Barry M Nail Effects

It's no secret I like a little bit of nail art. I was therefore intrigued by Barry M Nail Effects which is currently available in black. From what I could see it looks like it would provide a crackle kind of coat, a bit like something Carol Smillie would have oohed and aahed over in Changing Rooms circa 1998. Unlike the rest of the Barry M Nail Paint range this is priced at £3.95 which is still relatively cheap in my opinion.

First I tried it over the red from a couple of posts ago and it seemed to crack and dry very quickly. The colour difference wasn't too striking as the red is relatively dark. The black dries very quickly and almost to a dark charcoal rather than black and the finish is very matte. I thought it gave a nice touch of extra interest to my nails especially if you looked closely.

Next I tried it over a clear basecoat. It applied quite easily on the first nail (thumb) but I realised how fast you need to be to apply it to a nail as the rest dries out so quickly once it has touched the nail. The final result wasn't horrendous, but I would describe it as... patchy. Some brush strokes are visible and where it was applied more lightly the crackling didn't hide the brush stroke look. I think a wider brush might help make the application easier. After 2 quick applications I can see some of the paint getting clumpy in the bottle also as it seems to dry out so quickly which isn't great really...

From a distance they don't look too bad, maybe a bit of a lace effect almost?


All in all I'm a bit on the fence about this one. I love black nails but don't always have the patience to build up the colour and think this could be handy to add a last minute touch of intrigue to otherwise dull nails. I quite like the matte look for a bit of a change though I probably should use a top coat over it. For now though I don't think I'll be wearing it for for very long...

Have you tried it yet? Have I gone wrong with it somewhere?

LoubouLush x