Hi everyone! Today I'd like to tell you about a most excellent UK-based indie nail polish company called a-england.
a-england was originally introduced to me as one of the gold standards for indie polishes. Whereas many indie polishes seem to focus on elaborate and unusual combinations of chunky glitters in clear bases, a-england has pursued a goal much closer to my heart: perfecting rich, smooth, highly pigmented shades and lovely holographic polishes.
Packaging: a-england has beautiful polish bottles - tall, clean lines, rounded edges, silver caps, and a simple but beautiful logo. I'm not a nail polish expert, but I find the brushes are well-made and easy to work with.
a-england's "The Knight" base coat and "The Shield" top coat nail polishes. You can find them in the Mythicals collection on a-england's website.
Selection: This brand's selection is well-curated, and I'm not just using that term as a polite alternative to "limited". You won't find a polish in every color of the rainbow, but from what I've experienced and read, you will be pretty much guaranteed to receive a high quality product regardless of whatever shade you purchase. Lovers of classic summer beach-going shades won't find this to be the best one-stop shopping destination, but I believe there is something beautiful for everyone's tastes.
a-england seems to focus on dark and moody shades, rich jewel tones, and light, ethereal metallics. And let's not forget their stunning holos! The holos aren't quite on the order of, say, Color Club in terms of in-your-face effect, but they will catch your eye in direct light and make you smile.
a-england's "Dragon" nail polish. You can find it in the Legend collection on a-england's website.
a-england seems to focus on dark and moody shades, rich jewel tones, and light, ethereal metallics. And let's not forget their stunning holos! The holos aren't quite on the order of, say, Color Club in terms of in-your-face effect, but they will catch your eye in direct light and make you smile.
Swatch of a-england's "Dragon" nail polish. Two coats of polish done over a-england's "The Knight" base coat, no top coat. Photo taken in direct sunlight.
Quality: Very good, but could be a little better in one aspect - this stuff takes quite a while to dry! It's entirely possible I've been spoiled by quick-drying top coats, but I let my "Dragon" manicure dry completely on its own (before applying top coat) and it was still smudging after an hour or two. I'd highly recommend using Seche Vite, Poshe, or another quick-drying top coat of your choice when using these polishes. Aside from this complaint, both of my colors are rich, self-leveling, and lovely. In normal lighting they seem to glow from within, giving the illusion of depth. It took me one or two manicures to get a hang of the formula, which is perhaps slightly thicker than the polishes I'm used to using, but even my unpracticed hands were able to create a neat, even, lovely looking manicure with the polish.
Purchasing: Buying from this beautiful line of polishes has gotten a little trickier since I made my last order. The brand, which is based out of the UK, recently encountered a problem when Royal Mail implemented new rules prohibiting mailing nail polish overseas (as a side note, though I've never received a satisfying explanation as to why nail polish is considered dangerous on planes, my layman's research suggests the problem lies in the volatile chemicals used in nail polish creating a fire hazard). Fortunately for nail polish lovers everywhere, the folks behind the brand worked diligently and quite quickly to set up distributors for their polish. The brand's website maintains a Where To Buy page with options listed by country to make it as easy as possible for you to purchase their polishes.
Vegan Shopping Experience: Overall, excellent. According to this 2011 post from Logical Harmony (my go-to resource for vegan information), a-england is a vegan company. That said, I couldn't find any information about the brand's animal testing or animal ingredients policies on its website - I had to go elsewhere for the information. The information was easy to find, but it would perhaps be a good selling point for a-england to mention their vegan formula on their website. Not that they're having any trouble making sales, of course!
Cost: The cost of these polishes is pretty standard for indies. As of writing this post, the polishes are £9 a piece on the official website. For my fellow US residents, I'm seeing pricing at anywhere from $10-$12 USD through the official distributors. For anyone who lives in the UK and is fortunate enough to order directly from the brand's website, a-england offers a handful of matched pairs and trios for a small discount - see the Harmonies collection page to view your options.
