Barry M effects paint is a brilliant must-have for anyone who likes to express a little flair at their finger tips. Providing you apply it properly, it produces an effective and individual result every time, leaving you with a funky and unique 'brickwork' pattern over your chosen base colour which can easily be mistaken for professional nail transfers. This polish is an affordable, DIY makeover for fingers and toes.

Against its rivals :

This low-cost nail polish retails at most outlets at around £3.50 however Superdrug tend to do 3 for 2 offers on Barry M products meaning it works out slightly cheaper if you buy in bulk. Retailers such as Superdrug, New Look and Claire's Accessories do sell their own brand of crackle polishes which are slightly cheaper than the Barry M paint but these do not provide anywhere near as good of a result. These cheaper alternatives leave a less vibrant 'streaky line' pattern (as opposed to brickwork like this polish) and they don't tend to get the proportions of base to overlay colour quite right when the crackle takes effect. The Barry M effects paint, however, reveals just the right amount of the base coat once it's worked its magic and the pattern is very detailed and distinctive. Furthermore, the consistency of the effects paint is perfect (not runny like low-priced polishes often can be!) and the brush gives flawless application. The only real down-side with this range compared to it's alternatives is that there are only limited overlay colours available - this isn't really too much of a problem though as you can pick and chose whatever base colour you like with the potential combinations being endless.

It's all in the application :

I understand that quite a few people seem to have problems getting a good result from this polish which I can only assume is due to application. The most important thing to note is that you must wait for each layer to dry properly; if the layers aren't dry the crackle won't work properly and the colours will smudge. If the crackle becomes smudged you will need to start that nail all over again because the crackle polish will only work once - that is to say, you cannot put a second layer of crackle polish to cover up a mistake as the effect won't work properly on second application.
For best results, you should :
1. Apply clear base coat and wait to dry;
2. Apply chosen base colour (any standard nail polish of any brand, the stronger the colour contrast against the crackle paint the better);
3. Wait for base colour to dry thoroughly;
4. Apply one thin layer of crackle paint and wait to dry (do not put a thick layer!); and
5. Apply clear top coat to finish.

Be warned - there is a strong urge to get impatient and apply the layers too quickly ; hold back and the effect is worthwhile! You will find the more you use this product, the more addictive it gets as the more combinations you try!