This is my final (well, final until I acquire more!) installment of the Butter LONDON series. This one is called Teddy Girl, and I'm not quite sure why they chose to name this, of all polishes, Teddy Girl. Maybe it's supposed to be ironic?

Color:
A very sweet shade of medium light pink. It's not a barbie pink, nor is it a bubblegum pink. I'm not sure what I'd classify it as. All I know is that it's a soft shade that went well with my (light, blue-based) skintone.  Oh yeah, and it's a creme too.


Application:
A tad streaky. Just a tad though. And that's to be expected with a creme this light. I also got a couple of bubbles, but nothing extreme. Requires 3 coats for opacity but you might be able to get away with 2 coats if they are medium-thick. Drying time was average.



Downside:
This probably won't match everyone's skintone. I could see this not looking great on medium tones, but it might look kind of awesome on dark skinned gals. And again, the price is steep at $16 a bottle.



Bottom Line:
This isn't a "must have" since there are a trillion light pink cremes out there. But having said that, I still really like it. It looks good on me and is a really cute girly shade. And given that the application was better than most light pink cremes I've tried, I have to rule this one a keeper.

Here is my final post in the Deborah Lippmann series that I've been doing for the last week or 2. This is Bad Romance, which is obviously named after the Lady Gaga song. I'm not a Gaga fan at all but that wasn't going to deter me from trying out this crazy, vampy, glittery jewel.

Color:
Bad Romance is a black jelly base with a hearty dose of both large and small pieces of magenta glitter suspended in it. Vampy and glittery and awesome beyond words.


Application:
I had no problems with this at all. It was completely opaque in 2 coats, was easy to control, and the glitter pieces were very easy to distribute evenly.


Downside:
None. Even the steep price tag is not considered a "downside" this time. It was worth every penny.


Bottom Line:
Bad Romance is badass. You need this right now. Forget that it costs $18. It doesn't matter. If you love vampy colors or glitter or anything that is kind of edgy and fun, then you need this immediately.


I will add though, that if you're really that tight on cash and you just can't part with the $18, then you might want to try out Wet n Wild's Night Prowl or China Glaze's Mummy May I. Neither are what I would call dupes, but they do consist of black jelly with fuschia glitter. The main difference between them and Bad Romance is that they do not contain any of the large pieces of glitter that make Bad Romance as awesome as it is.

I guess you could call this part 4 of my Butter LONDON series. As I started before, my boyfriend bought me large handful of these as part of my birthday present and I've been swatching and reviewing them as I try them out. British Racing Green was one of the many polishes on my wishlist and I'm happy to have crossed it off the ever-growing list.

Color:
A very dark hunter green shade with an almost perfect amount of green micro-shimmer. Very vampy.


Application:
The formula on this is a tad thinner than I prefer, which made it a little difficult to control around the cuticle area, but aside from that it was perfectly fine. It only required 2 coats for complete opacity which is always a good thing. Drying time was average at best.


Downside:
It costs $16 and I'm fairly certain that there are at least a few dupes available for much cheaper (although I don't own any of them if they do exist).



Bottom line:
It's a great vampy color that is perfect for the colder months that are coming up. I love greens and although this one isn't super unique, it's definitely attractive. The best thing about this polish is the shimmer. It's not overwhelming but it's still perfectly visible. Overall, it's another winner from Butter LONDON :)

Nail polish strips appear to be all the rage these days. Obviously Minx started this trend, but there are now tons of knock offs out there that people can do at home for a fraction of the price that Minx costs at the salon. Sally Hansen is probably the most popular option, as it's extremely accessible and relatively inexpensive. Personally, I was never very intrigued by the Sally Hansen strips because for $9 I can buy an OPI polish and keep it for years instead.

BUT...while perusing the nail polish section of Five Below yesterday, I came across these strips called "Jinx", which is obviously their attempt at a cute play on Minx. But whatever. They had some cute patterns and only cost $3. I snatched 2 packs. One houndstooth pattern and another with white stars on a baby pink base. I left the store expecting the worst.

