Barry M are my favourite nail polish brand and they have been ever since I started buying makeup aged 14. Their polishes are all so affordable as they’re under £5, and they last really well over time. I hate it when I spend £10+ on a nail polish only for it to separate and become unusable within a year but I have some Barry M polishes which I’ve owned for nearly five years and they still apply perfectly which is amazing for the price.
From all of the many Barry M polishes I’ve tried, there’s only been one collection which disappointed me and that was the Barry M Coconut Infusion Collection but I always buy the new Barry M collections whenever they launch as their polishes are rarely disappointing. The new Barry M Candy Culture Nail Polish Collection £3.99 is quite a small collection with just four shades but they’re beautiful shades nonetheless and I ordered mine from Boots – but make sure you check for any discount codes prior to placing an order.
“NEW Candy Culture Nail Paint is the first ever scented Nail Paint by Barry M! In 4 deliciously fruity scents Strawberry, Raspberry, Blueberry and Coconut, these pretty pastels are the perfect spring essential! Paint 2 coats onto your nails as normal and leave to set. Once dry, Candy Culture reveals its delicious scent and unique soft matte finish.“
Strawberry Laces – a peach pink pastel which is quite streaky and needs three thin coats. It smells more like strawberry bonbons than it does strawberry laces, and is the most matte from the four. I wish it wasn’t as streaky as it is as I just love pastel pink polishes but a white base would perhaps alleviate the streakiness.
Raspberry Sherbet – a pastel lilac which is my favourite shade from the collection, and is quite nostalgic for me as it reminds me of a limited edition shade Barry M did around 7/8 years ago as a Boots exclusive. I don’t know if anyone else remembers but it was this kind of lilac shade, and had a gold metallic lid and you got it free when you spent £7 in Boots.
I LOVED that polish so much I completely finished it, and worked in a bank at the time and I would always be asked what shade I was wearing on my nails so I’m delighted to have a similar shade back in my collection as it’s so, so pretty. It smells like strawberry laces to me but it’s a touch streaky so I need 3 coats but it’s worth it as I love the shade.
Coconut Cream – a lilac toned grey which reminds me of Nails Inc Porchester Square. It’s a little streaky but pastel polishes tend to be on the streaky side, but it’s not as streaky as Strawberry Laces and it smells just like suncream.
Blueberry Bonbon – a pastel cornflower blue with only two thin coats needed, and the best polish from the four for a streak-free application. It does dry down to a deeper shade than that in the bottle, and it smells like a blueberry Uni-Ball Gel Pen.
I wish the Barry M Candy Culture Nail Polish Collection had more than just four shades as Barry M tend to do six shades for each collection they launch, but here’s hoping they extend this range to include perhaps some nudes or mints. I love the whole scented polish gimmick and it’s not their first scented polish collection as they did the scented Lolly Gloss Tints which had a jelly finish, and I much prefer creme polishes.
I always wear nail polish with my holy grail top coat anyway, but if you wanted to wear the polishes within the Barry M Candy Culture Nail Polish Collection without a topcoat, they do have a semi-matte finish but I feel they look their best when topped with a glossy topcoat but I found three coats of the polish left a shiny finish so it would appear the more coats you apply, the less noticeable the semi-matte finish is. If you want to see some nail swatches, my favourite nail blogger has some amazing swatches of them, but they’re definitely perfect for Spring and Summer.
I thought the scent thing of the Barry M Candy Culture Nail Polish Collection would be a bit gimmicky and not very noticeable but the scents are definitely noticeable whilst the polish is wet and dry, and although a topcoat does minimise the scent, I catch myself getting a whiff of the polish when typing and I really like it. The scents aren’t strong enough that other people would be able to smell them whilst on your nails, but it’s a nice subtle twist to a pastel polish collection.
What do you think of the Barry M Candy Culture Nail Polish Collection? Which is your favourite shade?
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