Barry M Silk Nail Paints

I very briefly touched on these in an earlier post here: 'The Monthly Nail'. However, I thought I would do a full review of the Silk collection.
The new silk nail paints come in 6 different shades, Meadow, Heather, Mist, Pearl, Truffle and Blossom.

They are all very Spring/ Summer looking shades. They have a very unique finish, A cross between a pearl and a matte effect. All are pastel hued and very attractive on both long and short nails.
The first coat dried in around a minute and the second coat took around three-five minutes drying time. So fast too dry and provides a nice even coat. I didn't need a third coat as it was fully opaque in two coats.

As I didn't use a top coat the polish only lasted only 4 days on the nails before chipping/ peeling. You could probably use a matte top coat and keep the polish neater for longer but you may lose some of the silk effect finish.

The one and only real problem I found with these polishes was the streaking effect. It was quite difficult to achieve a nail that did not have brush stroke patterns included. So you have to be very careful and neat when painting your nails with these paints.
It can be achieved but only if you have a while to do your nails, so if you're watching a movie these are the perfect polishes to be using whilst your relaxing.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at the new silk nail paints with me and have seen what the effect and colours are like. I would definately recommend these for Spring/ Easter. I really enjoyed these colours and the effect they created. If you want something different, these are definately worth a try!

Ciao x

The Monthly Nail - March

This March my nails were looking very dry and brittle so I decided too only polish my nails once a week. For someone who changes nail polish like clothes this restriction was torture, I kept seeing pretty polishes and my will power was truly put to the challenge. I snapped a picture of each weeks polish for your pleasure. This is my month in nails!

This beautiful polish is one of the Royal Texture paints by Barry M in Countess. As with any glitter polish getting a true picture of the polish is incredibly difficult so I've tried my best, but this is one that is to be experienced first hand to really see how stunning it is. It has a dark purple base that contains lots of glitter particles in gold and pink. Opaque in two coats and lasted all week without even a small chip, which really impressed me.

I used Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in Plum and for the accent nail I used Morgan Taylor in New York State Of Mind. I recently discovered Morgan Taylor and was seriously in adoration for the ones that I tried, so my collection has promptly and hugely expanded since. This is one of the new ones I was trying and again impressed me greatly. It has a black base with pink, red, blue and gold glitter particles - two coat opaque glitter coverage.

Wow, ok I think I have a Barry M problem. Again these are all Barry M polishes, this time the new Silk Nail Paints. I felt like having an early Easter treat so I picked up these and donned them on the nails as soon as I was home and loved them immediately. The colours looking at the left hand pictures - from left to right, Truffle, Blossom, Mist, Heather and Meadow. All have a beautiful finish, like a soft pearl matte effect. These did chip by the fourth day though but not excessively.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in Plum and the accent nail is Barry M Royal Texture in Majesty. Plum is a true dark Damson Plum shade and Majesty is a gold glitter that has full glitter coverage in just two coats. Majesty has a mix of glitter particles, some are large and some are really tiny so it gives it a beautiful jewelled effect. These lasted all week on the nails.

I'm pretty proud of myself for sticking to my goal of polish only once a week, if only I could do that with chocolate. I've now discovered doing this blog I use mainly Barry M nail polishes. I don't mind this fact as I really do admire the formula's, they are very affordable and are really hard core, (as I flail and bang my hands about a lot) these stood up to the test of being adopted by a rough gal. If you would like to see this as a monthly blog, let me know in the comments below. (I will snap a pic each time I change my nail polish and post them all at the end of each month.)

Ciao x

Sally Hansen - Sugar Coat, Textured Nail Colour

£6.99 each/ 11.8ml.
Made in the USA.
Available on the high street.
8 different shades to choose from.

I chose the shades:
600 - Sour Apple, A lovely mint green.
400 - Sweetie, A buttery yellow.
300 - Cherry Drop, A pillar box red.
200 - Sugar Fix, A brilliant white.

As you can see from the swatches, all the shades have a 3D texture to the nail colour, making it appear that the nail is coated in sugar, as indicated in the name.
I really liked how all of the colours were opaque in two thin coats, the formula has a slight rubber like finish. This did prove a little harder when I came to remove the polish from the nail. I had to soak the nail in acetone for a little longer than I normally would have too.
The polish dried fairly quickly, around 1 minute on the first coat 4-5 minutes on the second coat.
Good lasting power, it remained without chipping or wearing for a good 4-6 days; depending on how rough I was with my nails.
The colours aren't particularly unique but the finish is something I have not encountered before. This was the main reason I liked them so much.
My favourite was the white 'Sugar Fix'. It was the most unique, which people commented on. It gave me personal memories of growing up in the 90's. A good white opaque nail polish was rarer than a unicorn; we would use Tippex of all things. So this one really impressed me and made me smile the most. Definite thumbs up!

Overall, I liked these nail effect colours. They stood out from all the effects polishes that have recently flooded the market. Not for the colour or formula but for the unique factor and the two shade opaqueness.

No 7 - Stay Perfect Nail Colour

 £6.00/ 10ml
www.boots.com
Available in 45 different colours.

I bought this for a Valentine's date night with my other half; because of our schedules we had to have our Valentine's this weekend.
Shopping for items perfect for my outfit and the occasion I found this beautiful colour. 110 - Milan is a medium rose pink, jam packed with pink glitter. I fell head over heels when I saw the colour as I had a dusky rose lipstick the same shade that I was going to wear and honestly who doesn't love masses of glitter shimmering on our digits.

On application the formula was easy to work with as it's a medium viscosity, it had a large flat brush so it applied in 2-3 strokes; making application flawless, streak free and quick. One coat was all I needed as the pigment rich colour was opaque in a single stroke. The formula dried almost instantly, essential for me as I never have time to sit and let them dry for too long.

The colour lasted 4-6 days on my nails (with a base and top coat) without any signs of chipping or flaking. I am really impressed by the lasting power of the polish and I have already popped a few more on my shopping list to try out.

I also enjoy that it didn't smell too strongly, I tend to suffer migraines with strong chemical scents being a trigger, so a sigh of relief was given on applying the colour.

For the price, I think you are getting a nail polish that is comparable to more expensive high end pro polishes. So brilliant value for money!

I added a couple of swatches, so you can see the polish with flash (top) and without flash in natural light (bottom).

I would recommend them too anyone looking for a professional quality nail polish at a lower price.They have a wide selection of shades to choose from; so whatever colour you are searching for they may have what you need.