A England Elizabeth & Mary Collection, Swatches and Review

Hi everyone! Unless you've been in a Buddhist monastery for the last month or so, completely shut off from the outside world, I'm sure you have by now heard of the new A England Elizabeth & Mary collection. I gave you a sneak peak last week when I did stained glass roses using four out of the five polishes in the collection. I'm back now with a full review. If you haven't yet picked up anything from this collection, or you are not sure if you need these polishes (short answer - yes you need them!),  I hope my swatches will help.

A England Elizabeth & Mary Collection

About this collection:

The Elizabeth & Mary collection is inspired by two of Europe's greatest monarchs in the 16th century, Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. The stories of their reigns and power struggles are absolutely captivating and I can get engrossed in this period of history for hours. If you are interested in learning more of the backstory behind each polish, I recommend Eugenia's review over at Ommorphia Beauty Bar.

A England Elizabeth & Mary Collection

The collection consists of five polishes. Three of them have a holographic finish. It's not a strong linear holo, but more of a subtle holo with a bit of a scattered holo. It's similar to other polishes I've seen from this brand. The other two are a foil and a shimmer - both very beautiful, but it's the holographic finishes that steal the show, in my opinion.

The swatches:

Crown of Thistles is the polish I was most looking forward to, and it definitely didn't disappoint. I can see why this is one of the stars of the collection! It's a warm toned shade of purple, almost orchid, with a subtle holo effect. When the light hits the polish you also get flashes of gold and rose - it's absolutely stunning!

A England Crown of Thistles swatch

A England Crown of Thistles swatch

The formula was very good on this one. There was a bit of flooding but nothing too bad. Otherwise it goes on very smooth and evenly. This was 2 coats.

A England Crown of Thistles swatch

A England Crown of Thistles swatch

Fotheringhay Castle is an olive green with shimmer and subtle holographic effect. This is a gorgeous warm shade of green and I since I don't own many greens, a welcome addition to my collection. When the light hits the polish, not only do you get the holo effect but you also see a flash of copper, which you can see in one of my photos. I find it adds to the depth of the colour.

A England Fotheringhay Castle swatch

A England Fotheringhay Castle swatch

Formula wise this was perfect. It goes on even and is completely self levelling. I used 2 easy coats for these swatches.

A England Fotheringhay Castle swatch

A England Fotheringhay Castle swatch

Gloriana is a orangish-red foil with a gold foil effect. The colour is very striking and I love that it has a gold foil finish - as most foils I see have a silver finish. It's a very bold shade, which you may or may not like. For me personally, it's a bit too shimmery and I was hoping for something more toned down. But I'd be interested in seeing how this looks with a matte top coat, I think that would be beautiful.

A England Gloriana swatch

A England Gloriana swatch

The formulas on the entire collection are excellent, and this was no exception. It goes on very smooth and evenly and I had no issues with application. I used 2 coats here.

A England Gloriana swatch

Queen of Scots is a deep blue, almost midnight blue, with a blue shimmer. Out of the five this was the only one that didn't grab me. It's a pretty colour, but it's not the most unique, in my opinion, and I feel I have a few polishes like this already in my collection. If you don't have anything like this, it's definitely worth picking up.

A England Queen of Scots swatch

A England Queen of Scots swatch

The formula was excellent like the others. I did experience some cuticle flooding, and combined with the dark colour, it was hard to clean up - you can see that in my photos. Otherwise I had no issues with this. This was 2 coats.

A England Queen of Scots swatch

Virgin Queen is another stand out of the collection. It's a pewter holo with a subtle holo effect. It's so complex and you can see many other colours if you look closely at the shimmer. I don't care much for silver holos, but a shade like this I could wear often. It's so classy and luxurious looking.

A England Virgin Queen swatch

A England Virgin Queen swatch

The formula was excellent on this, like the others. It went on very evenly and had the best consistency. I used 2 easy coats here.

A England Virgin Queen swatch

A England Virgin Queen swatch

Final thoughts:

The three holographic polishes - Virgin Queen, Crown of Thistles, and Fotheringhay Castle - are definitely the stars of this collection, but Gloriana is also striking if you love warm red shades. Because they are so pigmented, all five polishes would be excellent for nail art. Queen of Scots is nice and is worth getting if you don't already own something like this.

My picks:

Virgin Queen, Crown of Thistles, and Fotheringhay Castle (in that order).

Availability:

This collection is available now from A England and other online retailers. If you're in Canada you can get them from Nail Polish Canada. Most are out of stock but you can follow Nail Polish Canada on Facebook for updates as to when they'll be restocked.

What do you think of this collection? Which polishes are your favourites?

*Products provided for review, all opinions are my own. See my disclosure policy for more details.*