Hey everyone! I am quite excited about today’s post, because I am finally talking about one of my favorite nail polish brands of all time: Butter London! I don’t know what it is about Butter London – their quirky British names, the beautiful and sometimes odd colors they release, or the gorgeous packaging that is just screaming to have a vanity to sit on – but something about their polishes just ticks all my boxes. It is my goal to own them all – at least all the polishes in colors I actually like! A while back they promoted this duo of lacquers for a special price. I believe it was around $22-$24 for both (I cannot find the email, hence the uncertainty). They also had some other discount going on and ground shipping is free in the US so my weak self grabbed them. I thought it was a good deal, even though I stupidly did not realize until I got them that these polishes are from the Patent Shine 10x line, which makes it an even better deal ($18 a bottle vs. $15 for their regular lacquer). I had never tried the Patent Shine 10x lacquers until now. Read on to see what I think!
All of my swatches today are over Zoya Get Even. I used Seche Vite as the top coat. Just to note, this is not a review of the 10x Patent Shine system (as I did not use the base or top coat), it is just a review of the formula and application. I do not do wear tests.
Butter London Ta-Ta!, 2 coats plus top coat
The first part of the duo is Ta-Ta! I love the name, it makes me smile. This is a darker greige, wet concrete-colored grey. In person it looks like it has some slight purple tones to it as well.
Butter London Ta-Ta!, 1 coat
For a lighter color, this had amazing coverage on the first coat! The formula is a bit thinner than I would expect for something with such great coverage. It is still a bit patchy on the first coat. One thing that really surprised me about the Patent Shine 10x polishes is that instead of Butter London’s normal, thinner brush they have a medium width paddle brush! It is the perfect size; some paddle brushes are way too large for my little nails but I actually liked this one. You can easily do a three-swipe application with it.
Butter London Ta-Ta!, 2 coats
Ta-Ta! is completely opaque in two coats! It was super easy to paint on. Look how shiny it is all on its own! There is a slight crelly quality to the formula of both of today’s polishes that helps to give it that superior shine. I was really impressed with this one!
Butter London Ace, 2 coats plus top coat
Ace is the second part of the duo and it is an absolutely lovely mid-toned purple with some magenta tones. I love this shade of purple so, so much! It’s bright and fun and has pink in it, but not enough to actually BE pink (one of my least favorite shades to wear). This is a color you will wear all-year round, it is bright and can be festive, yet also strays into the jewel tones… a very flexible color.
Butter London Ace, 1 coat
This formula is so easy to paint with! It is thinner than I prefer but it does not run at all and gives excellent coverage on the first coat. There are definitely some light patches still that need to be covered up. I noticed on both my index and middle fingers that, with this particular polish, if you use more than three swipes you will create more light patches. I did an extra swipe down the middle on both to try to even the coat out, but that made the coat more sheer instead. These self-level excellently, so unless you really glob the polish on you will not need more than three swipes. I do not recommend manipulating this polish too much. The crelly nature of these is a bit more obvious here.
Butter London Ace, two coats
Two coats of Ace and you have got a perfect, purple mani! You can see how much less pink-toned it looks with an additional coat. Now, on my index finger there still is a patch in the middle. I did not learn my lesson on the first coat and used more than three swipes. With this polish, I am begging you not to. There is no reason for it, the polish will even itself out and if you try to fix it, you will just create more problems. Learn from my mistakes, okay? Regardless of my failures, I love this polish. I really do. I just needed to trust it more (like I did on the other nails, which all turned out great).
Butter London Ace vs. Essie Flowerista, 2 coats plus top coat
I was slightly afraid Ace might be similar to one of my tried-and-true favorites, Essie Flowerista. I decided to compare them for you in case you were thinking the same thing. While they are definitely both from the same color family, Flowerista is clearly lighter and more pink-toned than Ace. I also think Ace’s formula is better, but that could be because I am not a huge fan of Essie’s thin brush. Ace and Flowerista are definitely siblings, but you could safely own both. I would love to use both of these for a subtle gradient, I think it would look really cool!
Overall, I am really happy with both of these polishes! I actually am a little upset that I liked the formula so much, because now I have to start collecting the Patent Shine 10x polishes too (yes, HAVE to). Butter London really knows how to take all of my money. Make a quality product, give it a funky name… Bam, I’m there. These polishes are no longer available as a duo, but they are in the Patent Shine 10x core line, so you can still pick them up! I hope they continue to release seasonal duos like this, it is a much more affordable price point and a fun way to try some different Butter London shades. One more thing I want to mention is that while these were released as a fall duo, both shades are not particularly seasonal. I am a hard-core seasonal polish wearer but I would have no problem wearing either of these any time of the year!
Have any of you tried the Patent Shine 10x formula? I would love to know what you think. Because Butter London is one of my ultimate faves, please tell me your favorite shades from any of their lines! I always am on the hunt for more. Thanks for stopping by today!
xx, Ashley
Check out Butter London’s Patent Shine 10x polishes here. Ta-Ta! and Ace are currently available individually. I purchased these polishes from Butter London’s website.
short nail swatcher 