Comparison - a-England Saint George v Dragon v HITS Hera

Hi Goddesses

Today I have a comparison post for you that borders on AMAZING.  Not 1 or 2 but 3 yes 3 holos, all in greeny teal country.

You ready ??

On the left hand we have a-England Saint George and HITS Hera (Hera on the index and ring fingers).   Saint George is a deep dark forest green which sparkles like black emeralds when the sun ingnites it.

I've heard a lot of people call Saint George teal, but to me it isn't.  I can't see an ounce of blue in there - just pure mystical greenery.   I should also point out that this is a one coater - it's THAT awesome.  It's a scattered holo, but there's never a moment when you can't see some sort of holoey goodness going on.

HITS Hera is totally different - now THIS is a teal.  This hovers between bluey green and greeny blue, and has the depth of fathomless oceans.

Formula wise it's much thinner - this needed 3 coats - but look how she shimmers and shines!  This is soooo oceanic.  I hope you can see how much blue there is compared to Saint George.

And then on the right hand, we have Saint George again, but this time alternating with a-England Dragon.   Dragon is a fabulous swamp green holo - there's a lot of yellow in this one, especially compared to George.

Mostly, Dragon reminds me of fresh cut lawns :)  Because it's slightly lighter than George, the holo is more obvious - definitely a stunner.

Which one is your favourite ?

Enjoy xx

31 Day Challenge - Day 4 GREEN

Hi Goddesses

So yesterday we had yellow and today we have green, wow this Challenge is a TREAT isn't it ?  Luckily, I had something very nice nestling in the vault.

This a a-England Saint George, which is technically a teal, but on me just looks dark green :/

It was stamped with Konad Black and this crazy jigsaw pattern.

In real life, it was really hard to notice there was a pattern.  The black and the Saint George are both dark, so there wasn't perhaps enough contrast.   From a distance, this also looked more like a check pattern, but I still like it.

Enjoy xx :)

Brit Nails - a-England - Saint George

Hi Goddesses

To own an a-England, is to own the most precious of polishing jewels.  To wear an a-England, is to feel queenly, elegant and special.   To own several ... well, people like me are just greedy :)

a-England is a brand that has a special place in my heart.  I have spoken before of Adina's amazing ability to take a colour and a texture and transcend it into an art form, but she truly does.  Every a-England is a work of art, care and craft, and beyond special.

So, Saint George.   Firstly, apologies.  I meant to wear this on April 23rd, St George's Day, and ran out of time.  Another apology - when this collection came out in January, I was disappointed with the colours on parade - can you believe that?  Adina, profuse apologies, profuse.

Saint George is commonly described as a teal scattered holo, but to be honest, I struggle to see the teal tones, and to my eye it's more of a blackened emerald, dark and dizzying with its depths.

This is a dark, dark, dark green.  Think conifers, cucumber skins and watermelon rinds and you're on the right path.

The holo though, is what makes this polish so precious.  Scattered, the holo looks like it's buried deep within, offering itself to the light through your nails.  It's mystifyingly deep, giving the whole nail (not just the polish) an almost 3D experience.

The holo glows like emerald fireflies, electric and toxic, and fatally beautiful.

Be warned.  Saint George may be the hero of the story, but his ability to bewitch is definitely villainous.

Enjoy xx :)

Stamping Week - Neptune Nails

Hi Goddesses

I hope you're enjoying Stamping Week, and today sees another trot out for the DRK-B plate, which is truly stunning.

Today's mani has a lot in common with the a-England one you saw earlier in the week, and was done at the same time.  Then it was the right hand, today you get to see what was on the left :)

The base for this hand is a skittle again - this time a-England Saint George is on the thumb, middle and pinkie, and HITS Hera is on the index and ring.   Both are teal holos, but in totally different ways, and there is a comparison post coming up, honest!

I decided I wanted a watery theme for the nails as the colours reminded me of mermaids and storm tossed seas.  Instead of being too obvious, I picked this pattern, which reminds me of cresting waves.

I used Barry M Silver Foil (obvs) and I think this almost stamped TOO well.   You can see on some of the nails that the dots aren't very well defined because the image has been picked up so deeply.   It's a cool pattern though - I see lots of uses for this in our future :)

Enjoy xx :)

Stamping Week - Dragon Flowers

Hi Goddesses

Today's stamping mani was an experiment that I had seen other bloggers succeed with time and time again, and which ... well, I dunno, I'm not sure it worked for me.

This was a skittled base of a-England Dragon (thumb, middle, pinkie) and a-England St George, stamped with HITS Hefesto, a holographic topcoat and this stamp from DRK-B.

I have such mixed thoughts on this one, and I do think the British weather is to blame!  It looks totally different in the photos where there was actually a glimpse of sun.

I think my biggest issue is that you can't really tell the stamp is of flowers.  You can see there's a stamp, yes, but for the most part this looks like leopard print more than anything.  And I don't mind that, truly I don't, but it's not flowers .....

Overall, I think the Hefesto gives a lovely subtle effect, just a little bit too subtle possibly for me (I rarely use the word, let alone display it).

However, regardless of whether it looks how I wanted it to or not, there's one thing you can't deny - it's high on holo loveliness.

Enjoy xx :)