theNotice: a beauty blog

The product: butter LONDON Nail Lacquer in Dodgy Barnett

The shade: Dodgy Barnett, one of the two holo polishes from butter LONDON’s A/W 2012 collection, is comprised mainly of silver holographic shimmer in a clear base.

The shimmer density is quite versatile; one coat delivers a see-though veil, two coats deliver a more solid effect. Three coats are fully opaque, but I think two thin layers is perfect for this one — there’s just a bit of translucence left there, which makes it a bit less intense; a bit lighter (both visually and from a tactile standpoint.) The image at the top of this post is two layers, in case you’re curious!

butter LONDON Dodgy Barnett swatches; 1-4 coats moving from index to pinkie

Possible dupes: Call me a nail heathen, but I generally feel like one silver holo’s the same as the next. Check your stashes for something similar — I know China Glaze and GOSH do silver holos (OMG and Holographic, respectively) that look to be a little more finely-milled, but I’m kind of partial to the particle size of this one. It’s not a “true” holo in my opinion, but more of a holo-glitter cross.

Try something like Milani 3D Holographic in HD for a comparable drugstore dupe — it has chunkier shimmer, but it’s 3-free, permanent (Dodgy Barnett is limited edition) and just under $5. I don’t own HD, but Kelly at Vampy Varnish has some lovely swatches of it!

butter LONDON Dodgy Barnett Nail Varnish – direct sunlight

The formula: This is the first butter LONDON polish I’ve worked with, but can I just say that the formula is (as expected) absolutely lovely? I’m used to polishes that you can just pick up on the fly at the drugstore, but Dodgy Barnett goes on smoothly and quickly, settling easily into an even, streak-free finish. 

Additionally, I find the thin layers dry nicely–no shrinking or super-long wait times,– and the 3-free, paraben-free formula is just a nice cherry on top, rather than the only selling point.

Just one (sheer) layer of Dodgy Barnett

Nail swatches of butter LONDON Dodgy Barnett (two coats)

The verdict?

As much as I love Dodgy Barnett, I can’t say that–as someone who wears nail varnish very, very rarely–I’d pay quite this much for it. I received my bottle from Nail Polish Canada, who have the collection for $17 each (plus free shipping!), which is on par with the butter LONDON site.

All that said & done, though? For my first foray into the lineup, I was quite impressed. I still think the particle size is a bit too large for an intense, solid holo effect, but (shh, it’s an open secret) I actually kind of prefer it.

I’m actually tempted to wear this one around, which is a first — I haven’t done my [finger]nails just because in five or six (or seven or eight) years. For theNotice, yes; for myself, not even once!

Ingredients & layered swatch photoes »

I have Trustafarian and Dodgy Barnett to share with you this (and next) week, but more on that in a few! Here are a few quick collection details — I was going to add them to today’s post, but it was toeing the line between “long” and “definitely too long, oh my god, calm it down.”

You’ll thank me later (or not… I have a sneaking suspicion that I tripped over that  line by a long shot anyways.)

butter LONDON Autumn/Winter 2012

It’s rather difficult to describe polishes you don’t own, so I’ll let butter LONDON take it from here!

Lovely Jubbly: Brit speak for “Excellent.” Used when a person hears pleasing news or has a stroke of good luck.
A vibrant magenta flecked with red, blue and gold micro particles. 

Trustafarian: A spoiled rich kid who pretends to be a hippy but still goes home to Daddy’s mansion on the weekend. 
A golden holographic finish gives this delightful sage green a surprising and sophisticated edge. 

Gobsmacked: To be totally speechless. Unable to think of anything to say.
A heavily pigmented charcoal grey glitter with a slightly textured finish. 

Shag: Brit slang for “knocking boots.”
A high-shine metallic lacquer in a warm orange-burgundy hue. 

Dodgy Barnett: A bad hairdo. A mullet of any variety is a seriously Dodgy Barnett.
A highly holographic shade that blurs the line between grey and silver.

The product: Lise Watier Nail Lacquer in Dragon Fruit

I’ve been a bit remiss in posting about the Lise Watier Summer Sunset collection, and (with summer ending,) I thought I ought to finish my reviews as quickly as possible. I didn’t see the collection the last time I was in a Shopper’s, but this polish is still available on the LW site, so you should be able to get your hands on it with relative ease.

The shade: Dragon Fruit is an intense, blue-based bright pink – not for the faint of heart. With a gorgeous cream-finish formula and a medium (rather than light) hue, it’s more of a statement colour than a delicate, girly shade. I’ve never been much for pinks, but for a bright, punchy nail, this one’s not half bad: it certainly has teeth!

Lise Watier Dragon Fruit Nail Varnish swatch – indirect sunlight

Lise Watier Dragon Fruit Nail Varnish swatch – direct sunlight

The formula: I was a bit wary of a shade this intense (and in a cream finish, no less), but the Lise Watier Nail Lacquer formula? Doesn’t disappoint.

