Barry M Spring/Summer 2016 Gelly Collection Swatches and Review + Comparison

Hey everyone! I'm super proud of myself for how productive I was on Saturday (for those of you who don't know it's my only nail day), I got tonnes done. Mainly all in the last couple of hours of the day but still. I'm quite a slow swatcher, so the most I've ever done in one day is around 12 polishes I think, although that's largely because I do nail art in between. However, this week I managed 3 nail art looks and I swatched both new Barry M collections in the space of a few hours. I didn't want to end up like I have previously and just leave my review sitting in my 'to edit' folder for months, so I've forced myself to get them edited tonight, and get the post out. 

This year's Barry M Spring Gelly collection* made me think that they hadn't been particularly imaginative. Both the nude shades seemed very similar to previous shades such as Lychee and Coconut. However, I was still excited to give them a try as they never disappoint, and I was right. In fact, I think Cream Soda* is actually a really unique off-white shade. I've done a comparison of the four nude/off-white polishes at the bottom of this post for you to see that there is actually quite a lot of difference in the shades. I think the collection work really well together, and they also fit well with the spring speedy dry polishes too. I think you'll definitely be seeing these in some nail art soon.

Butterscotch Sundae* is a lovely pale nude. This is the shade that I thought would be the same as Lychee, but it's actually a shade lighter as you'll see in my comparison below. This was two easy coats, shown without topcoat as it dried fast and shiny 

Pink Lemonade* is my favourite of the collection, its a pale pink/lilac as it'll be perfect for spring nail art looks. This was two easy coats without topcoat. Very creamy and opaque

Cream Soda* is more unique than I was expecting as it's actually got a hint of yellow to it. I've already used this in some nail art that you'll be seeing soon. This was 2 easy coats, however I messed up the application of my middle finger and ended up needing 3! Shown without topcoat but over the Barry M - Iron Mani basecoat

And finally is Acai Smoothie*, this is a gorgeous dusky purple shade. This was 2 easy coats, but 3 on my middle finger as I have some damage to my nail in the form of a calcium spot and it was still visible after the second coat. Shown without topcoat

Comparison:

As you can see from the above and below pictures, the shades do actually differ considerably. Cream Soda* has a yellow tint to it, whilst Coconut doesn't. And Butterscotch Sundae* is also paler and more yellow than Lychee. I would however suggest that these two are the most similar, and whilst there is a difference, if you're looking to save money and you already own Lychee, it may not be worth purchasing both. Unless you like 10 of every shade like me. Thanks to my sister for lending her hand (whilst I was mid-swatching) for the shot below so you can see what the polishes look like on the nail. 

The four new gellies are available from Boots stores nationwide for £3.99. I wasn't able to find them on the Barry M website just yet but I imagine they'll be up soon.

My recommendation would be Pink Lemonade, but the whole collection is lovely!

Which is your favourite? Let me know in the comments!

Alice