Monday 18 November 2013

Manic.Monday: Barry M Limited X-mas Edition - Tinseltown

In my latest gianormous autumn haul from Boots there were of course a few nail polishes. I was doing so well, not having picked up a single nail polish until the magpie in me caught eye of something - a wonderfully glittery, glitzy, shimmery limited edition shade from Barry M, and then it was just downhill from there. Ah well, it happens to the best of us... The polish that was the ruin of me was the shade Tinseltown (£3.99) which contains a firework of colors; glorious Christmas red, bright vibrant blue, dazzling cerise and there are even some speckles of emerald green.

I think it's well known by now that I'm a big fan of Barry M nail polishes - the formula is great, the range of shades excellent, wear is super and all of this between £3.99 - 5.99! Tinseltown is a clear base with these colorful little particles fairly densely scattered through it, and the style reminds me a lot about the Nails Inc Feathers formula. The thing about polishes of this kind is that the look is random and every application will give a slightly different result. That's absolutely fine, but even though the spread of the glitter on the nail is uneven I still want the glitter over the entire nail, and not just on the side or the tip etc and for me this is the biggest challenge with this polish. The brush is of the same width as the standard polishes which means that it doesn't spread the glitter very well and you have to carefully move the glitters around to space them more evenly.

I've experimented with using Tinseltown on it's own and also as a top coat to different base shades - red, white and green, after all it is a Christmas edition nail polish. Since the polish is fairly rich with the particles you do get quite a lot on your nail in one coat as you can see in the photo below and since it dries very quickly you can easily apply as many coats as you wish and then add a top coat. To get a complete and super dense coverage of the glitter on your nail using no other shade, I think you would need at least 3 or 4 coats which might make it more sensitive to chipping. I usually find that when I wear more than 3 coats it only takes a small dent or pull, and all of the polish comes off in one big flake.
From left to right:
One coat
Two coats (and a half to adjust the spread of the glitter)
One coat on red base coat
One coat on white base coat
One coat on green base coat

I'm sad to say that I'm not very impressed with the results. The formula is good, it's easy-ish to apply but you really have to take care with the coverage, it dries quickly and the colors are beautiful, but I just don't like the look. It could be that I've combined it with the wrong base shades, but if it's a Christmas edition, it's not unreasonable to expect it to work with traditional Christmas colors too, or maybe that's just me... I'm also not sure about using this on it's own since it seems like there are a lot of black particles in the polish too - more than I expected, which darken the look quite a lot. Who would have thought that I would be disappointed with a Barry M nail polish, but I'll keep on trying with different base shades - maybe a pink or blue, until I find something that works, and if you have any great ideas, please let me know what color you would use as a base shade for this glitter coat. 

73 comments:

  1. I'm a lover of Barry M but not sure if I'm keen on this certain one. Looks pretty enough but I imagine application is kind ot hard to get even. Its a little like a set of five Barry M one's I already own from one of the textured collection x

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    1. It is a bit tricky to get even and I still haven't found a base shade that is a natural combination with it and that really makes it stand out... Xx

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  2. I super Loved all of your post and outfits :)
    Would you like to Follow Me on GOOGLE/GFC?
    I'll gonna follow back as well. Its:

    www.zelaldecoa.com

    xx,You're Fab!:*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much, following you now. Xx

      Delete
  3. Hi Charlotte, maybe you could try it on white polished nails Opi Alpine Snow is a nice white!

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    1. Hi Steffy - it's a great idea but I did try white - the 2nd one from the right in the pic is on a white base and unfortunately it didn't show up much better, but it was a nice suggestion :o). Xx

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  4. Too bad you didn't like it. Yeah you can't love all Barry M's. Maybe you could try blue or silver. Not sure if it will look good :D
    Okay I don't have to buy this one but your review is great. My like on BL <3

    xx Mira

    www.glamdevils.com

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    Replies
    1. Hi Mira - thank you so much. You're right of course, you can't love them all - I was just a bit disappointed since I had visions of this being my go to X-mas sparkle for my nails, but there you go :o). Xx

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  5. I love Barry M for nail colors such a great selection - I'm wearing the Gelly Nails in Pomegranate.
    I need some x-mas shades, must pick some up :) xx
    http://insaneaboutmakeup.blogspot.co.uk/

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    Replies
    1. They do have so much to choose from, and of course you can't beat the formula for that price either :o). Xx

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  6. Ooh, Tinseltown looks gorgeous! I always like glitter/confetti-type polishes over blacks and whites, and this one really fits in with the wintry weather - over black it reminds me of fireworks, and over white it's all Christmassy/snowy! Such a shame it doesn't actually show up very well on the black though, and that you were disappointed.
    Mel x

    melswallofmirrors.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, for me it's not quite the right color combination and it has too much dark in it - looks nice in the bottle though. Xx

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  7. Replies
    1. Yes - it just didn't work for me, maybe my expectations were too high :O). Xx

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  8. Beautiful and festive color.
    http://tifi11.blogspot.com

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  9. Awwww this is so pretty love glitter ;)

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  10. Shame you don't like it. Maybe you could try it with blue colours like navy or light blue .
    Plain nail combination would be nice also
    http://somelikeitblonde.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll keep on trying, perhaps I'll find a winning combination eventually :o). Xx

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  11. Shame It didn't work for you, I see what you mean about the patchy spots. From the bottle it does look very pretty though.
    Maybe Its Megan Leigh xx

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    Replies
    1. Maybe I'll just keep it on the dressing table since it's so pretty to look at LOL. Xx

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  12. I think I'll try it on with gold and see how that works out :o). Xx

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  13. I liked most with the red.
    It's very nice for Christmas season.
    Have a nice week!
    x
    Stella from a A Shiny Place

