Swatch: BarryM - Gelly Nail Paints (part 2)

Hi ladies! I'm back again after taking a day or two to revitalise after the 30 Day Challenge with 3 more of the BarryM Gelly Nail Paints released last month. I knew from the get go I wanted these three the most and I was going to venture into town on payday and snatch them up. Then, Mr BarryM decided to have a 20% off sale to celebrate the launch of the Gelly's on their website, so of course I knew I had to get them there and then.

As I mentioned in my previous post, BarryM Gellys are not to be confused with the squishy Jelly finish we see in some polishes, although originally that's what a lot of people thought they would be. In fact, they're supposed to be an easier way to get the 'wet look' Gel Nails give but without having to cure the polish under a UV light.  Marketed as 'One Coat, High Gloss' polishes, I must say these three do live up to that promise, depending on how heavily you apply the first coat. I generally like to do two thin coats, but to show their true potential, I did one thick coat for the photos below. I had no trouble with the formula or application of the polish, even when applying a thicker coat, everything went on smoothly and there was no pooling or flooding in the cuticles. All photos below have been taken indoors, without a top coat.

First up we have Blackberry. Blackberry is what I would describe as a deep Plum and is probably one of my favourites, it's a toss up between Pomegranate and this.

Next up we have Blue Plum. Blue Plum is a dark Blue with Green undertones. The colour of Blue Plum is more accurately pictured in the bottom photo.

And finally we have Watermelon. Watermelon is a Forest Green with hints of Blue undertones. This was probably one of the hardest to photo, just because for some bizarre reason, my camera HATES Green polishes and capturing their true colour. Again, Watermelon is more accurately pictured in the bottom photo.

Have you tried BarryM Gelly Nail Paints yet? If so which are your favourites from the collection? I'm seriously debating whether to purchase Blueberry and Blood Orange to complete my collection, although neither of them really appeal to me. If you haven't tried any Gelly Nail Paints yet, they retail for £3.99 and are available from to purchase worldwide from their website and if you're in the UK and don't want to spend on shipping, they're also available in Superdrug and Boots stores across the country.

Swatch: Purple Professional - 36

Hi ladies! Before I get into the post, I just wanted to announce that I have finally purchased my own domain name! Which means my blog is now polishedcriminails.com instead of polishedcriminails.blogspot.com! How exciting is that!? I've been wanting my own domain for the longest time, but never got around to doing so until last night, so it's still in transition mode at the moment, so if certain features of my blog isn't working, that will be why!
I have another Purple Professional polish to show you today, if you haven't seen my previous Purple Professional posts, you can click HERE to be taken to those! Purple Professional is a Portuguese brand which is currently in the process of expanding their line to various other countries, which is exciting news! I thought I would show you Shade 36; a dark Lilac creme. The photos below are 3 coats of 36 without a top/base coat taken Indoors in Natural Light (sunshine, where are you?!?)

Sorry for the short post! But a short one is better than none right? What do you think to Purple Professional? Have you tried any of their products yet, if so which ones?! Purple Professional polishes retail for around €3 and can be ordered through any authorised retailers listed here or directly through their Facebook page. They are also currently looking for distributors! So if you think you'd be interested in stocking Purple Professional products in your shop, please e-mail paula.purpleprofessional@sapo.pt

Swatch: Purple Professional - 10

Hi ladies! Just a quick post to show you another Purple Professional polish in shade '10'. 10 is a dusty Purple creme with Pink undertones. I had no issues with the formula and it was opaque in 2 coats. The photos below are without a Top/Base coat, but I don't even think it needs a Top coat, unless you want long lasting wear, since it's already so glossy.

Indoors, Natural Light

Natural Light

Direct Sunlight

Purple Professional is fast becoming one of my favourite brands, their formula is practically flawless and their range of colours are amazing, I just wish I could get them easily! Stay tuned for some more Purple Professional polishes coming soon!

Swatch: Catrice - Dirty Berry

Hi ladies! I have a Catrice polish to show you today, which I recently received along side my Purple Professional polishes in my swap with Rosa! I've been wanting to try Catrice for the longest time, but since it's only available in 'main land' Europe and hasn't managed to work its way over to the UK yet, I wasn't easily able to get my hands on them! Luckily, I have some awesome friends in the polish community who were happy to help me out, thanks Karine & Rosa, and now I have my own little Catrice collection.
To kick off the launch of Catrice on my blog, I thought I would show you one of the prettiest from my collection, Dirty Berry. Dirty Berry is a muted, dusty Purple with scattered Holographic particles. Although the holo in Dirty Berry is not as apparent as some other scattered holos, it's still absolutely gorgeous. I had no issues with the formula and it applied well with only minimal streaking on the first coat, which evened out with the second. The photos below are 3 coats of Dirty Berry without a base/top coat.

