Brand: Barry M

Barry M is one of those fun drugstore brands that I’ve been fortunate enough to try, just so I can bemoan the fact that they’re not available in North America, where I live.

The range of colors is fun, the price is tough to beat, and I’m always a bit envious when I see British beauty bloggers showing off their Barry Ms!

I only have two Barry M Nail Paints: one from my first trip to England and another from a swap with a (if I recall correctly) Scottish MUAer.

Today’s swatch is Mint Green (304), which I picked up at a Boots pharmacy along with a Bourjois nail polish (this was before Bourjois became available at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada). Mint Green is as you’d imagine: a fresh, minty green cream that just veers into pastel territory.

This polish also counts as a Throwback Thursday, since it’s from at least 2007. It’s also no longer available on the official site, so I assume it’s discontinued. Guess I should have saved it for this Thursday. Oops! Well, Tuesday starts with a T, too.

For a pastel, this cream polish applies really smoothly. However, the formula is actually a bit thin so I needed three coats, and even then, I feel like it could use one more. Why is it the old polishes I want to thicken up, never do? Oh well. It’s still a great-looking shade of green, in my opinion, and it dries to a nice, glossy shine. The squared bottles are also totally adorable and I love that they stack together so well (if only I had more than two of them, eh?)

I just wish Barry Ms were more easily available here in Canada. I’d love to try more shades, particularly some non-pastels, which generally have better formulas. The official website does ship internationally, including to Canada, but I can’t imagine the shipping cost—and potential duties—will make it worthwhile.

Barry M Nail Paint contains 10 mL and retails for GBP£$2.99. It is free of toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl phtalate (DBP). The company is cruelty-free, and many products are vegan, such as the Nail Paints. Barry M products are made in England.

In 1982, Barry Mero found that there was an unmet demand for unusual cosmetic colors—like black nail polish and white eyeliner—so he started Barry M Cosmetics in London, England. The company remains privately-owned and based in London. Mero recently passed away in 2014.