Flakie Friday! Layla Ceramic Effect: Killing Red

Hello lovelies! Happy Friday! I dunno about you guys, but I live for friday.  Not only is it the start of the weekend, but it's also Flakie Friday! If you aren't familiar with Flakie Friday, every Friday Susan of The Subtle Shimmer and I post a flakie polish. It's really renewed my love for flakies, and forced me to brush the dust off some untrieds.

Today I have another Layla Ceramic Effect Flakie to share with you. This one is called Killing Red and it's a red jelly packed full of flakies that shift from red to orange and gold. It's a really beautiful polish, however I had one hek of a time photographing it. The orange and gold in the flakies tends to overwhelm the red base in photos. IRL the red is deeper...more of a true cherry red.

I also feel the need to beg forgiveness for posting photos with the lovely gash on my index finger. I was attempting to fix the stupid automatic seat belt in my car and managed to slip and slice myself with a screwdriver. Oops! Everyone point and laugh now! ;)But let's get to the polish!

This is 2 coats of Killing Red topped with HK Girl Top Coat:

I was so happy when I found this at Ulta the other day. I had been dying for a Red Flakie and this was the lone bottle of Killing Red. However, although I do like this polish, It's hasn't entirely killed my need for a good red flakie. I was hoping for a more evident color shift IRL, and more vibrance from the flakies.

Formula:
Killing Red's formula was lovely, albeit a little on the thin side. Very easy to work with, not thickening during use and no clumps of flakies.

Application:
The polish itself applied nicely, gliding onto the nail with no issues. The brush on my bottle was ultra wonky, so I had to really work at getting this where I wanted it as opposed to all over my fingers. It was like trying to apply a flakie polish with a large, fluffy, janitorial grade mop! Thankfully it really is just a wonky brush - none of my other CE's have brush issues.

Layla Ceramic Effect Polishes are formulated to be used without top or base coat. I still use base coat, but always try these without top coat just to see if they really are as shiny and durable as they're supposed to be. I ended up adding topcoat over Killing Red since the surface was a touch textured and it just didn't have the depth I was looking for sans top coat.

This is such a gorgeous polish, however I don't think my search for the perfect red flakie is over. Actually, my search for flakies of all kinds and colors is nowhere near finished!

What's your take on Killing Red? Do you have a fave Flakie polish?

Be sure to check out Susan's awesome Up Colors Flakie! ( and don't forget to check out her shop, Star Trinkets, while you're there!) Man, I swear Susan has the best flakie polishes ever. She has me lemming every single one she has posted so far!


Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber

Flakie Friday! Layla Ceramic Effect in The Butterfly Effect

Good morning lovelies! Happy Friday! At least I hope it is. Mom is meeting with the surgeon this afternoon to go over the results of the PET Scan. I'm really hoping they tell us it really is stage 2, and that she an totally beat this. My mom is so very brave. I can tell she's a bit stressed, but otherwise she is facing this with such strength and bravery that it's incredible. That's my mom....she's always been a strong woman. If anyone can beat this, it's her.

Today marks the first post in a new series that I'm participating in with one of my blog crushes, Susan of The Subtle Shimmer. Susan came up with the idea to post a flakie polish every Friday until we run out (which could take awhile since I just see this as a good excuse to get more Flakies!). I adore Flakies, and kept meaning to wear mine, but just never got around to it. This gives me a reason to pull them out of my stash and give them some love!

For my first Flakie Friday I chose Layla Ceramic Effect in CE 52 - Butterfly Effect (does anyone else  think of Ashton Kutcher when they see that name?). Butterfly Effect boasts a purple jelly base with gold/green/teal color shifting flakies. It's also a rumored dupe of my very favorite Flakie of all time - the glorious Nfu-Oh 51. Now that I own both of them, I can tell you that Butterfly Effect is much more opaque than 51, and the base color is darker. The flakies are also more abundant, which is always a good thing! Butterfly Effect is from the Ceramic Effect line, which is supposed to have superior shine without top coat and never need a base coat. Nfu-Oh makes no such claims.They are, however, so very similar that if you don't have 51, this will certainly slay that lemming.

All photos are 2 coats of Butterfly Effect, no top coat.

*Le Sigh*. Gorgeous, isn't she? I knew I would love this polish since I love Nfu-Oh 51 so very much, but I thought I would find it somehow inferior. Not so much.

Formula:
Butterly Effect's formula was positively dreamy. I had expected this to be a tough on the thick and difficult side like 51 is, but was pleaseantly surprised. BE's formula is fairly thin, yet not runny. No thickening during use as well.

Application:
Unlike 51, Butterfly Effect applied as smooth as silk with no dragging or balding. I had expected it to be a bit more difficult, especially since the flakies are more abundant than in 51, but I had no issues at all. Even without top coat, BE was level and dried quickly. It also lives up to the claim that its super shiny without needing topcoat. In fact, had to photograph this in lower light, otherwise the shine created some washed out spots on the pics.

I am definitely impressed with this polish and will definitely be picking up the green version. I found my bottle at Ulta for around $8.

Be sure to check out Susan's awesome Koh Flakie at The Subtle Shimmer (also check out her store, Star Trinkets! She has some awesome polish and some utterly fantastic jewelry!)!

What do you think of Butterfly Effect? Do you prefer BE or Nfu-Oh 51?

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber