Did you know that Barielle makes nail polish? I certainly didn’t. Not until I met celebrity manicurist and Barielle spokesperson, Elle (kids, she’s worked on everyone, EVERYONE!). Known for their top notch nail treatments, Barielle has joined the color game with Shades by Barielle, a line of 3-Free, fashion forward lacquers. For Fall/Winter 2008, Elle created Fall Affair, a collection of six shades she pulled straight from the runways.

Can I just say that I’m beyond impressed with these polishes? They are superbly pigmented, 3 Free, yet not thick and goopy, and they last! Like even after five days of wear with my go-to top/base combo of Seche Base & Vite, the signs of wear were minimal. Not to mention, the formula just flows on the nail. It spreads out to create a perfect even finish. Oh and they dry so quick, that even without top coat, I could touch my nail beds after a few minutes.

Now I’m not gonna lie, the first time I applied Date Night (green), it went on kind of streaky and uneven but after talking with Elle, she helped me tweak my application technique. For the longest time, I’ve put quite a bit of polish on my brush, started in the middle of my nail and pushed the blob down towards my cuticle. WRONG-O! By putting a little less polish on my brush, starting at the cuticle, holding the brush almost parallel with my nail and pressing just enough to fan out the bristles, I was able to achieve the perfect 3-stroke application. Thanks Elle! MWAH!

Sneak-A-Peek is a silvery-gray shimmer that is so pigmented, I hardly needed two coats. For a color that light, that’s major. It’s a great icy shade for winter and an excellent call for those of you unable to take the plunge and try full-on gray.

Misbehaving Mistress is so unique, I don’t really know how to describe it but I know that I LOVE it. It’s kind of graphite but with taupe mixed in. To me, it’s the love child of OPI You Don’t Know Jacques and CND Black Platinum. And even though it’s dubbed a metallic by Barielle, it certainly doesn’t apply like one. There’s no brush stroke issues to be found.

Date Night – Seriously, just when I thought there wasn’t another swoon worthy green to be made… along comes Date Night. A beyond fabulous jeweled emerald green. If China Glaze Emerald Sparkle is my ultimate green glitter and Rescue Beauty Lounge Recycle is my ultimate green creme, this is my ULTIMATE GREEN SHIMMER. This kicks OPI Rainforest ass and I don’t say that lightly. It’s so pigmented and vibrant yet not overly bright like Emerald City from Sally Hansen. It’s deeper but not blackened, like Zoya Suvi, so you know it’s green yet it’s still elegant and trendy. I went through two storage boxes of green polish and can’t find one that holds a candle to the pigmentation and depth of this shade. There is no dupe! Buy it, buy it now!!

Hidden Hideaway is a sultry, blackened plum. It doesn’t have a red base but the warm golden shimmer warms it up a bit. This is an “almost black” eggplant shade but as you can see in the pictures, you can still tell it’s a purple.

Secret Encounter plays on that berry trend that is happening in makeup this fall. This deep magenta has the same warm shimmer as Hidden Hideaway which makes you think it’s a duo-chrome in the bottle but it’s not.

Two Timing has this comforting, warm, autumnal feel, like metallic fall leaves. It’s burnt yet not blackened, very Turkey Day if you ask me. I’d call it a bronzey orange or worn copper. And again, it’s considered a metallic but because of its smooth application it’s more like a metallic-shimmer crossover. A shimallic? A metmer? What do you think?
The Fall Affair collection from Shades by Barielle retails for $8/ea and is available now on Barielle.com or at one of the 1,500+ CVS stores that now carry the brand. Call for availability.