Barry M Croc Nail Effect

Barry M Croc Nail Effect, £3.99

Another nail post...but I've been wanting to talk about this product for ages!! If my memory serves me correctly it was released in November and naturally I immediately rushed out to buy it. I'm not a fan of the regular crackle polishes, I have never bought one and I have no desire to give my nails the 'shattered' look, 'croc' effect on the other hand, now that's something that floats my boat and in my opinion is a grown up version of crackle polish.

It works exactly the same way as a shatter polish in the sense that you paint your nails with a basecoat (I always pair croc effect with a gold polish, as seen on the bottle cap), when the base coat is tacky you apply the croc effect and watch the crocodile skin effect appear. In my experience you only need a very thin layer of the croc effect polish, a thicker layer tends to result in bigger cracks and the crocodile effect is slightly lost - as seen on my middle finger in the above photo.

I have included this picture for no reason other than the
fact I was really impressed with how my thumbnail
turned out!

When applied well I adore the look of this polish, it is a really interesting nail effect and I always get tonnes of compliments/people asking me about my nails when I wear it. I have to say the effect looks a lot better in real life, my pics don't do it justice! As with all Barry M polishes it is reasonably priced at £3.99 and can be bought from the Barry M website as well as Boots and Superdrug.

New Year's Nails

Barry M Nail Paint in Matte White, £2.99
Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday, £16.00

New Year's is definitely an opportunity for sparkles and I love any excuse to wear Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday, which is my current favourite nail polish. 

I painted a couple of coats of the Barry M polish on my nails and topped it with a few layers of the Deborah Lippmann polish to reach my desired level of 'sparkalage'. I love the effect of the two polishes together, the white base colour really highlights the multi-coloured sparkles and it's definitely a fun look to wear.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

Barry M Dazzle Dust in Tan

Barry M Dazzle Dust in Tan 39 £4.50, Boots

I really do love the Barry M Dazzle Dust pots they come in a range of beautiful colours, are highly pigmented and for such a teeny tiny pot you get loads of product.

In general I tend to shy away from loose powders as I find them 'faffier' to apply compared to a regular packed eyeshadow - or maybe I'm just lazy? An open pot of loose powder has to be handled carefully, I learnt this the hard way when I dropped this very pot of powder all over my bed! Application of a Dazzle Dust can be a slightly messy affair as loose powder tends to create a tonne of fall out, this can be overcome with careful brush application and a tissue under the eye to pick up any excess shadow. 

The colours in the Barry M loose eyeshadow range are beautiful and come in a huge spectrum of bright, vivid and metallic colours, with such an affordable price tag I really should own a lot more than I do. I chose Tan as I'd previously heard it was a good dupe off Mac's All That Glitters (love a good drugstore dupe!) and the natural golden/bronze colour really appealed to me as neutral eyes are my favourite.

The colour itself is a warm, shimmery tan which I think would suit any eye colour and complexion but works particularly well on blue and green eyes. The shadow is very shimmery, I've included a swatch without flash and with flash so you can see how it catches the light. I think this shade is perfect for everyday wear due to its neutral tone.

Without flash

With flash

I was disappointed to find the product creased on my eyes....a lot more than I expected. I imagine this can be overcome by using a bit of Urban Decay Primer Potion, or any other decent eye primer before application. I also find that you have to be careful when using a make up brush to apply this product as the bristles pick up a lot of product, the trick is to blend well and apply with a light hand as the powder is very pigmented. 

Buying this product has reintroduced me into the world of loose eyeshadow and I'm definitely keen to go back and buy a few more colours. For such a cheap price and fantastic colour pay off the Dazzle Dusts are pretty nifty products and last ages, I'm yet to finish a pot.

Can I also just say Happy 5th November! Hope you're all enjoying some spectacular fireworks! x

Freshly Painted - Barry M Strawberry Ice Cream

Barry M Strawberry Ice Cream (shade 309) £2.99

A very pretty shade of baby pink, perfect for summer... let's hope the sun decides to make an appearance soon! 

I do love Barry M nail polishes they are so affordable and there is a huge selection of colours including pastels, neons and glitters. For some reason I always find that after a few days on my nails, Barry M polishes develop a cloudy top layer...I have no idea why this happens but it's pretty annoying as it ruins the glossy look of painted nails. Nevertheless, I love Barry M nail varnish and wouldn't give it up for anything!