Butter London Dahling Nail Polish

There's something wonderfully retro about Dahling, the deep rose polish with a cream finish by Butter London. It ignores every current trend in favor of exuberant femininity; sometimes this is exactly what I want to wear.

It takes two coats for full coverage, three for bottle-perfect opacity. It took me a couple of attempts to learn the right amount of color that prevents a streaky first coat, making my manicure look instantly better. The last month or so I've been back to using Deborah Lippmann's base and top coats and I'm getting excellent results in terms of longevity and shine maintenance.

Dhaling by Butter London ($14) is available from butterlondon.com.

All photos are mine.

Butter London Aston Nail Polish

I'm in the mood for a somewhat neutral nail polish, but with still enough character to look interesting and fall-appropriate. Aston, has a delicate shimmer in a nice toffee (or rich leather interior?) color. It's on the warm despite some pink undertones, and on my hands looks better on gray days like today than when the sun is in full force. Two coats are enough for a perfectly polished look that goes anywhere and everywhere.

I can't find Aston on Butter London website, but other authorized retailers like Nordstrom and b-glowing have it in stock ($14).

All photos are mine.

Zoya Fire and Ice Holiday 2010 Nail Polish Collection

One of the better ways to deal with the shine and sparkle of holiday collection is to wear them on one's nails. Of course, some of the available options are so far out of my personal comfort zone I'd need a passport to go there (OPI Burlesque Collection comes to mind. I saw the swatches on Cafe Makeup and wanted to play with the bottles and do crafts, but not necessarily wear them). Fire & Ice Collection from Zoya is far more appealing to me, though it is glittery and as far as I'm concerned these are special occasion polishes.

The first one I've worn was Gloria, a sparkling metallic rose. I loved looking at my nails and see the light reflected, but even the husband noticed the level of shine and commented it was not really a safe choice. He's right, of course, but it's still fun. I also love Valerie, the deep purple/wine with warm/gold micro glitter particles. It's the one I'd wear with a sexy black dress for a holiday party.

Crystal, the complex ice blue, is a winner. I'm not a blue polish person but can't help admiring it and definitely see myself wearing it occasionally just for a night. It's way too much for me to pull of during the day, but this is just me showing my age. I can't help it.

As with all glitter nail polish, cleanup takes too much time and work, especially if you use a drugstore remover. Professional products do a much better work here and shorten the time you have to spend smelling them, so that's a serious plus in this case.

Bottom Line: Pretty and shiny. What more could we ask for?

Zoya Fire & Ice Winter 2010 Collection ($36 for  the sampler set, individual bottles are $7 each) is available from zoya.com. A press sample was sent for consideration by the company.

All photos are mine.

Les Khakis de Chanel Nail Polish

I know I'm the very late in reporting on these, but I was away when Chanel released the nail polish trio Les Khakis on Fashion's Night Out. I got them as soon as I came back, of course, because the colors were so special and irresistible to me in their edgy elegance. I chose to skip Khaki Vert, the mossy green one, for practical reasons. It's beautiful, but knowing myself it's not something I'd wear very often and I already had Essie Sew Psyched, so I felt covered in this color department.

Les Khakis de Chanel are a limited edition, and I enjoy Khaki Brun and Khaki Rose so much I'm considering a backup, especially for the latter. It's such an easy to wear shade and works for me perfectly. I love that they are a little muted and it takes a second glance to realize how unique and complex they are. This fact makes them quite office friendly and ensures one would get a good use of the Les Khakis.

Khaki Rose is a warm beige brown. The rose undertone is more pronounced in full sun, while a gray and rainy day like today brings out the brown cinnamon heart. I find it very flattering on my hands and makes me want to go shopping for some accessories in this color. Khaki Brun is a very interesting polish. As you can see in the photos taken in direct afternoon sun, it has a lot of khaki in it (thank you, Lady Obvious), but indoors it's much more of a taupe in the same mushroomy style Chanel has made famous. It's still elegant enough to be perfectly acceptable in all but the most conservative environments.

Quality-wise, Chanel has made some serious progression. As Sabrina of the Beauty Look Book observed the other day, the creamy consistency is so opaque you only need one coat for a uniform full coverage. I can't begin to tell you how happy tis makes me. I'm a DIY girl despite my klutziness, so being able to paint and go without waiting between coats (and messing up my nails every time a cat even looks at them) makes it the polish I'm more likely to use.

