Butter London No More Waity, Katie Nail Polish

I'm not sure how Kate Middleton feels about the Butter London nail polish created in honor of her upcoming wedding to Prince William. First, the name of this polish, No More Waity, Katie, is not exactly empowering. I wouldn't have liked it, either. Second, Ms. Middleton is more of a low-shimmer nude colors girl when it comes to her well-manicured nails. Also, it doesn't look like she's a fan of purple when it comes to fashion choices. She wears a lot of blue, gray and black but I couldn't find even one photo of Kate Middleton in  lavender or lilac.

The color of No More Waity, Katie is a very beautiful smoky lavender. Butter London (an American company, by the way, despite their affinity for British slang and spelling) created a truly unique shade. I haven't found a duplicate or even a close approximation among my purple polishes. This specific hue actually makes my skin look alive, unlike too many corpse like lilacs. It's really that pretty and wearable. The issue, of course, is the super chunky coarse glitter Butter London decided to pour into it. The glitter's color is also a muted lilac and low in shine, so you don't get a disco ball effect on your nails, but it's still way too much, so those who work in a professional office environment would be smart not to keep Katie for weekend wear (or toes).

The glitter causes some textural issues. As Melanie noted in her Blogdorf Goodman review, one is advised to file the edges after application because the glitter makes the nail look and feel like a serrated knife. It really is that bad. Also, it's so heavy it makes polish go on quite  unevenly  (and streaky) in the first two coats. Three coats are an absolute must here. Thankfully, the formula is an instant dry, so there's no wait time between layers. Maybe that's what the name is all about...

Bottom Line: I love the color but wish the quality was a lot more royal.

Now, when I ordered my No More Waity, Katie, I actually bought two bottles. One for myself and one for a giveaway. I'll announce the contest next week (it'll have something to do with the Royal Family, I just need to figure out some details first), so stay tuned.

No More Waity, Katie  ($14) is a limited edition nail polish, available from butterlondon.com.

Top image (the two photos of Kate Middleton) were scanned by me from the Royal Wedding edition of Life Magazine.
All nail polish photos are by me, with the help of Josephine and Sophie, royal kittens.

Kiehl's Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter

Kiehl's Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter looks, feels and smells like a sinful indulgence. It might be made of soy milk and honey, but the scent is all yellow cake with thick frosting. The whipped texture and the sweet smell are so dessert-like one hesitates a little before slathering it on parched limbs. Sometimes I enjoy the scent and its cakiness, but it can get a bit too much, especially if all I want is a skin treatment that wouldn't clash with my perfume.

I find that the cream absorbs faster on my arms than on my legs, which can be annoying when in a hurry to get dressed and quickly pull on a pair of opaque black tights, the ubiquitous accessory of the season. Still, this Kiehl's body butter provides hour of relief from dryness, and coat the skin in a thin protective layer. I've noticed that once the layer wears off, there's no long-term improvement in the skin's condition, and that's quite disappointing. Then again, my skin is much more dry than anything normal people experience, so my expectations might be too high. After all, this is a decent body moisturizer, especially if you don't mind smelling like vanilla frosting.

Bottom Line: I prefer L'Occitane or Crabtree & Evelyn.

Kiehl's Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter ($35, 8oz) is available from most decent department stores and kiehls.com.

Photo: elanaspantry.com