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    1. Hiya Stella - thanks a million, I'll try with gold and silver next, see that how works out :o). Have a great week! Xx

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  14. wow this is so disappointing! :( I don't usually like bar glitter but even so I've had better luck than this with them. Maybe a white or silver base might be pretty?Just something to cover the nail before you add that pop of sparkle.

    writingwhimsy.com

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    1. Hiya Zoe, I think you might be onto something with silver and I'll try that and gold as well as a base shade :o). Xx

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  15. Yikes! I love Barry M polishes but I don't think I could work with this one as it looks tricky. Have you tried it with Lychee or a similar nude? x

    fabheadtotoe.blogspot.co.uk

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    Replies
    1. That's another good suggestion to bring out all the shades - thanks for that Emma! Xx

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  16. It looks beautiful on all bases <3 Would love to try this!!

    http://rakhshanda-chamberofbeauty.blogspot.in/

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    Replies
    1. I hope it works better for you than it did for me :o). Xx

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  17. These look really fun and Christmassy! I've tagged you in The Winter Tag. You can find my Winter Tag post on my blog from 11am tomorrow. x
    The Jolly Fashionista

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    Replies
    1. Hi Emma, thank you very much for keeping me in mind - it's really nice of you. It'll be a while before you see my responses, but please be patient, I haven't forgotten :o). Xx

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  18. I really like the bottle but not sure if I'd buy it. I think the confetti might look a little odd. The bits are a little too long for my liking. I prefer the standard little squares of glitter.

    IAmLinderella.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. I completely agree with you and for me the color combination isn't strong enough to really stand out on a plain base shade. Xx

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  19. It looks really pretty in the bottle. Shame you didn't like that much!

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    1. It does - oh well, I'll keep trying and hopefully I'll find a combo that works better :o). Xx

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  20. Hmmm this doesn't look so good. I loved their limited edition christmas release last year, pretty much the same colours but larger flakes of glitter in there, but this one doesn't look so promising.

    Lisa x
    http://uniqueornbeauty.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. No, it wasn't a winner for me either... Xx

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  21. So festive, but not my thing. I like my nails one colour :)

    xo Mel
    Selfhelp | Inspiration | Positivity

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    Replies
    1. Hello Melane, not quite my thing either as it turned out, but not all polishes can be great I guess. Xx

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  22. Nice nail polish. But I think that I like it more in bottle than on nails.
    fashionhappenss.blogspot.sk

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    1. Yes, I think that's the same for me :O). Xx

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  23. So cool--looks like a party in a bottle lol. Wish we had Barry M here in the states.

    atelierzozo.com

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    1. It does look very colorful, it's a shame it doesn't turn out quite the same on the nail :/. Xx

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  24. This looks amazing. Its so sparkly. Ive nominated you for the sunshine award. I just love your blog and how you take the time to reply to every comment, even though you get so many.
    Check it out here http://thelittlescottishcorner.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=244&action=edit&message=6&postpost=v2
    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's so lovely of you - thank you very much, that really made me smile :o). Thank you for the nomination, it'll be a little while before you see the answers, but I haven't forgotten, so please just be patient with me :o). Xx

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  25. It looks so pretty in the bottle, maybe it'd work over a white base coat? Xx

    www.ohsoaddictedtobeauty.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Rachel, good suggestion and I've tried on white - it's the 2nd nail from the right, but for me personally I don't think it makes much difference... Xx

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  26. it looks cute!

    itsjustshalay.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Hello Shalay, thanks for visiting and for leaving a comment! I hope you'll visit again soon :o). Xx

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  27. How seasonal, I like it! :)
    lipstickandlightening.blogspot.com

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  28. OMG I love it!!!! I need it haha... I think this would look amazing over a silver, gold or nude beige shade! It'd be a lot of fun experimenting, that's for sure xx

    Gemma // missmakeupmagpie.com

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    1. Hiya Gemma - I think you're right and I'll try it on some metallics - and perhaps do a follow up post on it :o). Xx

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  29. Too bad it's not very easy to use - it looks really, really pretty in the bottle lol

    Brittnee
    http://beautyproductaday.blogspot.com/

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    1. It does, but I haven't given up completely yet, and have high hopes for using e.g. a metallic base shade :o). Xx

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  30. I love this! It looks so pretty :)

    I like how it looks over the red polish!

    Laura x
    http://www.laurasallmadeup.com/

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  31. I love these but the pain of having to clean them off makes me steer clear from glitter polishes

    xoxo One Stiletto At a Time fashion and beauty blog

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    1. I know what you mean - it's always a problem and I usually just keep piling on the polish until it's thick enough to come off in one go LOL. Xx

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  32. Wow haha that's such a unique product - I'm tempted by these but glitter varnishes are such a pain to take off i just don't bother anymore! x

    Lauren xx | Lauren J

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    1. I know what you mean, sometimes it's just not worth it :o). Xx

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  33. I have never tried confetti/glitter nails. I love BarryM but I don't think I will be buying this.
    Great honest review.

    Rachael x
    All The Little Things x | Rachael McClenaghan

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, I'm going to try with silver and gold as a base shade as well, but I'm not too optimistic about it :/. Xx

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  34. I haven't heard of Barry M before, maybe they don't have it here in the US. I really like the pattern in the bottle, but when it's applied to the nail, it doesn't look as nice. Plus, it looks very hard to get that type of nail polish off!

    http://www.lavieenmay.blogspot.com

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    1. I don't think Barry M is in the shops in the US, but you can buy directly from the Barry M online store. Xx

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  35. I love Barry M for nail colors such a great selection!!!

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    1. Absolutely agree, and the formula is wonderful for such a budget friendly brand too :o). Xx

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