Gel Nail Varnish- Maybelline vs Barry M

(Maybelline Super Stay 7 Days Gel Nail Color in 'Uptown Blue' and Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in 'Almond')

I've become a big fan of these gel look nail varnishes recently, they apply very easily, seem to have a thicker, more opaque formula than most nail polishes and often claim to look better and or last longer. Today I'm putting two of these from the drugstore up against each other- Maybelline Super Stay 7 Days Gel Nail Color and Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint.

Lasting Power- Maybelline wins this hands down, it is the one claiming to last 7 days after all. Nail polishes tend to chip within the first few days on me and the Barry M polish was no exception to this- in fact the extra thick and shiny formula seemed to make it chip more quickly and easily. The Maybelline polish, however, lasted far longer without chipping, usually about 5 days on me rather than the claimed 7.

Opacity- This is about the same in both polishes- I'd say the Maybelline was a little better but both need two coats.

Application- The formula of the Barry M polish makes it pretty painless to apply despite a very skinny brush which does mean a slightly streaky first coat and longer application time. However, in the Maybelline polish the brush matches the formula- its big, flat and makes application quicker than in any other nail varnish I've tried.

Colour Range- This is where the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine polish wins hands down. There's just so many colours, and a lot of them are very unusual ones, the shade 'Almond' (pictured) for instance, is a lovely kind of pink-grey colour I've never seen before (and would in no way associate with almonds, but there you go). Online, I can see that the Maybelline polish has a much bigger range of colours than I've ever seen in Boots, but they aren't as unique and diverse as the Barry M ones, although the shade 'Uptown Blue' (also pictured) is gorgeous, its popularity among beauty bloggers last summer was not unjustified.

Price- Barry M wins by 50p, £3.99 vs £4.49.

I'd love to hear any of your nail recommendations. See you soon!
Eva xx