Barry only has eyes for you

I was very lucky to have been invited to the Barry M event in Morecambe where everything has been organised to launch the new Barry M eyeshadows: 'quite warm' Greggs pasties to tantalise our buds and free Michael Jackson in the background. For you today, I've got exclusive high resolution professional photographs and a video of Barry M himself talking about the eyeshadows in question. I'll end the sarcasm now, shall I? It was totally at random, while looking for Cappuccino Nail Polish from Barry M that I discovered that Bazza released 12 single eyeshadows and a 3 for 2 promotion on all eye products for the occasion.








I am going to be honest, I don't know what the name of this collection is or if it has a name. I am not quite sure the theme is either but no doubt I will find out more background information when the official product photos come out on Facebook and Twitter. The eyeshadows are housed individually in a flashy silver leopard print trim squared case. Testers have a flower embossed on the shadows but the real deal is smooth and have no flowers on them.






After a 'quick' play with the testers in the shop (I'll pretend I didn't spend ages trying to fit 12 shadows on my hand and plotting about the placement of them) I have found the shadows to be lovely and soft to play with. In my eyes the finish is shimmery for all the shadows (apart from Dark Brown) but not disco ball shimmery like some urban decay infamous numbers. Pigmentation is quite good although I have found the blue and the purple needed a heavier hand for the colour to show. Due to the soft nature of the shadows I experienced some fair amount of fall out but nothing too traumatizing.



 




I think Barry M did an amazing job at creating the colours. The green is a little too muted for me but this in turn makes it more wearable. The bronze and the dark gold caught my immediately but it's the delightfully matte brown which stole my heart.






Now this is when I drop the news about the price. Each shadow is sold at £4.49. I think they are worth that price range and are pretty good quality but I am a bit reticent to pay that price. The £1 dark brown from MUA is nowhere near as smooth and lovely to play with as the dark brown from Barrym but it does the job. Maybe I am just being a tight cow.

What do you think? Will you be checking out the new Barry M eyeshadows?

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Barry aime Bold* and a flash giveaway

Barry M Cosmetics is on fire at the moment and is spoiling us with amazing new products: a new TV ad, 4 magnetic nail polishes, 5 'standard' nail polishes and 6 new shades of creamy and waterproof 'bold eyeliners' (£3.99 each) to complement the black, the only shade which existed so far.




Personally, I found the eyeliners a bit too creamy for my personal taste but I couldn't deny how bright and pigmented they are. Despite their initial movement due to their soft as butter texture, I can confirm that these are definitely smudgeproof and waterproof. Once they are on, they're on.




OMG. how gorgeous are they!!





If you like the softness of the Urban Decay and Gosh eyeliners pencils (I seem to be the only one who doesn't like them) I can guarantee that you will fall in love with these. When you need to sharpen them, just make sure to put them in the freezer for 15 minutes beforehand and you'll be all right.

To celebrate their release (and also due to the fact that I've recently won some Barry M stuff which I already own) I am giving one of you the chance to win:
- one bold eyeliner of your choice
- one Barry M nail polish in navy
- and one Barry M bold eyeliner in black (reviewed by my friend Claire here)




All I need from you to enter this mini giveaway is to tell me which shade of bold liner you would most  like to win basically. Simples. The rules are the same for every of my giveaway. Open internationally. You just need to be a follower of my blog (Google Connect, Google Reader, Hellocotton,  Blog Lovin) blabla.


How to enter:
This giveaway is for all my blog readers from all over the world.
It will end this week end: Sunday 22 April 2012, 23:59 BST (UK).
All I would like you to do, to enter in this comment giveaway is to tell me: 

What is your favourite shade of Barry M Bold Eyeliner?

