Butter London ‘Sweetie Shop’ Collection Spring 2013
Butter London, a brand known as much for their provocatively quirky shade names as well as their stellar formula, takes an unexpected turn with their Spring ‘Sweetie Shop’ Collection, by bringing us 6 candy hued lacquers – as sweet as can be. Filled with nostalgia, what sets this collection apart from previous pastel incarnations, is the “buttery” smooth formula and no trace of any dreaded chalkiness. Plus their total cuteness factor. And the fact that they bring to mind my favourite period in art history, Impressionism. Takes the wind right out of my vampy-hued loving self, I tell you.
All swatches are with base and top coats.
Butter London – Sweetie Shop Collection
Waterloo Bridge, by Claude Monet – 1903 (source)
Jasper – a buttercup yellow crème with a slight greenish undertone. Excellent flow to the formula, although the first coat did apply a touch patchy - gone by the second coat. Self-levelling and with a high gloss shine at the finish, this is one of the most wearable yellow shades I have ever come across. Coats applied 3 (thin)
Butter London – Jasper
Butter London – Jasper
Fruit Machine – a cool toned barbie pink hue with lilac undertones, in a formula that bears excellent pigmentation by even the first coat. Completely streak free and with a beautiful shine, it doesn’t get more girly than this! Coats applied: 2
Butter London – Fruit Machine
Butter London – Fruit Machine
Fiver – a silky smooth minty hue with definitive blue undertones, there was some patchiness with the first coat – which was quickly remedied by the second layer. Surprisingly opaque for such a light shade, the final glassy shine is absolutely unbelievable – totally loving this aquatic vibe! Coats applied: 2
Butter London – Fiver
Butter London – Fiver
Molly-Coddled – a cool-leaning lavender hue that somehow manages to suit warmer skin tones as well. Absolutely superb formula with a perfect coverage and flow even with the first coat, with zero patchiness or streaking. Ultra glossy finish – absolutely beautiful! Coats applied: 2
Butter London – Molly-Coddled
Butter London – Molly-Coddled
Kerfluffle – sugar-sweet apricot hue that will definitely work on both warm & cool skin tones, possibly because of its pink undertones. Good coverage by even the first coat, applying in a totally self-levelling way and ending with a lovely glossy shine. Coats applied: 2
Butter London – Kerfluffle
Butter London – Kerfluffle
Cuppa – an über-creamy café au lait hue in an unbelievably smooth formula and fabulous application. Streak-free and ending in a brilliant shine, this is THE neutral that can be worn by basically every tone along the spectrum – edgy, clean & perfect! Total LOVE! Coats applied: 2
Butter London – Cuppa
Butter London – Cuppa
As I stated in my opening paragraph, the image that came to mind when I looked at these 6 shades all together, was Impressionism, or to be more precise, Impressionist art from my favourite artist, Claude Monet. I couldn’t resist trying to re-create that vibe:
Watercolour mani:
- I used ‘Cuppa’ as the base (canvas), covered with 2 layers of top coat – then let that dry completely
- I then placed one drop of my first shade onto my nail
- Working quickly, I dipped a fine brush in acetone & dispersed that drop in a random pattern
- I continued the same application for each subsequent shade, then let dry completely before adding top coat
Final thoughts: These 6 hues of Butter London’s ‘Sweetie Shop’ Spring 2013 Collection, were an unexpected surprise; first of all, the formula was a complete pleasure to apply, with none of the issues that have plagued pastel shades of the past. Secondly, I loved how they shook me out of my usual moody-toned colour preferences and just generally make me happy by simply looking at them. Soft & feminine, undoubtedly, but there’s a little something there – just past your initial impressions, that gives these lovelies some pretty impressive Girl Power!
Available now, do check out Butter London’s site for an awesome promotion on the purchase of this entire collection.
*Disclosure: Product samples provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration





















This is one of the few collections in the past while in which I love EACH AND EVERY SHADE! I could have this whole collection and be entirely happy
I am only picking up Jasper, as I do not have a single yellow in my collection, but I do feel tempted to do more damage
I was surprised by how well they applied as well, especially considering they’re pastels – shades that are notorious for being finicky! Can’t wait to see Jasper on you!
Omg I love your nails!! And this collection looks so lovely! I’m eyeing all of the polishes!! They sound like such great quality pastels!
Thank you, Rachael! This is a really fabulous collection of pastels!
They are all so pretty Big Sis! Especially your watercolour mani! I really like the light aqua one!
Thanks, Lil Sis….that AQUA is a STUNNER!!!!
Love that collection I have a lot of those shades tho , but I took the yellow and the apricot one
Excellent choices! I’m sure they’ll look fabulous on you!
I remain unswayed by pastels. *little cheer* Marvelous job with the swatches, however! The watercolour is amazing, Eugenia!
