Rescue Beauty Lounge The Real Housewives of the Tudor Dynasty

First prize to Rescue Beauty Lounge for the one of the best collections names in history! Many of the polishes in this collection were all over publications last month and I quickly fell in love with the Anne shade. Personally, I am a fan of English history and culture (England Week again this year?!) so these shades are right up my alley with both the colors and the story behind the names. Before anyone even asks, my favorite wife of Henry the Eighth was Anne Boleyn and therefore I tend to be a bit biased toward her.

This collection consists of four shades, named after four of his wives, leaving out Anne of Cleaves (she was so ugly that he claimed she was his sister, but at least she got to live, and Katherine Parr, the wife that he finished his life married to). The creators of this collection choose his three most famous wives and his fifteen year old trophy wife when they were making the colors.

We are going in the order of wives, so first we will start with Catherine. Catherine of Aragon was his first wife and the one in which he had his wife daughter with. She was much older than he was so it became evident that no more children were forthcoming in the marriage and the break from the Catholic Church was beginning in order for Henry to produce a male heir. "Henry the VIII's first wife and Europe's first female ambassador inspired this royal purple with a fine pewter sheen and hints of blue and fushcia shimmer. This color is very dynamic and will look different in different lighting situations (and different bottles)". Royal purple is a very appropriate shade for the long-reigning Queen of England.

Next we get to Anne Boleyn. Anne was much younger than Catherine and held very progressed views about divorce, the Church, and women overall. She was at the same time, one of the most loved and hated women in England. She ushered in the break with the Church and gave birth to Elizabeth, who would later reign as one of England's best loved queens. Anne was put to death was not producing a male heir and having several miscarriages. "Rumored to be a sorceress, Henry's second wife lends her short-lived name to this bewitching olive green with a pink-gold iridescence. This color is very dynamic and will look different in different lighting situations and different bottles". She was rumored to be both a sorceress and a witch because she was so beautiful that she instantly captured Henry's attentions and some of her opposition decided that she used magic on him to draw him in. This is my favorite shade and my favorite of his wives. This is the shade that I have pictured here because you really need to see it to fully understand the complexity of it. It has looked different in every single magazine that I have seen it in so far.

His third wife was Jane Seymour and she was believed to be his one true love and is the only one of his wives who bore him a son (even though Edward later died before he could accomplish anything of note). Jane was a very quite and shy lady and was much more the ideal wife than Anne ever was. Henry was devastated when Jane died during childbirth and fell into pits of depression and (some believe) mental illness. This is Ji's favorite shade of the collection and even though I hate to admit (since Jane is the reason that Anne was put to death), I really like it too. "Ji's latest favorite polish is named for Henry's favorite wife, a pale gray pearl with sheer washes of pink and gold. This color is very dynamic and will look different in different lighting situations and different bottles". This is the polish that I could see myself getting the most wear of since it is a pale neutral.

The fourth wife of Henry the Eighth was Catherine Howard. Only fifteen at the time of the marriage, she was very immature and not at all what the Queen of England should be. Though in her defense (since she is often seen as the worst marraige of Henry), how should she have known how to rule a country at the age of fifteen? She was soon put to death for her actions and I believe that she reigned the shortest amout of time of any of his wives who actually suceeded to the throne. "Like Henry's trophy wife, you'll lose your head for this shimmering Wedgewood blue with a hint of gold- and pink- flecked darkening sky. This color is very dynamic and will different in different lighting situations and different bottles". A deep shimmering blue? You all know that I'm hooked.

I went onto Scrangie's blog to view more pictures of these polishes on the nail and in different lighting situations and I am just in love with every single polish. When applied on the nail, the shades resemble the beautiful fabrics that were made into the Queen's dresses. I am obsessed and I want every single polish from this collection.

photo courtesy of Rescue Beauty Lounge