--- your name
--- your email address
--- how you found out about this giveaway

Additional Information: - There will be 1 winner and the winner will be sent the three following Barry M items (1 Bold Eyeliner in Black, the Bold Eyeliner of your choice and 1 Navy Blue nail polish
- Winner will be chosen at random with random.org
- The prizes are new, unswatched and unopened.
- * Barry aime Bold is a play on words, based on the fact that ‘M’ is pronounced the same way as  ‘Aime’ in French which means ‘loves’. So ‘Barry aime bold’ just means ‘Barry likes bold’

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Flamingo Inspired Giveaway :: OPEN ::

Hello my lovely readers :)


As promised earlier on this week, I have a small giveaway for you. Since the release of the Miami Pop Collection and its cute flamingo imagery, I had fun collecting a few makeup items, in shades of pink and orange, reminiscent of the flamingo bird.


  


The flamingo pack contains:


- 17 Cosmetics Nail Polish (Limited Edition) Miami Pop, in Palm Beach (pink) (see my post here)
- Boots No.7 Nail Polish in Tangy (orange)
- Girls with Attitude 'Glamour' False Eye Lashes
- Barry M 'Wink' Black Marker for eyes (eyeliner in black)
- Rimmel  Glam'Eyes Day 2 Night Mascara
- Barry M Lipstick (shade 151)
- 17 Cosmetics Lipstick (pink power)





Above, the 2 lipsticks and the eyeliner swatched, using testers from the shop. Your prize has been unopened and remains brand new.

 

How to enter:

This giveaway is for all my blog readers from all over the world. It will end on Thursday 11 August 2011, 23.59 BST (UK). All I would like you to do, to enter in this comment giveaway is to tell me:


Where would you like to go on holiday? or Tell me about a past holiday which you have really enjoyed --- your name
--- your email address
--- how you found out about this giveaway
(any additional entries you may ask? nah! I won't ask you to tweet about it. I'll be in charge of the pimping promoting. You don't need  to do it.)

Rules:

1.This comment giveaway is opened to all my blog readers, from anywhere around the world who follow me through  Google connect reader, bloglovin or by email
2.Please make sure to answer the comment giveaway question: 

Where would you like to go on holiday? 
Or tell me about a past holiday which you have really enjoyed?

3. This giveaway will end on Thursday 11 August 2011, 23.59 BST (UK)
4. There will be 1 winner and the winner will be sent the whole Flamingo Pack
5. Winner will be chosen at random with random.org

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I'll have 2 Blue Lagoon & 1 Peach Melba, please Barry...

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How dare you Barry M tempting me with a whole host of mouth watering products, when I am in the middle of a spending ban? Barry M has just released 2 new shades of nail polishes on their website: Blue Moon 317 {Blue Lagoon totally sounds way cooler :P} and Peach Melba 318.






I am not sure when they will be available from your local Boots and Superdrug, but you can order them online at its usual bargain price of £2.99 each.






Also, hot from the oven, the Wink Marker Pen (£4.59)
A chunky marker pen style eyeliner that makes lining your eyes easy. In simple strokes you can create instense, bold lines and flicks. Quick drying and long lasting as the perfect eyeliner should be! £4.59

Love the design and the bulkyness of it but is that going to dry up in 2 minutes like lots of other pen-style eyeliner? (hinting at you Eyeko)


2. Imperfection Correction (£5.99)


Our NEW Imperfection Correction concealer pen has been developed to conceal blemishes, dark circles and signs of fatigue from the eye area, whilst illuminating the skin and adding a touch of radiance.
It is available in 3 shades to suit all skin tones (Ivory, Almond & Peach)  and the enriched formulation provides smooth and long lasting wear. Simply twist the pen for the liquid to appear and brush onto your face for a flawless finish.

There is no way I would buy this without first swatching in the shop. The applicator reminds me of  Touche Eclat. I wonder what the texture is like.


