Butter London Manicures: My Continued Quest To Find Long-Lasting Polish

Thanks to the fabulous ROCKSTARS at Seattle-based Butter London, I recently learned why polish always chips on my natural nails....

Nooooooooo!!!

WATER! 

Water is the culprit. Apparently nails saturated in water don't hold polish as well as dry nails, so guess what happens? That's right---chip, chip, chip!

So WHY do many salons still soak nails? (Butter London nail salons across the country do not soak, they do dry manicures.). The simple answer is that soaking softens cuticles....but at the time this method started, over 50 years ago, there weren't any cuticle softeners or products in existence like there are now. Water was all they had, so that's what they used.

The Black Knight

I guess old habits are just sometimes hard to break.

According to the staff at Butter London, if you do a manicure without soaking and use their NON-toxic products together (or at least the basecoat, lacquer & topcoat which are MADE TO WORK TOGETHER), the average regular manicure which should last 3 days without chipping, will be extended to 6-8 days without chips! 


REALLY?! Well, why not give it a try?!

I'm going to!

BUTTER LONDON STEPS FOR A LONG-LASTING MANICURE:

     3-Free: No Formaldehyde. No Toluene. No DBP.
   NON-Toxic. Safe for pregnant women and children.

 1)   Don’t soak nails in water during a manicure. Nails not saturated with water hold polish better so it lasts longer.

2)   Remove any old polish with Powder Room Acetone-Free Polish Remover ($5).

This remover hydrates nails and has a soft baby powder scent.

3)   Use Butter London Melt Away Cuticle Eliminator ($20). Leave on a few minutes as directed, then wipe off with a cloth or soft brush.

4)   Follow with Nail Foundation Flawless Basecoat ($18). This basecoat/ridge filler dries to a matte finish so color will bond to it. When applying, wrap basecoat over the end of the nail tip to seal. (For problem nails that peel or break, use Horse Power Nail Fertilizer/strengthener ($20) as a base instead.)

5)   Use 2 coats of Butter London Nail Lacquer in cream, metallic, or glitter finish ($14). Start at the base of the nail near the cuticle and pull forward over the end of the tip to wrap the nail. Consider layering multiple colors to create a custom look, or use different colors on each nail! Experiment and have fun!

6)   Top with Hardwear P.D. Quick Topcoat ($18) for an ultra-shiny finish. Wrap product over the end of the nail tip to seal lacquer. This product is quick drying and long-lasting! (For a matte finish, use Matte Finish Topcoat ($18).

7)   Complete your manicure with Holiday Handbag Cuticle Oil ($18). Allow this pineapple-coconut scented oil to soak in for 10 minutes to re-hydrate cuticles.

THEN........ GO SHOW OFF YOUR PRETTY MANI! :)

Butter London Products are available at Nordstrom and Ulta stores, and online!

Butter London's Horse Power Nail Fertilizer For Damaged Nails

chipped, short.... Help!

I mentioned in my last post that I took my acrylic nails off a few weeks ago after more than 10 years of artificial nail bliss...and artificial nail torture. I then tried Shellac which was not a good fit for me since by the next day it was chipping and my nails were breaking. In truth, I have to wonder if anything that has to be soaked in a toxic chemical like acetone to remove it is really something I want to use. It's a personal decision, but one that I think about more all the time.

Now I've started getting basic manicures, applying nail growth treatments, and watching my once attractive fingernails break down to uneven stubs on a daily basis while the acrylic damage continues to grow out. It's not a good a time and it's hard to feel pretty with chipped up broken nails. 

Today I spoke to someone at Butter London about some events they'll be doing over the holiday season, but also discussed my post-acrylic nail dilemma. If you don't know, Butter London is the nail polish available at Sephora, Ulta, and department stores such as Nordstrom, that expresses it's allegiance to Rock & Roll, Great Britain, and fashion. (Eeek--me too! I'm in LOVE! Too bad their corporate office is in Seattle or I'd be applying for a Marketing position today! :). They are also dedicated to using products that are free of harmful chemicals like formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, etc., which has made them a hit on runways and with Hollywood celebs. The person I talked to removed her acrylic nails after 16 years of wearing them and started using Butter London's Horse Power Nail Fertilizer to get her through the difficult growing out, weak-nails period following the removal. She swears by it and told me I won't be disappointed if I try it.

Horse Power uses an herbal ingredient called "horsetail" to repair abused nails. In holistic medicine, horsetail is taken to treat osteoporosis and heal wounds, and it's added to some shampoos to strengthen hair, so it makes sense that when applied topically to nails it should increase strength and speed up nail growth. The product is applied every day for 7 days, then removed and repeated for 4 weeks until nails are healthy again. It can also be used as a basecoat with nail polish.

At $20 a bottle, half the price I used to pay for 1 acrylic fill or Shellac treatment, it seems like a bargain, especially if the end result will be long, strong, healthy, NATURAL nails.

I'm going to purchase a bottle and try it. I'll let you know how it goes. No sleep til Brooklyn.....or in this case, LONDON? ;) ....I WILL get back to beautiful nails! I WILL! Eventually......