NOTD Barry M ~ Rosehip

As a nod to all things pastel at the moment, I thought I'd show you this gelly polish I picked up last year, Rosehip by Barry M.  It had mysteriously disappeared into my daughter's nail polish stash which is why I'd forgotten I had it but it has the usual fab coverage & longevity that all the gelly polishes have.

I still prefer the brighter shades on me but this is great for a change!  Are you favouring brights or pastels at the moment?

NOTD Essie ~ Chubby Cheeks

I haven't bought an Essie polish for ages but if you follow me on Instagram, you'll have noticed that one 'fell' into my basket in Boots the other day *ahem*!!  This is 'Chubby Cheeks', a beautiful soft yet bright coral & I love it!  (It's currently on 3 for 2 so is the perfect time to try them!)

Admittedly, the finished photo is dreadful - I'm not quite sure what happened there - but I've remembered why I used to love Essie polishes so much.  The brush is a great fit on the nail making application simple & very quick & the finish is great.

I used my usual Strong Adhesion base coat by China Glaze & Seche Vite top coat & I'm currently 5 days in & just starting to get tip wear.

Do you like Essie polishes?  What's your favourite shade?

NOTD Barry M ~ In A Heart Beat

It's no secret that Barry M are my go-to polishes, they're cheap (and nearly always on offer somewhere!), the colours are great & the formulas are superb - the Gellys are my absolute favourites - so whenever they release new polishes, I'm all over them!

Their newest releases are easily identifiable by the black & white chequered lids, a nod to the new Speedy Quick Dry formulas & there are 9 new shades, all pastel hues.  Two colours in particular caught my eye, this one, In A Heart Beat, a soft coral pink & Stop the Clock, a rich vanilla ice cream shade, which I'll review in a day or two.

Unfortunately, I have mixed feelings about this polish.  I adore the shade & I think it's perfect for spring (although it feels a bit odd wearing it now!) & yes, it really is very fast drying.  But......it's very streaky & took 3 coats to get an even-ish coverage but to be honest, it could've done with an extra coat for the perfect finish.

I started, as always with my China Glaze Strong Adhesion base coat & then applied the 3 coats of colour.  Although there was a sheen, I prefer the high gloss finish of the Gelly polishes so I left them for 10 minutes to see how they dried & then applied a coat of Seche Vite top coat (not how you're supposed to apply this btw!)  In the 10 minutes before I applied the top coat, they felt totally dry to the touch although I'm not sure they would've passed the handbag or toilet test at this point!! (You know, delving in your bag or doing up your jeans after the loo without damage!!)

10 minutes after the top coat though they were well & truly hardened & dry so it still only took around 30 minutes to dry totally.  Although the manicure itself took longer with the extra coats.....  Having said all of that, pale shades are notoriously bad for coverage so next time I might try it with a base of opaque white, which usually helps.

Longevity wise, I'm only 2 days in to the manicure & am already getting tip wear & a couple of tiny chips, which is a tad disappointing.  So while I love the shade & will use the polish, I much prefer the gelly polishes so will stick to those - I hope Barry intends to release more of those shades very soon!!  It'll be interesting to compare this with the other shade I've bought.

What do you think, is this your sort of shade?

NOTD Seche ~ Mischievous

Hmmm, my daughter has pointed out that I have 5 or 6 near identical polishes, all variants on the infamous Rouge Noir by Chanel, my favourite shade ever - I disagreed....but yes, actually I do!!  Well, here's another one but I promise I'll show you some other colours next!!

Although I've used Seche Vite top coat for years, I'd never tried any of their polishes until I picked up this one, Michievous.  Although I'm very impressed by the application of this, I've found it hasn't worn as well as other polishes, the Barry M gelly polishes for instance.  Having said that, I'm still 5 days in & it's just starting to chip so still not bad!!

After wearing dark colours since around October, I'm ready to see something brighter on my nails now.  I'm looking forward to the new spring releases from Barry M & Essie - watch this space!!

You can currently buy Mischievous for only £3.79 here at Look Fantastic.

What colour is on your nails at the moment?

NOTD Barry M ~ Crush matte

 

 

 

 

 

When I saw the press photos of these new matte colours that Barry M were releasing for autumn, I knew that I'd be getting this particular colour.  I've always steered away from any sort of textured or gimmicky polish as I just like the feel of shiny, glossy nails rather than a rough finish so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about these ones.

 

As always I started with the China Glaze Strong Adhesion base coat, then applied 2 coats of this gorgeous colour.  It falls somewhere between red & brown with a hint of conker in there too, a true autumnal colour!  It felt a bit weird to not be applying a top coat but I have to say, I'm so, so impressed with this.  Even though it's a matte finish, it still has a slight sheen to it in the light & feels so smooth, no roughness here whatsoever which pleases me immensely! 

 

The colour is just 'me' & so far, I'm 4 days in with no wear on the tips or chips, excellent seeing as there's no top coat for protection.  I absolutely love this new release & I have to say, Barry M are fast becoming my go-to nail polish range.  Why pay £10 or more for a polish when these, in my humble opinion, offer just as good (& often better!) results for far less?  Keep up the fabulous work Barry M, I look forward to seeing what other gems you release during winter!

 

*Heads to the shops to buy more polishes!*

 

Toodles!

 

 

 



NOTD Rimmel Salon Pro ~ Rhythm & Blues

 

 

 

 

I have to be honest here & say that when I went to the shops the other day, I was on the hunt for After School Boy Blazer by Essie but it's still sold out everywhere so when I spotted this navy blue polish by Rimmel, I though I'd give it a shot instead!

 

I'm a huge fan of the regular Rimmel polishes but this is the first one I've tried of the Salon Pro range.  I love the colour although it's not as blue as I'd like, it looks more like a black with a slight blueish tinge to it to me!  Both of my daughters asked why I'd painted my nails black.....

 

I don't think the longevity is great, I started getting some serious wear on the tips just the following day, not at all great.  To be honest, I find the regular Rimmel polishes wear much better.

 

Although I thought the brush was just the right size & firmness, I hated the short stumpy lid, I found it really difficult to hold & control.  The first coat was really streaky but it covered perfectly in 2 coats & as always, I finished it off with Seche Vite top coat.

 

So, I don't hate it........but I don't love it either & I wouldn't rush to buy another from the Salon Pro range.  I think I'll stick to the regular ones!