3. Finally, the 3 recent colourful additions to the Instant Nail Effects (£3.99) hitting the 'physical stores' with no more precise date than "in a month or so". I must admit the future release of 8 the Models Own crackle polishes has excited me more but I cannot deny that the colours are absolutely gorgeous, from the photos I have seen so far. I've seen a girl wearing a girl wearing pink crackle on bright fuchsia and it looks so cool. I am very tempted and you can 2 Barry M crackle polishes for the price of one Models own. But since Beautyuk will also be releasing a pink crackle polish in May, I might just as well wait for that one, since the polishes there usually cost £1.99 (maybe it will be £2.99 for that special one?)



 


Now would it have been great, like Elf always does, to have free postage and packing a as a little incentive to order these new products from the Barry M website :)

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The Dusk about Barry M : Hype and Sensitivity around dupes

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When someone decides to make a remix of a popular track and commercialise it, they usually need to ask permission to the author and pay some rights. From this alone, I reckon, ABBA must be absolutely minted and probably never have to work again. But how does it work when a makeup company decides to recreate a popular makeup product from a very well known brand? How did it work for example, when Models Own recreated 3 shades from Chanel Khaki Collection and many companies (Barry M, Models Own, Revlon, and lately Asda to name a few) took their take on Chanel Paradoxal? Did they need to pay rights to Chanel? Did they need to ask permission beforehand? If this is the case, how long after the public release of the original brand do they need to wait before the release of their duplicate? Is this detrimental to brand or highlighting the pure genius of a brand, who ‘inspired’ so many companies. 



When Chanel released their Paradoxal Nail Polish on that Friday 13 August, I am not sure anybody was ready for the stir it was going to create among the blogosphere and makeup lovers around the globe. For the purpose of this blogpost, and by curiosity, I wanted to track down the actual date when Barry M released their version of Chanel Paradoxal, their 'Dusky Mauve' but I hurt a brick wall. I googled first of all in the hope to find an answer, but alas with no success. Then I tried to see which blogger blogged about it first to see if they had the answer, again no luck there.


So I bit the bullet, the horn and everything (however the expression goes) and decided to ring Barry M to see if they would tell me. Another brick wall. The lady was nice enough but terribly protective of the information: 


'Why do you want this information' she asked.
Me: 'Oh just by curiosity' Her: 'Please give me a moment'.
At her return: 'We're not able to give you this information'.
Me: 'Oh, is that because you don't know or you are not allowed to tell me'?.
She goes: 'Well it depends why you need this information for'.
I went 'Oh i have this small blog on internet and I wanted to provide this information for my readers'.
'Oh' she says (tone of voice changes as it is now more acceptable to ask)

So this is when I asked myself 'what does it matter why i want to know this information for? The date is not to going to change depending on what I know to know it more, does it?


Anyway, she comes back and says something like

'It was in September'.
Me 'Thank you, would you have the exact date please?'
She goes 'We can't give you this information'.
Me again 'Is that because you don't know or you're not allowed to say'.
Her: We're not allowed to say.

I thanked her, and ended the conversation.

My google researches already led me to end of September, all I wanted to know was the exact date. Why so much secrecy? Maybe the lady didn't know and didn't have the courage to say 'To be honest, I haven't got a clue'.
Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that it's a dupe of Chanel Paradoxal and there is some senstivity there?
Meh, I don't know.


Very late after the party, these are my swatches of the much talked about and very difficult to source, Barry M, Dusky Mauve released at some undefined date at the very end of September but which really took the blogosphere by a storm during the month of October.






Is it worth the hype?

As my friend ellie said, I think this polish has been a bit too overhyped. It is nonetheless a gorgeous colour on the following conditions: If you're after this polish to admire this gorgeous & precious light purple shimmer shining through it, then don't bother. You'll have a nightmare to:

1. capture it on photos, and facing a dilemma trying to share with others its elusive beauty.
2. actually see that shimmer for yourself.
   

The reality of this polish is that it's a dusky mauve and that's that. Buying this polish to see the gorgeous shimmer in it, it's like going to the cinema to see a 3 hours movie to see a fleeting 2 seconds appearance of your favourite actor. I saw that shimmer, and it really fascinated me, but the following day it was gone, in the same manner as the freshly polished lustre of any polish would go after 1 day. Even during that one day, I was failing to see that gorgeous shimmer, in most lighting conditions my nails were exposed to.




