Layla Hologram Effect Flash Black - Yummy Holo Goodness! (Pic Heavy!)

Hi guys! Hope you are all enjoying your weekend! Sundays always sneak up on me. :)

Today I have Flash Black from Layla's Hologram Effect Collection to share with you. I was very close to not having any sunlight pics, because the second I apply a holo the weather goes all wonky - never fails! But alas, I prevailed and managed to grab the sliver of sunlight that we had on Friday. I also grabbed some pics of her inside in artificial light, so I apologize for the ton of pics!

Flash Black is a black linear holographic polish that has some of the most striking holographic effect I have seen in a polish. This collection is just amazingly holo, and oh so gorgeous. However, out of the 3 I currently own, Flash Black is my least favorite. It really has to do with the color. In most light it looks more taupe than black and that just messes with me. I really wanted this to be darker! It's still stunning though, so I can't complain too much.

Details:
No base coat
2 coats Layla Hologram Effect Flash Black
1 coat SV
2 coats Flash Black
No Top Coat

In Sunlight:

And inside under the daylight lamp (still lovely and holo! wow!):

I have to tell you guys, I am so in love with these! Even though the color fell a little flat for me, I still couldn't stop staring at my nails! I still have one more color from this collection to wear, and it's the one I love the most in the bottle, but I may have to pick up a few more since I am loving them so much!

Formula:
As far as holos go, the formula on Flash Black was prety darn good. I expect a certain amount of streaking and balding from a holo, but it's fairly minimal with these as long as you allow it to dry 2-3 minutes between coats. It is streaky on the first coat, and requires 3-4 coats for complete opacity.

Application:
This girl was fairly smooth to apply, but it does dry quickly so if you are one that likes to wipe your brush on the neck of the bottle, watch for tiny clumps. Since it is a holo and prone to slight balding, I used a very light touch to apply, and applied a decent coat of polish (no very thin coats here!) on the final 2 coats.

I did not use a base coat since Layla recommends you use their buffing system prior to application. It's really just a 2 sided buffer - 1 side to buff and one to shine, so you don't really need to purchase their buffer if you choose this method. However, wear time is significantly decreased without a base coat (even if you "sandwich" it), this started to peel off the very next morning! I think that since the nail is so smooth and shiny it really can't adhere well. I recommend either a good Aqua Base type base coat or something similar with these.  I also skipped the top coat since I don't like decreasing the holo effect. I like a lot of shiny rainbow goodness!

Layla Hologram Effects are currently available at Ulta for $15.50.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy your Sunday!

Happy Polishing!
-Kimber

30 Days of Blue: Layla Hologram Effect in Ocean Rush

I cannot tell you how excited I am to be sharing this polish today. I have been wanting a linear holo for a long time, and to find an amazing line of linear holos here in NM?? I almost had a massive coronary right there!

Layla Hologram Effects are the new holographic line from Layla, and are the strongest Linear holos I have ever seen. Pictures simply do not do them justice. Ocean Rush is a gorgeous deep Ocean blue Linear holo that throws double and triple rainbow V's all over the nail. I picked up 3 colors from this line and despite being seriously and amazingly holo, Ocean Rush is the LEAST holo of all 3. The Silver and Black holos are just breathtaking. Not that Ocean Rush isn't incredible. I compared them to China Glaze Sexagon when I got home, and there is just no comparison. The Layla Hologram Effect Collection just blows Sexagon out of the water. 

These pics show maybe about 1/3 of how strong this is IRL. I had some late evening sunlight, but that wasn't strong enough to really show how awesome this polish is.

First, here are some shots indoors with the Daylight Lamp:

And now in some waning sunlight:

I tried to capture this in a macro shot, but it blurred out the holo. You guys get the point, right?

I am so in love with these holos! I can't wait to show you the other 2! I may have to squeeze in some swatches this week just to share them!

Formula on these ladies was right about what you would expect from a holo, a little goopy and some drag, so you definitely want to make sure you let it dry between coats. I didn't use a basecoat with this, since you're supposed to use this special buffing file that Layla makes in order to get the best effect. It's really just a very fine grit 2-way buffer, and I found that since it makes your nails smooth and shiny as silk, that after a day or so the polish will just slide off in sheets. I would recommend either Orly Bonder of Nfu-Oh Aqua Base for these. Wear wasn't as bad as I had expected, lasting an entire 2 days with zero chips or wear, but like I mentioned, using the buffer caused it to just come off in full sheets when it did finally wear. All of those little annoyances are so very worth it for such an awesome linear holo effect though!

I picked these up at Ulta for $15.50 each. The buffer retails seperately for $2.95.

Hope you're all having a fantastic day! I'm off to do some nail art!

Happy Polishing!
-Kimber