Be the Queen of the Desert with the Butter LONDON Boho Rock Spring 2014 Collection

Festival season is officially here, and the Butter LONDON Spring 2014 collection perfectly captures the free-spirited, gypsy-meets-jet-setter vibe of these yearly outdoor concerts and jams. Dubbed “Boho Rock,” the collection incorporates earthy, neutral shades and sultry metallics, some with creamy textures and matte finishes, others lustrous or sparkle-encrusted, and some semi-sheer and a bit ethereal. The shades recall sandy dunes, red sandstone formations, crystal-encrusted dolomite rocks, prismatic gypsum minerals, silver ores, and all the wonders of desert environs.

Since the London-based brand expanded its range of offerings from luxury nail lacquers to color cosmetics of all types — including eye pencils, cream eye shadows, lipsticks, mascaras, tinted lip balms, and cheek colors — it’s only fitting that the Boho Rock collection incorporate some fitting makeup picks.  The wanderlust-stricken collection, then, includes six new nail lacquer shades, three Lippy Tinted Balms in muted shades of pink and peach, three Wink Eye Pencils in versatile and basic shades, and three new Wink Cream Eye Shadows in scintillating metallic shades.

Below, you’ll find more details on the Boho Rock collection, photos of different shades, and details on their performance. Let’s rock!

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NAIL LACQUERS

As briefly mentioned, the Boho Rock collection incorporates six new Nail Lacquer shades ($15 at ButterLondon.com): Goss, a metallic rosegold hue with a stunning, almost mirror-like sheen; Keen, a creamy, full-coverage peach shade; Lucy in the Sky, featuring specks of iridescent gold and silver glitter suspended in a sheer rosy pink base; Lushington, a light yellow gold glitter with a clear and sheer base; Trallop, a caramel-tinged cream shade; and Trifle, a coppery brown with a metallic sheen and golden plum undertones.

Below, check out photos of the various nail lacquer shades.

First, let’s start with the Keen shade, a peachy pink cream hue that feels like it belongs atop a confectionary treat, frosting a miniature cupcake or filling a macaron.

I typically don’t favor dainty, precious-feeling colors like pastel pinks and peach hues, but I did like the Keen shade and even my husband commented on it being a pretty color — though, in all fairness, he did qualify the statement by adding the words, “Well, for a girly shade that’s not really your style.”  Still, there’s no denying it’s pretty and perky quality.

Next, we have the Goss nail lacquer — arguably my favorite shade in the collection. It’s a metallic hue with a sheen so powerful, it gives the lacquer an almost fluid quality, as if it were molten atop one’s fingernails. The shade most closely resembles rose gold, but it’s a bit moodier than this precious metal as it incorporates a mauvish rose tint that renders the color a bit cooler and more blue-toned than traditional rose gold shades.

My one reservation about this nail lacquer: it chips with great ease — even after applying a top coat. Typically, my Butter LONDON manis last me for quite a few days, so I was surprised that this formula wasn’t chip-resistant. Still, the color is stunning and worth the touch-ups.

Next, we have the Trifle nail lacquer. This shade is perfect for a collection that seems to draw inspiration from the desert. At first, the color appears to be a coppery brown but, as you regard it in the light, the shade starts to appear  reminiscent of the reddened soil found in many a desert —whether it’s in parts of the Sonoran Desert or in the Australian Outback. But what makes the shade interesting is that reddish and brown hues aside, it also has a dark plum tonality to it and is infused with golden shimmer, making it feel all the more unexpected. Its metallic finish, meanwhile, completes the stunning effect.

Sadly, I found that this lacquer, too, chipped rather quickly — especially given the high standards that Butter LONDON has established over the years. Sure, I may have gotten a dud (it happens!), but it’s worth noting that it did chip and even peel after using my hands the slightest bit.

The next shade is Lushington which, by all accounts, is meant to be used as a top coat given that it has a clear, sheer base. To illustrate how the shade would look on bare nails, I swatched it on my own unpolished nails and, as you can see, the lacquer is saturated with yellow gold glitter but has a completely see-through base. Interestingly the gold glitter has a slightly greenish tint to it, which makes it more interesting, as if it had changed ever so slightly due to time and the elements. In the photos below, I’m wearing three coats of the Lushington lacquer, but you can imagine the effect it would have when brushed atop another hue.

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LIPPY TINTED BALMS

Moving from the hands up to the pout, the Boho Rock collection incorporates three Lippy Tinted Balm ($20 each at ButterLondon.com) hues: Mush, a medium coverage coral creme; Nutter, a medium coverage beige creme; and  Teddy Boy, a medium coverage rose creme. Clearly, the emphasis in this collection is on barely there lips with just a hint of natural-looking color.

And, while they may be billed as “tinted balms,” these are far from sheer and their colors, while in the neutral family, aren’t timid in terms of their pigment content. They are, however, similar to lip balms in that they contain moisturizing and soothing ingredients like shea butter, avocado oil, apricot kernel oil, castor seed oil, mango seed butter, and cocoa butter.

I swatched the Nutter shade, as shown below, which is as richly pigmented as any NARS or MAC lipstick. This particular shade is billed as a medium beige creme, but it has a yellowish base to it that makes it reminiscent of butterscotch chips.

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WINK CREAM EYE SHADOWS

Last, but not least, the collection incorporates four new Wink Cream Eye Shadow ($18 at ButterLondon.com) hues. After trying one of the new colors, Twiggy, I am beyond obsessed with these and, needless to say, now want every single shade!

The four new colors are: English Rose, a shimmering light peach meant to convey a sense of innocence; Treacle, a light beige shimmer with a golden butterscotch tint; Earl Gray, a shimmering gray hue that borders on being a steely metallic; and Twigged, a taupe shimmer shade.

All the cream eye shadows are packaged inside a slim cylindrical tube like those we associate with lip glosses and, moreover, the application process is strikingly similar to that associated with the latter since each tube also contains a wand with a sponge tip applicator.To apply, you simply have to unscrew the top cap, dip the wand inside the tube, and smooth the sponge tip applicator over lids, gently guiding it along the lower lids or the crease area and blending or stippling with either the same sponge tip, a brush, or your fingers. The long-lasting, crease- and flake-resistant color is a breeze to apply!

The Wink Cream Eye Shadow in Twigged has become a go-to shade for me — especially on days when I need to dart out the door quickly. The color is, in fact, a taupe shade and it looks a bit earthier in dim lighting but comes alive when it’s struck by oncoming light, glistening beautifully. It creates an almost foil-like effect on lids, making them appear gilded (albeit with a metallic hue that incorporates both moody brown and gray tones). Check it out below:

These are the greatest invention since Laura Mercier’s Caviar Sticks!

Here’s a shot of me wearing the Twigged color and, atop it, a Make Up For Ever liner in a dark, inky blue: