Barry M - Coconut Infusion Full Collection review + swatches
Barry M Brown charger coconut infusion Comparison emerald Green lilac mint Nude phone Pink Review tanHey everyone! Today I have the brand new Barry M - Coconut Infusion Collection* to show you. These have just been released, and contain a completely new formula to regular Barry M nail polish. As described by Barry M their 'unique blend of coconut water and coconut oil gently hydrates and nourishes nails while delivering a beautifully smooth, gel-like glossy manicure'. How many times have we heard these claims? I certainly thought these would just be another 'fad' nail polish. I really couldn't have been more wrong. I'm not exaggerating when I say these are the best formula of nail polish I've ever experienced. Barry M have completely outdone themselves, baring in mind that their gelly polishes were already some of my favourites, if not my favourite. The application of all of these polishes was silky smooth, two coats for every polish and they dry really fast. As in, faster than the speedy dry polishes. I would describe these as a combination of the gelly polishes and the speedy polishes with all the best qualities. I can't attest for the hydrating qualities, I'm not really sure how you'd test that, but they definitely deliver a 'smooth, gel-like glossy manicure'.
One thing I did notice about the collection is that quite a few of the polishes are largely similar to other Barry M polishes, I imagine this was so that favourite colours could be reinvented with this new formula, but I wanted to compare and contrast them with their similar counterparts so you can see what to expect. So with each colour is an individual comparison of similar shades. As a warning this will be a super long post, but it's definitely worth the read as this collection should be top of your wishlist.
Aloha* is a bright fun pink which certainly suits its name. This was 2 very easy coats, and it dried fast and shiny without topcoat (as shown).
Below I've compared Aloha* (middle finger) with Miami (ring) and Get Set Go (pointer). Beady eyed readers will see that I stupidly took this picture the wrong way round! But hopefully you can get the idea. I'd say it's most similar to Miami but really it's a different shade
Bikini* is a nice mint green. This was 2 very easy coats, which dried fast and shiny without topcoat, as shown in the pictures.
When I first saw Bikini* I instantly thought that it was very similar to another new release from Barry M, Empire State of Mint, from the Sunset collection for Spring/Summer 2016. I've compared them below, with Bikini* on the middle and E.S.O.M on the ring (left), on my pointer is Greenberry. In this picture there's quite a bit of difference between the colours, but in person it's quite hard to tell them apart. Their formula is what differs.
Laguna* is my favourite shade of the collection, surprise surprise, a light blue! This was 2 very easy coats, which dried fast and shiny without topcoat (it's quite hard to write the same thing 9 times, because the formula is the same throughout the collection)
Below I have compared Laguna* (middle), with Eat My Dust (ring) and Blueberry (pointer). They differ considerably, but I find that it helps to see what a colour really looks like when it's next to comparative shades.
Skinny Dip* is the lightest of the four browns in the collection. This definitely suits its name as it is a pale skin-like colour. This was 2 easy coats, which is rare in pale colours, and it dried fast and shiny without topcoat (as pictured)
Below I have compared Skinny Dip* to Lychee (pointer) and Butterscotch Sundae (ring). These were very similar in colour, but it's a shade lighter than the other two.
Starfish* is another of the browns, this was 2 easy coats with a creamy application. Shown without topcoat as it dried fast and shiny without
Below I have compared Starfish* to the same as I did with Skinny Dip*. With Lychee on the pointer, and Butterscotch Sundae on the ring. These were also very similar but this is a shade darker, rather than lighter as Skinny Dip* was.
Sunkissed* is more of a tan colour than the previous two browns, which suits its name. This was 2 easy coats, without topcoat
Below I have compared Sunkissed* to the same as I did with Skinny Dip* and Starfish*. With Lychee on the pointer, and Butterscotch Sundae on the ring. These were quite significantly different, this is a lot darker than the previous shades.
Tiki Hut* is what I would describe as gingerbread, this kind of shade doesn't really suit my skin tone so it was probably my least favourite of the collection. Although, that's through no fault of its quality as again this was 2 easy coats, which dried fast and shiny without topcoat.
Below I have compared Tiki Hut* to Sunkissed* (pointer) and an old Barry M polish: Mushroom (ring). Tiki Hut* is a pretty unique shade to the Barry M collection, there isn't anything very similar, especially not that I own anyway.
Below I have also compared the four browns from the collection. If I was to have any criticism of this collection it would be that there are far too many browns, I wish there could have been a yellow or a fun green or something but nevertheless, nudes will always be great for nail art. Tiki Hut* is the most different out of the four, the other three are very similar
Surfboard* is a lovely lilac-y pink, I'm torn on whether it's lilac or pink which is why I've described it as such. This again was 2 easy coats, without topcoat as it dried fast and shiny without
Below I have compared Surfboard* to Honour (ring) and Fondant (pointer). It's very similar to Honour, but it's a bit more pinky, and again it differs in the formula
Last but certainly not least is Flamingo*, this was 2 easy and smooth coats. Shown without topcoat as it dried fast and shiny without
I compared Flamingo* (middle) to In A Heart Beat (ring) and Papaya (pointer), it's pretty much identical to Papaya, although slightly lighter, but the consistency is a lot more creamy.
As a Barry M blogger I was also lucky enough to receive a super cool gift with the collection, in the form of this Barry M portable phone charger, shown below. It's massive, as you can see from the comparison to an actual bottle of polish, but it's so cool. My best friend was very jealous that she couldn't buy one of these herself (she tried googling it to no avail). I think this could be a lucrative market for Barry M to step into (hint hint).
These retail at £4.99, so they're slightly more expensive than other Barry M polishes, but it's definitely worth the extra £1. I can't say whether they wear well, I will test them out and update this post in due course, but their formula is amazing. You can get them here on the Barry M website, or at Boots/Superdrug now.
If you've made it to the end, well done, this was a very long post and it's taken me a good few hours to finish it tonight, but it was definitely worth it.
Which is your favourite polish from the collection? Let me know in the comments!
Alice
*these products were provided to me for review, any opinions are entirely my own and were not influenced in any way
