When this product first appeared it was the only one like it and all of a sudden everyone was using the Barry M Instant Nail Effects to the point where I remember walking into town after 6th Form and not being able to find it in stock anywhere bearing in mind in the local high street there is 2 branches of boots and 2 branches of Superdrug. It was an instant hit and is still just as popular as it was back then.

...The Product...
Like all Barry M Nail products it comes in a classy clear square glass bottle with gold writing on the bottle stating what the product is, on the back it tells you to shake well, keep from heat and apply a base coat before use as well as an address to get in contact with the suppliers. On one side is a bar code, on the bottom is the product number and on the other side is a list on instructions specific to the use of the nail effects products. The instructions are fairly small but still readable and are clear. "1. Paint your nails with your chosen colour and let them dry, 2. Apply a single coat of instant nail effects, 3. Watch the effect appear." The lid of the bottle is black with a gold replica of the pattern the nail effects polish should cause on your nails and the words instant nail effects.

The product was originally only available in black but is now available in 6 different colours; Black magic, Pink Fizz, Blue Print, White Frost, Purple and Gold. I think this is a nice variety of colours and allows you to experiment with lots of different colour combinations. Personally I think the black and the white colours are the most useful as they tend to stand out best against any background colour.

...My Experience Using the Product...
One word of caution; you really do have to make sure your first colour is completely dry before applying the effects polish. I have tried to use this in a rush before with disastrous, smudged and bumpy and lumpy consequences.

The nail paint is quite thin and after a while tends to dry out around the top of the bottle creating small crusty lumps so shaking the bottle first is an absolute must. When you apply the polish I find it best to apply a fairly thick coat as you can't really reapply this polish or your nails look a mess hence if you do it too thinly or too thickly you don't get a well defined pattern. The nail polish does start to dry quite quickly so you do need to be quick and accurate with each nail although due to the nature of the effect if you don't make it all the way to the edges or if it isn't perfect it really doesn't matter. I find the brush is quite thin and aids the application process as it's of good quality.

Once you've applied the nail effects polish you simply have to watch as it dries into the cracked pattern. It does dry quite quickly into a neat smudge free pattern. The nail varnish tends to last as long as your base colour. If the base colour you apply is of good quality then your nails will look lovely for ages but if not you may find they begin to chip within a day or so. You can apply a clear top coat on top of this nail polish to help preserve your look and make it that little bit more hard wearing.

The nail effects varnish is easy to remove with any old nail varnish remover and as it goes on top of another colour I can't really comment about whether or not it stains your nails. I've not had any problems wit using this effects varnish with lots of different brands of nail varnish but I do recommend using it with Barry M nail paint simply because Barry M's colours are so vibrant they provide a really good contrast to the effects polish.

...Value For Money...
At just £3.99 this nail varnish is very good value for money and it allows you to create so many different looks as you can pair it with lots of different other colours. Other brands are starting to offer effects varnish's but for me Barry M will always be my favorite.