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NAILING IT! Butter London co-founder Nonie Creme knows nails. The Houston native gives Seth Vaughan the inside story of her wildly successful career launching a global beauty brand. PHOTOGRAPHY JACK THOMPSON. ART DIRECTION MICHELLE AVIÑA. HAIR ASHLEY SCROGGINS FOR CUTLOOSE HAIR. MAKEUP TERI SULLIVAN. lead to her being talent scouted. a teased, pompadour-like top, was purely a be traveling back to Houston to visit family. But Soon afterwards, she was doing branding exercise. Clearly her theories have perhaps most important is the outcome of the nails on shoots for photographers worked: She has done the nails for runway move she made to London many moons ago: David Bailey, John Rankin Waddell shows for Victoria Beckham, Christopher She married Lalo, they have a daughter and have (or Rankin, as he's known) and Miles Kane and Alexander Wang, as well as style moved back to America, now living in Seattle. Aldridge. Fresh to her approach was icons Kate Moss, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and a desire to elevate nails' impact on Snoop Dogg. photos; until then, they had been Creme, who amicably left her role at Butter Creme sees nails as an opportunity to try on an afterthought, something taken last year, looks forward to an evolved career different personalities — and she has definite on by makeup artists as a finishing of trend forecasting and brand consulting for opinions about the messages they're sending. touch. Ultimately this tactic was major companies, as well as continued work as For instance, clear polish is intellectual, while pale perfected when Creme co-founded a session manicurist on photo shoots. And she'll pinks are tragic and unimaginative. She's looking the nail-polish brand Butter London forward to using the color emerald green and with partner Sasha Muir, a British entrepreneur, monochromatic nail art that's stark, graphic and in 2005. By offering a considered take on carried out in black and white, and she's almost fashionable nail lacquers, with an on-trend color ready for short square nails to return … almost. palette (with "Yummy Mummy" being their When it comes to men, Creme loves one or two most successful), the brand immediately gained painted nails, noting how unexpected it feels. traction with features in Vogue, Vanity Fair, Her tip to everyone: No matter what your taste The New York Times and New York Magazine in polish or the length of your nails, a capful of and was picked-up by Harvey Nichols and extra-virgin olive oil will improve the health and Debenhams in the UK and Nordstrom, Ulta, overall appearance of nails and cuticles. Macy's, Dillards and Sephora online in the U.S. Particularly timely was the decision not to include formaldehyde, toluene or DVP in the polish's formulation. Creme admits, however, that part of Butter's success is the immense and immediate pleasure that nail polish brings. Like many cosmetics, it has the ability to instantly transform who we are. The process fine-tuned her perspective on what works in business: the importance of a definite sense of one's brand; an awareness that successful people have the ability to stay true to their vision and not deviate; and the irreplaceable value of fearlessness. A woman of her word, Creme confesses that her trademark Lovers jacket from Laboratoria hairdo, which combines buzzed sides and NAIL TIPS Isabel Marant embroidered top from Leap N onie Creme's story doesn't start with nails: It all began with a crush on a boy in a band. She followed her heart to England, sans visa, to live amongst aspiring musicians in a crash pad in West London. The Houston native, who attended the The Kinkaid School, was fresh out of the allwomen's Scripps College in Los Angeles when she began her life in the English capital — a decision that she admits got under her parents' skin. Just so you understand this seemingly madcap move, however, consider this: She fell for Lalo Creme, a musician with the band Arkarna as well as son of pedigreed rocker Lol of the bands 10cc and Godley and Creme. Once settled, Nonie quickly found her footing. She interned with designer Vivienne Westwood and began doing nails to make ends meet — a decision that would define the route her career would take. After receiving her certification, she mastered all the customary nail treatments in a small salon and stood outside tube stations in the financial district to amass a following of office gals in desperate need, whose nails she'd do in their offices at their desks. In time, this would SHE HAS DONE THE NAILS FOR RUNWAY SHOWS FOR VICTORIA