Saturday, October 01, 2011

A England weekend : Elaine & Avalon swatches and review

I'm sure you're all familiar with A England by now, rich and glorious shades around a Middle-Age inspired collection, flawless formulas and lushious bottles... But A England is so much more...

Today I present to you :

Elaine : The mysterious romantic and tragic maid who dies of unrequited love for Lancelot and floats lifeless in a barge to Camelot with a lily in her handand,
and Avalon : The idyllic isle, healing place of eternal beauty and otherworldly mystery and the final resting place of Arthur.



Elaine is a rich and creamy dark, warm, dusty, purple. It's very different from the other purples in my collection. I expected it to be close to Rescue Beauty Lounge Recherché for example but it couldn't be any more different :  a true dim byzantium purple with a sensuous grey hue. In terms of formula, Elaine is irreprochable, great opacity, almost a one coater, fast drying and high shine.



Avalon couldn't be any more mystical and mysterious. It's unlike all the purples I have ever seen and despite taking dozens of pictures I don't think I have been able to capture its true inner beauty. I'm not a big fan of cool shimmers in a warm base, blue shimmer in hot pink for example but Avalon is so much more. It's definitely a warm purple base, warmer than my pictures show. A strong warm purple shimmer but there are also blue particles peeking every now and then making it extremely complex looking and utterly gorgeous. Formula was really great on Avalon too, two coats of a fast drying and shinny polish, probably one of the most saturated shades ever.




Overall :
I'm in love with A England, gorgeous shades, an emblematic concept AND a unique creator Adina Bodana, a woman full of love, love for her little babies, her precious polishes, love for her customers for whom she always has a kind word over Twitter and love for her adorable (not so little anymore) kitten Tristam.

A England polish retail for £9 on a-england.co.uk with free shipping worldwide. And you can follow the lovely Adina on both Facebook or Twitter.

More A England next weekend!

these products were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for consideration

31 comments:

  1. Both of these are absolutely gorgeous. There has been quite a few A England polishes visible on blogs lately and I'm yearning to try some, too. Such great colors!

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  2. Elaine look absolutely perfect! It looks so smokey and sexy, really love it!

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  3. I just received my A England polishes the other day. I'm a huge fan. I got Avalon also, but I'm wearing Tristam. I've had this color on for days and it still looks fresh.

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  4. Really great colors!!
    The Second one is a little wonder!

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  5. I love a-england to! Havent had the pleasure of these two yet though! Think thats gonna change soon ;)

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  6. OMG, I adore the second one.

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  7. Your photos seem almost surreal. I love how dusty Elaine is and I think Avalon is very prety as well. Great polishes, aren't they? =) Gotta love A England.

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  8. I love both of these polishes too! They look amazing on you and your photos of them are spectacular!! xx

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  9. OH MY WOW!!!! Elaine is such a stunning color!!!! I need to get it asap!

    xoxox

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  10. woooooooooooow! Avalon looks amazing! I want it now!!

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  11. I am SO glad this brand does free shipping! You just sealed the deal -- when I finally place an order, I'm getting Elaine. Gorgeous pictures!

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  12. Uau... really amazing those two nail polishes! Love the colors, I cannot choose one, they are both beautiful.
    Tuli

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  13. I like Elaine. But I'm left wondering if it's so dark that it looks black in low-light? I'd love to know, thanks :)

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  14. If I saw your swatch of Elaine before I placed my order I would've included it. You really have such gorgeous swatches!

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  15. Dear Sam. As I've told you often, I love your blog: gorgeous picture, thorough reviews, it's in my top tens. And yet, sometimes, I hate it, and today is one of those days: Elaine is in my a-england wishlist and everyday, I tell myself "no, not today, wait for next month, you really have to be careful". And there you come, with your gorgeous pictures, to make the temptation voice louder !! :(
    But the good thing is that I already have Avalon, and I love it so much that it helps me being patient for the other. I also spent hours trying to capture it on pictures, you cannot help but feel that images are not up to reality...

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  16. Oh, I forgot to ask: could you tell us how Elaine compares to OPI I Brake for Manicures from the Touring collection (I know you don't have much time, so I'll trust your word in a comment or edit if you can, no need for pics)? thanks a lot in advance if you can :)

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  17. Absolutely gorgeous shades! Love them :)

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  18. Wow, the beauty of your pictures is amazing! The polishes seem too shiny and rich to be true, but I've tried Tristam recently and I know they really are that beautiful!

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  19. @starification Elaine definitely looks purple to me, even in low lighting. xoxo.

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  20. @Fairy Lélie it's vert different from OPI I Brake For Manicures. IBFM is more of an eggplant dusty purple, quite close to RBL Recherché (a tiny tiny bit less maroon). Elaine is on the other hand a true purple. I hope this helps ;-)

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  21. Yes it does, thank you for taking the time :)

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  22. Avalon left me speechless! I bought Iseult and Tristam (and I'm wearing Iseult right now!) and I'm really in love with them! I love the philosophy behind Adina's work, too. :)

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  23. I love a-england too but Avalon looks like a whole slew of dupes from RBL's Scrangie styles from Sally Hansen to WnW's Sea Witch. Elaine on the other hand (and I have purples/bluples from RBL, Orly, OPI...) is simply an outstanding standout.

    Also you may want to mention that they can be purchase in the U.S. for $12 + $1.71 shipping at Llarowe (next bottle is cheaper & since it's in the U.S. it's also faster)

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  24. I'd like to know how Elaine compares to OPI Siberian Nights (if you own it)

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  25. I love wearing purple on my nails! Elaine is beautiful but Avalon is Amazing, I must own it asap!!

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  26. This is my first time looking at your blog... and I am in love! It could cause me a problem though, because your pictures are so great that it makes me want every polish! Haha :)

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