BUTTER LONDON
Unless you’ve been living under a rock or haven’t left your apartment in the last few months, you should be aware that the London Olympic Games have officially begun. The Olympics are a great time to show off your national pride but they’re also an even better time for retailers to make some quick cash off of everyone’s newfound patriotism. We’ve rounded up the best Olympic themed items for men and women that will show off your Olympic spirit without sacrificing style or taste.
The age old make-up adage “Play up the lips or the eyes, but never both,” has found a new companion in the subtlety of one of our favorite make up trends for this spring. First spotted on the runways of London Fashion Week just a short time ago, matching lip and nail color actually works on every skin, eye, and hair color (anyone can rock this look with the right shade). Thanks to the eco-friendly brand known as butter London, that this trend has been established. You’ve probably seen or heard of this company via high-end British labels like Alexander McQueen and Issa. With this kind of style cred, we know they mean business when it comes to trendsetting and couldn’t be more excited about the colors in their new spring line.
It's finally time to polish up and slip on a pair of sandals, and the most fabulous releases for the summer are sure to fit every skin tone and style. From subdued and chic nudes, to lemony yellows, mint greens and spicy corals, brighten up your look with some funky nails.
First it was our handbags that defined us, then it was our shoes, and now, it’s our nails. As winter reared its chilly head, we wanted dark and dramatic polish to pair with our heavy layers and pale pallor. So we turned to near black browns like Essie’s ‘Little Brown Dress’, deep plums such as OPI's ‘William Tell Me About OPI’, and blue-hued khaki’s like Essie’s ‘Sew Psyched’.
I always love covering the Vena Cava presentation. Its a relaxed and smoothly run operation - with Ted Gibson on hair, Nonie Creme for Butter London on nails, and Christian McCullough for MAC on makeup duty -backstage really is a who’s who of the industry’s finest. You couldn’t ask for a better kickoff to Fashion Week.
Nails continue their ‘greige’ trend on the runway this year, as Nonie Creme created a custom look for the show using press-on nails. The nails were pre-painted by Nonie herself in preparation for the show. Using two coats of “Yummy Mummy” and one coat of “Union Jack Black” Nonie created an edgy take on the French manicure.
“It took me three days to paint the nails. But there’s no way you can replicate that clean line backstage,” too much chaos and not nearly enough time for 29 models to get their nails carefully painted led to the idea of using press on nails. “It’s actually really easy to replicate the idea at home,” Nonie says, “Just lay down some tape and stick the press-on nails to it. Then you can paint as messy as you like and the nails lift off clean.”
Full makeup was used by Christian McCullough for MAC cosmetics. That sort of, Michelle Pfeiffer as Elvira Hancock in Scarface, look: coral lips, soft-toned cheeks. Eyes were emphasized by a deep metallic-navy that met a soft, shimmery blue shadow. The whole look complimented the line, inspired by the 80’s “Memphis” Architecture. Platform shoes in a bevy of fresh spring tones accessories complimented the highly geometric line.
What I'm looking forward to for spring: Bright poppy red as a refreshing change on spring color infusions. It complements that just-barely-sun-kissed skin tone we all like to adopt around May. photos by Michael Tessier
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