Guilt-Free Butter

The other night, I stumbled upon Sarah Wilson's blog and her post on the best toxin-free cosmetics. A couple of the people she contacted to provide a list of their "safe beauty" buys mentioned Butter London nail polish for being "3 Free", i.e. free from dibutyl phthalate, toluene and formaldehyde. I have to admit to being fairly apathetic about toxins in cosmetics, but her advice about gradually phasing out existing products and replacing them with toxin-free versions, being wary about chemical nasties in ingredients lists and generally using less stuff made me think about the potential harm I'm exposing myself to as a beauty junkie. When it comes to nail polish, I've always been under the impression the vast majority of big companies are already 3 Free, so it was never of particular concern to me to make sure that was the case. Regardless, the mention of Butter London encouraged me to dig out and dedicate an entire post to my small collection.

Thumb to pinky: Yummy Mummy, The Black Knight, No More Waity, Katie, Tart with a Heart, Pink Ribbon

I don't know what it is about Butter London polishes, but I simply adore the packaging and most of the shades they come out with. If they weren't so exorbitantly priced in Australia ($22 each), I'd probably count more in my collection. My experience with the formula has been inconsistent — the glitters tend to chip on me very easily, but the cremes and sheers are very smooth and long-wearing. I find some of the glitters to be invariably lumpy when applied, even with multiple coats, base and top coat. They also dry to a brittle texture that doesn't adhere well to the nail's surface, making the polish prone to chipping and easy to peel or flake off.

l-r: The Black Knight, No More Waity, Katie, Tart with a Heart, Pink Ribbon

Thumb to pinky: Yummy Mummy, The Black Knight, No More Waity, Katie, Tart with a Heart, Pink Ribbon

I've already written an entire post on Hen Party, so I haven't swatched it again here. My first Butter London polish was the smoky light taupe Yummy Mummy, a freebie with Madison magazine a long time ago. Yummy Mummy is an office-friendly neutral made up of a mix of purple, tan and grey with extremely delicate silver microshimmer that prevents it from being a straight up creme. Madison were also offering Trout Pout as the other freebie polish — to this day I regret not picking it up since the magazine itself was only $8 or so. Pink Ribbon was another, more recent magazine freebie (the alternative free polish was Pillar Box Red which I passed on, as I'm not a big red wearer). It's very reminiscent of Revlon Peach Nectar with its sheerness and pale orange hue.

I purchased the three glitter shades, The Black Knight, No More Waity, Katie and Tart with a Heart from the Spa & Beauty Expo in August last year (there was a 3 for $30 deal which proved irresistible). Tart with a Heart has iridescent round pieces of glitter much like China Glaze Snow Globe, but with a peachy-yellow shimmery base and bizarrely, tiny black dots of glitter that I don't think add anything to the polish. I suppose the combination makes Tart with a Heart more unique than your usual iridescent glitter in a clear base (like Deborah Lippmann Stairway to Heaven or Revlon Heavenly). The Black Knight looked stunning in the bottle, but each time I've worn it, I've always felt it falls a bit flat on the nail. The pink, blue, silver and green glitter doesn't pop against the black and isn't as glimmering as hoped. While the glitter is fairly dense, there's not enough contrast with the base and it's a bit too small in size to make an impact. No More Waity, Katie (except for the end of her pregnancy, it seems) is my favourite of the bunch, a slate grey-leaning medium purple with lavender sparkle. The two work harmoniously to create a sophisticated but still playful glitter.