Chapter 2
Back in November of 2010 when Buckingham Palace announced Prince William’s engagement to Kate Middleton, Butter London wasted no time in creating a lacquer for the occasion! Cue in ‘No More Waity, Katie’, a beautifully strange mix of a violet/taupe hue in a jelly-like formula, filled with silver and lavender glitter particles. I was initially confused how this colour related to Kate or her engagement, but it finally came to me; the base shade is representative of Kate – elegant yet funky. The jelly finish is indicative of the couple’s youthfulness, fresh-looking and resilient, and finally the glitter particles bring to mind the bling factor of Kate’s engagement ring….as well as any future baubles she will be showered with! All swatches are with Seche Base Ridge Filling Base Coat, three very thin coats of lacquer and a-england’s ‘The Shield’ top coat (reviewed here).
Trying to capture the many levels of this lacquer is rather challenging; seen in sunlight, the base shade takes on a greyed out lavender hue and the glitter appears predominantly purple, but the addition of tiny silver shimmer gives it such a unique depth of tone.
In this closeup view, you can make out every individual grain of glitter and the squishy-looking nature of this varnish’s finish, as well as how the colour has deepened to more of a mushroom-y taupe hue.
This angled view not only shows ‘No More Waity, Katie’s’ deeper side, but the sunlight’s reflection also brings a more mauve cast to this hue. Note how the glitter particles now appear to have shifted focus, giving the silver flecks a shot at the spotlight.
Seen in shaded light, is the most accurate depiction of this shade’s true colour. Here, it appears to take on a more dusky lavender/mauve hue, appearing at once murky due to the base shade, yet somehow made vibrantly alive with the addition of glitter, which appears to float just under the surface….love that effect!
Finally, it is a view taken with flash that showcases all the intricacies of this varnish, lending the base shade a dusty purple/mauve hue and bringing all its various glitters into sharp relief.
The above photo of William and Kate at their engagement announcement, shows a softer & rather vulnerable side to the couple, all framed by their formal attire, yet note how ‘No More Waity, Katie’s’ purple/mauve hue seems to be so artfully reflected in William’s tie! And the ring….sigh…..
Final thoughts: I was prepared for the formula to be rather gel-like in nature, and thus slightly thicker to apply. I was not prepared, however, for the ease with which ‘No More Waity, Katie’ flowed, nor how naturally shiny the finish was, even before I applied any top coat. This is what I call a “forgiving” colour; a pale enough shade, capable of easily camouflaging a multitude of errors, as well as the formula being more suspension-like, thereby avoiding any unnecessary running, all the while giving you plenty of time to perhaps space some of the largest glitter pieces manually. It’s an odd shade to be sure, but also seems to bear that “je ne sais quoi” that represents Kate so well: traditional without being stodgy, edgy without any tackiness, and functional by virtue of its washed-out base hue yet still able to stand out in the crowd. Originally released to commemorate the couple’s engagement, I’m so glad that Butter London chose to re-release this shade as part of their Fall lineup…now we can all have our “Kate”, and wear it too!
11 Responses to Butter London Chapter 2: ‘No More Waity, Katie’ (swatches & review)