Image from butter LONDON's Facebook page

People love butter LONDON’s nail lacquers and I do not blame them. Their “products are formulated without the use of  harmful ingredients, like Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP or Parabens.” I appreciate that. I also like that their products are cruelty free, that is, their marvelous colors were not tested on bunnies. I appreciate that even more.

butter LONDON’s colors are great and fun to play with. Just think about painting some fingers a gorgeous yellow (“Cheeky Chops”) and others a nice cobalt blue (“Blagger”). Oh, yes the names, they signal a great attitude. For example, there is “Primrose Hill Picnic: A happy, punchy, tropical, fuchsia pink lacquer. Will make you want to take off your shoes and run barefoot through the office.” Then there is “No More Waity, Katie” a lacquer/nail polish created on the occasion of the marriage between Kate Middleton and Prince William. But how good are their products?

I tested Nail Foundation Flawless Basecoat, Blagger Nail Lacquer and Hardwear P.D. Quick Topcoat.

I left the basecoat on for a couple of days to see how well it held up and it did great. I think it’s good enough to use just by itself. Then it was time to put on the lacquer. I chose “Blagger.” I went to Salon Herdis in Northampton because I also wanted to see what a professional would think. Mary, who works at Herdis, was a bit doubtful about the matte basecoat but it did not interfere at all with the cobalt blue “Blagger.” It was also nice to see how quickly all three coats dried. We both felt that the polishes were a bit harder to apply than some other brands due to the brush. Usually when you apply a polish the brush opens up a bit, which makes application for a layperson like me a bit easier. butter LONDON’s brushes do not open up as much, so you have to be a bit more careful when applying the color.

butter LONDON's Blagger

Then the real test began to see how this polish would hold up over time. I lead an active lifestyles and the color stayed on nicely on the nail. Washing dishes, the dog taking me for a walk, exercising (well, some exercising), cooking, and in the end my nails still look nice and blue. This means that I have yet to try out “Powder Room,” butter LONDON’s acetone free lacquer remover.

So would I recommend butter LONDON? Yes, because I really like their color selection, they’re non-toxic, and they last. So yes, please I take some “Teddy Girl” bubblegum pink, “Jaffa” a nice orange color, or “Come to Bed Red” (they named it, not me). They also have much more subdued colors but I clearly like my nails colorful because this is one way in how I like to cheer myself up.

Nicole works in the technology industry, loves to write, and appreciates how the world looks from an upside down perspective.