Friday, December 16, 2011

Butter London Holiday Dressing Table Tart With a Heart and The Black Knight Duo for Holiday 2011 Swatches And Review

Would you believe that I haven't used a Butter London polish since 2008? It's true. I bought two colors (Fash Pack and Billy No Mates) back when they were only $12 a piece, tried them, hated the bottle and didn't care for the formula and I haven't worn or tried another one since.

But then someone showed me this Holiday Dressing Table set and I had to have it. I went to Ulta and picked it up and put it back probably half a dozen times. I couldn't stop thinking about it every time I put it back, and I took that as a sign that I needed it. And... I was right.

It comes on this adorable little blue cardboard dressing table. It's just for looks, though... Mine only lasted long enough to take this picture before it tore in half. It probably isn't meant to stand on its own, it's very unstable. But man, is it cute...


In addition to being unstable and easily broken, the dressing table packaging has another flaw: excessively strong glue. It not only tore the label off of Tart with a Heart, it left gross boogery stuff all over the bottles!


W-what is it? BOOGERS?! No!!



Can't complain too much about glue blobs and missing labels because the colors are so beautiful. Click this for a close-up look, I dare you.



Butter London The Black Knight. Great color, great name. It's a black base with tiny multicolor glitter. The dominant colors in the mix are bright aqua blue and pink, but there's also red, gold, and from what I can tell, a little silver or grey as well.

A scratch? Your arm's off!



Butter London Tart With A Heart. I expected this one to be super sheer, but it really wasn't too bad. It is sheer, but it looks dense enough to wear alone at three coats, which is what I'm wearing here. It's a slightly cloudy but clear base with tiny gold microglitter in different tones plus larger round, clear opalescent glitter that flashes so brightly it borders on holographic. There may even be holo glitter in here, hard to tell with all the flashy colors and tiny pieces.
EDIT: One of my awesome readers just pointed this out to me: there's actually BLACK MICROGLITTER in here, too. Even better!

These two are nice on their own, but the real magic happens when you layer them together:

Butter London Tart with a Heart (one coat) over Butter London The Black Knight (three coats). Ho-ly crap. Look at that. It's like galaxy nails, but without all the work. I mean... ugh! Just look at all that sparkling, multicolored awesome on there! It's disgusting how great this looks. I don't think I can ever wear these two alone now. I've ruined them for myself.

The formula on these was a pleasant surprise. It was thin and manageable, even for such glitter heavy shades. The brush was long, slightly fluffier at the end, but still nicely shaped and made application pretty easy. Opacity was achieved at three coats of polish. Respectable dry time. But what I most enjoyed about these was the improved bottle. They used to have a non-removable vanity cap (well, they said it was removable, but mine wouldn't come off) that would never close properly. These have a removable one with a sticker on it that even tells you to remove it. No more misaligned caps and dried out polish!

I really like this set and I'm glad I got it. I still think that the bottles should be at least 0.5 fl oz if they're going to charge $14 for them, and I don't think all the colors are necessarily worth $14 each when you can get polish just as good, if not better, for less money from China Glaze or OPI or Zoya or even Sally Hansen. But I do like this set even with the $25 price tag. Now that I know the formula and bottles have improved, there's a few other shades I'm eying... Wallis, mainly, but now I'm going to pay more attention to their releases for sure.

So... there it is. My very first Butter London review on this blog.

64 comments:

  1. Hey. I am wearing Tart With A Heart right now.. If you look REALLY closely, there are some tiny black glitter flecks too. SO cool!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I was wondering if you just didn't cover Butter London because I was going to email you that you had to try The Dark Knight, I NEVER would have thought to use the set together but that will be my next mani after the holidays. Get Wallis, it's gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  3. omg I never thought to layer them LMAO thank you for the tip ;) I need to try it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. inhatewithlove, OMG, you're RIGHT! Black glitter!!! Even better!

    MsEloquence, I think I will now :D

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh man. I have picked this up and put it back several times but every time I see it, I think "I need to have this!"

