NOTD: Lucky Dip - Barry M's Blueberry Ice Cream - shade 306

It's half term, yay! I couldn't decide what colour to paint my nails earlier, so I decided to just dip my hand into my nail polish bag and pick one at random, and I happened to pick this one.

And I'm so glad I did. I reviewed another Barry M polish that I've had for the same amount of time (years) here and hated it. I'm going to have to try my other two Barry M polishes again once the weather warms up (somehow, I can't help thinking yellow and orange are a little inappropriate for this freezing weather) and see which camp they fall into. Because this polish is fab.

Again, it took a little longer than I'm used to with my quick dry polishes for this to set completely, with the result that one nail got a little ruined when I tried to pin my hair back off my face, but the brush in this bottle seems much more easily handled than in the other bottle - and maybe the formulas are slightly different, especially since Spring Green is from the general colour range while Blueberry Ice Cream is from the, um, ice cream colour range.

I noticed that, although when first brushed on it didn't look as if it could be a one coat polish (and I actually put two or three coats on) when I let the polish dry it spread across the nail slightly, if that makes sense - so it could very well be a one coat job in the future.

This is a lovely colour, great all year round. In this freezing weather it makes me think of snow and ice, and it could look really cool with glitter. In the summer, by contrast, it's fresh and clean.

This polish retails at just below £3, and there are often special offers of two Barry M nail polishes for £5.

OPI new collection: Holland!

Image from www.squarednails.com which is an amazing blog I'd urge you to check out.

The first thing to say is that, as always, the colour names are amazing. I think my favourite four are Vampsterdam, Kiss Me On My Tulips, I Don't Give a Rotterdam, and A Roll In The Hague.

The colours are also really nice - if this is summer 2012's palette, then I'm looking forward to it!

I love Gouda Gouda Two Shoes. It looks look it would look really sophisticated on the nails, as would Wooden Shoe Like To Know - both polishes look like they mean business!

I think the colour I Don't Give a Rotterdam might be my favourite in the bunch - it looks like there are slight grey tones to the blue, which is really elegant. It looks similar to Barry M's Blueberry Ice Cream in my opinion, but that might just be me.

A Roll in the Hague looks like quite a vibrant orange. Again, I have something similar in the form of Barry M's block orange, which I might have to dig out again...

Pedal Faster Suzi is a very pretty pale colour, which I think would look best on those with either very pale or very dark skins.

Dutch Ya Just Love OPI is a really nice colour, a cool purple which I think looks quite urbane and chic.

Thanks a WindMillion isn't a colour that appeals to me, but mainly because it reminds me of mint, which I don't like. However, pastels are very on trend this summer, and, similar to Pedal Faster Suzi, I can see this looking good with very pale or very dark skin tones.

Red Lights Ahead... Where is a classic red I think - there's not much to say about it, really.

Kiss Me On My Tulips is a really nice colour, a little cooler than some other hot pink nail polishes (ahem, No7 Stay Perfect Jammy, I'm looking at you), which makes it look much more wearable I think - classy, though I don't like the word.

Vampsterdam is an amazing colour, it reminds me of Rimmel Lasting Finish in Black cherries. So nice, it would look quite cool done like a French manicure, with that as the tip colour, and Kiss Me On My Tulips as the body of the nail.

I Have A Herring Problem is such a nice colour - I think this would be ultra-wearable, and suitable for pretty much anoint.

I really want to like Did You 'ear about Van Gogh because of the name, but I'm just not a fan of the colour - though I can see it looking good on very pale or dark skin tones.

There you go, a bit of a roundup.

There is a mini set, called Dutch Treats, featuring I Have a Herring Problem, Red Lights Ahead... Where, Kiss Me On My Tulips, and Pedal Faster Suzi. I think I might treat myself to it, especially as it's only £13 and I like all the shades in it - it works out at £3.25 per polish, which is really good value.

NOTD: Barry M Nail Paint shade 290, Spring Green.

Right, I'll admit it, front and centre.

I used to be a Barry M Nail Paint devotee. Loved it.

But, since trying others (most notably Rimmel's 60 second one) I've realised that, actually, it's not that good.

I put on Barry M polish for the first time in a while today, in what for ages was my favourite nail colour. But, I'd forgotten how much better the little stubby brush in the Rimmel polishes is. The Barry M brush, long and thin, is very difficult to control, and get a good finish across the nail without getting polish all over your fingers - my nails now are even more untidy than normal.

Then there's the drying time. I know I'm used to special quick-dry formulas, but this still took quite a while, probably as a consequence of my bad brush usage meaning that I put too much polish on.

I've also put a topcoat on (for once) - 2true's clear polish, which says it lasts for 5 days. It has made the nail look overall much more 'finished'

It's a shame, really, to have to say bad things about a product I used to love.

One thing I can't fault, though, is the bottle size. For £2.99 (often £2.50 when there are 2 bottles for £5 deals) you get 10ml, working out at just under 30p per ml. In contrast, for the Rimmel 60 second polish you pay £3.69 for 8 ml, just over 46p/ml.

I think, to conclude, that the Barry M is still a very good nail polish for what you pay, but that there are better ones available at a similar price point.

http://www.superdrug.com/barry-m/barry-m-nail-paint-290-spring-green/invt/396362/

Afterthought: I'm writing this bit two hours after putting on the polish. 6 of my 10 nails are smudged horribly. I remember this being a problem with this polish, that it appears to have dried, but over an hour after putting it on it still doesn't seem to stick to the nail.

I'll have to take it off, it's annoying me that it looks so rubbish and I'm going out tonight.