Opaque in two coats, I found this formula to be ridiculously easy to apply — just the right consistency, it settles into a smooth finish without any coaxing and dries relatively quickly. I do tend to like a thinner formula, where you don’t have to worry about gloopiness (totally a word) or streaks or waiting between coats (aside from doing your four other fingers or nine, as it were, because… two hands), and this one was just right. 

No streaks, no clumps, no need for more than two coats; even for a mid-range price point ($12.50), this one gets a gold star in my books.

The packaging: Okay, so my one peeve with this product? Light-up caps, ugh. I’m really not a fan of the whole let’s put LEDs on everything! trend, but for the formula, I’ll give it a pass. The light-up lid is perfect if you’re bothered by your polishing hand casting shadows on your being-polished hand, and at just 50 cents more than the non-lit Lise Watier polishes, it’s really not a huge problem for me.

(Plus, despite that I’m anti-LED, lights in nail varnish caps actually makes sense. Unlike some other products.)

The verdict?

I’m not sure about tip wear and chipping over time, but from what I’ve seen of Dragon Fruit so far, I’m impressed. The Lise Watier Nail Varnish formula is a solid one, at least in this shade, and it applies easily and smoothly with good pigmentation.

Plus, Lise Watier should get bonus points for making their polish more attractive than the actual fruit… though it does lack in points for weirdness! ;)

Keep reading! »

Man, I haven’t done a blue smokey eye in ages. I’m pretty sure I went with a winged shape (cat-eye makeup, winged smokey eyes, whatever you want to call it) last time, too, which just goes to show how predictable (read: boring) I am.

This time, though, I thought I’d play around a bit with shape. In the image below, you have the same look in three different ways, changed with nothing more than a dry q-tip and a couple brisk buffing motions. At left is the most wearable, basic shape; on the far right, the most winged, dramatic effect. (The full-face shots are with the eye on the right.)

I can’t believe it took me this long to try my MAC Casual Colour — I spend most of the summer bare-faced, but I’m really regretting it in this one instance. I’ve used Have A Lovely Day! here, and I’m absolutely smitten with both the colour and the formula: it’s comfortable, looks natural, and still manages to tone down my own lip colour without ending up all strange and milky.

I’ve used Senna Fantasy in the inner corners, here, then taken Annabelle Lagoon (soon to be discontinued) through the lid. The outer wing is mainly Annabelle B-Ray, darkened further with a basic matte black eyeshadow.

Don’t miss this blue smokey eye tutorial on She Said Beauty.

Products used

EYES – colour : Annabelle Mono Eyeshadow in B-Ray and Lagoon, Senna Eye Shadow (Glow) in Fantasy, NYX Eyeshadow in Black.

EYES – basics: Annabelle Smoothie Jumbo Eye Pencil in Licoriche, Clinique High Impact Extreme Volume Mascara in Extreme Black, Ellis Faas Eyeliner in Black, MAC Eye Shadow (Matte2) in Blanc Type.

LIPS AND CHEEKS: MAC Casual Colour Lip & Cheek Colour in Have A Lovely Day!

SKIN: Hard Candy Glamoflauge in Light, theBalm timeBalm in Lighter Than Light, and Marcelle Face Powder in Translucent.

Looking for a great red lipstick for the fall? Jenn from Spiced Beauty shows you her current favourite!

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Over at Makeup Morsels, MM highlights the uncanny resemblance between one of her favorite paintings and three of her favorite eyeshadows.

Prime Beauty shows you how to get pretty “fierce” this fall with Tarte’s Call of the Wild Amazonian Clay Eye Shadow Palette.

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Ben Nye Essential Eyeshadow Palette is a HUGE hit for Christina the Glitterholic! Check out her swatches and FOTD and find out where to get this gorgeous palette.

Has Too Faced managed to bring sexy back? Find out if that honour still belongs to Justin Timberlake in Lydia’s review of The Return of Sexy Palette for Fall 2012 on The Perfectly Imperfect Beauty Blog.

In need of gentle yet effective skincare? Pammy Blogs Beauty tries out Jurlique’s Herbal Recovery Line.

At Lipstick Musings, Shannon’s got a quick tutorial to show you how to remove the toughest glitter polishes in a flash–and it’s foil-free!

Gouldylox is really bad at math, but she thinks she figured out how committing this beauty sin will impact you for the rest of your life.

Jude reviews the Japonesque Complexion Perfection brush set on Love Lust & Fairy Dust.

Anita drools over pictures of the upcoming Guerlain Holiday 2012 Collection. Take a sneak peek over at Pleasureflush!

If you like the look of Midnight Violets Blog why not check out her 250 follower giveaway!