As I mentioned in my catch up post yesterday, last week I went to a blogger event at Crabtree & Evelyn’s Edinburgh store. The first thing I spied when I walked in were bowls of nail polish. I had no idea that Crabtree & Evelyn did nail polish and neither did most of the bloggers I spoke. So I am sharing the knowledge today.

The event organisers kindly gave us goody bags containing nail polish so these are the colours I am sharing today.

This is ‘Apple’* (left) and ‘Wisteria’*.

‘Wisteria’ is a blue toned purple with a very fine silver shimmer running through it. I can honestly say that I don’t have a similar colour in my collection. I applied three coats. I could have gotten away with two – it certainly would have been opaque by two, but the second coat dragged the underneath layer that wasn’t completely dry. If you have patience and can wait five minutes between coats you’ll only need two.

It’s not completely glossy, I’d say it dries to an almost semi-matte finish. This kind of finish tends to pick up imperfections in the nail and this one did, so I’d recommend a ridge filler base coat.

‘Apple’ is a classic red, well suited to its name. In the photos and initially in person, it looks like a creme finish. Until you look really closely and see that it actually have a very, very fine shimmer through it. In the sunlight this gives it a lovely ‘glow from within’ look. I don’t wear a lot of reds and didn’t expect to be that taken by this but actually I really love it. The shimmer definitely elevates it above standard reds without being too in-your-face sparkly.

I found the formula of this one to be a little thinner than ‘Wisteria’ so it requires careful application.

Both ‘Apple’ and ‘Wisteria’ lasted a good day and a half with only minimal chipping to the tips. This was without a base and top coat (naughty!) so actually I was impressed that it didn’t chip within a few hours.

Crabtree & Evelyn polishes sell for £6 so comparable to the higher end of the drugstore such as Revlon. Their colours are all quite classic so worth investigating if you’re looking for something along those lines. Not trend led shades, but essential all the same. ‘Apple’ has gone straight to the top of my favourite reds collection anyway.

Have you tried any C&E nail polishes? Do you like them?