Monday 28 April 2014

Manic.Monday: Purple magnetism with Barry M

You may remember that just before Easter I did a post on the color purple (you can read my Purple edition here), and when I was selecting the products that I wanted to include I rediscovered an old favorite that has been pushed further and further back in my very over-crowded drawer of nail polishes and I quickly decided that I would show it some well deserved love. When Barry M launched their range of magnetic nail polishes a few years ago, I became more than a little obsessed with them. The idea behind them is that since the formula contains a very fine powder that reacts to a magnet, you can create a specific pattern. They come in a variety of colors (black, red, blue, green, purple and different metallics) and magnetic patterns (chevron, straight line, diagonal line, waves, Union Jack/star pattern) and since I couldn't decide which one I liked the most, I ended up buying all of them - after all, why compromise? I must admit though that I have used some much more than others and the Barry M Magnetic Nail Polish (£4.99) in Violet is definitely at the top of the list. Despite containing a microscopic powder, the formula has just the right consistency - not too thick and not too thin, and is as far as I can tell exactly the same as with the ordinary Barry M nail polishes, and the same can be said about the brush which is of average width but still easily gives an even and full coverage.
To create the magnetic look you definitely need at least two coats, and you need to shake the bottle properly before you apply each coat, to make sure that you get a good distribution of powder to react with the magnet, which you don't use until the second coat. After you've applied one coat on each hand, the result is best if you work on one finger at a time and as soon as you've applied the second coat on a nail hold the magnetic top over the nail for a few seconds. You can see a pattern appear almost immediately, so you don't actually need to hold the magnet over the polish long at all, although I usually count to 10 before I remove it. In my experience most of these magnetic effects turn out really beautiful and the only one that I can't quite get to turn out very well is the star effect - since my nails are quite narrow, there simply isn't enough surface for the pattern. The Violet shade is a beautiful deep aubergine color with a touch of silver sparkle and although the contrast created by the magnet is gorgeous, the shade is lovely enough to wear without using the magnet. I think the magnetic effects should be shown off with a high shine top coat for a brilliant and almost glass like look which is really stunning so I always finish with a top coat, although it might be interesting to experiment with a matte finish too. On me the nail polish will last about 3 days before it starts to chip, and unlike a lot of other glitters and effects, it's just as easy to remove as an ordinary polish. I know this isn't the latest among nail effects, however I still love the look and I always get compliments for them, regardless of which color or pattern I go for and the great thing is that you can of course use any magnetic pattern with any of the colors, so you can be as creative as you want - mixing colors and perhaps even patterns.

52 comments:

  1. This looks like a dead dupe for the nails inc one. I find magnetic a bit of a pain so don't use it much anymore xx

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  2. Amazing! I like Barry M, but didn't know these magnetic polishes. The effect is great. I always use a top coat too.

    Jasmine x
    For a Real Woman
    So easy Spanish!

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    1. It just makes the effect so glossy :o). Xx

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  3. Oh, wow, the effect is so nice! I usually find magnetic nail polishes to be disappointing, as they look nothing like in the ads (lol), but this one looks promising since it's done by a real person. :-)
    www.ChicAndAlluring.com

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    1. LOL - I know what you mean, I've tried every brand that does magnetic polishes but to be honest it's really only Barry M that turns out great :o) Xx

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  4. beautiful nails
    xx

    GIVEAWAY ON OUR BLOG
    http://losaway.blogspot.com

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  5. This looks fab and I love any fancy nail polish now that doesn't take an hour to remove!:)

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    Replies
    1. I know what you mean - at least there's no problem like that with these :o) Xx

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  6. This nail polish looks great, I picked up few Essie ones and they didn't work have as well as this one!
    www.styleandbeautyforless.co.uk

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    1. When I saw the reptile looks from Essie I was over the moon, but I tried 3 of them and not a single one worked, so if you like the magnetic look - go for Barry M, they definitely work :o) Xx

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  7. wow what a lovely effect, the colours look beautiful too :). i need to try the magnetic range :)
    Melissa | The Inked Blonde

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    1. They are so easy to work with, unlike a lot of effect polishes so you should definitely try them :o). Xx

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  8. I can't believe I haven't tried a magnetic nail poilish before. This looks pretty cool and I love this shade! So it has to be Barry M! I have to check it out online cos we don't have the brand over here :D

    xx Mira

    www.glamdevils.com

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    Replies
    1. Aaah, - always the trouble isn't it... I hope you can get hold of them :o). Xx

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  9. I have this one myself, well I have a few magnetic ones from the Barry M collection and they are amazing! Just love them!

    Toria (toria-creativemine.blogspot.co.uk)

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    1. Out of all of the brands I have tried Barry M is by far the best when it comes to the magnetic effect :o). Xx

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    1. It's an unusual eye catching look for sure :o). Xx

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  11. This gives a great effect and I love the purple shade.

    Allthingsglitterandbeauty

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  12. This looks so fun! Essie came out with a similar concept and I bought one and it does give a really neat effect.

    katespitz.blogspot.com

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    1. I could never get the Essie one to work :o/ although it looked amazing. You must have the magic touch :o) Xx

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  13. The magnetic effect never goes right for me, but it looks amazing on your nails x

    daisy-drops

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  14. Definitely want to try this - wasn't sure at first but really love the effect now! x

    Evelyn @ We Were Raised By Wolves

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  15. It's such a cool polish, I still don't own any like it but it looks fab!

    Tara x

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  16. Wow that looks great. I can never get the magnetic polishes to turn out the way their supposed to! The colour is gorgeous too :)

    Caroline xx
    www.makeitpurple.co.uk

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    Replies
    1. Another great color is the green one and the effect is fab as well :o). Xx

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  17. Hey Charlotte, this shade looks so cool on its own! I've tried something like this from Dior, but I think the pattern is a bit different!

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    1. Aaah - I had no idea Dior did magnetic polishes, I'll have to investigate that :o) Xx

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  18. Wow, I could NEVER master nails like there. I can barely do my own nails without spilling the bottle.

    I'd love it if you could also check out my blog! http://afashionneverland.blogspot.com/ xx

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    Replies
    1. LOL - it's much easier than it looks! :o) Xx

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  19. This look super fab dear! :) xo

    www.beautyfrontline.com

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  20. This looks really pretty! I like BarryM polishes and love magnetic nails...you can really get creative with things like this!

    Layla xx

    www.sprinklesofstyle.co.uk

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    Replies
    1. I completely agree with you Layla and they're so reasonably priced too :o) Xx

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  21. This looks great although my nails are so short I don't think this would work for me sadly.

    Victoria
    FlorenceandMary.com

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    1. Maybe something for a long nail day :o) Xx

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  22. Those are so even and beautiful - you have skill!

    beck daily

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    Replies
    1. That's so nice of you - thank you very much :o) Xx

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  23. such a nice nails!!

    xx

    isa

    www.un-likely.com

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  24. This looks gorgeous, but sadly we don't really see Barry M products here in Australia

    And thanks for commenting on my blog - I hope you remembered to enter my INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY..
    http://beautyandlifestylehunter.blogspot.com.au/

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  25. This polish looks really nice, I never noticed how nice it looked before! :D

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_z9W_N5Drg

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    1. I'm such a numpty!

      I meant to put this link, http://theremightbecoffee.wordpress.com/

      Not the YouTube one. xD

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    2. :o) - thanks a million! Xx

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  26. Awesome! I haven't tried a magnetic manicure yet, but you definitely make me want to.

    Lexi
    http://rhinestonereligion.com

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    Replies
    1. It's such a pretty look and so easy to create too :o). Xx

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