Barry M Lip Gloss in 11 Coral

I think I got this on offer in Wilkinsons, the most unglamorous of locations but suprisingly good for Rimmel and Barry M!

As you've probably seen by now I love a good coral and I'm still searching for 'the one'. Let's see how this compares.

Barry M Lip Gloss in Coral available here 

The Hype
Shimmering, sparkling and solid colour lip glosses for the shade that suits you. The formula provides long-lasting wear without being sticky and they are all infused with an irresistible scent. A soft wand applicator ensures they glide on easily to the shape of your lips.

The Verdict

Shade 11 Coral is a very sheer, clear formulation. So sheer in fact that it's difficult to see where that bright pinky coral from the tube has gone once applied. Once on, it leaves you with glossy, very slightly pinky coral coloured lips but its probably best worn over a lipstick.

The tube itself looks pretty big but it's actually only a 2.5ml product, something which you can see if you look into the bottom end of the tube. The packaging feels quite basic and the doe foot applicator is practical, but a little stiff.

Daylight

Studio light

With a nice glossy finish and sweet sugary scent, I can't help but think this one is aimed at the younger end of the market.

At £4.49, it's not the cheapest product around and I do think the packaging leads you to think that there is more product than there actually is. Overall, a basic lipgloss with minimal colour payoff that's probably better for paler skins.

Monday Manicure: Barry M Vivid Purple

Rifling thorugh my nail polish collection the other day I came across this colour. I've had it for ages but never thought to do a NOTD, so here goes.

Barry M Vivid Purple available here

Barry M Vivid Purple no 161 is a exactly that, a vivid purple. With a super shiny metallic finish, it only needs two coats for a thick opaque finish and lasts around 4 days before looking worn. It doesn't even need a top coat and the polish itself is thick but not gloopy.

I'm not really a purple polish fan these days but I do think this is a lovely colour and a bargain at £2.99.

Monday Manicure Barry M Textured Nail Effect Nail Polish Ridley Road

Barry M Textured Nail Effect 2 coats (taken at night)

Barry M Textured Nail Effect 1 coat (taken in the day!)

As you saw in my birthday present haul post, I was really lucky to receive this as a gift*. The textured nail effects from Barry M are a much cheaper dupe of the Nails Inc concrete nail polish. I haven't tried the Nails Inc, but here's my thoughts on the Barry M version.

First off, I adore this colour! Pastel mint green nail polish is one of my favourites and Nails Inc Haymarket in particular. This however has got to be the most perfect mint colour without too much blue interfering with the pastel yumminess. Also, I actually think this shade works better in this matte finish than it does in a gloss. But I digress.

I've shown you a picture of how it looks at one coat and how it looks at two. I've heard a lot of bloggers say that they thought it needed three coats to get a good finish, but I was happy with two. 

The effect is really weird. To me, it almost felt like I was wearing falsies because my nails feel so alien! It's almost like sandpaper but not as scratchy :)

The only think to be careful of is that they mark really easily and mine ended up a bit grubby because my makeup rubbed off onto it.

The colour goes on smooth and then dries to this effect, I have no idea how but it's magic! Also, it dries pretty quickly which is always a bonus.

Overall I really love this polish for a special event or night out especially. At £3.99 I think it's definitely worth trying out and it's a fun way to experiment with colour and texture.

Have you tried any textured nail polishes?

Monday Manicure: Barry M Gelly Nail Paint Papaya

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Papaya* GNP13 available here

You might have spotted this little number in my Birthday Present post, can you tell that everybody loves Barry M? I didn't even ask for nail polish or Barry M but my friends must know me too well because everyone who bought me polish bought me Barry M!

I digress, I've already tried out the Watermelon shade which is the darkest Gelly shade available, now onto a much more summery colour. Papaya is a fabulously fruity peachy orange shade with a high shine finish. I could have used 3 coats to get a better finish as this wasn't perfect at 2 coats and a base coat.

I adore this colour, I think it's perfect for high summer and the colour is literally juicy. It came off really easily too and lasted just under a week. These are such good value it looks like I'll be working my way around the entire Gelly range at this rate.

Which is your favourite shade?

Monday Manicure: Barry M Magnetic Nail Effects in Magnetic Violet Product Review

Hi guys! So this post is going to be a bit different, in that it's both a Monday Manicure and a product review.  I'm ashamed to admit it but this is the first time I've tried out a magnetic nail polish. They've been around for a few years now but I just didn't feel compelled to buy one. However, one of my fab friends got me this for my birthday and so I've finally had the chance to try it out for myself.

Barry M Magnetic Nail Effects in Magnetic Violet* NP329 available here

The hype

Magnetic polishes have been around for a while but in researching this post, I learnt a lot. For a start, I had no idea that they come in different patterns. The panels on the magnetic top (in this case the horizontal lines) are actually a representation of the effect the magnetic will leave on your nails. In the Barry M range for example, there's chevrons, stars, waves, diagonal lines and more to choose from. What's even more fun is that you can swap the lids around and use them on different coloured nail polishes from the range to get even more colour/pattern combinations!

Things I learnt a) the magnetic lid comes off the actual lid b) the pictures/lines mean something!

How to apply magnetic nail polish

Here's the directions according to Barry M. 

1. Shake the bottle well to ensure magnetic particles are evenly distributed throughout nail paint
2. Apply a basecoat and then apply one coat of your magnetic nail paint and allow to dry
3. Apply second coat and IMMEDIATELY hover the magnet over the nail for 5 to 10 seconds and watch the effect appear
4. Once dry apply topcoat

I followed these to the letter (although I skipped the topcoat to see what the finish is like and I heard some topcoats don't agree with these polishes and destroy the effect) and here's what I ended up with.

Troubleshooting

A few commonly made mistakes with these polishes are:

Holding the magnet too close to the nail (smudge alert!)

Not holding the magnet close enough (no chance of the pattern coming through strong enough)

Moving the magnet whilst holding it to your nail (this creates a weak/blurry pattern)

Results

As you can see, my nails didn't come out perfectly. For a start, the design didn't cover the whole nail because my nails are quite domed which means I need to try and move the magnet around the whole nail (side to side rather than just directly above). Also, how close you hold the magnet to the nail makes a difference to the pattern, as it will be darker and stronger the closer you hold it to the nail.

For a first attempt I don't think this is too bad but I'm definitely up for trying out some different shapes and colours especially. I also heard that you can use normal magnets on these to give different shapes. Cue me going to the fridge and testing out about 20 different magnets to see if it's true. Well, whilst the small round/square magnets just created a bid splodge in the centre of the nail, the larger ones were pretty impressive, creating horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines. The larger block magnets (where the whole of the back is covered in a magnet) even gave lots of really thin lines. Definitely worth a try!

How have you guys been getting on with magnetic nail polish?

P.S - If you're not interested in the magnetic effect and just want to see what the colour looks like on its own, this one's for you!

Monday Manicure: Barry M Nail Paint Shocking Pink 272

Barry M Nail Paint Shocking Pink 272 available here 

Have you ever seen a truer fuschia pink? I love this colour, it’s so popping and a real bright Barbie pink, Nicki Minaj would so approve.  

Barry M is such good quality and value for money, sometimes I can’t believe how much high street make up has improved since the days that I’d stock up on 50p nail polish in Superdrug! 

This goes on smoothly, I did need 2 coats but it last really well and comes in a decent sized 10ml bottle. Thumbs up to Barry M!