 

Am I glad I bought this polish? Hell yeah. I am 500% happy with it and I love it to bits, but I accept it for what it is: a greyish purple, a stunning one, but with not much chance to see that most talked about shimmer in it. I am a big fan of Barry M polishes (their formula, ease of application and amazing bargain price {£2.99} and value for money) but there are not many shades for me (too many cremes, not enough shimmers and duochromes) so Dusky Mauve for me is a delight and was a very welcome and unique addition to my growing collection of nail polishes.





Is it worth ruining a friendship? Definitely not. If you see it in your local Boots or Superdrug, get it, this polish will enchant you. I am totally under the charm.

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Crackle Polishes go technicolor: Blessing or overdose? Radioactive Lizard NOTD

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Apparently crackle polishes first started their appearance years ago and what we noticed in England, when Barry M released their record breaking 'paint effects' black top coat last October was a revival of the trend. Revival or not, it took the blogosphere by a storm, and I was one of many who didn't even such a effect could be achieved with a nail polish. I have no idea how the contraction works and makes the polish, snap, pop and crackle (to reuse dottie k's expression) but I have to confess it's quite fascinating watching it doing its thing.






When I first wore 'Barry M' paint effects at work, the first thing my colleagues asked was if 'they' did it in other colours. Well, now 'they' do. Models Owen firmly embraced the trend with both arms and are about to unleash their 'Smash up' range, 8 colour additions to the crackle trend, with also a black version thrown in for good measure. The range is very enticing: bright colours, funky bottle lid design and cool name.









You'll be able to get your talons on them, at £6 each from April 6th online at http://www.modelsownit.com/ (thank you Drew692 for info on release date) and in selected Boots Stores later on in the month of April.


The polishes not being available yet, I obviously couldn't try them on. So here's a little manicure done with beautyuk yellow peril (see it worn on its own here) with a thick coat of Barry M paint effects on top. I prefer my crackle to be big and chunky so I like to apply a generous coat of it.










Have you joined the crackle bangwagon yet? Will you be 'smashing it'?


credit: big kiss to debbie aka @drew692 and her cool tumbrl beautyblog for letting me use her pictures.

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Barry M "Sunbuzzed" NOTD

I feel really sorry for my colleagues today. I've been going on about how impatient to go home to try in advance of the public special release the limited edition Barry M nail polish. Little old me was invited to try out 'Sunbuzz' (as I've decided to call it) a gorgeous limited edition nail polish Barry M released for Valentine's Day.


Barry M, Superdrug and The Sun Newspaper "Buzz" magazine have joined forces to offer a free Barry M makeup set containing a limited edition nail polish, a limited edition glossy tube super shiny lip gloss and black kohl eye pencil. The set is worth around £9 but you can get it for 60p.


All you need to do is:
- wakeup at a decent time tomorrow Saturday 12 February
- nip to the nearest corner shop
- get your copy of  The Sun Newspaper, making sure the newspaper has its copy of the Buzz Magazine inside (and someone hasn't nicked it or something) and part with 60 pennies
- Tear out the Barry M voucher
- Run to the nearest participating Superdrug store, demand your free kit and not leave the shop until you get it :P
- Go home, enjoy your free products, tweet about it
and remember to thank The Sun on twitter @TheSun_Buzz and Superdrug @superdrugloves
Now I appreciate that Saturday morning lie-in in bed are very precious to all of us so I wanted to give you a quick review of the products, before you set up your alarm clock and wake up at crack of dawn to get your free kit.


The first thing I noticed when I opened my kit was as gorgeously fruity it smelt. The smell came from the glossy tube of lip gloss. I am very much a beginner in terms of lip products so I'll jump straight onto what is for me the true gem of this kit: the gorgeous nail polish.




