Flannel and Lace - China Glaze Twinkle Collection Nail Art

Tough, rugged flannel meets soft and sweet lace! Though I know it's not even Halloween yet, this manicure feels perfect for winter. The Christmas-y plaid with the silver accent has me thinking cocoa and fireplaces. Meanwhile, in the real world, it's still 95 degrees here in the good old desert. Ah, a girl can dream.

Nail polishes used:
China Glaze Tip Your Hat
China Glaze Out Like a Light
China Glaze I'd Melt For You

Tip Your Hat is a gorgeous deep red creme. It covered well in one coat but I've used two here, because everyone knows it's impossible to just use one coat of polish, even if you get full coverage! It can look quite a bit darker depending on the light.

I'd Melt For You is a flashy silver chrome. I painted two coats on my bare nail, so I can't speak to how it applies if you're wearing a base coat, but keep in mind that it does show ridges if you've got 'em. You've seen other silver chromes on the market and here's another to add to the list! A savvy shopper probably won't need to double up, but if you've somehow missed them in the past, this is a great piece to add to a collection.

I used Out Light a Light to paint the flannel and lace detailing freehand. It had great opacity and a nice formula that worked well for nail art. I love these sorts of deep greys, too.

Is it already feeling wintry where you are? Or are you still suffering the last legs of summer like me?

Check out the press release for the China Glaze Twinkle Collection for Holiday 2014 to see the rest of the shades in this lineup, which officially goes up for sale in November.

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A-England Hurt No Living Thing and Excalibur Renaissance

A-England has released a couple of new shades recently: Hurt No Living Thing and Excalibur Renaissance. Read on for my swatches and review!

Excalibur Renaissance is a highly pigmented silver chrome. It has some brushstrokes when applied, but they do minimize as the polish dries down. It needs just one coat, but I've used two here for good measure in photographs. It's highly reflective and really beautiful!

It's also my understanding that Excalibur Renaissance is a reissue of a shade that had been previously retired. I can see why it was brought back!

Hurt No Living Thing is a sheer grey polish with a pink-to-orange shimmer. Unfortunately my camera has some difficulty capturing pinks, so the shimmer isn't as punchy in my photos as it is in person. I applied four coats for the swatch below and you can still see a bit of visible nail line, so I think it's safe to say that it is not meant to be opaque when worn alone.

You can also layer it over other polishes to transform the look. I started with a base of OPI A Grape Affair for the look below, and then added two coats of Hurt No Living Thing. I tried using just one coat at first, but the milky grey base was a little too streaky over such a dark base. However, I found that it did even out with the addition of a second coat.



Excalibur Renaissance is a real winner. The full coverage silver is just perfection. Hurt No Living Thing is nice, but a bit too subtle for my tastes. I wish that the grey base went further in either direction: more opaque for buildability or less opaque to put more of a focus on the shimmer as a topper.

UK residents can purchase directly from A-England, while others can check the "Where to Buy" page to review stockists.

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