Rescue Beauty Lounge Catherine H

Fun fact about me:  I'm a complete Anglophile, particularly in the literature and history department.  I might even be a little bit on the obsessed side when it comes to the epic story of King Henry VIII and his six wives.  It's fascinated me since I was a child and continues through my present adventure of finishing the Showtime TV show The Tudors (which is amazing, by the way, if you haven't seen it!).

When I found out last fall that Ji from Rescue Beauty Lounge had created an entire collection devoted to Henry's wives (though for whatever reason, it was only a four-polish collection), I needed every single one!  Unfortunately, I was unemployed at the time, and just couldn't justify spending $72 on nail polish.  I was devastated, and have since had to start piecing together my collection through various methods.  I picked up my first Tudor lady (and first RBL polish!) through one of those freak accidents when Ji clears out people's online shopping carts.  Catherine H was sold out for at least a day, and then magically popped up in stock.  I grabbed my credit card as fast as humanly possible, and thus my first Queen came home!  Jessie has since helped my bring home Catherine in a swap, and Anne will eventually be mine when the Bring it Back 2 polishes are finally available!  Watch out Jane!  You're on my list!!  ;-)

Catherine H is described as a "Wedgewood blue."  I'll be honest, I had to look up exactly what that meant, but yeah, I could agree with that.  It's kind of a deep, dusty blue with fuschia pink and aqua blue shimmer.  I wish SO badly that the unbelievable shimmer in the bottle (see my 3rd picture) was as apparent on the nail.  Sadly, it's just not.  It's definitely there, but there's some kind of strange cloudiness to the base color that seems to be blocking the shimmer from really showing off.  I actually thought there was a problem with my top coat, so I threw another coat of color on and tried another top coat.  No difference.  The base color is stunning though, and the application is as perfect as you would expect from an RBL.  This is two coats, but a more steady-handed gal could probably get away with just one!

 (click to enlarge)

 (click to enlarge)

If you've watched The Tudors, Catherine Howard is probably the wife you most wanted to punch in the face.  She was young and beautiful, but just not yet mature.  She left something to be desired, and I feel kind of similar about her namesake nail polish.  Look at that shimmer in the bottle!  Y U NO SHOW UP ON NAIL?!  It acts more as a texture, rather than a sparkly shimmer.  Overall, it's very pretty, but I'm a bit disappointed.  I really thought the shimmer would stand out more.  Sigh.

Unfortunately, Catherine H has been sold out for a few months now, but always stay tuned for RBL's Bring it Back Votes.  She could yet return!  If you can't wait or are looking for a cheaper alternative, BB Couture Impact Driver is very close, or Essie Smooth Sailing may give you a similar feel.  :-)

On another note, don't forget to enter our Miss Universe Collection Giveaway, if you haven't already!  There's only one day left!!  Good luck!!!