When I told you about the very pretty Tristam polish, reader Applegal mentioned about how awesome it would be to have a polish range named for the characters in the A Song of Fire and Ice fantasy series. You may not know the “A Song of Fire and Ice” fantasy book series written by George RR Martin, but you may remember the rage that was the HBO series last year – Game of Thrones. That was just Book 1 in this 5 book series (so far) and I look forward to the coming series.
Well lookee what I found, Applegal! 😀 The A-England polish that I would call “Lannister” or maybe even “Cersei”! 😀 Instead, its called Perceval (or maybe Percival) named after Sir Percival, one of the most virtuous and pious Knights of the Round Table. Ironic then, that the colour chosen for him would be a red like this one.
Perceval is a beautiful red that is just thrumming with life. Its hard to see in pictures, but when you look at the colour in real life, you will see the fire and life in it. A name like “Lannister” will definitely suit this one much better. The sigil of House Lannister is a golden lion on a red background and it is the most powerful House in Westeros and… I can just see the eyes of non-fantasy fans start to glaze over about now…. 😛
On nails, the A-England Perceval polish is beautiful. It applies very smoothly and is fully opaque in 2 coats. I achieved near perfect application with this one – my nail looked smooth without any ridges.
Yes, my pictures seem to say I’m telling a lie, but in real life, it does look near perfect. The colour of the polish is closer to what it looks like in the bottle – a deeper red but with very fine gold shimmer that makes it seem to glow from within with an inner fire. These pictures were taken with sunlight and show you just how beautiful it is with bright or direct light. Its a colour that is alive, not like some of the flat shiny reds you get. This one has character and in the sun, takes on a brilliance that makes you just want to keep staring at your nails. Dangerous when you’re driving though 😛
The small problem I had this this one is that for some reason, it wears off quite quickly at the tip so tip wear shows within about 2 days even with a top coat. To be fair, this appears mainly on my right hand, and on the most used fingers of my left for typing. I do find this to be a problem with most red polishes. They always look perfect for a day or two and then go downhill. It is perhaps the contrast that makes it more noticeable. It still looks lovely and shiny and glowy, but I can see the wear at the tip which bugs me, so I’m going to have to clean this off and reapply.
I’ll be making this my manicure this Chinese New Year which is just days away now. Its going to be the Lunar year of the Dragon and I can’t see a better way to greet the Dragon, than by wearing this absolutely gorgeous firey red.
Do we have any fans of the “A Song of Fire and Ice” books in the audience? What do you reckon? Does this red make you think “Lannister” too? I can almost see Cersei wearing this one on her delicate and deadly fingers 😉
Paris B
A-England nail polishes are 3-free Price: £9 each Availability: A-England Website (free shipping worldwide) Collection: Mythicals
LeGeeque says
January 18, 2012 at 1:02 pmAnd you said you can’t wear red nail polish 😉 Look how far you’ve come 😉
Paris B says
January 19, 2012 at 10:14 amHaha too true! 😀
Hanny Daforcena says
January 18, 2012 at 1:04 pmAm going to steal my Grandma’s Chanel Rouge Noir nail polish for my CNY mani! ^.^
Paris B says
January 19, 2012 at 10:14 amWow funky grandma! 😀
gio says
January 18, 2012 at 3:00 pmI love A Song of Fire and Ice and I can totally see Cersei wearing this! Such a beautiful red!
Paris B says
January 19, 2012 at 10:15 amIt is right? I love how its got that glowy look to it and the moment I saw it I said “Oh Cersei! This was made for you!”
Jamilla says
January 18, 2012 at 3:44 pmVery auspicious – Perfect for CNY!
Paris B says
January 19, 2012 at 10:15 amVery much so! Maybe I’ll alternate it with Gold? 😛
Mady says
January 18, 2012 at 4:32 pmLove the books to pieces ^__^ I do agree that the colour is very Lannister-esque. But with a bit of black, we could totally make this colour look a bit Targaryen.
Paris B says
January 19, 2012 at 10:16 amHaha indeed! And you’re a huge fan I can tell 😉 I don’t have black or I could swing that. But I do have gold so I could go even more Lannister 😀
xin says
January 18, 2012 at 5:02 pmlove the sheen on the red! am still undecided what to wear for CNY mani. Might go for just plain color if I am short of time
Paris B says
January 19, 2012 at 10:16 amAww but that would be so unlike you! 😀
Marina (Makeup4all) says
January 18, 2012 at 5:16 pmI wonder what kind of nail polish would be ‘Khal Drogo’. Probably very dark and complex shade. And Dany would probably be a lilac one. Ahh, I want one 😛
Paris B says
January 19, 2012 at 10:16 amHaha its a pity Khal Drogo had to go and die in the 1st book 😛 The new A-England poslishes may have something just for you 😉
Applegal says
January 18, 2012 at 6:36 pmOoooooo!!! Very pretty! Actually it’s a powerful colour. Yes, that was my first thought, it seemed more Cersei than any other Lannister. The red nail polish looks very much like the dress she wears in this painting: http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Cersei_Lannister
In reply to Mady’s comment, Targaryen to me would be black with ruby red sequins, like the armour of Rhaegar Targaryen ^_^
Mady says
January 18, 2012 at 7:08 pm@Applegal: Nails like that would be so awesome ^,^
Paris B says
January 19, 2012 at 10:17 amOh wow! You’re absolutely right about the red matching the dress in the picture 😀 It almost looks made for that character yes?
peach_ says
January 18, 2012 at 10:31 pmBeautiful, lively red! Did Xin and I get you into nails? 😉 So cool you found a brand you love and can relate to in terms of your interests. That’s part of what makes me become addicted to a certain brand, too. P.S. I must be the only one who has never seen/read Game of Thrones and its original book series.
Paris B says
January 19, 2012 at 10:19 amHaha In a manner of speaking, yes I do have you both to blame for learning to paint my nails again 😀 I’m still really bad at it but will practice! Finding a brand I enjoy using does help of course and you have me looking at Dior polishes too. I caught myself looking at the Dior polishes at the counter yesterday and pulled myself away 😛 BTW We aren’t getting the Anselm Reye collection so I can’t wait to see how that silver looks on you 😀
Paris B says
January 19, 2012 at 10:19 amOh and unless you are a fantasy fan, it’s hard to get into GOT 😛
lyn says
January 19, 2012 at 7:48 amLovely! This is such a beautiful colour for CNY 🙂 I’ll probably be wearing something darker like Avalon ‘cos I’m going all crazy-purple this year… Kekeke…
I just started reading the series and can’t really form an opinion yet. I watched the first episode AGOT and couldn’t really get into it. But the book seems pretty interesting so far.
Paris B says
January 19, 2012 at 10:21 amI thought of Avalon but its a bit bright but still, we’ll see! 😀 I think GOT and the books appeal mainly to fantasy fans. I’m a huge fan of fantasy fiction (its about all I read, alongside humour and crime) so if that isn’t your cuppa then its a bit out there. That said, I also found some of the books draggy in parts and I confess to skipping bits of it because I don’t care for the characters 😛
jade says
January 19, 2012 at 3:40 pmI got this from their anniversary sale a couple of weeks back. Just arrived on my doorstep yesterday, can’t wait to try it on for chinese new year!
Paris B says
January 20, 2012 at 9:25 amIts perfect for Chinese New Year 🙂 Enjoy!