Label Shot

Indoors, Natural Light

Natural Light

Direct Sunlight

Catrice retail for roughly €3 each and are available in certain parts of Europe, to find a store near you click here to be taken to their 'find a store' page. Also be sure to check out their Facebook & Twitter to keep up with the latest news and releases!! What are your thoughts on Dirty Berry and Catrice polishes in general? Are you a huge fan or have you not tried them? Let me know!

Swatch: eye CANDY - Naughty But Nice

Hi ladies! I thought I would stop by and do a little post whilst I cool down from sitting in the BEAUTIFUL British weather we've had over the weekend and give you a little swatch post. As you all may know if you follow me on Facebook, I have been raving about eye CANDY nail polishes lately. Everything about them is top quality, from the packaging to the formula, everything except the price that is! eye CANDY nail polishes are available from 408 Sainsburys stores nationwide for between £5 - £10. I have a polish to show you from their Core line, in the shade 'Naughty But Nice'.
Naughty But Nice is a gorgeous, Grey-toned, pastel Lilac creme. It applied well with minimal streaking on the first coat, I used 2 coats for the photos below. As with all eye CANDY Nail Polishes I have tried, the formula is amazing, it honestly is up there with the greats such as OPI/China Glaze. The finish is smooth and extremely glossy, the photos don't quite do it justice.

Label Shot

Natural Light

Direct Sunlight

As I mentioned, you can find eye CANDY products in 408 Sainsburys stores nationwide. Their Core Colours range retails for £5 each and come in 12 different shades. Unfortunately for my international readers, eye CANDY Nail Polishes are solely available from Sainsburys, but I am told they will eventually be expanding to selected online retailers in the future! To make sure you don't miss out on the latest news, be sure to add eye CANDY to Facebook (here & here) and also follow them on Twitter! Stay tuned for some more of eye CANDY Core Colours coming soon!

Swatch: China Glaze - IDK (Happy Holo Day!!)

Hi ladies! So I have a cool little post for you today! A couple of the girls in a Facebook group I'm in, decided to create a 'Holo Day', where each of us participating will post a swatch of, well, a holo polish! Now I don't really own THAT many holo polishes, and any I do own are all featured already on the blog. HOWEVER, I did find a folder of China Glaze - IDK photos which I didn't publish, unfortunately this polish is no longer with me so you'll have to forgive the photos as it was a cold, miserable, sunless day. I decided I wanted in last minute so I haven't been able to create something amazing like the other ladies since there was no sunshine today for me to bust my holos out (and I wanted to do it with proper sunlight, not flash) so you'll just have to make do with my boring, one coloured nails!
If I remember rightly, I used 2 coats of IDK without a top coat, I did find the formula a little gloopy but perhaps that's just because it is getting old. For those of you who don't know, IDK comes from the OMG collection by China Glaze released in Spring 2008 and it's a gorgeous, linear lilac holographic polish! As I mentioned, the photos were taken on a VERY dull day, so I had to use a flash to capture the 'holoness'.

Dull, overcast weather, no flash

Dull, overcast weather, with flash

Dull, overcast weather, with flash

Isn't it stunning? Looking at these photos makes me regret ever selling my OMG holos, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Polish CAN be replaceable if you're willing to spend the pennies! Do you own any of the China Glaze holos? If so which ones?

Make sure you check out some of the other AMAZING bloggers partaking in Holo Day!

Swatch: Dollish Polish - Dark Passenger

Good evening ladies! I have a Dollish Polish debut on my blog today in the form of Dark Passenger. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I bought this polish just for the name, being a HUGE fan of not only the Dexter books, but also the TV show, I couldn't pass up the opportunity of owning the polish too! Dark Passenger is a gorgeous dark 'Blurple' polish with Pink shimmer. The reason it's 'blurple' is that it's not blue but it's not purple, it's the perfect balance in between. For the photos below I used 3 coats of Dark Passenger (you could easily get away with using 2) without a top coat. Also, excuse the random black glitter on my ring finger, I have no idea how it managed to get there!

Bottle/Label Shot

Indoors, Natural Light

Indoors, Indirect Sunlight

Dollish Polish is available to buy at her bigcartel page for between $8.75-$9.50 for full sized (15ml) bottles or  $4.50 for mini sized (3.6ml) bottles. To keep up with the latest news and restocks, be sure to check out Dollish Polish on Facebook & Twitter.
Do you currently own any Dollish Polish? If not, what are you currently lusting over?

