A few weeks ago I decided to treat myself to some new nail varnishes as I was getting a bit bored with the ones I already owned, and whilst browsing through my local Boots store, I came across the Barry M Magnetic Nails Effects polishes. There were two different shades available, a blue one and a burgundy one and I opted for the latter one as I am a bit boring when it comes to colours for my toenails. It cost £4.99, which in my opinion is quite reasonable (some of the L'oreal ones I was looking at were £7.99), especially as this nail polish is not quite an ordinary one!

The Barry M Magnetic Effects polish comes in a thick square clear glass bottle containing 10 ml. On the front of the bottle it states in gold writing Nail Paint by Barry M, underneath vernis a ongles (in french so I don't know what it means, I presume it means burgundy?) and the website address. On the back of the bottle, it is advised that you shake well, and keep from heat. It also tells you to apply basecoat before use, but there are no further instructions?! I had to go on their website to get full instructions as I did not have a clue what to do. There is also an address for Barry M and the amount contained.

The nail polish is secured by an ordinary black plastic rounded screw on top, to which the brush you use to apply it with is also attached. On top of this there is also a further square top/lid which houses the magnet and there is a drawing of the pattern (different shades have different patterns, the burgundy one comes with a stripy one).

Once you unscrew the top, you are met with the typical nail varnish smell, but this is not as strong as other ones I have come across in the past. The brush attached to it is a nice size (not too thick or too thin), making it easy to apply the varnish on. A couple of coats easily covers your nails, the varnish just glides on, it is a good consistency, without being too watery/drippy or too thick/clumpy.

The nail varnish is a metallic colour and has a bit of a shine and sparkle to it. Apparently it contains magnetic particles, so you must shake the bottle really well before use, otherwise these will not be evenly distributed and the pattern may not appear as it should do. The Barry M website advises that you first apply a basecoat, then a coat of the magnetic paint. Once this has dried thoroughly, you apply a second coat of the magnetic paint and immediately hover the magnet over each nail for about 5 seconds. Once dry you then apply a topcoat. Let me tell you that because I thought this sounded like far too much hard and time consuming work, I didn't! I simply used one coat of the magnetic paint and hovered the magnet over and the result was still amazing. I didn't apply a basecoat (I think this is mainly to protect your nails from being stained), I didn't apply a topcoat (this is to make it longer lasting, but I personally like to change colours every couple of weeks and in between it has not chipped anyway) and I didn't apply two coats of the magnetic paint. I simply painted one nail at a time and hovered the magnet over it for 5-6 seconds (you have to do one nail at a time as the magnet must be used whilst the nail is still wet). Once dry (which didn't take longer than other ordinary nail varnishes), my nails looked truly amazing, with lighter coloured stripes all over the metallic burgundy background. My nails looked like I had just stepped out of a beauty salon.

I had never before tried any of the nail varnishes from the Barry M effects range so I was a bit apprehensive as to whether or not I would be able to create the design properly. However, it was easy and quick to use and created great effects. Also I was very pleased with the fact that the nail varnish was long lasting as it didn't chip or wear away until I was ready to change colours, a couple of weeks later.

The Barry M magnetic effects polishes are now available to buy in 9 different shades and since purchasing the burgundy one I have also purchased the Moon Dust and the Venus Sunset shades, which are absolutely amazing! I would definitely recommend anyone to try these and have awarded this nail polish 5 out of 5 doyoo stars.