Saturday, March 8, 2014

Barielle Velvets for Spring 2014 - Swatches and Review


Happy Saturday everyone! I'm finally starting to feel human again after being sick for over a week. I've also been working out pretty regularly and I'm feeling pretty proud of myself for that. Today I have the first half of the Barielle Spring collection to share with you all! I mentioned awhile back that I was recently chosen to be one of Barielle's bloggers and I was so incredibly excited when I received these beauties in the mail. 

The first half of the collection is the Velvets collection - shades in "soft, romantic and dreamy colors that are warm yet rich and feminine." Um, yes please! The best part about this collection is that almost all of these shares are cremes which just makes me so incredibly happy. There is nothing better than a fantastic creme! Makes my heart happy! 
A Little Exotic:
I'm not usually one to enjoy a pink polish on it's own, but oh boy, I just love A Little Exotic! It's a dusty and muted rose creme and is just fantastic all around. It has a great formula, self-leveling, and only needed 2 coats! I probably could have gotten away with just one coat, but I have an aversion to one coat even if it doesn't necessarily need it. I think this might be my favorite color of the collection. 
Sexy Mood:
Sexy Mood is another really lovely shade. It's a slightly muted and greyed out magenta creme and has a great formula. I used 3 thin coats, but could have gotten away with 2 if I tried. When I first saw this it reminded me a bit of Zoya's Kieko, but Sexy Mood is much softer and more muted than Kieko. I love it! It's a great spring shade. 
My Tan Blazer:
Ooh! My Tan Blazer is one of those shades that you'll either love or hate because it's one of those ugly-pretty colors. I was able to get away with 2 coats on some nails and 3 on others and the formula was nice. I think this color on it's own my be a bit too much for me, but I can not wait to use this in nail art! Think of all the flowers this could be used in! :D
Uptown Girl:
Uptown Girl is a soft beige-y pink and I just loved this shade! My only problem is the formula is a bit tricky to work with. This is a bit streaky so I made sure to do a thin coat first, followed by 2 more coats that were slightly thicker than the last (so first coat is thin, second coat is thicker, and final coat is thickest). I really love the look of white polish by itself but sometimes that feels too stark. This is a nice alternative in my opinion and I think the hassle of application is definitely worth it. Great for nail art too!
My Week Away:
My Week Away is a dusty pink with an iridescent shimmer that's very subtle and pretty. I imagine this would be beautiful in the sun! For some reason I struggle with the application of this one. It was a tiny bit thicker than usual and I had to repaint one of my nails to remedy the problem. Shown is 2 coats and a top coat. 
Cream 'N Sugar:
And lastly, we have Cream 'N Sugar, a very sheer pink. I think it'll be good for French Manis or if you're looking for something natural and subtle. Shown is 2 coats and top coat.
And since I just realized I've NEVER done a French Manicure, I decided to quickly hand paint one and see how it looked with Cream 'N Sugar. I don't know if I did them correctly or not and I'm not even sure if I like how they look haha I think there's just not enough flowers on them ;) 

Overall:
I think this is a great collection. I really like that the polishes are more neutral and dusty and they are great for spring time. The formula's were on the whole pretty good with just a few exceptions. I think my favorites from the Velvets is A Little Exotic, Sexy Mood and My Tan Blazer. 

You can purchase any of these polishes from Barielle for $8/bottle and be sure to also check out there nail care products! I really love their Nail Strengthener Creme! 

Follow Barielle on Facebook or via Email for the latest information on their products. 

What do you think of this collection? Any favorites? 

Happy Polishing! :)