BEST OF THREE: CUTICLE BUTTERS

Inspired by The Nailasaurus

Nailasaurus 

When it comes to cuticle care, there are only a few products that I use consistently and a butter is one of them. Well, actually it's 3 of them! There are 3 cuticle butters which contribute to my cuticle care routine and each of them serves a slightly different purpose. I know it sounds slightly ludicrous to have three seemingly identical products all for different things, but with any beauty product you always find those little differences that only you notice. Whether it's shampoo, foundation or top coat! The cuticle butters in the running are Burt's Bees Cuticle Cream, Lush Lemony Flutter and Nail Butter.

BURT'S BEES LEMON BUTTER CUTICLE CREAM

15g RRP £5.99. Available from Boots, Feel Unique and more.I use it on-the-go. As you can see, my tin of Burt's Bees is very well worn! I carry this around everywhere with me because it's such a convenient size and the tin is super light-weight. It has a very strong lemony scent which I think is delicious and the consistency is fairly thick but still creamy. You can definitely feel the oil in this one. I've found that the surface can harden up over time, which makes it difficult to pick up any of the product, so I occasionally have to stick a q-tip in there and work the product to soften it up. It's the perfect product if your cuticles need a pick me up during the day.

LUSH LEMONY FLUTTER

50g RRP £6.75. Available from Lush online and in-store.I use it sparingly before taking nail pictures. I've reviewed Lemony Flutter in the past and my opinion still stands - I'm definitely a casual user. I like having it around but I don't rely on it too heavily for my cuticle health. This one lives on my desk where I do all my swatching and photographing. When used sparingly, it doesn't leave a shiny finish so I can get away with using it around my nails just before taking pictures so that my cuticles look trim and fresh!The scent on this one is lemony but muted with just a hint of hospital floors. The consistency is less oily than the Burt's Bees but still nice and creamy. Like with the Burt's Bees, this one sometimes gets a hard layer on the top but a good mix will revive it.

NAIL BUTTER

28.35g/1oz RRP $24.00 (~£15.00). Available from Nail Butter.I use it in abundance just before bed. Nail Butter has had a complete makeover since I last spoke about it at the end of last year. There's a new formula with new packaging but it's better than ever and still the reigning champion of cuticle butters for me because it is just so moisturizing. I.I keep it next to my bed and use it every night before falling asleep. By that time, I'm normally too tired to spend 5 minutes massaging it in, so I just slather it on all over my nail beds and let it get to work overnight.

The new formula is absolutely incredible. It's very silky and never gets that hard layer on the surface. It's fairly greasy but absorbs quickly - although not as quickly as the other two. It doesn't have the lemon scent either, the scent is almost impossible for me to describe because it's not really like anything else. It's not nice, not nasty, but just kinda funky! 

Although subtle enough that you aren't going to smell it unless your hands are very close to your face.Nail Butter used to come in a tin but the new packaging is a glass pot. While this is easier to keep clean and I appreciate the air-tight seal, it's a bit too heavy to be carrying around in my bag - otherwise I would!

BEST OF THREE

Nail Butter takes the title because it's the one that has the most impact on the overall health of my nails and cuticles. If I could only use one cuticle butter for the rest of forever, it would be Nail Butter! While I could live without Lush Lemony Flutter, I think I'll always keep the Burt's Bees around because of the amazing smell and convenient size.