Review: Barielle's Sophisticated Lady Fall 2013 Collection

(The products in this post were sent for review.)

Hello!

Today I have the first of two fall collections from Barielle to show you: The Sophisticated Lady Collection. I'm going to jump right into showing you the polishes, and then give you my thoughts on the collection as a whole at the end. :)


First is one of my favorites. Dinner At 8is a luscious tomato-red creme...well, I couldn't decide if it was a creme or a crelly with heavy creme tendencies. Either way, it's a classic beauty:

Barielle Dinner At 8, artificial light

The formula on this was wonderful; not too thin, not to thick, and it applied well and covered in two coats. It's no secret I'm partial to reds, and this is a vibrant, glowing red that will match your fall earth tones and your winter jewel tones. And when Christmas rolls around, you've got the perfect polish for that right here waiting for you, too. I should mention that while I normally use Seche Vite as my finishing topcoat, Barielle sent me their Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender topcoat, and I've used it in all of these pictures. I'll be doing a separate review of it for you once I've tested it a bit more. :)

Next up is Edgy, a dark, deep eggplant creme:

Barielle Edgy, direct sunlight

While this covers in two coats, you might be able to get it to cover in one coat if you're careful. I didn't have any problem with application; smooth and easy. In the shade the purple goes even darker, stopping just short of being a plummy black.

In Good Taste is a raw umber brown creme:

Barielle In Good Taste, 3 coats, direct sunlight

This is the only polish in the collection that I struggled a bit with. Application was a bit patchy for me, and I had to apply three coats to get even coverage; even so, there was still a hint of unevenness. However, when I wasn't looking at it in close-ups, it was hard to tell. On the positive side, this is a brown that will be a perfect neutral, and will look wonderful under a range of fall-colored toppers.


Next I have London High Tea, a medium rose pink with a golden coral shimmer:  

Barielle London High Tea, 2 coats, direct sunlight

 

This polish was a wonderful surprise for me! You know how I feel about pinks...wonderful for others, but I'll take a pass, please. And I didn't expect to like this until I put it on...and saw that amazing golden peachy shimmer. I actually wore this pink to a business meeting!! This is not your momma's 1980's rose pink, this is updated and fun. If you're gonna have a pink for fall, and I know many of you will want one--this is a good one to have. Application and formula were flawless. :)

And last alphabetically but certainly not least is Tres Chic, a smoked-navy creme:

Barielle Tres Chic, 2 coats, artificial light

This is another one that could be a one-coater if you're careful, but I have on two coats here. This applied perfectly and self-leveled with no issues at all. I love the depth of the navy in this, and while it is a bit darker in the shade, it's not too much darker. This has a solid nautical feel to me that I think can also skirt into typical summer and winter manicures, as well.

As a whole, I'm very pleased with this collection, and I think it's a versatile one. The shades are very appropriate for fall, with a tilt toward winter--by that I mean that this collection will transition directly into winter for you with no problem. Dinner At 8, Tres Chic, and Edgy in particular are colors that can help you usher in the winter, while In Good Taste and London High Tea are solid fall colors that will keep you work appropriate and help you match your Thanksgiving table.

The quality is what I expect from Barielle--excellent formula and application for a very reasonable price. While In Good Taste did require a little effort, the rest of the collection applied like a dream. :)

I'll be back shortly with Barielle's second fall collection...In the meantime, don't forget to enter the Barielle September Sweepstakes for your chance to win both collections and a bunch of other great goodies, as well. You can enter by heading over to their Facebook page, now through September 26th. Good luck!!

Hugs and love,
M.

(The products in this post were sent for review.)