RBL Housewives of Tudor England Collection

by Bec 1:33 PM 13 comments blue collection duochrome glitter nail polish nude purple RBL

These is the latest releases from Rescue Beauty Lounge, the Real Housewives of the Tudor Dynasty collection. I thought since these are available now at the RBL website, I might also turn this into a bit of a history lesson. I find all this fascinating however you might not, so if you don't care about the past, the descriptions are in italics and you can ignore the rest.

Catherine

Royal purple with a fine pewter sheen and hints of blue and fuchsia shimmer. Inspired by and named after Catherine of Aragon, the first of King Henry the VIII's six wives. She was also the first female ambassador in European history. (Have you seen The Other Boleyn Girl? Catherine was the wife that he had before Anne (Natalie Portman) came along.)
Why she's awesome? Because when her husband tried to annul their 24 year marriage due to his mail heirs dying in their infancy and against the Pope's wishes, she pretty much said "Screw you". She refused and she and many others considered her to be the King's rightful wife and the true Queen of England until her death.

Catherine H

Shimmering Wedgewood blue hue with a hint of a gold- and pink-flecked darkening sky. Inspired by and named after Catherine Howard, King Henry the VIII's fifth wife. She was married to King Henry for less then two years before he had her beheaded for treason, which in this case was adultery. She was about 18 when she was executed. The two men whom she had had her affairs with, Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham were also executed.
Why she's awesome? Following the trend of Catherine of Aragon, she stuck it to the King when she allegedly said as her last words "I die a Queen, but I would rather have died the wife of Culpeper."

Anne

Olive green with a pink-gold metallic iridescence. Inspired by and named after Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry the VIII. She lasted as Queen just under three years. Anne was the cause of the collapse of power of the Catholic Church in England. As mentioned before, Henry wanted to annul his marriage to his first wife Catherine so that he could marry Anne, who refused to be just another mistress like her sister Mary Boleyn. The Pope said no, Henry chucked a tantie and decided that he was above the Church anyway and married Anne so that he might have a legitimate male heir. The Pope decreed a sentence of excommunication against Henry causing the break between Rome and the Church of England. After that, the Church of England was under Henry's control. Anne gave birth to Elizabeth the first, yes, that Elizabeth. However, three miscarriages later, Henry was looking elsewhere and Anne was investigated for high treason. She was found guilty on charges of adultery and incest and beheaded, however modern historians find these charges and the evidence presented as unconvincing.
Why she's awesome? Incredibly gracious to the very end, even the executioner was so enamoured with her that he apparently called "Where's my sword" as he swung so she never knew it was coming.

Jane

A pale gray pearl with sheer washes of pink and gold. Inspired by and named after Jane Seymour. She was the third wife of King Henry and succeeded Anne. She ruled for just over a year and died due to postnatal complications less then two weeks after the birth of her son. They were married ten days after the execution of Anne, however Henry did not crown her due to a plague in London where the coronation was to happen. Honestly, the girl seemed a little bit like a stick in the mud who banned all the fun stuff introduced by Anne. She is described as strict, conservative and formal. However she was incredibly loyal to her former mistress Catherine of Aragon. Why she's awesome? As mentioned, she was loyal. Incredibly so. She reunited Henry with his first child from his marriage with Catherine and tried to restore Mary, Henry's child with Catherine, as heir to throne over any child she might bear as his wife. It didn't work since the son of Jane was future King of England Edward VI, but it was a good try anyway. (Although that may have been a smart move, because once Mary got to power, she caused a bit of strife, earning her the nickname "Bloody Mary", which can never be a good thing.)
Ok, that's it for today.
Be awesome to each other.