Wednesday 12 February 2014

Barry M Matte Nail Paint Crush Swatch and Review (Bonus: OPI Pure 18K White Gold Top Coat)

I had to work some overtime on the weekend and with that, I was moving some computers and I broke not just one but two nails! So for the next while, I am going to space out my posts to make them last while my nails grow back - haha! But I did get my Rainbow Honey order so I'll be doing an unveiling of what was in my Mystery Pack! (Love them Mystery Packs.) Anyway, I've got a brand new brand (haha) to show off on the blog today - I have some nail polish from Barry M! You've probably heard the name before as all of our UK friends seem to have them in the spotlight. My BFF who lives in London now brought a random handful to me for Christmas! So here's Barry M's debut here on Claw of Cthulhu.

This is Crush, a Barry M Matte Nail Paint. It's a deep bloody red - application wise, it goes on fairly smooth and even. My swatch is in two coats, no top coat - so this is the natural finish:

Barry M Crush Swatch

Barry M Crush Swatch

Barry M Crush Swatch

Barry M Crush Swatch

Barry M Crush Swatch

I am not sure if I am too crazy over the matte finish - this is the first matte nail polish I've owned that isn't black. I feel like matte black really works but for a shade like this, I feel like it kicked it down a notch and made it less dynamic. It seems really low key. To bring it up to life, I added OPI Pure 18K White Gold Top Coat and I liked it a LOT better. I think it made a huge difference:

Barry M Crush Swatch (with OPI Pure 18k White Gold Top Coat)

Barry M Crush Swatch (with OPI Pure 18k White Gold Top Coat)

Barry M Crush Swatch (with OPI Pure 18k White Gold Top Coat)

Overall, I found my first Barry M polish to be great application wise, but I wasn't too big of a fan of the natural finish with the shade of the polish. Turning it into a glossy polish made all the difference for me.

What do you think of Barry M? Have you tried any of their polishes? Is the matte trend over, or are you still into it?

6 comments:

  1. oooh, i definitely like it better shiny & with the white gold. for some reason i generally don't like straight matte nails unless they're black – the only time i reeeeeally dig non-black matte/wax/satin/whatever-the-kids-are-calling-it-these-days polish is when it's mattified glitter. sometimes the full bling of shiny topcoat AND glitter is too much for me, and i feel like sometimes you notice subtlety hiding in glitterbombs when they're matte instead of shiny.

    i have a handful of barry m polishes in my stash, but i wish i had thought to buy some of their textured polishes when i picked them up! i've seen a few swatches of 'ridley road,' which is super cute cotton-candy-blue-ish and textured, and every time i think about barry m i feel a little pang in my heart that i didn't grab it. i could still get it now, but shipping is sooo expensive, omg. D:

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    1. Oh I completely agree - matte black is the only way to fly! Most of the time. You'd be surprised with matte glitters - those can look pretty sweet too. I dunno, I am really not into this deep red matte - it's so boring, haha! Ah well, I'll make it work somehow.

      Where do you get your Barry M's from? Man I hate shipping costs so I rarely buy online anymore. I've been stacking my orders with Rainbow Honey every other month but now I am getting worried that they might introduce monthly grab bags and I'll have to make a purchase every month, siiiiigh! #firstworldproblems

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  2. i definitely prefer it shiny as well, black matte is really classy and cool but i'm not a matte fan in general. i grabbed a few barry ms when i was in london over christmas and i can't wait to fully test them out :)

    writingwhimsy.com

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    1. Woot, I am going back to Europe this spring but I don't think I'll be doing any shopping. I am just adding up the costs of my trip and holy shit, I didn't realize how much it would be staying a whole month there, YIIIIIKES.

      Gonna live vicariously through you!!!

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  3. I agree that this one on its own is not that wowing, but with a glossy top coat it sure is! The gold flecks really pair well with it too.

    I have some Barry m Gelly. I only tried one so far and I loved it!

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    1. Where did you manage to find Barry M in Canada? I'll have to look out for your review. I tried some of my other Barry Ms and wasn't too impressed but it might be the shades themselves. I got a "Sequins" one and it is fucking AWFUL, lol! I was going to post the fail next week but I might try layering it over another colour first just to give it a chance... But seriously wow. So bad.

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