    ReplyDelete
  6. I couldn't resist these either - in fact, I ended up putting Black Knight on in the car in the parking lot!

    I layered Tart with a Heart over OPI's Designer De Better - great combo but WOW why oh why did I not think to layer it with Black Knight?!?! So glad you did, because now I will too :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I bought a lot of Butter London polishes right as I started my polish obsession and I have to give them credit for creating some of the most eye catching colors available. Having said that I find the price point too high for the wear time I get. Butter London polishes chip really quickly for me no matter what I do and when I think I could spend another coupla bucks and get a proven long-wearing polish like a Lippmann or Rescue Beauty (or two China Glaze polishes) I just can't see myself continuing to buy the brand.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow, the two of those layered look great!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have these and also didn't try them together....but soon i will ....thanks

    ReplyDelete
  10. I LOVE Butter London. They have some colors that I am consistently complimented on. I didn't know about this set and will have to get one for myself too. Thanks for bringing Butter Londong into the Scrangie fold :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Haha the glue tore off the label for the same polish for me too! I love these polishes but haven't thought about wearing them together. I love your pics so I'm going to give it a try! :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh my! They are beautiful together! Need them! xx

    ReplyDelete
  13. That was me that tweeted the pic of the dressing table to you way back when :) Thank you for do the double layer of the two, I never thought to do that! SO beautiful!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow I hadn't seen that particular layering combo before and it's genius! And I did wonder before why I'd never read about bL on your blog! I totally agree with your sentiments wrt the price/amount of product and certain colours of theirs though.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Love your Swatches, always. I just used Tart With a Heart over Rescue Beauty Lounge Plie' yesterday, and was pleasantly surprised by the black glitter, especially when I whined at my Ulta about not being able to get Black Knight on its own to my fave clerk, lol. I'm glad I was wrong :o)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh. Fuck. Thats amazing n I own them! Woooo!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hrmm...I tried Butter London around 2008, too, when they were on sale on Hautelook, and I was SO disappointed that I spent money on them. The bottles were awkward, hard to hold when painting, and the product quality was total lamesauce. But! I really trust your opinion on products, and this may cause me to give them another try; especially Black Knight, it appeals to the uber Monty Python dork in me!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh yeah, is that Monty Python? Classic, lol!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Those look amazing! Thank you for reviewing how it goes on - it's so hard to tell, especially with glitter polishes, what you're going to get.

    Also, If you liked the Black Knight, there's another sparkly one called It's Just a Flesh Wound at Etsy. (http://www.etsy.com/listing/86515196/something-completely-different-custom). This gal's got all sorts of nerd-themed polishes, it's worth checking out. I can vouch for the wear - they last ages!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh how I love Monty Python! So damn funny! The Black Knight is a fantastic polish. Think I need this set. Gorgeous glitters.

    ReplyDelete
  21. To be honest, I was never interested in Butter London polishes until now. I also got an Ulta coupon in the mail, how fortuitous!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Oh man, it didn't even occur to me to layer these with each other! I think the pretties might distract me too much!

    ReplyDelete
  23. oh. my. GOD. i've looked at butter london before but never bought because of the price (i buy mostly zoya these days, sometimes essie and china glaze, and i do have a few OPIs in my stash, though i don't really buy them any longer), but... oh my GOD. i NEED this. black knight is hfdsljfhldsjflsf. and together? !!!!!!!!!!!!!

    definitely picking this up next time i'm at ulta. i am just like... i can't stop looking at the pictures of black knight, hahaha!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I love butter LONDON. They are great. I love this little set too. My only problem came with removing Tart With a Hart. It took a half hour! Normally glitters takes 5-10 minutes, but this was a beast! (I use non-acetone polish remover, of course, so it might be easier with acetone. I can't use acetone due to my migraine disorder and my hypersensitive skin; acetone gives me rashes!)