Thanks, Liz! You know that I’m not usually a pastel kind of gal either, but the formula with all of these sure changed my outlook!
This looks like a beautiful collection. I love your impressionist nails! Thanks for the tutorial!
It’s an absolutely dreamy & delicious-looking collection, lol! Happy to hear you enjoyed my creation!
Oh! Must try that watercolor mani!
You should! It’s easy, goof-proof, and the combinations are endless!
I have to say that I love each polish in this collection!! Great swatches as always ;0). And I love the watercolor mani!
Thanks, Marisa! That means a lot to me, coming from you!
Your swatches are always amazing. T_T
Thanks so much for your kind words – I really appreciate it!
I like that Jasper has a little bit of a twist instead of being a straight-up light yellow. Everything else is cute, but boring for me…too many dupes! But, I know that Butter doesn’t really have these shades in their collection yet and I understand that not everything revolves around Julia! (Even though it should…hahahaha!).
We have a great collection of Impressionists at the Art Institute of Chicago…so many beautiful Renoirs, Degas, Monets, etc. I made a new favorite the last time I was there: http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/60656?search_no=14&index=35
Wow…thanks for the link, Julia — I would so love to see those in person! While in Paris, I had the opportunity to see many of the great works in person, and they’ve definitely left a lasting “impression” on me! (sorry…couldn’t resist!)
Beautiful colours, my top pick would be Kerfuffle; I don’t have anything similar. Love your watercolour mani!
Aww…thanks, Linda – glad you liked it! Kerfluffle seems to be the favourite here, that’s for sure!
Never thought to use acetone as a thinner for this look – will have to try it. Great swatches!
Thank you, Marley – I hope you do give it a whirl!
I love your watercolor mani! Very dreamy. And I need Kerfuffle for the name and the beautiful sherbet color!
Thanks, Larie! And yes…KERFLUFFLE is a must!!!
I love the watercolour style manicure. So gorgeous!
Thanks so much, Elizabeth! I’m really happy with the way it turned out, too!
Hi Eugenia,
Omg, amazing! And you’re right, they’re impressionist. I love what you did with the watercolor mani; it must have taken forever. I’m so taken with Fruit Machine and maybe Kerfuffle too!
Hey Dovey! Aren’t the names irresistible?! As to the watercolour mani, it was actually super easy AND super quick! The hardest part was waiting for it all to dry (just a few minutes in reality) so that I could seal it all in with top coat! It’s also pretty good-proof because of the random-ness of the entire look!
While not the most original spring collection, these certainly are pretty…and I especially love your Monet homage at the end
(His La Promenade portrait of his wife and son is hanging above my bed, so I have a soft spot for anything Monet-esque).
I intend on bypassing these just because I’m sure I have about three dupes apiece, but Kerfluffle is going on my wishlist. There’s something about the perfect spring peach that I absolutely crave. I’ve yet to find my peach Mecca but I’m hoping this might be it.
Beautiful swatches, thanks!
Thanks, Amanda! I have always had a soft spot for the Impressionist period, and visiting Giverny (Monet’s home), touring his house where I even lay down on his bed when no one was looking (shhhh…..that’s a whole OTHER story!!!), sealed my admiration of this great artist.
As I mentioned to another reader, what sets these shades apart, in my humble opinion, is how incredibly well they apply — especially for pastels! Kefluffle is absolutely adorable – you’ll love wearing it!
Lovely swatches Eugenia! If I didn’t already own pastels, I would add these to my collection! I love Fiver & Kerfluffle! & your Impressionist mani is perfect for spring!
Thanks for the love, Katelyn – glad you enjoyed the look!
Gorgeous, gorgeous impressionist nails <3
Thank you so much, Carina! xx
Fiver…I don’t care if I have minty green cremes I need this one too! Lol. And I loooove Kerfluffle too. The nail art you did with the collection makes me want the entire collection!
Thank you, Sandi! The names are just adorable! When I first read through them, I must have said “Kerfluffle” about a thousand times that day, lol!
These look awesome together! Love what you’ve done
Thanks so much! I’ve never attempted anything like that before, so I’m happy with the way it turned out!
Love all shades. But they’re nothing special in my opinion…
Glad you liked them! What makes them special in my opinion, is how well they apply compared to so many other similar pastels from other brands!
Great swatches and review! I’ll admit I don’t tend to wear pastels, but these look like they might be useful for nail art, especially if they are not thin and streaky. I also love the watercolour manicure, I’ve done a similar technique only using nail polish thinner instead of acetone (just the cheap stuff from Sally’s). I don’t know which one works better though. I’ll have to try with the acetone next time.
Thanks for the info re: your version of a watercolour mani – I never thought to use thinner!
And yes, these are totally non-streaky pastels and just so pretty to look at too!