Hi Goddesses
Tonight I have for you the first half of Barry M's Spring Releases - the Texture polishes. I am hoping to post the other half, the amazing Gellys, tomorrow.
Let's tackle the obvious question before we look at each polish: how textured are they ? Currently I've tried Liquid Sand, Nails Inc Concrete and Nails Inc Leather, and I think they're closest to the latter. They have a gritty effect, but a subtle one, like a fine emery board. From a distance, I still think these polishes look like flocking powder!
These capture the light well, meaning they are not dull and lifeless, which the Nails Inc Leather polishes are; instead they reflect the light, and are more like the Concretes in this regard. They are not like the OPIs in anyway, as they don't contain glitter. I hope to have a full comparison of all these polishes in about a week or so for you.
So, let's look at our babies in detail. If you like the Barry M Ice Cream polishes, you will love these - they share that same creamy, summery depth. All of the polishes were 3 coaters for me, but only just, and you might find that is only because it's the start of the bottle.
The blue one - Atlantic Road. Very summer, the colour of sky, and very similar tonally to Blueberry Ice Cream.
A nice light yet bright summery blue - very airy, and perfect for Spring.
The green one - Ridley Road. This may actually be my favourite. It's such a lovely colour of mint, really fresh and cooling.
For me, this one gave the best coverage. It's slightly less light-reflecting than the other colours, and so lies flatter on the nail.
The green polish also had the shaggiest ends. I've found with similar polishes, that a couple of hours of wear flattens the ends down, or, if it bothers you, you could give them a gentle file.
The pink one - Kingsland Road. A super pale candy-floss pink, this reminds me of strawberry ice cream (although it's slightly lighter than the Barry M of the same name). This is creamy, pale and slightly peachy.
I didn't like this on me too much as I'm the wrong skin tone to carry it off. Also, being the palest shade, it still reveals some VNL after 3 coats.
And finally the yellow one - Station Road. Seriously, who wears yellow polish, and why? Lol. If you're a regular reader you'll know I can't stand yellow polishes, so it's no surprise that this was my least favourite, however, this one is slightly different to her sisters.
This polish contains lots of shimmer, and I think it's a shame the others don't too, as this would have helped the whole range stand out in what will very quickly be a saturated niche of the market. The shimmer lies on top of the polish, glinting, like snow in the sun. It's a very pretty effect.
In terms of application, they're easier than you'd think, certainly not as difficult as a gritty glitter. The only thing is that occasionally the brush decides where it wants to go, and will not be diverted! You just have to make sure that on the next coat you take a slightly different angle.
Finally, I've been able to paint over the Nails Inc Concretes to create different shades - sadly, you can't do that with these Textures. This is purely because this has a lower grit height than the concretes, so a layer of normal polish tends to almost totally flatten the texture out.
The only thing I can't tell you is whether taking them off is beastly. I use PVA glue now for all my non-creme bases, and that's what I used for these too.
All of these polishes will be out in February - they hit Superdrug on the 13th and Boots on the 20th, and will be priced at £3.99.
These polishes were sent to be for an honest review.
Enjoy - and I'll try to be back with the Gellys tomorrow xxxxx :)