*New Brand Alert* butter London
Not only did I have an amazing time visiting friends in Seattle but I also discovered a new brand of polish. As soon as my plane landed no less.
We were walking down Concourse B of the SeaTac airport when I spotted a nail kiosk. My eyes were immediately drawn to a GREEN polish sitting on the shelf and I had to run over and check it out. Even though I was tired from a long day of travelling the polish fiend in me couldn’t resist.
The brand is called butter LONDON and at the moment they only have 3 locations in the Seattle area. Their motto is “We believe in Rock & Roll. Great Britain. Fashion. And the power of our product line.” The concept of their locations is “a salon with out walls” and they only work with natural nails. The kiosks have a very upscale look and at both the locations I visited, the employees were friendly and inviting. I really wish I would have had time to grab a quick mani or pedi while in town.
I did leave with a polish, of course. The aforementioned green called Thames. It’s a gorgeous dark blue green with shimmer and great depth.
Their lacquer is called 3 Free. It contains NO Formaldehyde, Toluene, or DBP (Dibutyl Phthalates) because they “believe in Colour, not Carcinogens.” With cheeky names like The Full Monty, Come To Bed Red, Tramp Stamp, Frilly Knickers and Hen Party this line is definitely worth a look. The line also includes a selection of hand cremes, a quick dry top coat, nail strengthener, ridge filler, cuticle oil and cuticle remover.
So, being the bargain gal that I am (i.e. cheap ass), the $9/bottle price tag didn’t thrill me. I initially thought of this line as pricier Zoya. So, I wouldn’t be recommending this brand if it didn’t impress me somehow. I mean, why try something new if you can find the same stuff for less? Well, this isn’t Zoya, it’s better. Coming from a huge Zoya fan, that’s saying a lot. I’m not dissing my hometown brand but 3 Free has an excellent formula. Compared to the typically thick and somewhat goopy consistency of Zoya, 3 Free is thinner, like OPI but, without all the chemicals. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.
Has anyone else seen or used this brand before? Tell us about it.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
Beautiful color! Great find.
It looks like they have an online shop. I’ll have to try it out.
Here’s a bit more about the ideological framework behind the polishes:
http://www.allbusiness.com/services/business-services/3941812-1.html
I absolutely LOVE that color. Although, $9 is a lot for polish. Apparently, it might be ‘worth it’.
If only the River Thames was really that colour – it’s divine!
Thanks for the link Jewel Box Dreamer. Very interesting!
Oh that is just a beautiful blue-viridian green! I wish butter London had a salon here in Houston since it seems they only sell packs of polish and not the individual bottles themselves on the website. oh the pain.
And my apologies that I haven’t been around and reading: my damn Hal unit exploded again. Remind me never to buy a Dell again.
Their website now lists lacquers at $10/bottle and you can buy them individually. I wish the colors were easier to see … I’d prefer downloadable swatches.
AND, they only say they are DBP free, not Phthalate free. DBP is not the only questionable Phthalate … I’d really like to see an ingredients list. Until then, I’m sticking with Revlon and the new OPIs: Australia and Russia.
I have ordered a couple of Zoya polishes. I hope they are totally Phthalate free.
Even the new China Glaze formula has Formaldehyde Resin.
For water-based polish, Suncoat probably has the best application and quickest dry time. I’ve just had a heck of a time getting it off. Don’t try it if you have thin nails. http://www.suncoatproducts.com/
Now the polishes are $12 a bottle and the shipping rates are pretty steep. I splurged anyway and it took a month for my purchase to reach me, and the polishes seemed sort of livered [separated and old] when I got them. The colors are really interesting, but I wouldn’t purchase from them online again. And really, because of the the price and wait, I rather use Zoya or OPI.
There is a new butter London salon in the Sacramento Airport (! I know… !) But I took the opportunity to get a quick mani before taking an abysmal flight to Riverside. And I’m hooked.
On what, you ask? The wide expanse of colours. And on the green tea hand cream (divine), on the nail kit complete with Horsepower (strengthener), Handbag Holiday (cuticle oil – whose scent and performance changed my life!) and Melt Away (the loveliest and most gentle cuticle remover I’ve ever experienced), a buffer, file and orange stick.
I flew out of the sacramento airport and bought a bottle of this brand. I did not have time for a mani. So im at the hotel room painting my nails and this bottle of butter london polish is all sticky and stringing right out of a brand new bottle. The sales girl (who was really nice)even opened it and checked the bottle right in front of me maybe if she was unsure of her own prouduct I should of thought twice about throwing down the money for the kit.
I just bought in Seattle Airport and they were $14 each or 2 for $20. I swatched them in the store but haven’t worn my new ones yet.
Hi guys, I have been coveting this brand for some time now. I think I read about it last year in Hair & Beauty magazine. I am in Leeds, England and have just found that the brand is available on Amazon.co.uk. I’ve asked the hubby to get me the Chimney Sweep colour for Christmas! I’m so excited to see it reviewed here. Have you also heard of Leighton Denny or Nails Inc? Another two great British brands. Just wanted to say keep up the great work – I love your blog and love finding out about new polish brands through you. My fave so far that you’ve introduced me to is Deborah Lippmann – talk about expensive! But DEFINITELY worth every penny! xx
I’ve heard of Leighton Denny. He’s really well known for his skills but I’ve never had the chance to try his nail polish. I have a couple Nails Inc colors and I’m a fan of their Kensington Caviar Top Coat even though it’s expensive and not easy to acquire in the US.