Butter LONDON nail lacquer: Goss

Following my recent post on the Gilded Gears set from butter LONDON, here's a look at the Goss shade. I'M IN LOVE. I've never owned a metallic shade, and I didn't expect it to look like this applied at all, so I was very pleasantly surprised with the result.

One layer wasn't quite enough coverage, so I applied two layers, and it went on smoothly and set well. I didn't bother with a base coat or a top coat, but I wish I did because this varnish actually started peeling within 24 hours of me applying it. It pained me to admit that because I absolutely adore the colour.

I can't seem to find the original set that this came in online anywhere now (cry), but this is available individually (11ml for those of you who like 'em big) from Look Fantastic (phew). Oh and grab yourself 10% off your order using the code TREAT10LF or 15% if you're a newbie (code NEW15LF).

What do you think of this shade? Have you tried butter LONDON before?

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butter LONDON Gilded Gears Nail Lacquer Set

Are anyone else's January/February posts a bit of a homage to the cracking fella that is Santa and his good old gifts? Well, this is one of mine, and I wanted to share it because butter LONDON is a brand I'd not really heard of until later last year when my sister got into them, and I'm liking the look of them!

The brand is a decade old and most probably well known for their nail 'lacquers' (prefer 'varnish' myself but hey ho). "We believe in Rock & Roll. Great Britain. And Fashion". Apart from their fabulously patriotic slogan (and clear aversion to commas), the unique selling point of butter is that their shades are inspired by the styles featured in New York and London fashion shows, so it's interesting to see their interpretation in this respect! With this in mind, the Gilded Gears set is inspired by Steampunk style, which is synonymous with the Victorian era and the industrialisation of it apparently. If you want to read a bit more about it, this is a pretty interesting article here. I'd never heard of this style until now, but every day's a school day eh!

I love the colours in this set; such a gorgeous range and not too 'samey'. I'm especially looking forward to trying the glittery golden one and the deep red matte-satin one, the latter of which is a set exclusive (along with the grey metallic one).

Stocked in places like Fortnum & Mason, Selfridges and Harvey Nicks, with a bit of a price tag (£12 for a full sizer), I get the impression butter is more of a high-end brand; just look at that stylish rectangular packaging. Even the bloomin' lack of capitalization adds to the sophisticated feel. It reminds me of Victoria Beckham branding for some reason.

The Gilded Gears set doesn't seem to be available on the butter site anymore, but I've spied it on Look Fantastic for £24, so it's worth investing if you want to try them out. I plan on blogging individual swatches of each of the shades applied once I've worn them, so check back if you want to see how I get on with them.

Have you tried butter LONDON polishes before? How do you rate them?



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Santa hat nail art

Happy December! As we're all well aware, it was the first day of advent yesterday...and also my birthday, so what better way to celebrate than to do a bit of DIY nail art? I first tried nail art in this post here (one of my most popular posts!), which was so much fun, but I'm definitely still very new to it so I decided to try something relatively easy...enter the santa hat nail.

All you need is:

• 1 x red nail varnish (preferably a bright, Christmassy red). I used OPI's First Date at the Golden Gate.
• 1 x white nail varnish. I used one from W7 cosmetics.
• Some form of precision tool to apply the white detail (since I'm a classy lady, I used a kirby hair grip).
• Some Christmas tunes to help you along, and a relatively careful hand :)

Very simply put, start off with painting on an oval-ish hat shape onto each nail. I was going to try be more precise and describe it as a triangle but the mathematical genius somewhere deep inside me would be seething, with its distinct lack of 60° angles.

Then, add the all-important white detail of the fluffy rim and pom-pom on top with the help of a kirby grip. I found it easier using the grip because my varnish applicator was slightly too big, which makes detail like this more difficult to do.

The great thing about this nail art is that that you don't necessarily need to be super precise, since the beauty of santa hat 'fluff' is that it doesn't have to look too neat. This certainly worked to my advantage since I'm still a nail art novice!

What do you think of this? Will you be trying some festive nail art this year? I'd love to hear about it!

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Nailed it: W7 White Night Nail Bling

Not a lot can instantly lift your mood than the feeling you get when you've got a nice, shiny new painted set of  nails. It doesn't get much deeper than that really. I'm a bit inexperienced when it comes to all the fancy nail art stuff, but I'm starting to dip my toes in gently, which is why I found this White Night Nail Bling* set from W7 Cosmetics a great one to get started with. It features two little pots for decorating your nails - small shimmering sequins and a subtly sparkling snow-like powder - so pretty!

The instructions advise you to paint two layers of polish on, but I found three layers was more appropriate as it was ever so slightly streaky. Generally, for a nail art virgin like myself, this set was super easy to use since all it takes is a cheeky little dip of your still-wet nail into the pot. Granted, you do have to be careful not to overdo it and be sure to tap the excess sequins/powder back into their respective pots, but with a little bit of patience and a steady hand, the end result is absolutely worth it. Personally, I like a bit of subtlety and decided to just decorate my ring and little fingers.

