My picks…
Myrza’s Meadow – Light yellow-based green shimmer with pastel multi-color glitter. This is a very pretty color light of green and it’s one that doesn’t look bad with my pink skin. However, as much as I liked the color, the formula drove me a bit batty. It was extremely thick. As I don’t like to alter the formula of a polish with thinner before I review it, I tried to swatch it as-is. However, after struggling with it for 10 minutes, I gave up and ended adding, in total, about 8 drops of thinner. The thinner made it much more workable. Pic is 2 coats.
Falling Star – Medium toned, dusty blue crème with copper glitter. This color is from the fall 2009 All Lacquered Up collection (I’m still jealous. LOL). I wore this one as a full mani as soon as I got it and I couldn’t stop looking at my nails. The picture is lighter and much brighter, than IRL. The formula was a bit thick, but nothing like Myrza’s Meadow. I was able to swatch it without adding thinner. I will, however, add a couple drops of thinner to make it a bit more manageable in the future. Pic is 2 coats, and aside from thickness, there were no issues.
June Bug – Light, dusty blue-grey crème with turquoise micro-shimmer and fuchsia glitter. Aside from the color differences, it’s a bit reminiscent of Falling Star (crème + glitter), though June Bug has micro-shimmer as well. I called this one a crème with shimmer rather than a shimmer polish, because unlike a true shimmer, the micro-shimmer seemed like it was sitting on top of the base rather than being integrated into it, if that makes sense. It was crazy unique and one of my top 3 of the polishes I reviewed. The formula was thick (thicker than Falling Star, but nowhere near Myrza’s Meadow territory), but this color is so unique, it’s definitely worth the extra effort and/or the addition of thinner. Pic is 2 coats.
And now for the 3 surprises…
Uninhibited – Pale white-gold shimmer with green, blue, and pink micro-shimmer. White-gold is one of those colors, I keep looking for, never to find one I truly like. This one is pretty, but I found myself getting frustrated with the formula, yet again. Like the 3 above, this one formula was thick, but with thinner it will work much better. It was an odd consistency. I couldn’t tell if it was meant to be a sheer on an opaque, but the color was very pretty. I think I would prefer to see it a bit on the sheer side, used as a layering polish. I would love it see it over a metallic gold, like OPI Bling Dynasty. Pic is 2 coats.
Cherry Pie – Red crème with a slight-brown base. This is an amazing red crème. It’s a very classic, almost pin-up red, but there is a slight brown tone to the base that makes it different. I was incredibly surprised by this one. It was opaque in 1 coat and the formula was perfect. If you like red crèmes, this one is great to have in your collection because it’s essentially “one and done”.
Bikini-tini – Bright purple-pink jelly. This is a beautiful color for summer and would look great with a tan, especially for a beach pedi. It had that great hard candy finish of a jelly. I did have slight VNLs at 2 coats, but that’s just the nature of a jelly finish. Formula, while not as fantastic as cherry pie, was fine, definitely not thick or unruly. Pic is 2 coats.
All in all, there isn’t a one of these colors I don’t like, though there are some I like more. Than others If had to pick favorites, based on color alone, they would be Falling Star (seriously… it’s in the APP top 20), Cherry Pie, and June Bug (in that order). Also, I know I kind of harped on the formula of several of these, but honestly, a thick formula doesn’t really bother me. I know some people don’t like dealing with it, but if you have a bottle of thinner in your arsenal (which all NP addicts should have, IMO), the thickness, really isn’t an issue. If you like the color, the application can be fixed. You just add a couple of drops, shake, lather, rinse, repeat, until you get a consistency you are happy with. Just be sure to start small, as you can always add more, but you can’t take away. Also, DO NOT add nail polish remover as a substitute for thinner. It may work initially, but what you will end up doing is ruining your polish. Remover is remover and thinner is thinner. LOL.
Okay, back to the Barielles… I’m so happy I got a chance to review this brand. From looking at their website, they have several interesting colors, and, though it was last year’s collection, I still think it’s totally awesome that they joined forces with a blogger to create a collection. Shades by Barielle is available on Barielle’s website. They retail for $8 and Barielle always offers Buy 2 Get 1 Free, and orders over $50 get free shipping.
These were sent to me for review
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