The Royal Wedding was last Friday, and I did manage to turn on the television in time to see Kate Middleton walking down the aisle out of Westminster Abbey, and then her and Prince William exchanging a kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Her dress was so amazing, and the story is so satisfying, I found myself wanting to cheer for them, too.
I loved that Sarah Burton-Alexander McQueen dress, and I loved how genuine they both seemed. When press releases informed us that her fingernails were painted in a custom mixture of Essie’s Allure and Bourjois No. 28 Rose Lounge I couldn’t stop myself from checking my WalGreen’s on the way home…and Essie Allure was just sitting there waiting. It’s a slightly beige-ish creme color, very sheer. The articles described it as a beige, and in the bottle it looks mostly white, which caused me a bit of worry, but I bought it anyway. I’m glad I did–the beige tone is very subtle, but it’s definitely there. I painted it on and ended up surprising myself by really liking it. I used four coats for these pictures, but it went on very non-streaky. I did end up with some sheet marks, so with four coats it probably needs more drying time than I gave it. It’s such a traditional, conservative color, but is still chic and sophisticated. With this many coats, it can appear to give a bright, colored look or be almost clear depending on the lighting. I like that it’s a slightly yellow, not-too-white sort of color, and it’s so soft and clean looking.
In the shade it looks more fleshy, and the slighty beige tone comes out a bit more. This polish made me feel put together and very classically groomed. It will always remind me of the beautiful wedding ceremony and the pictures, so when I catch sight of it, it makes me think of having princess hands. Kate Middleton is not technically a princess in her own right yet–she was named the Duchess of Cambridge–although I gather that she could be referred to as Princess William of Wales just because of the marriage. But this color could almost be out of a full-on Disney princess story.
As a final note, I was a little disappointed about the Bourjois-I’m not really up for figuring out how to acquire just one bottle of UK-only polish at UK shipping rates, and there’s many sheer pinks that I’m sure would work as well. I’m also not really up for mixing my bottles of polish, either, since I think it would just kind of mess up both. So for now I’ve put to the side the fact that the Bourjois would really be required for the full experience. Maybe someday I’ll end up at a London drugstore?