bonfire against the deep mystery of the night.

A closeup photo reveals the delicate play of colours, as they swirl and merge one with the other in a playful dance.

At this angle, your eye is drawn to the golden green tones that light up the nail tips.

Looking like the scales of a dragon as he basks by the light of the sun, all the fiery hues are brilliantly highlighted.

Seen in indirect light, the black background is intensified in hue, while the licking flames are thrown into sharp relief.

I love how this shaded view makes these colours so incredibly vivid…like living flames!

A final view taken with flash takes pulls this look back into the obscure depths from which it came…to return again another time…

Final thoughts: As I am a “colour purist” at heart and not one for intricate nail art, somehow this combination just called to me; I wanted to portray the autumnal colours representative of the harvest as well as the god Samhain, the myriad hues of the festival bonfire, and the darkling night wherein the souls of the departed reside and to that end, I believe that I succeeded in capturing the meaning of the day! Interestingly enough, even the names of the lacquers used, recall that era in time, with ‘Camelot’ representing that legendary castle of early Brittania and ‘Hidden Treasure’ with its implied and elusive mystique.

However you celebrate the day, enjoy and be safe!