Barry M Neptune Sea – Magnetic Sparkle Blue

Here is the second of the five new magnetic polishes from Barry M: Barry M Venus Sunset (Magnetic Sparkle Red), Barry M Super Nova (Magnetic Sparkle Multi), Barry M Moon Dust (Magnetic Sparkle Gold), Barry M Cosmic Glow (Magnetic Sparkle Green) and this one, Barry M Neptune Sea (Magnetic Sparkle Blue).

I absolutely LOVE this one, I feel like the photos don’t quite do it justice – the effect is a lot more bold and 3D-looking in person. The turquoise shimmer really brings it alive. Again, as with Barry M Venus Sunset, Neptune Sea is essentially a silver-gunmetal magnetic polish but with added turquoise shimmer, giving it the blue tone.

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, but you could get away with 2. 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 thought I’d show you the polish as it appears before you magnetise it – it’s very pretty! It has an almost duochrome effect.

Here you can see the pretty turquoise shimmer. The polish removes like any other shimmer polish – minimum effort required!

What do you think of this? I really love it, again it has that planetary feel but maybe I’m just easily influenced by marketing…! Nevertheless it is super pretty, and probably my favourite magnetic so far.

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: Everything mentioned in this blog post was either bought by myself with my own money, or given to me as a gift from friends/relatives. All opinions expressed here are my own.