Polka Dots + Lace with Barielle Gentle Breeze - Spring '15

Barielle has released their Spring collection, Gentle Breeze, which includes five pretty polishes that "reflects the soft, gentle, eclectic hues of this most welcome and delightful season". I found this collection a mix of formulas and finishes, pretty fitting for the eclectic vibe. While most brands are doing pastels and brights for Spring, Barielle has taken a vintage approach with shades a bit richer than pastels, yet not too vibrant to classify as bold or bright. You can find the Barielle Gentle Breeze Spring collection on their website, as a set for $25.00, or individually $8.00 each.

I found the image on their press release inspirational for this manicure. I applied each shade on a nail, and with a double-ended dotting tool, I did a variation of tiny and small polka dots on each nail with Barielle Enduring, a creme white. I then stamped a lace design on the tips with the same white nail polish. I finished off with a matte top coat for funsies.

On the thumb nail I am wearing Under The Sea, which is described as "a rich, sea scuba blue shimmer", the light blue shimmer doesn't show up too much, so it's subtlety feels mysterious. I like this shade. It was opaque in two generous coats, with a cooperative creamy formula, it was not as self-evening as I'd like, but it dried to a smooth demi-matte finish.

On the index nail I am wearing Pink Parasol, which is described as "a creamy strawberry ice", this pretty pink was nice and creamy, easy to apply and work with, beautiful glossy finish. I only needed two coats but it is still slightly see-through, mainly just at the tip, nothing too noticeable.

On the middle nail I am wearing Gray Sky, which is described as "a rich, creamy glacier gray", I found this formula to be a little thin and easy to overflow to the cuticles, I needed to do two generous coats to build up an even and opaque coverage, but I also had issues trying to even out the brush stroke lines. It's a nice shade, the shimmer is pretty, it's definitely unique to my collection, but not exactly what I'd choose to wear often for Spring manicures.

On the ring nail I am wearing Champagne Bubbles, which is described as "a creamy tangerine", this was not as creamy as I expected, nor was it as bright as the tangerines I eat. This shade was thin, watery, sheer, uneven and prone to flooding the nail bed. It was not fun to apply, but after 4 thin coats, it built up to an acceptable opacity with a glossy finish. While I needed numerous coats, it didn't take forever to dry, nor did it dent when I started dotting the nails. This is probably my least favorite shade of the collection, and from Barielle in general.

On the pinky nail I am wearing Heaven Sent, which is described as "a soft, creamy aquamarine", while this shade was creamy and the most opaque out of this collection, it was kind of thick and wasn't self-evening as it should be. It was the easiest to work with, but the finish wasn't smooth. It's a nice color though.