    You should really try British Racing Green and Victoriana. They are beautiful greens. Artful Dodger is a battleship blue that's totally you (I'm not kidding; you would love it.) There's a bright pink from them (it starts with the word Primrose Garden or another) that I love wearing in summer or whenever I need a pick me up! Illamasqua and them have a really consistent formulas!

    ReplyDelete
  25. The Black Knight looks amazing! And I too have been considering picking up Wallis several times, and agree the price is really only worth coughing up for their truly unique polishes.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I got this set but haven't used it yet. I only paid $12 for the set thanks to an employee discount but it looks like it would have been worth paying full price! I had the same problem with my labels coming off haha. You should definitely check out Wallis, I know you're into zombies and that's what it reminds me of everytime I wear it :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Also to L, the ulta coupons aren't good on Butter unless it's one of the large 20% off ones!

    ReplyDelete
  28. I feel like I can easily franken a dupe for Black Night (CG Liquid Leather and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Rockstar Pink?) but now I'm feeling like I need Tart to go over it... boogers!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I fell in love with this duo set as well and they are both so gorgeous! I never thought to layer them together though. MIND. BLOWN. Wallis is definitely worth a purchase as well, it's one of my favorite Butter London polishes.

    ReplyDelete
  30. OMG I never thought to layer them....... wow wow wow must try this tomorrow!!!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Beautiful! I may scope this out today!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Whitest Kids U Know AND Monty Python? I may love you.
    But not as much as these polishes. NEED. I have one BL polish in Macbeth...if the vanity cap is removable, I don't care, 'cuz I actually like to keep them on while polishing. (Am I alone?)

    ReplyDelete
  33. what top coat did you use with black knight? it seemed to just absorb my seche vite, and was still gritty-looking after 2 coats of it! yours looks gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I fall in love in Tart With a Hart.
    It's gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Oh wow, These are really pretty colors!

    ReplyDelete
  36. I had Tart With A Heart on for about a minute on Thursday. Okay, it was more like 4 hours. My index finger chipped something fierce. I had an Essie base coat, 4 coats of the butter (for opacity) and then 2 coats Seche. And then it took me about 15 minutes with pure acetone to get it off the other fingers. I think I had been spoiled because I had worn Models Own for something like 5 days looking perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  37. The Black Knight was the only one of the two that caught my attention, but then I saw your swatches combining the two polishes...and...OH MY GOD! Seriously, Scrangie? Now you've gone ahead and made me double my lemming! Hahahaha!

    And YAY for your first Butter London review! Can't wait to see any other colours you share! :) (I only own Wallis so far.)

    ReplyDelete
  38. WHOA!! I have them both, love them both, but NEVER EVER thought to layer them. You're a genius!

    ReplyDelete
  39. OMG I have to have them. I saw them a while back ago and didn't pick them up and now I wish I had.

    ReplyDelete
  40. I think I just peed myself. Amazing times a million.

    ReplyDelete
  41. I love the look of Tart with a Heart! Sadly it's a bit out of my budget

    ReplyDelete
  42. I have this set and love it :) I'm glad you like it! I really like their polish 'All Hail the Queen' which is a nude holographic. I wish they'd make more holographics, but uhm, I might be holographic obsessed. Just a touch.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Black Knight looks great! For some reason that little dressing table made me laugh.

    ReplyDelete
  44. I bought these a couple weeks ago when Butter London was having a sale on their site, haven't worn them yet. Out of all the swatches I've seen online, I have not seen any other blogs layer them together like that. They look incredible! I basically bought the set for black knight, not really caring about tart with a heart that much, but OMG I'm so glad I got the set and not just black knight by itself. They are insanely gorgeous together!

    ReplyDelete
  45. Oh my lord, those are gorgeous. Especially The Black Knight!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Hey!\
    Did you buy these online? I live in Canada and was wondering if they are available in store. Or online only! thanks in advance!
    ~A

    ReplyDelete
  47. Wow, I usually dont spend this much on a polish, but I guess I'll have to make an exception! These are too gorgeous not to be mine!!!

    ReplyDelete
  48. "Don't drink the boners!"

