Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint Review

As I'm sure you know by now, I very rarely paint my nails! For the past 3 years I have had fortnightly manicures of either gel extensions on Shellac. When I saw the Barry M Gelly polishes I really wanted to give them a go so I pushed back one of my nail appointments and gave myself a week to try out some new products.

I bought this nail varnish last month and posted about my haul here. I chose the colour Dragon Fruit because it's a gorgeous pale pink and would go with lots of my clothes.

I like an accent nail so I used 2True glitter polish on my ring finger. I got this from my Miss Glossybox which I blogged here. I applied base coat as stated on the bottle and I found the colour to go on really well. It is a thick polish and after 2 coats I had a lovely, rich colour. On initial application I was really impressed. The colour is beautiful and the finish was really shiny and glossy - similar to Shellac. However, after a day I started to notice thin black cracks appearing on the surface. The polish didn't chip or peel on these cracks but they did ruin the look. I kept this on for 3 days, by which time every nail had several little black cracks on it.

I loved the look of this but the cracking really put me off. I would use again but probably just for a night out and not leave it on for several days.

These are £3.99 and many colours are available.

Did you find cracking with these?
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What's In My Handbag #wiyhb

I realise I am pretty slow on the uptake but this is my first What's In My Handbag post! This is a tag from BritBloggers and is an initiative from MyMoneySuperMarket. The competition is designed to make people think of the value of their handbags and therefore consider insurance. The items in this post show values however some of these have had to be estimated. 

My Bag

My bag is a Paul's Boutique Olivia in snake skin, £60. I like this bag because it is rather understated for a Paul's Boutique and therefore suitable for work. It is also a great size for all the junk I like to carry about!

My Purse, Phone and Keys

These are the things that, although of not great value, they are invaluable and disastrous to lose.

I love my Paul's Boutique purse, £40. The interior is a gorgeous bright pink and has lots of compartments for cards and change. The money in my purse, £10, is never very much but losing your cards is a disaster and can be very costly as lots of company's charge for replacements. My phone is an HTC Desire, £100. Keys are not something that you can really value however car keys are around £100 to replace and it's costs around £150 to get the locks changed if you lose your house keys.

My Nail Essentials

I carry nail glue at all times. Of course I use it if I have a nail emergency but I usually find it gets used for fixing things instead! I apply solar oil when I'm wearing nail extensions and shellac as this can make them last longer and keeps your nails in good condition. I always have several small nail files in my bags for filing down rough parts and hang nails. In total these items are worth around £6.

For Emergencies

Tissues, paracetamol and plasters - I always have these in my bags! £2.

 

Makeup etc.

I don't carry much makeup with me because I usually find that my makeup lasts the day and, even if it doesn't, I don't have time to touch it up! If I am going out after work or going on a night out then I would pack more products. I am obsessed with lip products and apply them to my lips throughout the day. I love Vaseline for this as it adds an extra shine to any lip colour that I might have on. The lip glosses in my bag are Barry M and Sexy Mother Pucker by Soap & Glory. I also carry a lipstick by Clinque which I occasionally apply with a little Vaseline on top. I always keep a tube on hand cream in my bag and this one is Ted Baker. The battered box in the picture is Maybeline powder foundation. I don't like this much but occasionally I use it if I have a shiny face or a blemish emergency! In total these items are worth around £45.

 

Work Stuff

 

I need my diary. Without seeing it on paper I would never know where I'm supposed to be going or what I need to take with me. This is a great sized diary for carrying in my bag. Every bag needs a pen and this one is really cute with 4 lovely colours. I don't keep important documents on this memory stick but I do keep it with me for sharing files at work. £15

My Umbrella, Hairbrush and Mirror

It may be tempting fate but I never leave home without an umbrella! I brush my hair a lot throughout the day so a brush is essential. The mirror has broken off this one so I use a cute compact that I got as a gift from my sister. £15

I never think of my handbag being anything more than a bunch of junk that I carry around. However I have estimated £543 for my bag and its contents. The cost of replacing things like cards would make it even more.

Check out the competition here.

 

Makeup Haul - Collection, Estée Lauder, Barry M

This is my first makeup haul post, and it's a fairly small haul to start off with but I popped into town for foundation and ended up with a few more items ....! The items listed are just the makeup that I bought. I also purchased hair bands, hair grips and some cream but they were too boring to mention! Most of the items came from Boots and Superdrug and one thing was from Semi-Chem on the way home.

