Sometimes there are these nail polishes you simply HAVE to have, and they get stuck in the back of your mind for ages until you’re able to get your hands on them. a-englands “Anne Boleyn” was one of them for me. Ever since Adina came with the Tudoresque collection, I was stunned by this colour. I’m happy to announce I got the nail polish, and today I’ll show you this beauty!
But first: a short review of Vernis Ongles, a French webshop run by the lovely Patricia. Being one of the EU stockists of a-england, I’m happy to have found this website! They don’t have a lot of (indie) nail brands, but the ones they stock are absolutely great! I’ve ordered two a-england poishes, “Anne Boleyn”, and “Perceval”, two different reds. They came in a bubble wrap envelope packed in a glittery red paper. Love it!
Unfortunately, there was an issue with the nail polish bottles, as one broke during transport from The UK to France. Vernis Ongles immediately contacted me and asked me if I would be okay receiving a bottle that has its label damaged due to that, and included a picture of it as well. After they mentioned it did not effect the nail polish, I was more than okay with receiving the nail polish. After all, it’s the inside that counts!
Patricia also mentioned tossing in a freebie for this issue, and that turned out to be a fullsize bottle of a-england’s “The Wizard”, a stunning scattered holographic topcoat. Whaaaaaat?! I also received a laminated book mark, as well as a sheet nail stickers.
I can’t say anything negative about the customer service, as Patricia was the kindest, clearest communicator in the small amount of time we had contact. To receive a fullsize bottle of topcoat as an “apology” for something that happened during transport to them, is beyond words. That, together with the carefully packed parcel that shows their utmost care, makes me sure I will be ordering from them in the future. I recommend them wholeheartedly!
Back to the reason of this post: the nail polish! a-england’s “Anne Boleyn”get’s described on the official website as a “rich full red scatter holo“. And that’s the right description for it! Due to the holo, the rich, dark red colour gets another dimension to it, making it simply mesmerising to look at. It has a 3D-effect that is somewhat similar to velvet, but with a glossy finish. This effect is not showing up in these photos as much as I’d like to, unfortunately, so you’ll have to take that from me, haha!
Little random fun fact: my mum is a renowned genealogist, and when digging up our ancestry, she found out we stem from Mary Boleyn, Anne’s sister and a mistress of Henry VIII. Her daughter Catherine, to be exact. Did that influence this polish being on my wishlist? Maaaaaybeeeeee….
Shown are two coats of the nail polish, topped with a coat of Seche Vite.
As far as the holo is concerned: it does not really pop up. It’s more like a faint whisper of holo, although it’s visible in the bottle. In the photo right above this text, you can see a hint of the holo. Putting my nails in direct sunlight does not change this a lot: it remains a faint holo instead of a full on linear one. I’m not mad at this, to be honest: I think it’s a stunning polish as it is!
Yep, I love this one! It exceeded my expectations, and I think this is one of my favourite polishes in my collection. I love the depth in it, the shine, and the way it complements my skintone. I’d recommend this, as well as the webshop I bought it from.