Swatch: China Glaze - Light As Air

Hi ladies! I'm back with a China Glaze polish for you today. China Glaze has to be one of my all time favourite 'international' brands. I remember when I first got some from eBay, I just stared at them so happy to have a 'high end' brand in my then BarryM only collection. Now I mention it, I think this was amongst the first ones I had! *nostalgia*

Light As Air was released with the 'Up & Away' collection in Spring 2010 and is a gorgeous greyed out, pastel lilac creme with subtle pink undertones. The finish almost looks matte in the photos, but I promise it isn't.

The best thing about this polish is that *I think* it looks amazing with my skin tone. Being two fangs away from a vampire, not a lot of pale polishes suit my skin tone, let alone pale purples. But this! Oh my word, I LOVE it. I know I say this a lot, but I can't believe I've left it to hibernate in my collection for so long! This is definitely perfect for Spring!

So, what are your 'go to' polishes this Spring? Will you be rocking the pastel shades, going bold with brights or are you still loving the dark shades? I'd love to hear from you!

Swatch: BarryM - Lilac Foil (Instant Nail Effects)

Hi ladies! Welcome to Day 6 of BarryM week! Only one more day left, I just have to choose which one to feature! I won't bore you with the aimless ramblings today and just jump straight into it!

Lilac Foil is the newest addition to the Foil line at BarryM, originally released as a Superdrug exclusive polish over the Christmas period, but I guess the demand was so high, they decided to release it into their core line! 

Lilac Foil is a Lilac base with Silver shimmer that dries into a shiny, metallic finish. As I mentioned with both the Silver & Gold Foil Effects, the brush lines are visible which is a common trait amongst all Foil polishes, but don't panic if you're anti lines there are ways to fix it!

Lilac Foil is available to buy on their website, Boots and Superdrug for £3.99! BarryM also offer international shipping too!

Swatch: BarryM - Lavender Hexograms

Oh hello BarryM, I haven't seen you around here for a while! LOL jk. I know I have been posting a LOT of BarryM polishes this week, this isn't actually on purpose, I just have so many unpublished BarryM polishes in my vault. Lets just call this week BarryM week shall we? Then everything sort of makes a little more sense.

Yesterday I showed you Berry Ice Cream and told you that I have a gorgeous glitter that looks amazing over the top of it, well here it is! Did any of you guess correctly?

Lavender Hexograms is a clear base packed with tiny specs of silver glitter and larger purple square glitters, anyone else wondering why they called it Lavender 'Hexograms'? Maybe it's because 'Lavender Squares' doesn't sound too appealing? Who knows.

This polish was a little bit of a pain to apply, the square glitter seemed to just clump together on the nail, maybe I should have shaken it around a bit more before applying, but I just wanted to give it a try! I also want to apologise for the photo quality, this was actually the only photo that wasn't blurry *shakes fist at camera* but I'm too poor to buy myself a brand spanking new one. I'd rather buy more polish...clearly my priorities are in order.

Well, this concludes Day 4 of BarryM week! Stay tuned for some more polishes from Mr Barry M!

Swatch: BarryM - Berry Ice Cream

Hi ladies! Another BarryM post for you today, carrying on with their Ice Cream line. Just a pointer, over the next few posts you will see the length of my nails change from short to long to short again. The reason for this is that I am trying to completely wipe my vault clean of photos that I need to post, otherwise they will be there until the end of time!

Berry Ice Cream is a pale pastel lilac creme and is opaque in 2 coats. This is very similar to Models Own - Lilac Dream (I will post a comparison at some point, don't hold your breath for this though!) but if you're looking for a cheaper alternative to Models Own, this is it!

I have one more polish in the Ice Cream line to show you after this, I'm missing Lemon Ice Cream, as yellows really aren't my forte and make my skin look really washed out and red looking. I also have a BarryM glitter that looks gorgeous over this colour, any guesses as to what it is? Find out in tomorrows post!

Swatch: BarryM - Indigo

Natural Light

Hi ladies! I was browsing through my computer folders and found a fair few swatches that I have yet to post on my blog. A lot of them are so old I didn't feel they qualified to be published here, so I'm going to have to redo those.

With Flash

In the mean time, I'd like for you all to take a look at this beauty. This is BarryM - Indigo. I actually sold this polish in a blog sale recently, so it's not even with me anymore! I do, however, think I will repurchase this because it makes great underwear for Max Factor's Fantasy Fire!