Inside each pack (which I did not photograph because I wasn't really expecting to be writing this to begin with) is a small nail file, orange stick, the strip of decals, and a bizarre and seemingly useless strip of silver foil sticker. I still have no idea what the silver foil is for...

I tried the pink and white stars strips first and did a half assed job at applying them. I didn't bother to buff my nails first (which they instruct you to do) and didn't do a great job at evening out all of the air bubbles. Despite that, they still came out decent.

Not too bad...

Awesome.

I do have a giveaway coming up once I hit 100 followers, and I was thinking of buying a couple of packs of these for it. Would anyone be interested in getting these in a giveaway? What about Funky Fingers polish? They now have the FF crackles at my local Five Below, as well as the entire Island collection. Let me know!

Pools of sorrow Waves of joy Are drifting through my open mind Possessing and caressing me...

1. What’s a nickname only your family calls you?

Color:
A gorgeous pink foil glitter in a clear base. Very "blingy" and feminine.



Application:
This requires no less than 3 coats for opacity. So it's dense, but obviously not as dense as glitters that have a colored jelly base. The upside to this is that you could definitely layer it for a unique look. Drying time is kinda meh, but I've definitely had worse experiences in that department. It dries to a very rough and gravely texture, which is par for the course with this type of glitter polish. So don't bother wasting more than one coat of SV on it. It will just eat it repeatedly.


Downside:
Rosie Lee is super dupable. In fact, I can think of 2 identical twins just off the top of my head. Milani Disco Lights is almost an exact dupe, and I believe that Petites (found at Rite Aid) makes one as well. And like all other Butter LONDON's, this costs $14.



Bottom Line:
It's beautiful, and it makes a bold statement. But you could easily get away with buying the Milani or Petites versions instead for a quarter of the price. That said, I'm sure you wouldn't regret buying Rosie Lee if you decided to splurge. It really is a great color, and sometimes it just feels nice to wear a more upscale polish.

FYI:
For those who are confused by the name, Rosie Lee is British rhyming slang for tea. But if tea looked like Rosie Lee I would probably drink it a lot more often.

Here's another polish from Butter LONDON that my boyfriend recently bought for my birthday. I'd seen quite a few swatches of No More Waity, Katie before deciding I wanted it for myself. And quite honestly, I wasn't totally sold on it at first. I'm not normally into deeply muted colors, and a lot of the swatches I saw looked really sheer and blah. Despite that, I figured I had to have it based almost solely on the fact that it's a limited edition and has that cute Royal Wedding theme going on with it. In the end, I was glad I acquired it.

Color:
NMWK is a smoky grey jelly base with lavender micro glitter.



Application:
This wasn't all that easy to work with. The formula was a tad thicker than I anticipated, and I got a couple bald spots because of it. It's opaque in 3 coats. Drying time was average.



Downside:
As I stated, it wasn't an easy application.



Bottom Line:
It's really pretty without being flashy and in your face. It has a sophistication about it even though it's infused with glitter, and now that I think about it, it's probably the perfect color for a Royal Wedding inspired polish. Kate Middleton herself is pretty, sophisticated, and subtle about it all at once. So kudos to Butter LONDON for creating a color for her that embodies all of those qualities.

Would I buy this again? Yes. Because although I'm definitely partial to bright, bold colors, this is still a welcome addition to my collection. I likely won't wear it often though, because it is a limited edition and strikes me as a color that is best worn on special occasions.

Glitter in the Air is probably one of the most lusted after polishes out there. Every place I look, there are girls talking about how much they love it, want it, and have tried to produce their own version of it. Truthfully, I have seen some pretty damn amazing franken GLITA's out there. But seeing as I am franken challenged, I went with the real thing.