BECKHAM, CHRISTOPHER KANE AND ALEXANDER WANG, AS WELL AS STYLE ICONS KATE MOSS, RIHANNA, LADY GAGA AND SNOOP DOGG. OLFACTOR Y OBSCURITIES Whether it's the uncommon aromas they marry, limited availability or the ingredients used in formulating, niche perfumes are reason enough to rethink one's approach to personal fragrance. Seth Vaughan proposes a discriminating array of scents. Odin's 08 Seylon Referencing: The otherworldly exoticism of the Sri Lankan landscape where vetiver roots thrive. "Seylon" is a Dutch translation of the island nation's name. Notes: An invigorating, spicy and sumptuous union of elements including yuzu, bitter orange, nutmeg, elemi and nezoin resins, and, of course, vetiver. Who's wearing it: Mystical men and women (all of Odin's fragrances are unisex) drawn to earthy aromas. $165, at Kuhl-Linscomb. Guerlain's Muguet Referencing: The good fortune attributed to the lily of valley during the reign of French monarch Charles IX. Legend has it Charles would present courtesans with the flower each year on May 1, a tradition that has spread throughout France. Notes: Lily of the valley, naturally, as well as lilac, rose, jasmine and fresh green notes. Who's wearing it: Feminine Francophiles who are feeling lucky. $575, at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue. Arquiste's Boutonnière no. 7 Referencing: A bygone époque in which gentleman donned gardenias in their lapels, hoping to lure potential conquests. The brand's founder is a specialist in historic preservation, so all Arquiste scents seek to evoke the past and transport the wearer back in time. Notes: Lavender, bergamot, genet absolut (a derivative of the spartium flower), vetivert, Gardenia jasminoides and gardenia citriodora. Who's wearing it: Poetic and chivalrous dandies. $175, at Kuhl-Linscomb. Houbigant's Orangers en Fleurs Referencing: The mythical bounty of the orange tree, which flowers while producing fruit. So symbolic is the tree's embodiment of a delicate abundance that throughout history, women have adorned themselves on their wedding day with live orange blossoms (as in the case of Queen Victoria) or emblematic representations of the tree's produce (as lavished on the gowns of ancient Chinese brides). Notes: Orange blossom, Egyptian jasmine, eau de brouts, tuberose, cedar wood and musk. Who's wearing it: Anyone looking to add to her feminine mystique. From $180, at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue. mingling of green chypre, rose oxide and blackcurrant bud with peony accord, patchouli with white musk, tolu balm and vanilla absolute. Who's wearing it: A fascinating creature with her share of stories to tell. $135, at Kuhl-Linscomb. CB I Hate Perfume's 106 Invisible Monster Referencing: CB I Hate Perfume's founder Christopher Brosius' desire to recreate memories through scents. With 106 Invisible Monster, he alludes to childhood games of make-believe on the banks of the Susquehanna river, in the vein of his favorite TV character, Johnny Quest. Notes: Jungle riverbanks and perfumed Chinese orchids achieved through the combination of accords including sumac, vetivert and oakmoss. Who's wearing it: Adventurous souls looking to relive halcyon days of yore. From $95, at Settlement Goods. Juliette Byredo's Inflorescence Has a Gun's Referencing: An Arcadian stroll through wild Mad Madame bowers of rambling roses, mingled with the Referencing: The daring and scandalous nature of a provocateur. Notes: A sweet and understated honeyed notes of pink freesia in its prime. Notes: Blooming roses, fragrant freesia, hardy magnolia, elusive lily of the valley and tender jasmine buds Who's wearing it: Wild and carefree muses. $220, at byredo.com. Lurk's AS01 Referencing: The beauty that results when fragrance is created in a natural manner. Using enfleurage (a process that captures plant extracts in odorless fat, either in solid or liquid form), Lurk creates concentrates free of water, alcohol, chemical stabilizers and preservatives. Composed of organic oils, including jojoba, ASO1 is at once sweet and spicy. Notes: Cedarwood, tuberose and sweet rose, heightened by touches of spice. Who's wearing it: Eco-beauties who aren't opposed to smelling good. $55, at Settlement Goods. Astier de Villatte's Eau de Cologne Referencing: The arresting power of a true eau de cologne — an earthy combination of aromatics in the manner of the original, created at the dawn of the 19th century. Notes: Verbena, lavender, rosemary, basil and light fleeting florals. Who's wearing it: Eternally chic types uninterested in passing fancies. $100, through Grange Hall, urbanflowergrangehall.com.