It applies very smoothly like a dream like most Barry M polishes, offers very good coverage even from one coat. Photos are taken with second coats. I would not usually wear nail polish with nails so short but it's a special occasion, innit? :) I am not sure if it’s because I have not worn any polish for a good month, but I find this polish to be particularly shiny with almost a jelly finish to it.


 




Finally the set also contains a good quality (pigmented and soft but not too soft) black khol eye pencil.





Will you be popping to Superdrug tomorrow?
I mostly definitely will, even if I already one set.

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Festive Nails with Barry M Emerald & Bright Red NOTD

When I think of Christmas, the first colours I think off straight away are red and green. I love Barry M polishes but I have never noticed their shade of 'Emerald Green' (284) before until last week. I nearly bought it and it turned out my colleague owned it and she lent it to me to play around with me for the week end. Of course, I had to show it to you. As usual, with Barry M, the application is a dream and my photos show 2 sloppy coats of polish.







The shimmer in it is to die for. I like the polish applied on its own, but I think the nails look even more lovely  with some kind of Christmassy white or red nail art on it. Don't you think? To achieve full opacity, the nails would benefit with 3 coats, but I don't mind too much showing my white bits on my nails. I can't help but marvel at the pleasure of the Barry M formula on my nails. I really wish they would come up with more shades, more often, as for me the range is predominantly dominated by creme finishes. ( I keep on using the word creme not knowing really what it is, it is when there is no shimmer, effect or duochrome reflects is it?)









Ever wondered what the Barry M bright red (262) feels and looks like applied on the nails? Here are some quick photos. The shine on this is incredible, the polish is super easy to apply but you will need at least 4 coats to achieve full opacity. Here it is with 3 coats and the white still shows through. I usually don’t mind a bit of white tip but with this colour and this finish, I really think it needs 4 coats.






How do I feel with this polish on? This colour is not me at all: too flat (yet super shiny) too loud, too orangey red. I feel a bit like a cheap hooker wearing it really :S







What are your favourite Barry M polishes? Feel free to leave me a link to a blog post featuring Barry M.

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Mushrooms & Berries NOTD and MissFit Take 2.

You know what? Blog comments are like Red Bull, they give you wiiiings. I just posted my first notd attempt (take 2 of Missfit from Missguided at the bottom of this post) yesterday and the comments you left for me were so uplifting that it gave me the confidence to do some more :)

So I would like to share with you 2 other nail polishes: my first Barry M acquisitions which I have been meaning to try for ages:
Barry M Berry Ice Cream (308)  and Barry M Mushroom (033)





I realise the whole world and its missus have already got these shades. If you haven't, here are my 'swatches' Both polishes were an absolute dream to apply and I would totally recommend them for a beginner. I love the brush, the thick but not gloopy formula and the fact that I get coverage in 2 coats. Now that I've been used to this, it's going to be pretty hard to top that.


So first, this is Berry Ice Cream. I love the colour but I don't like the finish. It's pretty on photos, and even in real life, but it's simply not me and it's going straight to my friend's house. I don't like crème finishes really, I personally find them a bit flat on me. I have tried to take photos both indoors with the flash and outside with a real lighting. My goodness we were lucky today, such a lovely sunshine.










Barry M Mushroom feels divine. Although it's also a crème finish, I don't mind it as much because it falls more in the category of natural earthy greige kind of polishes and it feels more acceptable, to have a shimmer or a duo chrome going on. If you like these shades, hand on my heart, you won't be disappointed by the formula and the ease of application and I would wholeheartedly recommend them. Now I am tempted to buy 'vivid purple' by Barry M. Anyone's got it? 






I know, I know. Index finger could do with another coat really. I might have forgotten it. Hopefully the blue sky will detract your attention :)







Oh, I nearly forgot.
This is take 2 of my fotd from yesterday: the absolutely gorgeous MissFit, now on all the fingers hehe. Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and support. <3




 

 

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