Butter London

Have you seen the boxes available online and in stores like Ulta for Butter London  called "Backstage Basics?"  It contains a base coat, a top coat, a curved nail file and nail polish remover.  There is an option to pick your own color-- and that makes the $44 price AMAZING.  However, if you catch this box on sale for like $20, you're not allowed to pick your own color- but the top coat alone cost the same as the box, so it's still a nice deal if you're able to pick it up.

It also comes with this gorgeous bag!  I love it!!

I also may have purchased a few different colors (they had a 2/$15 sale going on)

(Products Top Left- Bottom Right)
First Row: Backstage Basics Box; Small, zippered makeup/nail polish bag
Second Row: Nail Foundation Base Coat; Hardwear Quick Topcoat; Powder Room Nail Polish Remover; Wellies; Keks; Cotton Buds; Pimms
Third Row: Knackered, Slapper

So, first things first- I took off my nail polish.

 The color I had on before my white nails totally stained my nail :( I was so sad about it!  [Yes, I had a base coat on underneath]  I think that BL remover did it's job- but it has an overpowering scent to it that after the second time I used it, I put the cap back on forever.  I felt like the scent didn't go away for almost two days- it drove me nuts.  It smells like body powder-- the kind that your grandmother might wear.

Next up, the base coat.  I think that I like my ridge filler as my base coat better than BL's base.  I like it more because a) it fills my ridges better b) it's a white base.  I'm not feelin' this nude base color.  If I use a light/sheer pink, I feel like I can still see the cuticle and free edge more than I would like.

Also, if this is your first time using a BL polish, be sure to remove the sticker on the side of the bottle. Also, the caps need to come off first, then you twist the brush out.  It was way more complicated than it should be.

Alright, let's add color!

First up, Keks.

Add my accent nail; Wellies.

I decided to try polka dots for the first time.  I used a bobby pin and dipped it in the bright yellow nail polish, Pimms-- way easier than I expected!

Now it's time for my clear coat!

Final product.  Overall I like my Butter London polishes.  I still prefer OPI.  I don't feel like the color lasts as long as I would like it to without chipping.  However, I'm sure that's simply a part of my quest to find the perfect top coat.

Happy painting!

Clean Your Brushes!

Now that summer is here, my goal is to update this blog at least once every day during the week.  My other goal is to try to make shorter/more condensed entries that allow for easier reading-- and easier writing! So here's hopin'!

Last night, I took the time to clean out my brushes.  I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never cleaned make up brushes.  I'd just throw them out when they looked iffy and buy new ones.  I watched a quick DIY video from PopSugar and decided to wash them with a bar of soap.

I don't have any step by step pics to post (I promise to be better about that next time!), but it's so super easy that you shouldn't need pics.  If you do, youtube "PopSugar clean brushes," and it should be the very first option.

First, you get your brush wet by running it under the faucet.  It's important that you do not get anything but the bristles wet.  [Note: I was warned about this, so I'm passing it along.  I found it nearly impossible NOT to get the brush a little wet.  I saw no major damage so all I can really say is try your best to keep the rest of the brush dry.]  If you get the brush wet, supposedly that will release the bristles, and that's just no fun!

After you get the bristles on your brush wet, you simply rub your brush over a bar of soap.  Any soap will do, but moisturizing soap is recommended.  It's like conditioning your brushes all in one step!

Continue to rub your brush on the soap and rinse.  If you've waited as long as I have, you might need to rinse and lather your brush several times before make up stops appearing on your soap.  I had to recheck some of my brushes three times before the water started to run clear.

When you are rinsing your brush, I found that I was too impatient to just let the water fall on the brush and wait for the water to run clear.  So, I turned the water pressure up high enough that there was a little pool of water a safe distance away from the faucet, and I dabbed my brush there until it was clean.

Once you've applied soap and water, simply dab your brushes on a paper towel, reshape any bristles that are out of place, and allow the brushes to air dry.  I've been told that you can wait a couple of hours for your brushes to dry, but I let mine sit out over night.  It seems the easiest to do.

Check out how I hung my brushes:

I removed the towels from my towel rack, and slid my brushes through pony tail holders.  I wish I could take credit for this idea, but I totally saw it floating around Facebook.  How fancy are those brushes, though?!

Anyway, hope this helped if you're considering drying your brushes!

This week I plan to do an Ipsy review, and hopefully I can get a few other past reviews that may not be helpful with current reveals, but should hopefully help if you're considering subscribing to any of their services!

Have a great Monday!

-Mim