Butter London All Hail The Queen

   For months now, I've been hearing lots of talk about Butter London polishes.  The majority of which has been extremely positive so I was curious to try the brand, but didn't want to order online.  Then, a little over a month ago Ulta started carrying BL in their stores as well as online so I decided to splurge a little and pick up a bottle.  

   There are MANY lovely shades to chose from, but for my first purchase I decided to try All Hail The Queen (AHTQ).  There was a bit of controversy around this polish when it first came out.  The original name was All Hail McQueen, but was changed for legal reasons.  I don't know all the details, but I'm sure they can be found with a little google-fu.  

   AHTQ is a beige holo.  Yes, I said holo and beige in the same sentence.  The holo is very subtle even in direct sun, but the shimmer that shows indoors gives interest to what could otherwise just be another beige polish.  

   One of the most consistent things I've read about BL is how incredible the formula is and how it seems like the polish almost applies itself.  I don't know about any of the other colors, but that is definitely the case with AHTQ.  My only complaint is the size of the brush handle.  Not that it's too big, but because it feels too small to me.  You see, the rectangular top you see above comes off to reveal a smaller round brush top that's about the length from the tip of my thumb to the first joint.

   If the cap was just a little wider or taller I would like it better.  At the size it is, the brush feels just a little awkward in my hand, like I'm about to drop it.  

   Opacity was good, I only needed 2 coats for coverage.  For my base coat I used Seche Restore and Barielle Manicure Extender as my top coat.  Now I'll stop teasing and get to the on nail pictures.

Indoor

   In this lighting AHTQ looks like a beige with a bit of silver shimmer.  You can pick up just a hint of the holo under my CFL lightbulbs, but most bulbs won't bring this out.

Shade

   Pretty boring in the shade.

Direct Sun

   As I said above, this is a subtle holo and a scattered one.  But I think anything stronger would have been too much for the color.

   I was very impressed with this polish.  I even like the color.  It's nice for when you want something simple but with a little extra to it.  Based on AHTQ, I plan to buy more BL polishes in the future to try.  I already have a wishlist going in my head.

   The other downside to BL is the price.  The polishes retail for $14.00 each on the website and at Ulta.  Now depending on your Ulta, or the SA you check out with, you can sometimes use coupons on these.  I say sometimes because while I was able to use a $5 off a $10 purchase coupon on this one, other people have run into issues trying to use them.  It seems to depend on if your Ulta or SA considers BL a Prestige brand or not.  But either way, I think the BL polishes are worth a try at least once.