Glitter in the Air, 3 coats with no base

2 coats of Glitter in the Air with 2 coats of Barry M's Blue Moon as a base color

Color:
Glitter in the Air is a sheer baby blue creme/jelly hybrid with semi sparse (round) pink and blue glitter in multiple sizes. Sounds intricate, doesn't it? I suppose it kind of is...

Glitter in the Air, 3 coats with no base

2 coats of Glitter in the Air with 2 coats of Barry M's Blue Moon as a base color

Application:
GITA has "application issues" written all over it. But it actually goes on quite well. But don't even entertain thoughts of this becoming opaque. You'd probably need about 8 coats for that to be even remotely possible. That said, if it wasn't as sheer as it is then the glitter wouldn't stand a chance at sparkling. Drying time sucked. Period.

Glitter in the Air, 3 coats with no base

2 coats of Glitter in the Air with 2 coats of Barry M's Blue Moon as a base color

Downside:
This is sheer beyond words. It's essentially a really souped up top coat. And at $18 a bottle, it aint exactly cheap as chips.

Glitter in the Air, 3 coats with no base

2 coats of Glitter in the Air with 2 coats of Barry M's Blue Moon as a base color

Bottom Line:
It's unique. It's cute. It's "coveted" by many. The sheerness of it is easily remedied by using a similar sky blue as a base color, and the result is really nice. Personally, I think it's worth the $18 just because there isn't really anything else quite like it out there (unless, as I stated earlier, you are skilled at frankening).

I am fortunate enough to have a generous boyfriend who fully supports my nail polish addiction. For my birthday he purchased me an insane amount of polishes, including a whole slew of Butter LONDON's. One of my favorite things about Butter LONDON are the names of their shades. They are all named after British cultural icons (ie Pillar Box Red) or British slang terms (ie- Snog). I once went through the entire collection asking my boyfriend what they meant. But one that I was already well acquainted with was Minger- and not because I am one ;)

Color: 
A very warm, rich orange creme that is probably subtle enough to wear at the office. Absolutely perfect for autumn.



Application:
Pretty good. 95% opacity in 2 coats, so I added a third just to be on the safe side. Minimal streakiness. Dried in an average amount of time to a nice glossy finish.


Downside:
It costs $14, which imo is a pricey polish. It's also not super accesible, although it's not exactly hard to find online.



Bottom Line:
Minger means "ugly person", but this polish has nothing particularly ugly about it. Regardless, I think the name is pretty fucking cool anyway. This is an autumn staple and well worth the $14 price tag.

You can purchase Minger and other Butter LONDON shades at beauty.com.

It looks a little Batmanish, right? That's completely accidental, but a welcome outcome nonetheless. This took forever to finish and by the time I was done with my right hand, I had no energy or patience to do my left hand :P

I have loads and loads of nail mail coming my way. I couldn't even begin to count just how many bottles I'm expecting this week. Let's just say that this blog is going to be in swatch overload for quite some time.

I'll be 29 years old on the 23rd. That may or may not sound old to you, depending on your age. To me, it is a reminder of the fact that I'm still not married. I like to think of myself as the type of broad who doesn't really care about societal norms, but the fact is that I did always envision myself being married by now. The good news is that I can still pass for 21. At least that's something.

Anyway, I am celebrating my 29th tomorrow and wanted to do something kind of....sweet to celebrate my descent into old maid-hood. And given the fact that I have sworn off chocolate for the last 2 weeks in anticipation of birthday cake, I chose to drip my nails in chocolate. Okay it's not real chocolate. But it kind of looks like it!

I've seen a lot of these "drippy" manicures going around, and I was surprised at how easy the look is to achieve. I may even do a tutorial on it, as a few girls on tumblr have inquired about it. And speaking of tumblr, I'd love to be bff's with you on it if you have one of your own. Just let me know your url and I'll be sure to follow you. If you don't have one yet, you should consider signing up. It's proven to be an excellent tool for driving traffic to this here blog :)