Indigo is a gorgeous blue purple creme polish! It's one of those nightmare to capture polishes too. My camera picked it up a lot more blue than it actually is irl. I know this is a common problem with this particular shade, so whoever managed to capture it truly, kudos to you!

Many of you know, I am a die hard BarryM fan and have been for at least 7 years now! Their polishes are excellent value for money and actually last on the nails. I once wore a BarryM Nail Paint for a whole week when on holiday and it didn't even chip! Amazing. 

Swatch: GOSH - Wild Lilac

First of all, I want to apologise for being such a terrible blogger! I haven't posted a swatch for you guys in what seems like forever. The main reason for this is because my boyfriends dad has been off work, so I feel a bit of a tool prancing around in the garden trying to take photos of my hands! I hope you can forgive me!

It was such a beautiful day today that I decided I would set myself a swatch challenge. So I piled about 10 polishes into a little basket, along with polish remover, cotton pads and cutips, sat at the table on my patio and told myself I wasn't allowed to move until they had all been swatched...which I did! *yay*

So today I have for you the last of my GOSH polishes that needed to be swatched; Wild Lilac. Wild Lilac is a gorgeous blue-toned lilac creme which applies beautifully in 2 coats. I do find GOSH polishes to be a little thick at times, but even then they're not impossible to use!

I originally bought this polish for a swap I was doing last year, but the person I was swapping with pulled out at the last minute, so instead of selling it, I decided to keep it for myself!

What are your thoughts on Wild Lilac? I'm definitely going to be wearing this a little bit more during the Spring season, I just can't believe this was the first time I've ever used it! *slaps wrist*

Swatch: OPI - Lincoln Park After Dark (Suede) & a mini haul!

Today I have for you OPI - Lincoln Park After Dark from their Suede collection. This is actually the second Suede I own, courtesy of a lovely lady called Casey in PaA who picked this up for me from a US only website! I currently have another suede coming in a swap from the lovely Nicel @ Operation: Nail It!, so I just need to get my hands on the final three.

Lincoln Park After Dark Suede is a gorgeous Eggplant base packed with Silver shimmer, there's even hints of Blue & Pink shimmer in sunlight too! It's definitely a lot different to it's original almost black counterpart, released in 2005 as part of OPI's Chicago Collection. I absolutely looove this colour! If you saw my We'll Always Have Paris Suede post, then you know what's coming now...Top Coat time! How beautiful does it look with a Top Coat?!? I almost wet my knickers when I started applying it, it's sooo stunning! If you're able to get your hands on LPADS then I definitely suggest doing so, you will not be disappointed.

Now time for my little haul that I got today of which none is for me! I'm currently sticking(ish) to my no buy! *yay* Swap polishes do not count in these. First of all, here is what came in the mail today;

Here are the W7 Metallic Planets, which I don't actually know why they're called Metallic, they're absolutely gorgeous Duo chrome polishes! Very similar to those from Models Own Beetlejuice collection! I actually picked these up for a swap I'm doing with Nicole from Let Me See Ur Peacock but now I have seen them in person, I'm definitely getting myself a set once my no buy is over!

These babies I picked up from my local town for another swap I'm doing, actually 2 swaps. The first 3 BarryM's are for my friend Marnie from Ambianceshop and the rest are for the Marisa from Polish Obsession for our swap! I was really disappointed with my trip into town, I went on the search for the illusive Fantasy Fire only to find that my Superdrug doesn't stock any of the MaxFactor mini's and that my Boots had every other colour in the range besides FF! How annoying is that!? I thought that living in a tiny town would have it's benefits when it comes to lusted after polishes!

So that has been my day in a nutshell, taking swatches and going shopping. I actually enjoyed going polish shopping, even if I wasn't getting anything for myself, the thrill was still there. How sad, right?!? 

Swatch: Cult Nails - Mind Control

Okay, so first things first...please excuse my sorry ass job of a 'clean up'. Clearly my camera likes to pick up faults of mine for the world to see. I need to invest in one of those remover pens! They look like they work a dream. Also, apologies for my reflection! I tried to get out of the way, but then the image went all blurry and out of focus. GAH.

Anyway, back to the post. I have another Cult Nails polish for you today in the form of Mind Control. I actually really like the dimensions to this polish, Mind Contol is a deep, blackened purple base with magenta glitter. I did notice a slight colour change to the glitter when reflecting in different lights, the photo is 2 coats without a top coat. I really like the 'vampy' look to this polish and I think it suits my skintone well.

