Saturday 29 September 2012

Barry M Web Effect - URGH! Big Fat Fail.

Do you want to see something really awful?  Really REALLY awful? And also disappointing and sad? Well here goes!

I normally love Barry M. They have so many excellent polishes, and are always bringing out new things. Their nail varnish is good quality and cheap, easily available. I've already posted about how much I like the Croc Effects (in black) and then the newer dark red Croc. Both great. So I was very excited when I saw this in Superdrug yesterday:
web effects 4

WEB EFFECT! In ORANGE! As you may have noticed, I do love an orange nail varnish. And a web! Just in time for Hallowe'en!  The bottle cap shows a lovely bright orange web over a black base. These are free in Superdrug if you buy any two Barry M product, or £3.99 on their own.
web effects 1
First off, the sticker is the same as the sticker on the Croc Effects bottles - they haven't bothered to change the wording, and still refer to it as 'croc effect' even though the cap and the sticker and the display all called it 'web effect'. Never mind, I went ahead anyway, as it's only one word. Like Croc, you apply this in a thin layer over semi-dry polish. 

As I'd just bought some Barry M Gelly polishes, and was playing around swatching them (they're fab! More about them tomorrow!) I put the Web Effects over them first. Oh. My. GOD! What an ugly result!
web effects 7
(Sorry about the lack of clean up! But I was too depressed to even consider bothering about that!)

I mean - isn't that vile?

The orange is very thin and sheer, and does not show up over a dark colour, clearly. Or over one too similar to orange. And I see no web pattern, just something like the croc.   Anyway, I then moved on to try some lighter colours, and a black - because, you know, the bottle cap shows orange over black, so I want to get that effect. Here I've used Essie Sand Tropez, Models Own Pro French White, Barry M Gold Foil, China Glaze Harvest Moon, and Rimmel Black Out.
web effects base
I added my Web Effect, and waited. This is the splendid result:
web effects 6
And
web effects 2
Ok, so with the white base, this is quite tolerable. In fact it's a bit giraffey, which could be quite fun. But WEB it is not. And over black?
web effects 8
Yeah... I'm thinking this isn't a look many people will want, to be honest.

I will do a lovely positive post tomorrow about some things Barry M has done RIGHT. But today, I am a big GRUMP about this hideous monstrosity. And about the fact that I bought TWO bottles of this because it looked so cool and there were only two left, and I thought my American friend would like one. Grrrrr!


26 comments:

  1. Ok that is BAD.
    How could Barry M let that out of the RnD lab?!

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    Replies
    1. Isn't it hideous? I suppose it might be tolerable over white, but it hardly matches the description...

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  2. Oh dear, I too had high hopes for this polish. Hope you got this one for free!

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    Replies
    1. No, I actually PAID for it! TWICE.

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    2. Agh! I heard there was a deal on where you get two Barry M's and this free. How did you manage to pay for it twice?

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    3. There is a deal, yes, as I mentioned. But like I said, I bought one for myself and one for a friend. I didn't want anything else (I already have a million Barry Ms, lol!)

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  3. Bugger. That's not good. And is it just me, or does the cap have the colours the wrong way round? To achieve that, you'd need an orange base & a black topcoat.

    The Bourjois red python topcoat is very similar to the burgundy croc, just brighter cherry red. And they don't tell you how to use it at all. There's very very few swatches online, but I found a Dutch blogger who said it didn't work on foils (as I found when I tried it on Models Own Gold Rush), and it was your post about applying to still-damp colour & using heat that made it actually work. One of my nails actually IS a web effect, but that's only because the polish centred itself on damage to my nail bed & cracked out from there. I'll try & photo later.

    Contact Barry M on facebook & twitter. Send them these photos & say how disappointed you are. You'd be surprised how effective it can be.

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    Replies
    1. I dunno - I got the impression from the cap that the orange was meant to crack like a web over a black base. But it works exactly like the black and burgundy croc, and not over any base that's at all dark or strong in colour. I hate how muddy it looks over the sandy nude for example. So really, it only works over white.

      I wasn't going to contact them, do you really think I should? Is there really much point? They never did give me much of an explanation or apology for that time they lost my order and ignored every communication for a month that time... (I'd forgotten that! That was fun!)

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    2. Public moans seem to get more attention - I did that with Stella Artois & Schwartzkopf recently & both leapt to my assistance.

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    3. I did comment on their Facebook, but they just replied that 'it was meant to be a fun way to wear croc for Hallowe'en'... Meh.

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    4. Just been reading their facebook, it seems you're far from the only one disappointed. They really need to suck it up, recall it & allow people to take it back to Superdrug & swap for another polish of your choice (actually, considering I don't like crackles, the purple crackle is OK on top of lilacs, quite civilised)

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  4. So gosh thats awful! I really had high hopes for this polish! I wish it came in black instead would of made a huge difference! Why did they choose orange?! Madness! Thanks for the heads up!

    Jazz x

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    Replies
    1. There is a black Croc, which does look good over orange, but it isn't a web, or anything like one!

      I'm glad it's not just me that really doesn't like this!

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  5. I didn't hate it, but didn't love it (putting my swatches up in a bit if you want to look!)
    I layered over white because it seemed really thin, but thankfully mine was free.

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    Replies
    1. Oh cool, I will look forward to yours.

      I agree that it's bearable over white, but by no means is it a web! I wish they'd just called it a croc, and not shown it over black.

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  6. Oh wow that is so bad! It's even worse if you feel like you've been duped; the image on the bottle lid looks so cool and how could they even dare to call it a "web effect"!

    Grrrr but thanks for posting, at least the rest of us know to avoid it in the shops now!

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    Replies
    1. I know! If they'd just called it an orange croc, it wouldn't have been nearly so disappointing!

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  7. How did I miss this post?! I saw these today in Superdrug and ALMOST bought one. I came straight home and googled it to see how FAB it was on... Boy was I shocked! lol! What were Barry M thinking? I don't even.... D:

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    Replies
    1. I know, isn't it hideous?? It's almost comical.

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    2. First effects i've ever bought. Rubbish, very dissappointed. :(

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    3. Don't judge the other effects by this one! The others are generally really good - I love the black and the burgundy crocs.

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  8. Was gutted I missed it,my inner hoarder is crying that my collection is incomplete.i would have liked to try it though,the giraffey look isnt too bad

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    Replies
    1. I will never wear this again - if you're in the UK, email me your address and you can have it.

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  9. Oh, I've only just read this - I found the exact same thing, I was SO gutted:( It was nothing like I thought it would be, just an ugly mess. Sob:(

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    Replies
    1. Lol! Thanks, I'm glad it wasn't just me. Thanks for reminding me of it!

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