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.

Purple Ether

Butter London Hen Party is one of the more unique nail polishes I've come across. Apparently it's supposed to be an "opal" shade, but to my eyes it's more a translucent eggshell colour with subtle but distinctive blueish-violet shimmer. The shimmer adds extra dimension and interest, but doesn't seem to tie in with the colour of the base. However, it's understated enough so it's not completely strange. With each coat, the neutral, beige base starts to build in opacity and the shimmer becomes more of a reflective gleam. You essentially get a very manicured and polished look, but with an unexpected twist. I've not tried this as a top coat, but I imagine it would subtly change the colour of whatever polish is under it. What I love about Hen Party is that the layers effortlessly meld together and build to a super smooth, glossy finish. For such a light colour, streakiness was kept to a minimum and wear time was truly impressive (much better than Butter London's glitter polishes, which unfailingly chip on me in 2-3 days). I took these photos when I had worn the polish for the entire week, and there was barely any difference to how it looked freshly applied.

Glitter and Hype

I attended the Spa & Beauty Expo as a guest of my friend and took advantage of the trade-only event as best as I could (i.e. spent way too much money). I bought 3 OPIs (Dulce De Leche, Pirouette My Whistle, Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It), 3 Button London nail polishes (Tart With A Heart, No More Waity, Katie, The Black Knight), Orly Rage, Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè, Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Foundation (#118) and NYX blush in Taupe. A few of these products are much hyped but difficult to get a hold of (the foundation and Embryolisse in particular), so though they were much more than what I'd usually spend, I willingly handed my credit card over like the chump I am.

l-r: NYX blush in Taupe, Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè, MUFE HD Foundation in 118

I have on my thumbnail OPI Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It (over Ulta3 Brandy Wine), index finger is Button London Tart With A Heart, middle finger is Butter London No More Waity, Katie, fourth finger has on Butter London The Black Knight, and pinky is OPI Pirouette My Whistle over OPI Dulce De Leche.

I'll do individual reviews on some of these products separately, but here are some first impressions. I still think OPI is the best nail polish brand. I couldn't decide on which Butter London shades to get and in retrospect, maybe I shouldn't have selected three glitters. It's difficult to fish out the heart-shaped glitter in Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It, but it's an adorable polish regardless. NYX Taupe thankfully isn't too ashy and clashing on my yellow-toned skin (but whether I can pull off contouring still remains to be seen). The Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè seems to owe its popularity more to the fact it acts like a makeup primer, rather than being a superior moisturiser. Even though I think I chose a relatively light shade in the Make Up For Ever HD foundation, for some reason it still seems quite dark and yellow. Coverage also seems to be a little higher than what I normally go for. I'm looking forward to trying it out properly and giving a more detailed review.