Good morning my fellow lacquered lovers! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend during this last weekend in January! I had a weekend full of lots of swatching so get ready for some fun stuff this week! First up, I have the new collection by Barielle for Spring 2012!
The Gem Stone Earth Collection is five shades in more neutral shades for spring. However a few of the colors are really cool shimmery shades! I was a bit apprehensive because I haven't had the best luck with Barielle polishes before, but they seem to have made some changes that are really helping them out as a brand! Now, without further ado, on to the polish!
Above: 3 coats of Pink Quartz
First up in Pink Quartz. I had a bit of trouble with the formula on this one, I found it to be very thick so rather than 2 coats like I would normally use for a cream, I tried 3 more thin coats. After 2 coats it was a bit streaky but the third coat seemed to even it out. I might try to add some thinner to it to see if I can work out the thickness problem because this is a great neutral shade for spring, and would be great as "underwear" for other colors as well! I kind of think this was misnamed though, because to me, a shade with Quartz in the name should have some shimmer or sparkle to it since quartz is a sparkly stone, but that's just semantics at this point.
Above: 2 coats of Granite Glitter
I actually really love Granite Glitter! It almost reminds me of a frostier version of Chanel Graphite. Granite Glitter, while possibly misnamed because there isn't really glitter to it, is a very shimmery dark grey with the tiniest hints of sliver and a bit of green to it. I just love how it looks on the nail! This one the formula was great on, in fact it was practically a one coater but without being overly thick! This is definitely one of my favorites from this collection!
Above: 2 coats of Amber Sparkler
Amber Sparkler is the brown twin sister of Granite Glitter! Amber Sparkler is a really pretty brown/coppery shimmery polish. You can see the tiniest hint of the brush stroke on this polish but honestly, I didn't notice it until I blew up my pictures to put them on here! I actually really like this color for spring because it's neutral but still interesting, so it's not just a boring earth tone. Amber Sparkler is opaque in two coats with no issues with the formula.
Above: 2 coats of Back to Nature
Back to Nature ran into a few of the same formula problems as Pink Quartz. While it wasn't quite as thick, the formula was still far more thick and almost sticky than any of the shimmers. I got away with two thin coats of Back to Nature for full coverage, but I definitely had to take my time and go much slower than usual with the application. That being said, I think this nude is actually the perfect color for my skin tone! I'm not much of a nude wearer, but maybe after a bit of thinner, this could also be used as an "underwear" polish for me. If you are a nude wearer, beware that the formula will be thick but can be worked with.
Above: 2 coats of Green Opal
Last but most certainly not least is Green Opal. I actually love this color! The formula was great, two coats to full opaqueness and lots of pigment, and the color is pretty unique! Green Opal is almost a light olive green with gold shimmer in it! The gold shimmer gives it a warm tone and I just think this color is super pretty for the spring! It's also not so bright or so green that you can't wear this polish anywhere and still feel a bit funky! Green Opal is definitely a winner to me.
So there you have it, Barielle's new Spring 2012 collection. I will say that Barielle has really stepped it up in my mind. The formula on the cremes is still hard to work with and too thick to be easily applied, but I had no issues with the shimmers and really enjoyed the shimmers! Barielle is available online and sign up for their newsletter because they run sales all the time!
What do you think of this collection? Any must haves? Any dupes?
*These products were sent to me for my unbiased review. For more information, please read my disclosure policy.
The Gem Stone Earth Collection is five shades in more neutral shades for spring. However a few of the colors are really cool shimmery shades! I was a bit apprehensive because I haven't had the best luck with Barielle polishes before, but they seem to have made some changes that are really helping them out as a brand! Now, without further ado, on to the polish!
First up in Pink Quartz. I had a bit of trouble with the formula on this one, I found it to be very thick so rather than 2 coats like I would normally use for a cream, I tried 3 more thin coats. After 2 coats it was a bit streaky but the third coat seemed to even it out. I might try to add some thinner to it to see if I can work out the thickness problem because this is a great neutral shade for spring, and would be great as "underwear" for other colors as well! I kind of think this was misnamed though, because to me, a shade with Quartz in the name should have some shimmer or sparkle to it since quartz is a sparkly stone, but that's just semantics at this point.
I actually really love Granite Glitter! It almost reminds me of a frostier version of Chanel Graphite. Granite Glitter, while possibly misnamed because there isn't really glitter to it, is a very shimmery dark grey with the tiniest hints of sliver and a bit of green to it. I just love how it looks on the nail! This one the formula was great on, in fact it was practically a one coater but without being overly thick! This is definitely one of my favorites from this collection!
Amber Sparkler is the brown twin sister of Granite Glitter! Amber Sparkler is a really pretty brown/coppery shimmery polish. You can see the tiniest hint of the brush stroke on this polish but honestly, I didn't notice it until I blew up my pictures to put them on here! I actually really like this color for spring because it's neutral but still interesting, so it's not just a boring earth tone. Amber Sparkler is opaque in two coats with no issues with the formula.
Back to Nature ran into a few of the same formula problems as Pink Quartz. While it wasn't quite as thick, the formula was still far more thick and almost sticky than any of the shimmers. I got away with two thin coats of Back to Nature for full coverage, but I definitely had to take my time and go much slower than usual with the application. That being said, I think this nude is actually the perfect color for my skin tone! I'm not much of a nude wearer, but maybe after a bit of thinner, this could also be used as an "underwear" polish for me. If you are a nude wearer, beware that the formula will be thick but can be worked with.
Last but most certainly not least is Green Opal. I actually love this color! The formula was great, two coats to full opaqueness and lots of pigment, and the color is pretty unique! Green Opal is almost a light olive green with gold shimmer in it! The gold shimmer gives it a warm tone and I just think this color is super pretty for the spring! It's also not so bright or so green that you can't wear this polish anywhere and still feel a bit funky! Green Opal is definitely a winner to me.
So there you have it, Barielle's new Spring 2012 collection. I will say that Barielle has really stepped it up in my mind. The formula on the cremes is still hard to work with and too thick to be easily applied, but I had no issues with the shimmers and really enjoyed the shimmers! Barielle is available online and sign up for their newsletter because they run sales all the time!
What do you think of this collection? Any must haves? Any dupes?
*These products were sent to me for my unbiased review. For more information, please read my disclosure policy.
Green Opal was my favorite.... The others just didnt seem to be anything special to me
ReplyDeleteI'm quite disappointed with this collection:( Green Opal in interesting, but other than that..I wouldn't buy anything.
ReplyDeletePretty colors! I don't like working with thick or to watery polishes thou!
ReplyDeleteThese are very much "me" colors - I love wearing browns, greens, and golds!
ReplyDeleteFunny, they seemed very misnamed- calling something quartz when there's no sparkle, calling something glitter when there's no glitter? Someone needs a dictionary! *grin*
ReplyDeleteI'm being silly. I don't have any Barielle polishes, I'll have to try them one day!
Love is a telephone which is rs gold not always associated with happiness. Honeyed words are transmitted by sound waves, but when the lovers Buy rs gold are brought together, the phone servers no purpose rs gold that many lovers observe that marriage is the doom of love.
ReplyDelete