Random Selection of Brushes:
Ok so not their official name but what better way to describe them. These are 3 random, cheap brushes. 2 from Superdrug and 1 from Semi-Chem. First up the Semi-Chem brush, an absolute bargain at £1.09. This is a basic blusher brush, fairly soft but a great shape and thin enough for me to use for my contouring. The bristles are all very secure and the handle has a nice, gripped texture. The 2 Superdrug brushes are not showing on the website although I only bought them in store today. Both brushes are super soft and good quality feeling. One is a powder brush and the other an eyeshadow brush. The eyeshadow is a really great size, perfect for applying dark corners as it is a small, delicate brush. I can't remember the exact prices and can't find the pricing online but I think the power brush was £2.99 and the eyeshadow one £2.49. All in all these are 3 great additions to my brush collection and great basics at a great price.

MUA Clear Mascara and Iced Glitter Eyeliner:
For a bargain brand I really like the MUA products. The two that I bought were £1 each so you really can't go wrong! Clear mascara is something I haven't had for a while but I like it as a base for my mascara and I also like a wee bit in my brows to keep them in place. The glitter eyeliner is something I've never used but I've been experimenting with eye makeup recently and thought it might be cool for a night out!

beautyuk Eye Shadow & Eye Liner Collection - Smoke Screen:

This brand featured in Miss Glossybox this month and, until then, I had never heard of it. I think it is a Superdrug brand and, although not quite as cheap as MUA, is definitely a bargain brand. This particular palette cost £3.99 and was available in 2 other colour schemes. If I like this one then I'll be buying the brown one as the colours in it were really nice. This collection contains 6 eye shadows, 2 gel liners and a 2-ended brush. I am unlikely to use the liner or brush but bought it for the eyeshadow colours alone. Really decent price and a nice addition to my makeup collection.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint, Dragon and Nail Art Pen, Silver:

I get my nails done fortnightly with either gel extension or Shellac so I rarely wear nail varnish. However, the colour of this polish was one that I couldn't resist so I had to buy it. I haven't worn it yet but have tried it out on my toenails and the colour is gorgeous. I love Barry M polishes and they are a really great price at £3.99 each. The nail art pen however, has disappointed me. I watched lots of You Tube tutorials before buying this and, maybe mine is faulty, but this does not dispense the way I expected. I find this really hard to use, almost as if it is clogged up. Safe to say that at £4.99, I will not be buying this again! 

Collection Shimmer Shades, Blushalicious and Lasting Colour Lipstick, Pink Shock:

Collection 2000 seems to have dropped the 2000 without me even noticing and their products have gone a bit more upmarket too! I love both these products. The first is the blush which, at £4.99 is not one of their cheaper items but is definitely worth the money. The blusher is 4 different shades which can be used on their own or blended together to make a lovely peachy-pink colour. I love this and might go and buy the bronzer version now. The lipstick is also a great product. The colour is so bright! I wore a full coat of if with lipcote over the top and it really is a shocking pink! I have also used a brush to dab it on which makes a lovely light pink, better if you are not looking to make a statement. Great colour and great price at £2.99.

Collection Smokey Eyes:

I love love love this! I'm not sure if this is available in other colour schemes but if it is, I will be buying them all! The palette contains 9 eye shadows, one of which is a cream, and a double ended applicator. The shadows are labelled medium, dark and light and on the reverse of the packaging there are suggestions on how to wear the shades together. I have used most of the shades and I love them all. A great product, great packaging and a great price - £4.99!

Rimmel VolumeFlash Scadaleyes Mascara:

I have had eyelash extensions for 3 months now and I am very out of the mascara loop! It is time to have the extensions off and let my eyes breath a bit and so I am back on the lookout for a good mascara that doesn't leave my eyes feeling bald! Normally I use Thick and Fast by Soap&Glory but I like to layer my mascara so I needed another to go with it. There is nothing particularly special about this product but I do like the brush which is a nice big, bushy one. £6.99 which is a decent price for a mascara but I think there is a promotion on just now where you can get this for free if other things are bought.

Estée Lauder Double Wear, Rattan (and sample of Tawny):

Finally we come to the highlight of the lot - Double Wear. I have heard nothing but good things about this product and I am really looking forward to trying it for myself. Taking the leap was difficult. This product is £27.50 which is far more than I would normally pay for a foundation. If it does what it promises and lasts as long as expected then the price tag can be forgiven! When colour matched in Boots she showed me Rattan, which I bought, and Tawny. Tawny is slightly darker and I decided to take a free sample of it so that I can try it on days that I have self tanned and need a darker face.

I really fancy a few items from ELF so hopefully my next makeup shopping can be from there! Let me know what you think of any of these things if you have them.