Barry M Vanilla Matte

Press Sample

Hello! Last year I was sent the matte collection by Barry M. I have to be honest, at the time I wasn’t keen because I was very much into bright, wonderful colours. Lately I’ve been getting into neutrals and cremes a bit more, so I decided it was time to pull them out again. I’ve actually worn Vanilla at least 3 times before this, but each was while I was working and didn’t have any daylight to go out in let alone take photos in! Better late than never though…;) I’ve worn this a couple more times for interviews, as I feel like it’s a good neutral colour without being unflattering.

Vanilla is a light taupe, with a hint of cream. If you have pink-toned skin and you’re in the cold, it does bring out the pink a lot! It’s obviously a matte finish, which is nice and unique to my collection. It’s also fab underwear for glitter! Even though that kind of defeats the object of it being matte 😛 I do think this is nice and sophisticated though, and definitely perfect for a smart office or interview.

Application:

Vanilla is virtually opaque at one coat, but as it’s really quite thick, it can lead to a little dragging or streakyness, so I always add a second coat just to cover it all up. It dries in average time, although it does dent easily for a good 2hrs or so afterwards. As the finish is matte, you can’t really add a quick drying topcoat unless you want it to be glossy (which is what I did one day, it looks just as pretty!). I did find that this polish does show imperfections quite visibly so if you have any ridges or lumps and bumps I’d recommend using a ridge-filling basecoat underneath.

I feel like this is a nice staple to have in your collection, especially for those ‘smart days’ that come round every so often. And despite the application issues, it does finish off nicely and looks lovely, particularly in the sun. I think I am yet to get my head round matte nails… when I wear matte polish I always rub my nails as if they’re dirty, I don’t really know why haha!!

Barry M Matte polishes retail for £3.99 and are available at barrym.com, Boots and Superdrug 🙂