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By Skye McKiernan
Nail polish is one of the hottest ways to express yourself. From mixing and matching colors, to designs, to layering colors over each other, you have more flexibility with polish than with other types of cosmetics. Wild and wacky polish is more and more acceptable in society too, which is beneficial for those trendsetters who are a bit skittish to put streaks of permanent color in their hair. For those who love to express themselves through their nails, butter London is one of the best ways to accomplish that goal. With a great product ranging through a myriad of shades and fun names to boot, butter London is perfect for the polish junkie in you.
History of the Line
Though butter London is younger than many nail polish brands out there, it is a standout contender in the product market. Brand creator Sasha Muir took runway trends and paired polishes with them to create a fully choreographed look. By taking this extra piece of the fashion puzzle and integrating it into the everyday look of women all over the world Muir built a cult following. Women want to be fashionable and allowing them to pair nail fashion with ready-to-wear fashion, the complete looks created were fabulous. The brand was also among the first mainstream polish brands to pioneer the creation of polishes that were “3 free”. This means that the products have no formaldehyde, DBP or toluene. These three chemicals earned nail polish a bad reputation with the expanding awareness about the ingredients so with butter London women can have their polish and not worry about the impact certain ingredients will have on them.
Nail Polish Foundation
Beginning with nail polish colors and exceptional base and top coats, butter London created a strong product foundation. The cult following helped spread the product reputation by word of mouth and more and more top-name retailers carry the product every year. Each season the brand launches a new set of colors, some of which are limited edition. Special events in British history have also spurred the creation of new limited edition colors. The cheekily named, hard to find No More Waity, Katie shade celebrated the impending marriage of Prince William and Princess Catherine. The popular light purple-grey shade infused with bits of sparkle sold out quickly each time it was re-stocked and is still tough to locate in stores. A special polish, called Lillibet’s Jubilee, also commemorated Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilee celebration marked in 2012. This silvery-lavender shade with a metallic finish is another huge hit for the brand.
Brits, Americans and all nationalities between love the names of the polishes, as well. Taking the individual British sense of humor and distinct version of the English language into account, they name the shades after purely British words. Those polish users who are not certified Anglophiles have the opportunity to learn from the shade names, as not everyone is familiar with what a Trout Pout is (the big fishy lips on a woman who either has large lips naturally or has had them enhanced with fillers or surgery). The scores of shades can give you a laugh and a great manicure. Paired with the brand’s base and top coats the lacquers wear without chipping up to a full week, though your mileage may vary. To give you even more options, they offer multiple base and top coats. One top coat has a matte finish to give you the protection of a top coat without the high shine finish, and the most popular base coat the Nail Foundation helps even out bumpy or ridged nails.
Branching Out, Lippies and More
The brand started branching out soon after their initial success with products like lotions, scented acetone-free nail polish removers and pedicure products. Like the polishes, some of these ancillary products garnered a cult following and became must-haves for those in the know. Imagine a nail polish remover with no harsh acetone that smells of almonds or a tropical blended beverage
Lippies, or lip gloss to the Americans, was the next major frontier for butter London. With such a deep arsenal of go-to nail shades, they even had the initial color palette ready and waiting for them. What girl doesn’t want to coordinate her nails with her lips? Those who do not can at least appreciate that a best-selling nail color will likely look great on the lips as well.
Like the nail products, the lip ones are also free of many controversial ingredients including parabens, petroleum, phthalates, sulfates and bismuth. Included in the formulas are ingredients that are hydrating and will keep your lips from getting parched and dry throughout the day.
Packages abound, with multiple colors of polishes, or a set with color, base and top coat all included getting you started off on the right foot. Dabble in the fun of butter London next time you are out shopping and see if you are on board with this newest British invasion.
Personal Review
I am a self-professed horrible nail polisher. I have shaky hands and can only do my nails well if the stars align right, the handle of the polish is perfect, the product smooths on well and I have not had much caffeine recently. Knowing this, I don’t do my own nails often, but when I do I acknowledge that there may be some fallout. The biggest problem is I love bold, darker colors, which show mistakes more than any other family of shades.
When I got to play with butter London the first time, I picked up a shade that spoke to me and told me that it loved me just as much as I loved it at first sight. Victoriana
Since Victoriana I’ve played with West End Wonderland, Artful Dodger, No More Waity, Kaity, and Branwen’s Feather. Some wear better than others, but for me none wears less than four or five days without a chip or dent in the overall look. For a girl used to the tenacity and longevity of gel polish, butter London is an impressive contender.
