Topic Tuesday: Brand Firsts

Before I began blogging 10 years ago and dipped a fingertip in the world of colour I rotated between Barry M Black, Barry M Navy, Barry M Vivid Purple and La Femme Black. I rotated those polishes for 10 plus years before expanding my collection.

  

Swatch: Barry M - Blushed (Rose Tinted Gelly)

Barry M Rose Tinted Gelly polishes aren't tinted, they are fully opaque in two coats. There aren't any dupes for other Gelly polishes, there are a couple of similar ones so I have compared the two below the swatch.

Colour | Pink

Finish | Cream

Opacity | Two Coats

Brush Type | Flat, Wide, Rounded Cuticle

How Much | 10ml

Collection | Rose Tinted Gelly Autumn 2020

  

Blushed is similar to but not identical to Leighton Denny Rosey Posey, Nails Inc Make an Understatement and OPI Lucky Lavender.

  

Stamping Plate: Nicole Diary - 097

This rectangle plate came with blue protective wrap, the back is branded.

097 has 16 full nail images and five smaller ones. All of the images I have used have stamped across well, the only thing I would note is the images are very slim and I struggle to make them cover my thumb nail.

[Diamond Nails]

[Tribal Nails]

  

Nails: World Diabetes Day 2020

Dark Holo Polish | A England - Spirit of the Moors

Light Holo Polish | Moyra - Aquarius 254

Cream Polish | Barry M - Damson

Black Acrylic Paint

White Acrylic Paint

Sharpie

Striping Brush

000 Brush

  

Nails: Diabetes Awareness Negative Space Foliage

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and so every Friday to raise awareness I am doing blue nails.

Type one diabetes can be diagnosed at any age, are you aware of the four T's?

The four T's stand for Toilet, Thirsty, Tired and Thinner.

Cream Polish | Kiko - Cerulean Blue 295

Shimmer Polish | Kiko - Pearly Ocean 521

Stamping Polish | Beauty Big Bang 002

Stamping Plate | Born Pretty Store - Tropical Punch L002

  

Topic Tuesday: Almost Black Polishes

These types of polishes are ones I like, Barry M did a range of Gelly polishes a while ago which were almost black.

Black Cherry // Black Currant // Black Grape // Black Pistachio

  

Stamping Plate: Born Pretty Store - Autumn L002

I bought this plate in September which given the time it takes for Born Pretty Store orders to arrive was perhaps a little late in the year.

It comes in a cardboard slip, backed with white plastic which means no cuts from sharp edges, also protected by a blue sticker.

Autumn L002 is a rectangle plate designed for longer nails. It has nine full nail images and 23 smaller images. The theme of the plate is Autumn / Fall, with mainly leaves on it as well as some acorns.

All of the images I have used have stamped across well. Here are some nails I have done using this plate;

[Abstract Leaves]

  

Nails: Diabetes Awareness Diamonds

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and so every Friday to raise awareness I am doing blue nails.

Type one diabetes can be diagnosed at any age, are you aware of the four T's?

The four T's stand for Toilet, Thirsty, Tired and Thinner.

About the nails, I top coated two of my nails before remembering that the Barry M Chameleon polishes change colour with topcoat so I stopped as I wanted them to predominantly blue.

Base Polish | OPI - Less is Norse

Stamping Polish | Barry M - Chameleon Blue

Stamping Plate | Nicole Diary 097

  

Review: Vibrant Vinyls - Fast and Hard Top Coat (Black Cherry Bomb Scent)

 

I hadn't tried a new topcoat since I found my 'holy grail' Glisten and Glow. Rainbow Connection has a range of different scented versions, I would imagine that how the topcoat itself works is the same regardless of the scent.

What are the claims?

Can be used over wet polish - I have used it over wet polish and it does work.

Applied over wet polish, it is dry to the touch in under 3 minutes - It is dry to the touch in under 3 minutes, however I was still able to dint my nails hours later.

Super glossy shine that lasts up to 2 weeks - I don't wear polish for that long so can't comment on the time length. However it does leave a lovely glossy finish.

Dries rock hard in 15 minutes providing the perfect base for vinyls, stamping, or other nail art - It does dry nails moderately fast and I have stamped over this within 30 minutes and it has been fine.

Doesn't 'drag' or 'smear' colors so it can be used over art - I disagree with this, I found it smudged nail art badly, even using the floating of the topcoat method. It works well over a standard polish.

 

L: Vibrant Vinyls | R: Glisten and Glow

No shrinkage - Yes I didn't find this to shrink on me, in the same way which Seche Vite did.

Doesn't dull holo's - This is true, I tried it over Tonic Polish Jinx and it didn't dull the holo.

Flat, semi-wide brush picks up the perfect amount and glides across the nail smoothly providing quick, even coverage - I liked the brush, covers the nail easily.

Also prevents yellowing, fading, & chipping of polish - It does stop polish from chipping and also doesn't yellow polish under it.

The scent I chose was black cherry bomb, which was nice. I found it to be quite strong once I first applied it, this faded over a period of 12 hours, through out showering, hand washing and using hand gel. By 24 hours the scent had disappeared.

Overall I think this topcoat is alright, not terrible but not amazing. I will use it because it does help polish to dry quicker than without it. The viscosity is somewhere between thin and thick, definitely thinner than a gel look topcoat. What I didn't like about this was how badly it smudged nail art, it didn't stop me from dinging my nails and I ended up with bedsheet imprints on them from doing my nails close to bedtime.

I doubt I would repurchase this topcoat as I do really like to do nail art.