In terms of  longevity, the sequins were the least lasting out of the two toppings, but even though a few fell off over the days following, many still remained and upheld the 'sparkle', so I wasn't disappointed by any means! Next time, I might try adding a clear top coat to set them.

I'm big on bargains, so the price of these sets is a big plus for me. At only £5.95 a go, they really are great if you're looking for something to make your nails stand out, and if - like me - you're new to the whole nail art thing. There's 10 other colours too, which is great if you're looking for a particular colour to go with an outfit. I like the look of the Perfect Pink one, especially for holidays!

If you want to put a cherry on top of your nail-painting sesh, I like to do the following beforehand:

• Take my make-up off and take a gorgeous bubble bath, surrounded by scented candles;

• Moisturise until I'm silky soft;

• Get cosy on the sofa snuggled in a fluffy dressing gown with the perfect cup of <Tetley/Yorkshire Gold>, chocolate <Hobnob/Digestive> and <Gossip Girl/TOWIE/SATC/etc> on the TV.

What do you think of my nails? Have you tried any of these Nail Bling sets or any other W7 products?

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*sent to me free of charge for review purposes

My, my, my OPI!

This is the second and final part of my OPI San Francisco posts; check the first one out here for my take on the stunning red shade as well as the shade I was feeling a bit more wary about wearing...somewhere (see what I did there? I got me some heterography skills. You can read what that means here if you really want to; I had to Google it myself after getting sidetracked while writing this!). Aaaannnyway...

In the Cable Car-Pool Lane

This colour is one of my favourites. It's like a sophisticated somewhere inbetween red and pink, almost burgundy, colour (if anyone knows what colour this actually is, please do enlighten me). I actually think this is also a lovely colour for toes (because there are a few colours that I wouldn't wear on my toes; am I alone there?)!

In the Cable Car-Pool Lane

Muir Muir on the Wall

This one is probably my least favourite; the deep brown colour just isn't that appealing to me, though maybe two layers is too much (wow, heterography again, what is going on?!). If it wasn't for the shimmer effect of this colour though, I'd probably go as far as avoiding it in favour of other colours. However, if you lust after that designer look, I think it's really similar in colour to the Petra shade from the Marc Jacobs Enamoured Nail Lacquer range (does anyone actually use the term 'nail lacquer' in real life, really, really?).

Muir Muir on the Wall

As I mentioned in my last post, I used two coats to maximise each colour, but you might get away with one if you don't want too deep a colour. I think all of these colours applied really smoothly, and didn't clog up or dry too fast between layers. However, I'll be completely honest and admit that OPI is probably the highest-end brand of varnishes I own! Who knows? Maybe I'll update this post if when I become the queen of varnishes. One day. Oh yes. 

Which colour is your favourite out of the set? Do you recommend any other OPI shades I can try?

Oh and if you like my stacker rings, I bought these from my beautiful sister who makes jewellery with her own bare hands (skills!); she makes some gorgeous pieces which you can check out here on Etsy if you are looking for something a little different and one of a kind.

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OPI San Francisco Mini Nail Polish Set

Having never tried OPI before, I was grateful to receive this cute set for Christmas to try out. I can be fussy when it comes to the colours I wear, so I love the idea of minis as it gives you a chance to experiment before committing to shelling out for a full sizer. These shades are also available individually too, which is great if you fall in love with one over the other.

This set didn't disappoint me; I think the colours are really sophisticated and - while a little less appropriate for spring - they're great for the evenings if you want to add some sophistication to your look.

First Date at the Golden Gate

There's not a lot I can say about this shade, apart from the fact it just oozes gorgeous. Jazzing up almost any outfit, casual or smart, the pop of classic red just works a treat at catching people's eyes (even I'm like oh hiiii nails). Lady in red, eat your heart out.

First Date at the Golden Gate

Peace & Love & OPI

I was most nervous about this shade (and the other darker one, which will feature in my next post), as I think there's a thin line with dark colours where they can either make your nails look great or really awful, especially if you aren't careful with applying. Some dark colours can also be a bit over-powering and too gothic for me personally, but this deep silver-based shade is metallic and tinged with green and a pinky-purple adding some femininity, so I think OPI have got the balance perfectly here. I think it looks great when the light catches it.

Peace & Love & OPI

I found applying two coats was best at getting a full colour. One coat could work if you don't want too deep a colour, but be careful as I found it looked a little streaky on its own. These varnishes were really smooth and silky, covering the nail really well on application. I can safely say that I'd buy more OPI after trying these!

Do you like these colours? How do you find OPI? And have you tried any stand-out shades? I'm looking for recommendations!

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