As I said before, Cult Nails are available from their website and are priced at $10 each. I believe this colour is still available to buy too. Be sure to check out their Facebook page too, as Maria is always announcing upcoming discounts/sales on the site.

OPI - We'll Always Have Paris (Suede)

Today I have for you my first OPI suede polish in the form of We'll Always Have Paris.

We'll Always Have Paris is a gorgeous soft purple rose packed full of silvery shimmer, I don't have the original WAHP from their La Collection De France released in Fall 2008, but from the swatches I have seen of the polish - the suede version is completely different. I used two coats for the swatch, but one would have been enough. It also dries extremely quick, which I think is a common trait amongst Suedes/Mattes.

After having this polish on my nails, I have the need to get the rest of the Suede collection! I currently have Lincoln Park After Dark and Ink Suede coming to me, but I will have to look around for the rest of them!

I wanted to see what WAHP looked like with a top coat on top so I used China Glaze Patent Leather Top Coat and this is what I got! Oooh shiny! I actually think I prefer it without a top coat, although it looks gorgeous with one, without gives it a more unique look instead of just being a run of the mill polish.

What are your thoughts on Suede polishes? Do you prefer them to Matte?

OPI - Not Like The Movies

Today I have an absolutely amazing duo chrome polish for you in the form of OPI - Not Like The Movies from their Katy Perry collection.
I bought this polish from a blogsale on a whim, I hadn't actually seen any swatches of this polish when I bought it, I was just going off the look of the polish in the photos and I'm so glad I did!
This is probably one of the best duo chrome polishes I own, the shift is so apparent no matter what light you hold it in, there's always the presence of both the green and purple on the nail. As well as being a duo chrome, it also is packed with fine silver glitter, it reminds me of mermaids that you used to read about in fairy tales!


I then wanted to see what it looked like layered over black, so I took out Essie - Licorice and added two coats of Not Like The Movies on top. How beautiful is that?! Not Like The Movies is definitely my favourite duo chrome polish by far, as of this moment! What are your favourite duo chrome polishes? What would you recommend me giving a try, leave me a comment below!

E.L.F: Dark Purple Glitter

Now, to be honest with you, I don't know what to make of this colour. A part of me absolutely loves it, but there's another part of me that doesn't. Dark Purple Glitter is one of the many polishes I purchased in ELF's 40% off sale for 90p, usually £1.50. It's a dark, vampy purple with blue toned glass flecks running throughout, giving it a lighter feel. Now, I was a bit disappointed with how this translated onto my nails, in the bottle it looks very glitter heavy, but on my nails there is hardly anything.
The application is very smooth and is opaque in 2 coats, as it is a glass fleck, the removal process is very quick and easy, which was good as I swatched a lot of polishes before and after taking this photo, many of which I'll have to re-do due to half hearted clean ups.
Kudos to all those polishaholic bloggers out there that swatch whole collections in one day, it gets very tedious very quickly, I can't imagine what it's like with full glitters!
If there's any specific polish you'd like to see swatched from my recent ELF Haul, let me know in the comments!!

GOSH - Gasoline

Today's swatch I have for you is GOSH - Gasoline. I've seen this floating around the blogging community for quite a while and I always thought it looked amazing in the pictures. I instantly started to lust over it, but always held back on buying it. For some reason, I always seemed to be put off by the price, £5. They looked tiny on pictures and I couldn't justify spending that amount on a little bottle of polish, however, since splurging on Models Own polishes at £5 a piece I thought I'd take the plunge. Not to mention these were 3 for 2 in Superdrug - definitely worth the spend.
For some reason, in the bottle it looks like it's almost matte, which isn't the case when applied to the nails. This seems to be one of the hardest polishes to capture it's true colour, neither of the swatches below are able to capture it's life like colour. The photo below is 3 coats & you can still see my nail line.

As it's the end of November and I live in the UK, sunshine doesn't exist. The only 'natural' light we get outside is Grey overcast, urgh. But anyway, on to the colour....Gasoline is a jelly based shimmer, I say shimmer as the flecks inside aren't grit enough to be a glitter, in my opinion anyway. The base colour is a dark magenta with a blueish/purple shimmer, which I think gives it that lighter looking effect. On closer inspection I've also found it to have tiny flecks of holographic glitter. The application is a bit hit and miss, as it can be gloopy at times and the first coat does apply sheer too but overall I do like this colour, maybe not as much as I'd have liked to though.

Application: 7/10

Pigmentation: 6/10

Coats: 4/5