    I agree with whoever said they love you for bringing up WKUK.

    ReplyDelete
  49. I always want to love Butter London polish but each time I buy a fabulous color I'm disappointed. They just don't wear well or last.

    ReplyDelete
  50. After reading your review and pictures of this set (The Black Knight/Tart with a Heart) I had to get them! They are just as gorgeous as you said. LOVE them!

    ReplyDelete
  51. Uggghh I want this SO bad! Unfortunately I don't have an Ulta in the state I've moved to...and it won't let me use coupons on the website (and it's currently out of stock!). Lame salsa! Can I justify spending $25+s/h on these??!

    ReplyDelete
  52. It's been a few months, and I'm curious whether your Tart With a Heart has faded or changed color at all.

    The Butter London site describes it as a "pale pink parade of glitter [with a] dash of grey to tone down..." I can't be sure, but I thought it was pinkish, but after being in a drawer since January, it looks more like a goldish sand to me. Perhaps I just don't have the memory I think I do, as your photos seem to be right between the two shades--not too pink, not too blond.

    I'm more curious than anything, as it's gorgeous either way and the formula's great. I can't wait to try it over The Black Knight, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just checked, Tart with a Heart still looks the same. Though, interesting that you say that (about the description of the color from Butter's website), because it's never really looked pink to me. I would have never guessed it was supposed to look pink- I'd definitely call it a light gold or a sand color. Weird! Wonder if they all changed colors from the bright lights in the store? I'd love to see what this looks like pink!

      Delete
    2. I think I must just be remembering it a little wrong. After commenting before, I went ahead with the mani I had planned, which was Tart With a Heart over Teddy Girl (a cool, pale, 'chalky' pink also from Butter London) and it worked out quite well, warming Teddy and accentuating the greens and blues of Tart.

      All in all, I suspect I'm taking the description too literally and letting it influence my memory. I've found other photos that mostly support it being in the beige family, too. I'm not curious enough to order another one, though!

      Delete
    3. I don't think you are! As soon as I replied to your comment, I got curious and went to the Butter London website to look at their image.

      They definitely show Tart as having a light neutral pink tone overall, and actually describe the glitter as pink.

      Their product photo looks similar enough to my bottle to be the same polish, but mine definitely lacks the pink tint seen there and I'd disagree with their description of the glitter color as well.

      Delete
    4. Perhaps they do mellow over time, then, or maybe there's some batch inconsistency or a slight change between prototype and shipped product... I've found other BL formulas to be hit-or-miss, but they have some great colors and finishes.

      Thanks for responding. I feel a little less crazy now. : )

      Delete
  53. Thank you thank you for showing us this swatch!!! I only got The Black Knight at first, and my first impression for it was "meh." So I just tossed it aside, and thought "there goes my $17 down the drain" (polishes here in Canada are more expensive). But after seeing this swatch last week, I knew my money wouldn't be wasted if I layered it with Tart With A Heart. I received Tart With A Heart in the mail today. So excited! And my fingers look like 10 little galaxies now, just like you said! Fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  54. Shoot!, had to have The Dark Night and purchased it before seeing this so not in the set. It was this or Dark Horse by Cirque and I purchased this becuase I don't own a single BL. Now it seems I must get Tart becuase that looks amazing and I want it on my nails.

    If I can't get Tart, does anyone know what other polish you could layer of this to get the same kind of look?

    ReplyDelete
  55. I purchased Tart with a Heart a couple of months ago and it's mostly sitting unused in my stash because the formula is so gluey. It's worse than painting with rubber cement. I thought it was just a bad formula, but I see you liked the formula of the bottle you got. Do you think I get an off bottle? I've been avoiding other Butter LONDON products because of this.

    It's a gorgeous color, no doubt. I just used it to do a gradiant over Zoya Logan. It's beautiful, but my Tart has glitter boogers all over the opening of the bottle.

    ReplyDelete

Please be respectful. Refrain from using my comments for unsolicited advertising. If you would like me to check out your blog or product, please email me. Thank you!