I knew that I wanted to include a nail polish brand during Budget Beauty Week and one jumped straight to the front of my mind. I really don't think Barry M needs much of an introduction, especially within the beauty community. The Barry M stands in my local Boots store are some of my earliest memories of loving makeup. I'd love £5 to spare and I was always drawn to the bright colours and the pretty packaging.
Barry M Cosmetics was first created in 1982 by Barry Mero and is a fantastic British success story. In the 80's Barry M was selling in a few retail outlets in London, but it was in 1982 that Barry saw the gap in the market for dramatic, outrageous make-up full of exciting and vivid colours. In the beginning Barry M was a cult name among the new romantics, punks and goths who wanted to make a real fashion statement. Now in 2016, Barry M is Britain's leading colour cosmetics brand, which is still innovative and still wowing the world with their bright colours.
Whilst Barry M's standard range of shades are pretty impressive, what really gets me hot under the collar is their range of special effects. As you can see here, the bulk of my Barry M collection is made up of the 'Speedy Quick Dry' range and the 'Gelly Nail Paints'.
The Speedy Quick Dry range has been a firm favourite of mine since it's launch. I love everything from the racing theme, right up to the formula and finish. Each polish features a checkered flag as the lid and the names of the polishes also follow the racing theme. The formulation of these polishes impress me no end, they dry really quickly and you just need two coats to get an opaque colour. They leave a really glossy finish and they last really well on the nails too, I love taking these away when I travel as they are perfect for a quick manicure that lasts!
The Gelly Nail Paints offer really high-pigmentation, a super glossy shine and formula that does not budge. What else could you realistically ask for? With these polishes I can normally get a complete opaque manicure in just one coat, the colour is rich and pigmented, plus it dries really quickly. I love sporting one of these polishes when I go to a special event as the glossy finish looks fantastic when it catches the light - they look much more expensive than £3.99.
If you can leave a Barry M counter without a nail polish you deserve a medal because it certainly never happens for me!
