Layla Holos (the newer ones)

Hey guys!

A non indie post?! What?!

I resisted buying these for a long time, because I didn't want to pay retail ($15.50). Lucky for me, my patience paid off and these showed up on Hautelook a few weeks ago for $9 a pop! Hooray! However, I ended up spending a lot more than I would have otherwise because I purchased all 8 of the newer holos. And after swatching them, I think I only want to keep one...

I used the Layla buffer thing instead of aqua base coat (I try to save it), so the surface is not that smooth looking in the macro pics. Sorry about that! I found the holo "flame" on these (other than Gold Idol) to be a little weaker than the first batch, but then again, the colours here are all a little bit darker and richer, so that's the tradeoff you get with linear holos. Oh, I did find that (with the exception of Gold Idol) these applied a lot easier than the first set of Layla holos. The pigment didn't seem to clump up the same way. So that's a bonus, right?

I didn't use topcoat for these swatches!




Layla Gold Idol - 3 coats. Not really a flattering colour on me, but a strong holo flame.




Layla Emerald Divine - 3 coats. My favourite!




Layla Shock Pink - 3 coats, but 2 was opaque. I thought a third might bring out some more holo-ness, but I can't tell.




Layla Red Taboo - 3 coats. Same comment as above about 2 being enough for opacity. Also, this is clearly pink, not red.




Layla Purple Illusion - 3 coats, but 2 would have been enough. It's rather plummy on me.




Layla Cloudy Violet - 3 coats, but 2 would have been enough as well. I quite like this, even though it's more grape to me than violet.




Layla Misty Blush - 3 coats, but 2 would have been enough also. I don't understand the name of this one and I don't know if I like it.




Layla Coffee Love - 3 coats, but 2 would have been enough. I like this. I think.




Anyways, my takeaway from my sale-induced haul, is that even if something is priced well, if you weren't going to buy it before, you shouldn't buy it when it's on sale.

Unless you are like me and want to swatch everything for your blog.

>.>

I am in Dallas right now, and tomorrow I am going to a shooting range for the first time. I suspect it will be an interesting experience, if not entirely frightening.

Layla Holo swatches!

I ordered all of the Layla holos. I hardly remember doing it; I think I was caught up in holo frenzy... which is strange, because really, I don't go nuts over holos and rarely reach for them! *sigh* It's always like this, though, isn't it?

I got mine from an ebay seller, but they're available now from Aveyou.com and should be available at Ulta and Zappos really soon. They retail for $15.50, but try and find a coupon code if you're going to get more than a couple of these. They really add up O_O.

For these swatches, I buffed my nails with the shiner/buffer that is sold with these polishes. I wouldn't recommend this at all, because it really reduces the wear time. If you have an aqua base instead (Nfu Oh, Jessica, GOSH, and MUS all have one), I'd recommend using that instead. Also, if you don't have the spare cash for one of those, SV over clear polish works great too (this is what I used to do before getting the Jessica base coat)! FYI, the Jessica base coat was only sold with the Disco Diva set, so you may not be able to get your hands on it anymore.

The formula on all of these are pretty easy to work with (compared with Nfu Oh), but they do need a good shake before you begin (otherwise you may find some "chunks" of holo pigment on your brush). Anyways, enough talk, ON WITH THE PICS!

Layla Mercury Twilight (4 coats)




Comparison: Layla Mercury Twilight (4 coats), Jessica Disco Diva (2 coats) and Nfu Oh 61 (3 coats) - Too many silver holos! I think I might just keep the Layla.


Layla Jade Groove (3 coats) - This is not very green at all :(




Comparison: Layla Jade Groove and Nfu Oh 66 (2 coats) - I like the colour of the Nfu Oh better; it's actually more green, but I think I can probably live without both?? I can already tell my purging with these holos is going to be a challenging task


Comparison: Layla Jade Groove, Nfu Oh 66 and 61 - The Layla is seriously closer to silver than green, yo


Layla Mermaid Spell (3 coats) - these names are hard to remember...




Comparison: Layla Mermaid Spell and Nfu Oh 65 (2 coats) - I think I'm going to purge the Nfu Oh. I forgot to grab Speciallita Hits Poseidon for this comp!


Layla Retro Pink (2 coats) - a pink a like? wuuuut?




Comparison: Layla Retro Pink and Nfu Oh 63 (2 coats) - I actually think the Nfu Oh is a little holo-er here, but maybe a third coat of the Layla was needed. The Layla looks better in the shade though; not weird and washed out like Nfu Oh holos look


Layla Ocean Rush (3 coats) - This is maybe my favourite!




Comparison: Layla Ocean Rush and ChG DV8 (2 coats) - not really comparable. Again, I forgot to grab my Speciallita Hits Hera for this comp!


For the rest, I don't have anything comparable in my stash (anymore)!

Layla Ultra Violet (3 coats) - Really pretty light purple! I don't have CC Fashion Addict anymore, but all I remember is that this is way more holo.




Layla Coral Glam (3 coats) - really strong holo, but the colour doesn't suit me. *plops into the swap drawer* Reminds me of CC LELE, which I also did not love.




Layla Flash Black (3 coats) - definitely the best blackish holo I've tried, although I'm not a huge fan of dark shades, I will actually give this one a decent chance to have a perm spot in my stash (unlike Hits Zeus which didn't even make it into the main stash drawer, LOL)





Hope you enjoyed that! It's finally slowed down at work lately, but I have been busy planning our upcoming trip (few days in Sydney, then NZ, then Tokyo!) and trying to finish up some exercises for my professional designation. We're flying out this Saturday and will be gone for two weeks, so you won't see me for a while! :) Hopefully this post is a good one to leave you guys with! :D