This is my first time trying this brand, so I’m really excited to share my review with you all.
Picture Polish is an Australian brand, it’s also plant-based, sustainable, vegan, doesn’t partake in animal testing and is halal. I always love sharing Australian brands with you all, so Picture Polish is no exception. It’s also a brand I’ve been wanting to try since I first got into nail polish, many, many years ago.
This collection is right up my alley. It’s full of sparkly, reflective metallics in deep purple-blues and reds (two of my favourite shade families to wear!) plus a stunning silver polish that really surprised me.
The bottle itself is a perfect shape for storing in helmer drawers or on a shelving system. And the cap!!! I love it!!! It’s so comfortable to hold and is super cute since it’s a tiny bit smaller than most other nail polish caps. The bottles also have a wide paddle brush (an absolute favourite amongst nail polish lovers) so application is smooth and effortless.
The formula is very quick drying and the colours are practically opaque by the first coat. I would recommend two coats anyway for a few reasons. Using two coats always makes your manicure look more juicy and polished, as well as making it more long lasting. And also because the second coat darkens up the shade and brings it to its true colour. Because this metallic formula is full of small flakies, it will dry textured. But I found that it was barely noticeable and the slightly textured finish was actually really beautiful! I would recommend a top coat to smooth it out and make the finish more plump though.
In direct sunlight, the silver flakies in all these polishes come to life and sparkle so much. The flakies display flashes of the rich metallic base colour. I also love the jewel-toned colour scheme of this collection. So luxurious and elegant! All the polishes are so multi-dimensional and magical, perfectly representing the magical nature of the Arthurian myths and legends.
Now let’s get into the individual shades!
Excalibur
In Arthurian legends, Excalibur was King Arthur’s magical sword. There are two versions of how Arthur obtained Excalibur. One version described how the sword had been plunged into a stone and remained firmly fixed there. Whoever was able to pull the sword from the stone would be the next king of England. No one succeeded until young Arthur pulled it with ease. The other version detailed how Arthur received Excalibur from the mysterious Lady of the Lake, who lived in an enchanted underwater realm.
This shade was created in collaboration with Jennie Shaw for a launch back in December 2021. However, plans changed and Jules from Picture Polish came up with the idea for an entire Arthurian Saga inspired collection – how brilliant?!
This shade was a total dark horse for me, I wasn’t expecting it to be one of my favourites since silvers are usually hit or miss on my nails. It was the first polish I swatched and when I tell you I gasped… it caught me totally by surprise! It’s full of silver metallic flakies and silver holographic goodness, words really cannot describe the magic that is this polish. It’s also extremely metallic and bright, almost foiled looking. Safe to say, it’s one of (if not my top) favourite from the collection! This polish is truly like an Arthurian sword in a nail polish bottle.
Camelot
Camelot was a mythical castled city, believed to be located in Great Britain. King Arthur held court here and it was the center of the Kingdom of Logres. In Arthurian legend, Camelot would become the location of the round table that held 150 knights.
This polish is probably the most vibrant from the entire collection, despite how deep-toned it is! It just glows. This is a rich blue-purple metallic full of silver flakies. It’s such an inky blurple that makes me think of deep in the ocean or far away in the night sky. I think this is another standout for me, although it’s really hard to choose favourites from this collection. They all stole my heart!
Guinevere
Guinevere was the wife of Arthur, legendary king of Britain. She is also known in Arthurian romance due to the love that knight Sir Lancelot displayed for her. In early Welsh literature, Gwenhwyvar (Guinevere) was “the first lady of this island”.
This polish is equally as stunning as the rest of the collection, it’s such a juicy cherry red! It’s also super festive and would be the perfect Christmas shade. It’s got the same metallic base as the other shades, except it’s a little bit more jelly-based than the other shades. It’s also full of silver flakies. It’s an extremely flattering red and again it just glows in the sunlight. It’s one of those polishes that will distract you all day when it’s on your nails!
Merlin
Merlin was an enchanter, sorcerer, and wise man in Arthurian legend. He became the prophet of the Holy Grail and Arthur’s counsellor. He advised Uther to establish the knightly fellowship of the Round Table and suggested that Uther’s true heir would be revealed by a test that involved drawing a sword from a stone in which it was set. There are also tales of his infatuation with the Lady of the Lake, which eventually brought about his death.
This polish was the favourite amongst my family once they saw my swatch pictures, and for good reason! It’s a deep, mysterious and magical velvet blue. It is definitely a “wizard” kind of polish, and reminds me of a velvet cloak that Merlin might have worn. This polish was originally going to be called “Galaxy”, which I think also describes it perfectly, because it reminds me a lot of a beautiful Milky Way or Van Gogh’s Starry Night. I felt equally sophisticated and like a Hogwarts student when wearing this!
Morgana
Morgan le Fay (Morgana) was a fairy enchantress of Arthurian legend and romance, learning her magical powers from books and from the enchanter Merlin. Geoffrey of Monmouth’s ‘Vita Merlini’ named her as the ruler of Avalon, a marvelous island where King Arthur was to be healed of his wounds. She has been described as skilled in the arts of healing and of changing shape. In Chrétien de Troyes’s romance of ‘Erec’, she first appeared as King Arthur’s sister. She has also been introduced as Arthur’s half-sister, since she was the daughter of his mother Igraine and her first husband Gorlois, the Duke of Cornwall.
This polish has the most beautiful contrast between the dark, almost black, base colour and the vibrant rich plum appearance of the flakies. From what I can see, all the flakies in this collection are silver, but in this polish, the base changes the colour of the flakies in such a magical way. Very fitting for the theme of this collection! You can’t go wrong with red shades, and this one is such a beautiful vampy burgundy, perfect for those who love darker glam polishes. Another totally stunning shade.
And that’s the entire Arthurian Collection from Picture Polish! It’s already available on their website, so head over to https://picturepolish.com.au to check it out.
Overall, I really loved this first experience with Picture Polish polishes and would love to work with them again. Their polishes are very high quality, well priced and follow such great themes. I especially love the theme of this collection, since I love it when brands are inspired by myths, legends, and literature. It adds such a fun element to wearing and using polish. And I love it when my polishes have such careful thought and magic behind them!
As always, I’ll see you in my next post! 💗✨
– Soph
*the polishes in this post were sent to me in exchange for swatches and an honest review. If you want to find in depth swatch photos, check out my Instagram @thepolishblog
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