Mani Monday: Butter London Review

So I went on a little nail polish shopping spree the other day.  I got some unhappy work news, (It’s fine, everyone still has jobs and all, but I’m not going to have funding to keep visiting some of the child care programs I’ve been visiting.) and a co-worker and I felt we needed a pick-me-up after work.  We decided a trip to Marshall’s was in order.

Turns out Marshall’s actually has some really good nail polish bargains if you dig a bit.  Here is what I picked up:

Mini review:  My co-worker and I both fell in love with the pink and white glitter of Let’s Do Anything We Want.  Thankfully there were two bottles available, and we each bought one.  I used it the other day on an accent nail, and on the nail, I’m not loving it.  The big square white glitter does that annoying not actually coming out of the bottle and going onto the nail thing that large glitters do.  Plus, the small white glitter looks a bit like…umm…mold?  Which…is not the look I’m going for.

Mini review:  I tried Tying the Knotie, and it’s more sheer than it appears in the bottle.  Plus, it managed to magnify every tiny imperfection in my nails.  I wore it for a whole day and had to take it off.  It’s a pretty enough color, but unless your nails are already gorgeous, I’d pass.  On the other hand, Sandy Beach has turned out to be a lovely nude that almost perfectly matches my skin tone.  I’m loving that one.

Don’t judge my consumption.  I was upset.  Prices were good.  And in my defense, I actually put six bottles back.  I feel I deserve credit for this.

So, I’d never tried Butter London polish before.  These retail for $15, and I’m just not paying that.  I’ll buy 12 bottles of $4 nail polish, but not one of $15 polish.  Seeing these for $4.99, and in some great fall colors, I had to give it a try.

My verdict?  Not winning.  I’m not seeing the appeal, like at all.  I suppose it’s possible these are fakes.  If you’ve tried Butter London and loved it, please tell me.  First off, those cool square caps?  They just pull off.  And you’ve then got this:

Which…no.  I don’t love the look or feel of this cap and brush.  It’s no OPI for sure.  Essie’s bottle caps are larger than this, and they’re pretty small.

I did my nails with The Old Bill.  I didn’t love the formula.  I expected this to be amazing for what Butter costs.  Honestly, it felt to me like cheap drugstore polish going on.  The color wasn’t amazing.  It was thin, and it seemed to magnify any ridges in my nails.  I did an accent nail in Bit Faker (that’s not a typo, that’s what the bottle says) and it is pretty cool actually.  It’s kind of a coppery glitter, and it covered super well.

And that’s where my tiny bit of praise will end.  Because these were my nails within 24 hours:

Really Butter? Really?  They actually look better in the photo than they did in person.  There are huge chips in both colors, and this was a DAY in.  I touched up that evening, then I didn’t wear it much longer.  I couldn’t stand it.

Butter London gets two sparkles on my completely made up five-sparkle scale.  I’m being generous, because the glitter actually was pretty.  That’s the only slightly redeeming quality.

Tell me, please, tell me, have you used Butter London?  Am I missing something?