Sunday, August 11, 2013

Butter London Dosh over China Glaze Budding Romance

I had been lemming Budding Romance by China Glaze ever since it came out this past spring and finally was able to score a bottle on ebay. Hooray! This color has lots of reviews online and has been called "so ugly it's pretty" and "goose poop green" many, many times. I don't think it's ugly and haven't seen any goose poop recently enough to compare.

I thought Budding Romance was a fantastic looking polish when I saw it for the first time online and now that it's here in my wiggly mitts I have to say that it's every bit the edgy brownish mossy translucent yellow green I expected it to be. It is superb. I confess that when I applied it to the very first nail, I did experience a little bit of a visceral reaction. But I think it was joy. I mean, my gag reflex wasn't triggered or anything like that so I'm thinking it was a visceral joyful response to this color.

Because Budding Romance is just fabulous. It is medium-toned, not too weighty. It's a true jelly with buildable pigmenting and dries to a high shine. To me it looks like nature, nature in a bottle. It has a romantic woodsy pastoral thing going on that just makes me feel good to be alive. The best thing about it, though, is the translucence. In direct light it just glows and in the shade it is creamy dreamy.

Application was only a little tricky. Because it's a jelly polish, Budding Romance wants to stick and will patch if overworked. But the consistency is very flowy, it almost encourages quick efficient painting. It self-levels like nobody's business. AND I needed almost no clean up, which is pretty much unheard of. The only other bit of manicure iniquity to mention is that it did bubble where thickly applied but Seche Vite worked its magic on that. *kisses bottle of Seche Vite*

Photos show three coats of Budding Romance over my basecoat duo of Seche Rebuild and Butter London Nail Foundation plus a coat of Seche Vite to speed the drying process.


China Glaze Budding Romance


China Glaze Budding Romance


at the window...


China Glaze Budding Romance


China Glaze Budding Romance


China Glaze Budding Romance


China Glaze Budding Romance


China Glaze Budding Romance


China Glaze Budding Romance


China Glaze Budding Romance


China Glaze Budding Romance


China Glaze Budding Romance


China Glaze Budding Romance

Butter London describes Dosh as "A molten metallic apple-green nail lacquer shot through with gold." It has more yellow in it than I usually think of for an apple green. It has a fine-grain metallic finish reminds me of Zoya's metallic shimmers. Colorwise, I'd say it's a bright medium ASPARAGUS green with super abundant green and golden microshimmer. The microshimmer has an iridescent quality to it that adds a soft wash of loveliness to the vibrant energy of the color. Very nice indeed.

Dosh is slightly sheer, which gave me the idea for layering over Budding Romance. The combination retains Dosh's sparkling fine-grained metallic finish with Budding Romance contributing a deep bronzey olive overtone to the look.


Butter London Dosh, bottle shot


China Glaze Budding Romance and Butter London Dosh, bottle shot



on the swatch wheel, left to right: China Glaze Budding Romance, Butter London Dosh, Butter London Dosh over China Glaze Budding Romance

Photos show one coat of Dosh plus topcoat over the Budding Romance manicure above.


Butter London Dosh over China Glaze Budding Romance on the nail, China Glaze Budding Romance in the bottle



Butter London Dosh over China Glaze Budding Romance on the nail, Butter London Dosh in the bottle


Butter London Dosh over China Glaze Budding Romance


Butter London Dosh over China Glaze Budding Romance


Butter London Dosh over China Glaze Budding Romance


Butter London Dosh over China Glaze Budding Romance


Butter London Dosh over China Glaze Budding Romance


Butter London Dosh over China Glaze Budding Romance


Butter London Dosh over China Glaze Budding Romance


Butter London Dosh over China Glaze Budding Romance


Butter London Dosh over China Glaze Budding Romance


Butter London Dosh over China Glaze Budding Romance


Butter London Dosh over China Glaze Budding Romance

Hmm. I think this is a case where I took my layering instincts too far. While I like the bronzey olive color, Dosh really doesn't WANT to be a layering polish... except over itself. It's sheer, but not sheer enough. And Budding Romance didn't want to be layered over either! *lol* Look at all that polish on my nails!

I wasn't sure I wanted to post what I consider to be a manicure fail. On the one hand, honesty is the best policy (most of the time). On the other, who wants to see photos of an ugly mani? *lol* I guess it's not the worst thing that could happen to a person. 

I mean, it could have been an ugly PINK manicure. Ha!

love,
Aunt Liz

2 comments:

  1. Lol. Ugly pink is a travesty! Me likes this combination and feels that I need to give budding romance another shot.

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    1. I saw your Budding Romance post, it looks GREAT on your kitten claws. My mother, artist/painter, melted into a puddle of love when she saw Budding Romance.

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