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

Amelia's Amethyst & The Mother of all Flakies!

Hi guys. I had to pass on Pink Wednesday this week since Hubby and I both managed to pick up the stomach virus the kids had last week. I swear this has been the worst start to a year yet. We're both feeling a touch better, but not 100%, so forgive me for not being all that wordy.


Anyway, I have a gorgeous color from Brucci to show you today, Amelia's Amethyst. Marisa sent this one to me for our swap (her package is finally on it's way!), and I fell in love the moment I saw the bottle. It's an incredible purple with pink/purple shimmer. I don't have anything quite like it in my stash, and it has quickly become one of my fave polishes. But don't take my word for it, see for yourself!!

Now *that* is a gorgeous polish, right? I love it so much that I wore her all by herself for a day. However, the moment I saw this polish, I knew she would make an excellent pairing for my very favorite Flakie polish (and as far as I am concerned the Mother of All Flakies), Nfu Oh 51. I know I've shown #51 before, but it's just too gorgeous to keep to myself!

Oh how I love you, Nfu Oh 51! Look at all those colors! All those flakies! Yum!

Amelia's Amethyst was amazing formula wise. It flowed onto the nail flawlessly - no bubbling, streaking, balding, pull - just utter perfection.  She was fully opaque in just one medium coat, but 2 coats really showed off her sparkle and shimmer. This was my first time using this brand, and I am in love! I must hunt down more!

I've talked about #51's formula before, and I maintain that layering it is so much easier than wearing her on her own. She's a lovely combination of duochrome flakies in a sheer purple jelly base, so if you choose to wear #51 alone, be prepared to use at least 3 coats for anything near opacity. Formula is a bit tricky and a bit of a PITA, but oh so worth it! I have found that when I layer her, the formula, although still squishy and thick, is so much easier to work with. Next time I'll show you guys #51 on her own, but it's so rare that I wear her by herself that it may be awhile. Besides, I don't want to overload you all with flakies!

Also, I'm not sure what to show you guys next! I have a couple new Wet N' Wild Spoiled's to share, as well as a lovely Revlon Red that I paired with a Spoiled glitter. What would you guys like to see this week? Anything in particular? Unfortunately I'll be pulling from the "vault" for a couple of days until this tummy bug passes, but I have enough mani's stored up that I can accommodate requests. :)

Hope you all are having a great week and the New Year isn't kicking your ass like it is mine.

Happy Polishing!
-Kimber