The product: butter LONDON 3 Free Nail Lacquer in Trustafarian

The shade: Trustafarian, the other holo from butter LONDON’s Autumn/Winter 2012 collection, is an interesting yellow-green with holographic reflects. While I found Dodgy Barnett gave off more of a holo impression in indoor lighting (tungsten, fluorescent, etc.), Trustafarian seemed to flash back more of a rainbow in the sun (and in indirect sunlight.)

Slightly more dense but almost identical in particle size, I find Trustafarian needs two solid coats to wear around — any less and it looks unfinished, rather than faerie-like (as was the case with Dodgy Barnett).

butter LONDON Trustafarian swatch – indirect sunlight

butter LONDON Trustafarian swatch – direct sunlight

Like Dodgy Barnett, I found the particle size of Trustafarian to be, larger than what I’d expect from a holo. I personally think it makes the shade more interesting, if anything; it looks like a chunky shimmer at first glance, but still flashes with a holographic rainbow when the light hits it at an angle.

Here’s the catch, though: All in all, though, I found Trustafarian to be extremely unflattering on my nails, its strong yellow-green undertones making my skintone look rather ill and alien. It might be due to my own olive/green undertones, but I think it’s just a hazard of the shade — unique as it may be, it has a tendency to pull a little sickly.

Strangely enough, it makes me think of something by a brand like Illamasqua, not butter LONDON — something that’s interesting and a bit strange, but not necessarily flattering.

The verdict?

If you’re a fan of yellow-greens and light chartreuses, don’t let me stop you from getting this one. If you’re trying to choose between this and Dodgy Barnett, though, definitely give this one a skip. It’s a good formula, and an interesting shade, but I’m really not fond of it on my nails.

On its own (as a theoretical colour), or perhaps on someone with strong beige/pink undertones, I think I’d like it quite a bit more. Trustafarian is a lovely, obscure shade, but it’s perhaps less wearable than you might initially think.

(For formula and availability details, check out last week’s Dodgy Barnett review. For the full butterLONDON A/W ’12 collection details, though, follow through that second link.)

Keep reading! »

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 »