Palaver-doxal

Non-nail-fans turn away now, things are about to get serious. I purchased Chanel's Paradoxal, but not before some serious umm-ing and ah-ing.
You see, I'd popped along to Selfridges to give it a whirl, fell in love instantly, and wasted no time in buying that baby before it had chance to sell out.
I continued on my shopping way, fully intending this to be my only splurge while helping your friend and mine Beth buy a new wardrobe for the brand-new job of her dreams. We all know how that worked out.
But, imagine my surprise upon venturing into Topshop Oxford Circus that Barry M has a new shade also - Dusky Mauve. How did I not know about this? It's an absolute blatant rip-off of Paradoxal and the most accurate polish dupe I've ever seen. I was in turmoil. Do I keep my wonderful Chanel or return it unopened and plump for the purse-friendly polish by Bargainistas' fave Barry?

 In the end I couldn't face the no-doubt haughty reaction of the Chanel girls upon my trying to explain why I would buy a nail polish one day and return it the next - I image their regular customers don't have to worry about such minor burdens as buyers' remorse.
But Beth picked up the Barry M and we set about seeing just how accurate the pair are on the nail by wearing one each. First, the Paradoxal - two coats plus Seche Vite.

Look at the gleam; look at the glisten; look at that amazing shade of mauve that goes with everything from nudes to rust, blues to pinks, black brown and white. I adore it.
Now for the Barry M, two coats, again with Seche Vite.

Look at the gleam; look at the glisten; look at that amazing shade of mauve that goes with everything from nudes to rust, blues to pinks, black brown and white.Yep, the difference is imperceptable. I'd say the Chanel is easier to apply, and a little more robust with only two coats, but the shade is exactly the same, and they both have that fabulous glisten that's seen best in natural daylight. With the naked eye, they look less sparkly than the above flash pics suggest.
When I didn't use the flash you couldn't see the glisten at all. Here are those for comparison. The naked eye sees something in between the above and below images. (Sorry, this polish is famously hard to capture on camera!) Chanel first, then Barry M:

So. Do I wish I'd gone for Barry M? My bank balance would say yes. But actually, it's so rare I ever own a designer original, I feel justified in going to the source for this shade. It truly is an innovative colour in the nails market, developed with care, research, experience and attention by Chanel. So it feels right to pay more for their dedication to creating new trends in nail colour.
Does that mean I won't recommend the Barry M to everyone I meet? Hell no! This almost exact dupe is a mere fifth of the Chanel Paradoxal price, and let's face it, Chanel probably doesn't need your £16.50. But for me, it's nice to know I have something a little special in my beauty repertoire, and for that reason Chanel's Paradoxal will be my go-to shade for Autumn.
If you managed to get to the end of this essay, well done! You get to find out early that I'll be giving away a bottle of the Barry M version in an up-coming comp, so stay tuned!

Take matte

During a fleeting visit to Superdrug to grab some painkillers, I was momentarily distracted by the kaleidoscopic Barry M counter.

A friend had mentioned Barry M's Cyan, and once I saw it, I couldn't resist. It helped that she lives a few doors down from me, and we can effectively share a nail polish collection, so in my mind I was doing a public service by picking up this little beauty. (£2.99)

I hope you ladies (and gentlemen) are sitting down because what I'm about to tell you could knock you off your feet... this is only two coats! This polish is a flippin' gem. Regular readers will know I'm a three-coat addict, but there was absolutely no need with this creamy, opaque beauty. And the colour is great. (Coated with Seche Vite here for extra gloss)

Then I took things to another level. I picked up Topshop's Matte with my other items last Wednesday, and although I was pretty dubious as to whether I'd take to matte nails, on a vibrant colour like this I'm sold.

Don't get me wrong, I'll always love that shiny manicured look. But for the crazier colours in my repertoire this gives a more casual edge I'm a real fan of. Would rather like to try it with some of Barry's ice cream colours, and definitely with Topshop's Gypsy Night, just to see what it does to glitter polishes. Either way, it's a fun product for a fiver, worked well here on top of my topcoat, letting you change it up on a whim, and dried in seconds with no brushstroaks. Go forth and mattify!

Sparkle motion

Thursday 20 June was an exciting day for the UK high street - H&M Fashion for Aids line and Kate Moss's biggest collection yet both hit the shelves, to much elbowing and catfighting on Oxford Street, I can tell you.

Managed to picked up a couple of beauties on a whistlestop tour after work - more about them over the weekend - but one particular find has made this beautiful day even more sunny.

It must have been the return of summer that made me want to take something about my outfit to the next level today... but after over-experimenting with neon clothing in my uni days, I decided to limit my crazy brights to the fingers... so embarked on a glittery journey.

Now, let me preface this by saying I thought my glitter nail days were over long ago (except perhaps at Christmas), until the little gem above caught my eye in ToShoOxo lat night - Barry M nail polish in number 228 - oh the possibilities to add a subtle shimmer to any shade!

With nails already slicked in Nails Inc Satin (my personal fave of the turquoise family), I added a quick layer of this sparkly beauty and the little fellas were transformed from a basic look to something with another dimension. The silver sparkle makes the polish seem shimmery metallic, rather than like something from Claire's Accessories, and instantly more expensive!

It's the closest to Minx I've had at home.

Another bonus of this perfect polish is it sweeps on smooth, rather than scratchy or raised like some glittery polishes, which means less chance of chipping... everyone's a winner!

(Sadly this effect didn't quite translate in the images above - first shot is a before, second is the after - obv.)