Bottom Line: I wish it were part of the permanent collection.

Les Khakis de Chanel Nail Polish ($25 each) can be ordered online from chanel.com.

All photos are mine.

Essie In Stitches Fall 2010 Nail Polish

I chose In Stitches from Essie's 2010 fall collection because it's not just a great transition color but also has a classic "go anywhere" look. I know some consider this warm blush/rose pink too conservative and boring, but for me, as much as I love Sew Psyched and Merino Cool, sometimes (=often) I don't want my nails to be the focal point of my look. Maybe it's because I wear a lot of purple or red lipsticks and most of my wardrobe consists of DVF print dresses that have a lot going on in them. In any case, Essie's fall collection is so satisfying because it gives enough options from edgy to classic.

Essie In Stitches ($8) and the rest of the  Fall 2010 nail collection is available from shopessie.com.

All photos are mine.

Essie Fall 2010 Mini Collection

Essie's 4-packs of seasonal minis make it very easy for us, addicts. Between the cuteness of the packaging and the option to have four mini bottles (makes much more sense for those of us who rarely wear the same color two weeks in a row), this is an easy choice. I also got a full size of In Stitches, which I'll show you on Friday and only passed on one color, Velvet Voyeur, because I get my dark purple fix from last year's Chanel.

The mini fall collection includes:
Sew Psyched- celadon? blue sage? It's hard to describe, but the color is both unique and wearable even for my conservative taste.
Limited Addiction- sexy and classic red
Little Brown Dress- chocolate liqueur
Merino Cool- a cool mauve, urban and sophisticated

I love the creamy opaque texture and finish and the fact I can leave the house wearing only one coat. I usually apply the second coat the next day, so I have far less chance of messing up my nails. Dealing with your inner klutz requires a little creativity, and a nail polish that looks good enough even before your manicure is fully finished.

Essie fall collection mini 4pc ($17) is available from essieshop.com

All photos are mine

Le Metier de Beaute Dynamique Nail Polish Fall 2010- La Belle Epoque,

The fall items from Le Metier de Beaute Fall 2010 collection are at the counters starting today. While the star is naturally the Le Cirque Eye Kit Kaleidoscope, this little gem of a nail polish is just marvelous. I know that some scoff at these mini bottles at full price. But so far the quality of every Le Metier de Beate nail polish I've bought or received has been top notch, and as someone who keeps changing nail colors and hasn't finished a bottle since 2005, I prefer the smaller amount.

Dynamique is one of four Le Metier de Beaute Le Belle Epoque shades for fall. The other ones are Noble Passion (a blushing nude),  High Wire (platinum), Magic at Dusk (blue, described in the press materials as "sophisticated"). This one is dark blood red, a bit on the goth side and as perfect as they come. I find that the first coat goes on too streaky, since the formula is thinner than I'm used to, but the second coat applies impeccably and when I have time and patience for a third one I get the full effect. Dynamique is an evening shade, and I have every intention to wear it next week for a couple of events.

Bottom Line: Not just for vamps.

Le Metier de Beaute Dynamique Nail Polish ($15) is available at Bergdorf Goodman and other select department stores worldwide. I received a press sample from the company.

Butter London Tea With The Queen Nail Polish

Sabrina from The Beauty Look Book and I gravitate towards opposite end of the color rainbow except when it comes to nail polish. I have a feeling the content of our polish drawers are eerily similar and both are heavy on classic nudes. We didn't plan this, but it looks like we went on a Butter London online shopping spree at around the same time last month and obviously bought the same things. Case in point: Tea With The Queen.

Seriously, how can a royalty-obsessed like me resist this color? Tea With The Queen is that prim and proper, but also as pretty as they come. Sabrina's skin color brings out more of the subtle pink undertones while on my olive skin it's more of a warm beige (compared to Yummy Mummy which is cooler). I'm perfectly happy with two coats, considering the more time I spend with wet polish the more chances I get to have cat hair stuck to them. But my little trick when it comes to applying a third coat is to do it the next day. It shortens drying time and prevents possible mishaps.

Bottom Line: Better than clotted cream and scones.

Butter London nail polish ($14) is available from butterlondon.com

All photos are mine, except the one of Queen Elizabeth having tea with UK senior citizens in 2008, finfacts.ie