Review (with video!): Barry M Instant Nail Effects

Note: before you sigh in frustration that you can't get this in the US (for those of you who don't know, Barry M is a British brand and I received this polish in a swap with Jen of A beauty junkie in London), I remember reading on the lovely Nicole's blog that OPI is going to release a version called Black Shatter for us gals in the US!  The press release says it takes "three minutes" for the crackle to take place, whereas the Barry M polish crackle effect occurs in just seconds (as you're about to see), so I'm not sure it will be an exact dupe. But something's better than nothing, right?

So let's take a look at my video before I show you some swatches of what this little bottle of magic can do! I apologize for the quality of this video but I filmed it on my Blackberry so it was the best I could do. Anyway, check it out:

I deliberately chose four different polish textures, and I tried to keep the colors light so that you could really see the contrast against the black of the Barry M polish. Isn't that just the coolest thing ever?

This is, without a doubt, the nail art for people who can't do nail art! Literally, all you have to do is paint your nails and BAM! You're done.

Here are some swatches taken immediately after I filmed the above video. As you can see, Instant Nail Effects dries to a matte finish:

 (click to enlarge to really see the detail of the crackle)

Now I'd like to show you some "finished" nails (meaning: I took my time painting these and added a layer of top coat after I was done).

 Barry M Instant Nail Effects layered over Color Club She's So Glam

It's very important for me to note here that in order to get smaller "crackles", I've found that the key is to use the thinnest layer possible, and to not overlap your brush stokes. The areas on my nails where you see larger "crackles" with large spaces inbetween crackles are where I used thicker layers of polish and I overlapped my stokes a bit. So again: if you want small "crackles", use the thinnest layer possible and don't overlap!

Here's one more look:

Barry M Instant Nail Effects layered over Wet n Wild Shield

So what do you think? Is the crackle nail effect for you? Are you thinking about trying to get your hands on a bottle of Barry M Instant Nail Effects, or are you excited to get OPI's version when it comes out? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Disclosure: Barry M Instant Nail Effects was given to me by A beauty junkie in London. Wet n Wild Shield was given to me on behalf of Wet n Wild for a previous review. Color Club She's So Glam was purchase by me with my own funds.