Thursday, August 14, 2014

A England Avalon

Like yesterday's Tristam, Avalon was also released by British indie polish maker A England as part of the Mythicals collection. Described as an "incandescent regal and royal purple," this is a medium-dark beautifully balanced purple shimmer polish, with a royal purple base bearing ultrafine shimmers in pink and blue. Deep but incredibly vibrant, has a silky, glowing, lit from within look on the nail with a beautiful liquid fuchsia flash under incandescent light.

I was a little nervous applying this polish. Avalon has a slight thinner consistency that other A Englands that I've tried, but still delivers a wonderful silky smooth flow over the nail and is easily manipulated with A England's slender round flexible brush. That said, this polish likes an even, steady, light touch with the brush. It dislikes being overworked, and can pull a patch or two if so treated. I wouldn't call this a finicky polish (it's more delicate than finicky), but applying it well takes a certain amount of skill that my shaky hands have yet to perfect. However, pigmentation is excellent as is its self-leveling properties, and completely even and opaque coverage is achievable in two coats. Cleanup is easy and straightforward with no traces of staining left behind. Avalon dries naturally in average time to a beautiful glossy finish.

Photos show two medium coats of Avalon over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. I added a bit of Seche Restore polish thinner to my bottle of Vite and managed a few less bubbles than usual but there are still too many, especially for a polish like this that shows application imperfections so easily.


A England Avalon


A England Avalon


A England Avalon


A England Avalon


A England Avalon


A England Avalon


A England Avalon


A England Avalon


A England Avalon


A England Avalon


A England Avalon

Avalon appears more violet in low light but in bright indirect or direct light it's a breathtaking brilliant royal purple that just sings on the nail. Very eye catching and bold, this is a polish that can't help but attract attention, as well it should. My photos don't do it justice.

If I don't have as much affection for it as some of my other purple shimmers (OPI Grape Set Match comes immediately to mind), it's only because of the delicacy required during application to ensure that Avalon looks its best. The shimmers in Avalon are much finer than they are in Grape Set Match, and the color is bolder and more vibrant than the OPI. I really don't have anything that compares to Avalon in terms of the color, it really is spectacular. Purple lovers, take note!

love,
Liz

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