I’ve always had a bit of a thing for mermaids and anything mermaidesque, so there may have been an audible gasp when I opened the new Barry M Aquarium Collection. Four duo-chrome metallics and two glitters make up the set… Beach Babe mani & pedi, sorted!
Duo Chrome Colours
- Caspian - gold with a pink sheen
- Arabian - green with gold & purple sheen
- Mediterranean - Copper with pink & gold sheen
- Pacific - blue with green sheen
Duo chrome (two tone) polishes are notoriously difficult to photograph and you can see the effect better above on the bottles than the nail swatches. On the nails it shows up best in the gold/copper tones: Caspian and Mediterranean. It’s much more subtle in the green and blue Pacific and Arabian, though is enhanced by the addition of Mermaid glitter.
The Glitters
The glitters are chunky and full-on with large gritty shards of foil set in a clear base - and of course, complement the other colours beautifully. Mermaid is green, blue and gold; Treasure Chest is gold and pink. The top swatches show two layers, so as you can see, it’s easy to create a dense effect with these. I’ve applied different amounts over the metallics to show how they can be worn: gradient tips, fine layer and double layers.
The colours look so thick and molten in the bottle that I expected them to look instantly opaque - and they aren’t. Don’t be disheartened by the first wishy washy coat as they are opaque in two, though I think three gives greater depth to the duo chrome effect. I love them all, but think Mediterranean is the most unique and Pacific (blue) is just gorgeous.
Barry M Aquarium nail polishes are just £3.99 each HERE
