Tri Polish Challenge - Feathers?

Hi Goddesses

So here we have my final post for this month's Tri Polish Challenge.  If I'm honest, I'm not entirely sure what it is, other than that it's not what I was aiming for lol!  Let's go lookie :)

This is on a base of w7 Silver Suede.  I'll be reviewing the Suedes and their fernickity application soon, but other than that, this is a great silver.

I then used those stickers that go round hole punch holes that we use for half moon manis, and placed them in different spots, and then reached for my 3 colours - Barry M Gelly in Blood Orange and Blackberry and Shocking Pink - and 3 striping brushes.

Now it's at this point I came unstuck.   My aim was to do thickish, irregular stripes with the colours, a bit like sunbeams. Unfortunately, being a lazy, messy, scummy kind of Crumpet, I hadn't cleaned my striper brushes .... and just assumed they would play nice.

No.  So instead we have some wonkiness, some OMG this brush won't work-ness, some ARRRGGH, and some what is wrong with this brush -ness.

Seriously girls, clean your brushes!  Lol.  So because of the dirty brushes that didn't have much desire to paint, I ended up with quite thin lines, rather then the shapes I was after, and I guess that's why now they remind me of feathers.

It's not a TOTAL fail, cos I see things in here that interest me enough to try something similar again, but it sure ain't no prize winner either!

Enjoy xx :)

Tri Polish Challenge - Red Hot (Pink) Leopard

Hi Goddesses

I decided today that my 3 polishes would make a cracking leopard print mani, so here we are :)

Just a reminder, we have Barry M Gelly Blood Orange and Blackberry, and also Shocking Pink.  I used w7 White as my base.

I love the finished version, although it does have a few minor flaws.  One of the saddest things is that it was quite hard to tell that the spots are red AND pink – from a distance it all looks the same colour.

There is something about leopard print that is effortlessly cool as a mani.  It’s relatively easy to do, and the colour combinations are endless.  It’s one of those patterns I think that ALWAYS looks great, and there are many variations, from gradiated bases to mixed spots.

Don’t forget to check out what the other Crumpet’s Nail Tarts are up to!  Enjoy xx 

Tri Polish Challenge - Firework Flowers

Hi Goddesses

Wow, it’s nearly Friday!  Where did this week GO?  It’s been a whirlwind at work, so I’m quite glad for the chance to just chill this weekend, especially as my naughtiness levels have reached new heights and there might be 20 new holos in da house.  Ooooooops.

Today’s mani again uses the trio of Barry Ms – Blood Orange, Blackberry and Shocking Pink, over a base of w7 White.   I decided to give the w7 a whirl because I am a bit worried about the speed with which I am attacking OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, and I have to say, I was quite impressed.  This will probably now be my go to white nail art polish, and at £2, how can you say no?

I then stamped using this pattern on BM02.  Interesting fact about how my mind works – this plate also contains the lips I used for the Back In Time mani at the weekend, and I looked at it and thought, “ooooh, flowers, layered over each other, interesting”.  And that’s what it took to create this mani lol.

I was attracted by the layering, and the fact that the stamp is not too solid, but once I put it on my nails, I stopped.  ARE they flowers?  Or are they fireworks?  I really hope they’re flowers, because I have been whinging for 2 years that I don’t have a plate with fireworks on.  I’ll be really pissed if I’ve secretly owned one all this time!

This doesn’t look quite how I imagined it in my head, but I still like it.  I hoped for more layering, but the design is a little big for that.

Don’t forget to check out what everybody else is up to.  Enjoy xx 

Tri Polish Challenge - Red Pink and Purple - Large Flowers

Hi Goddesses

Another month, another Tri Polish Challenge, and this month the colours are red, pink and purple.  I’ve gone for a Barry M trio of Blood Orange, Shocking Pink and Blackberry.

Red, pink and purple … ah, it doesn’t get much better.  There’s something about how these colours clash and collide that is pure awesome.  Unfortunately, all I can see in my head are flowers, so I hope you’re up for some floral manis lol.

I had had the idea to do a large flower mani since seeing something similar on One Nail To Rule Them All.  The idea was to show aspects of the flower across all the nails.

