Barry M Cosmic Glow – Magnetic Green Sparkle

Today I am showing you the fourth of five Barry M Magnetic polishes released this month: Barry M Venus Sunset/Magnetic Sparkle Red,Barry M Neptune Sea/Magnetic Sparkle Blue, Barry M Moon Dust/Magnetic Sparkle Gold, Barry M Cosmic Glow/Magnetic Green Sparkle, and Barry M Super Nova/Magnetic Sparkle Multi.

Cosmic Glow is a little different from the first three, in that the colour is solid (as opposed to silver and gunmetal polish with coloured shimmer). It also contains holographic microglitter which is very pretty!

Cosmic Glow is a super pretty khaki green polish with a darker forest-green appearance in the magnetic pattern. This one reminds me of some kind of scaly reptile with the bumpy slightly-wet appearance. I love the holo microglitter, even though it’s not hugely obvious, I think it really adds to the overall finish. Looking at the photos I think this polish could do with at least a slick of topcoat, if not two, to even out the finish. The magnet attached is in a chevron design, which is really pretty!

Application:

The formula of the new magnetics is a huge improvement on the first four magnetics released by Barry M – these are thinner and apply a lot more easily, much like a normal polish. It is important that you shake the bottle before you apply it – many people have thought their magnetic polish is not working when in fact the magnetic particles have just fallen to the bottom over time. You definitely need to have at least one plain coat of the polish on before adding the layer you will magnetise, as the polish is more sheer than the previous magnetics. The photos here show 3 coats – the 3rd coat was the one I magnetised. I felt with Cosmic Glow that it was slightly thicker than both Venus Sunset and Neptune Sea, but not so much that it hindered the application. The microglitter in Cosmic Glow means that removal is a tad more laborious but not as much as a pure glitter.

As with all Barry M Magnetics, the magnet is on the top of the square lid complete with a curved lip to help with positioning. The square lid removes to reveal a normal Barry M bottle and brush.

I will be creating a how-to video on how to apply magnetic polishes successfully – it took me a fair while to get to grips with it but I think I finally have grasped the technique! For now, here are some basic instructions (loosely based on those on the side of the bottle!):

Shake the bottle.
Apply one or two coats and allow to dry (like a normal polish).
Apply the next coat to a single finger, replace the brush and as quickly as possible position the magnet about 3-5mm from your nail. If you have quite a curved nail bed, as I do, I find it helps to very slightly tilt the magnet to either side of the nail, without moving the curved lip from its original position (so as not to spoil the pattern). Hold the magnet in place for a good few seconds before removing.
Repeat the process for each nail.
If you do choose to use a topcoat, ensure it is a thin topcoat rather than a thick one (which will drag the particles and spoil the design). The best thin topcoat I have found is Barry M All in One Basecoat Topcoat and Nail Hardener, but you can use any.
Leave to dry as with any normal polish!

I think this one is also very pretty on it’s own: a lovely khaki shimmer polish shot through with holo microglitter:

What do you think of this? I do really like this but it isn’t my favourite of the 5.

Barry M Magnetic nail paints are available at BarryM.com at £4.99 each, and from Superdrug, where they are currently on offer for 2 for £8.

Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for review purposes. However all opinions expressed are my own and are not in any way affected as a result of being sent this product by the brand. (I also bought this before being sent it for review so I would have written this review anyway!)