Customer Service: Spectacular. My moat recent order from the brand was placed days before the announcement from Royal Mail that nail polish could no longer be shipped overseas. Since a-england had just had a sale, there were quite a number of us with open orders who were potentially to be affected by the sudden shift in mailing rules. Instead of buckling under the pressure, a-england worked tirelessly to keep customers informed via the brand's Facebook page and made arrangements through a third party to get the open orders to their destinations as quickly as possible. I can't recall there being much of a delay past the originally stated turnaround time, and considering what a major hiccup the brand went through, I was seriously impressed. I've seen a number of brands fail in the face of lesser challenges, but I believe a-england truly rose to the occasion and proved their loyalty to exquisite customer service. They have certainly earned my continued business.
TAT: Unfortunately, due to the fact that I cannot purchase directly from the brand, I can't speak to their standard turnaround time. It will vary based on which distributor you use. If you have more recent experience with the brand and its turnaround time, please do comment and fill us in!
Personal Thoughts: In case it wasn't completely clear already, I am thoroughly enamored with this brand and I'm looking forward to purchasing more of their products. I highly recommend looking into them!
UK residents can shop directly from the brand's website. Everyone else can choose from the brand's list of distributors to their country.
Have you tried a-england? What do you think of their products? If you could only recommend one a-england color, what would you suggest as your favorite?
Purchasing: Buying from this beautiful line of polishes has gotten a little trickier since I made my last order. The brand, which is based out of the UK, recently encountered a problem when Royal Mail implemented new rules prohibiting mailing nail polish overseas (as a side note, though I've never received a satisfying explanation as to why nail polish is considered dangerous on planes, my layman's research suggests the problem lies in the volatile chemicals used in nail polish creating a fire hazard). Fortunately for nail polish lovers everywhere, the folks behind the brand worked diligently and quite quickly to set up distributors for their polish. The brand's website maintains a Where To Buy page with options listed by country to make it as easy as possible for you to purchase their polishes.
Vegan Shopping Experience: Overall, excellent. According to this 2011 post from Logical Harmony (my go-to resource for vegan information), a-england is a vegan company. That said, I couldn't find any information about the brand's animal testing or animal ingredients policies on its website - I had to go elsewhere for the information. The information was easy to find, but it would perhaps be a good selling point for a-england to mention their vegan formula on their website. Not that they're having any trouble making sales, of course!
Cost: The cost of these polishes is pretty standard for indies. As of writing this post, the polishes are £9 a piece on the official website. For my fellow US residents, I'm seeing pricing at anywhere from $10-$12 USD through the official distributors. For anyone who lives in the UK and is fortunate enough to order directly from the brand's website, a-england offers a handful of matched pairs and trios for a small discount - see the Harmonies collection page to view your options.
Customer Service: Spectacular. My moat recent order from the brand was placed days before the announcement from Royal Mail that nail polish could no longer be shipped overseas. Since a-england had just had a sale, there were quite a number of us with open orders who were potentially to be affected by the sudden shift in mailing rules. Instead of buckling under the pressure, a-england worked tirelessly to keep customers informed via the brand's Facebook page and made arrangements through a third party to get the open orders to their destinations as quickly as possible. I can't recall there being much of a delay past the originally stated turnaround time, and considering what a major hiccup the brand went through, I was seriously impressed. I've seen a number of brands fail in the face of lesser challenges, but I believe a-england truly rose to the occasion and proved their loyalty to exquisite customer service. They have certainly earned my continued business.
a-england's "Lady of the Lake" nail polish. You can find it in the Mythicals collection on a-england's website.
TAT: Unfortunately, due to the fact that I cannot purchase directly from the brand, I can't speak to their standard turnaround time. It will vary based on which distributor you use. If you have more recent experience with the brand and its turnaround time, please do comment and fill us in!
Swatch of a-england's "Lady of the Lake" nail polish. Two coats of polish, no base coat, no top coat. Photo taken in direct sunlight.
Personal Thoughts: In case it wasn't completely clear already, I am thoroughly enamored with this brand and I'm looking forward to purchasing more of their products. I highly recommend looking into them!
UK residents can shop directly from the brand's website. Everyone else can choose from the brand's list of distributors to their country.
Have you tried a-england? What do you think of their products? If you could only recommend one a-england color, what would you suggest as your favorite?
0 comments:
Post a Comment