I did these nails in reverse, starting with 2 coats of Shocking Pink.  I then sketched in the shape of my flowers with my white Barry M Nail Art pen.

I then took my Blood Orange and coloured in the parts of my nail that weren’t the flower, and finally took the white pen again, and the Blackberry and did a little embellishment.

This was actually super easy – I have a yearning to try it with a bit of orange thrown in :)

Enjoy xx

Crumpet's Choice - The 7 Barry M Nail Paints You Can't Live Without

Hi Goddesses

And welcome to an exciting new series on The Crumpet - Crumpet's Choice.   It basically gives me any and every excuse to walk you through my stash, my preferences, my polish loves and anything else that tickles my fancy.

We start with the awesomeness that is Barry and his M.  Originally, this post was going to draw from ALL his polishes, but as we have 5 new Gellies on the way, I thought I'd split it.  So today focuses on the cremes, the Nail Paints.

Barry M has many gorgeous colours, and many of his most popular shades - eg the Ice Creams - are not amongst my personal favourites.  What I have here though are the 7 I use the most, that I feel are the most unusual or to die for or unique, or that just provide a very specific balance to your collection.  If you're lucky enough to have 60 seconds to scoop up 7 Barry M polishes, these are the ones I'm suggesting you choose.

We start with Block Orange.  This is my most used Barry M.  It's just THE perfect orange, and it's also super glossy.  Worse, it started my orange obsession.  I never loved an orange until this polish, and I haven't found another orange since that's as pure or as perfect.




(YIKES!  super nubs!)

Next, Indigo.  This is just a stunning shade.  When I bought it, it was quite unique in the polish world, but lots of other brands have since attempted something similar - Miss Emo Shun All by Sation being the closest dupe.  This polish is just  soooooo dramatic and deep and intense. It's amazing, and again, I have no other purple that compares to it.

I think this next choice will surprise you - Lime Green.  We all know I am a hater of greens, and my skin particularly abhors warm greens, so how the hell does this make the cut?   Well, it's just so ugly that it's gorgeous.  It transfixes me ha ha.   I literally can't stop staring when I wear this one.   Admittedly, this colour is less unique in polish world, and it's also one of the thinnest Barry M polishes I've encountered - I usually need 3 coats for opacity - but I guess that also means it's one of the few Barry M's that will provide you with a jelly sammich.




(are those REALLY my nails???!!!  ugh!)

Shocking Pink.   To be fair, it's not that shocking, it could stand being dialled up a couple of notches, but this is a perfect pink.  For me, it just sits in the centre of the pink spectrum - not too blue, not too red; not too light, not too dark; not too white based, not too corally.   It's poised on the axis of perfection, and that's why I use it a lot.






And then we have 3 blues.  I always considered Barry M one of the best brands for blues - and blue probably appeared more times in his range than any other - but recently other brands have overtaken him here, namely KIKO.

Blue Moon however, is essential.  This is a super soft, super light baby blue with the teensiest bit of shimmer, and for a long time, it was unique in my stash.  Other brands are now catching up with it, but at a higher price.  This is probably my all time Number 2 Barry pick.

Next we have Blueberry Ice Cream, which is just lu-uh-ush.   This is probably the only ice cream shade I genuinely love, as (for me) the other colours can be a bit sickly.   This is just blue perfection.  It's also almost opaque in one coat.  I use this a lot as it's the perfect colour for the sky in nail art.  Just delicious.






And then we have Cyan Blue.  When I bought this, again, it was unique, and I think it may still be.  It's not quite turquoise, and it does lean darker than the bottle, but there are literally a million variations in this little niche of the blue spectrum.   Again, this is effortless application.  If you want a nice bright, summery blue, this is your polish.

And that's it, your 60 seconds is over!   Which was your favourite?   There are LOTS of Barry M swatches on this blog (just use the search box), and you can also click the logo in my sidebar to go directly to their website.  


You can also click on this post HERE to see pics of my Barry stash.  It's grown a bit since then, but it's got some pretty photos :)


Barry M have a really good price point, which is part of their appeal in the UK.  More importantly, they LAST.  They are more chip-resistant than most brands, and I'd say that was more valuable.  


In the US, you can pick them up at Ninja Polish.


Enjoy xx :)