Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Week: Layla Retro Pink

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, myself and several other bloggers will be posting all pink manicures every day this coming week. Each post will also feature a fact about breast cancer. You can click on the fact and it will take you to a website where you can learn more, if you wish.

To kick things off today, I'll be showing you Layla Retro Pink, a light pink linear holo from Layla's Hologram Effect line. I'd been waiting to snag some of the Hologram Effects on sale but was bummed when I missed out. Luckily my friend Alya was kind enough to give Retro Pink to me! :) This was my first experience with Layla's holographic polishes and the holographic effect is pretty intense, just the way I like it! Things have changed since Color Club came out with their Halo Hues, but for a while, I think Layla really had the edge on the mainstream market with how vibrant the holo is on the Hologram Effects!

I find most holos apply best without a basecoat, so I skipped one for this mani. I didn't use a topcoat either, as I didn't want to diminish the intensity of the holo at all. So what you see here is just Retro Pink! It applied smoothly, with no streaking or dragging. This is three coats, although one or two nails took four to cover up a stray patch here and there.

Layla Caviar Effect Mambo

I've never tried a caviar mani before but have always wanted to. So what better way to give it a shot than with one Layla's new Caviar Effects? Layla has a dozen different colors of beads available in the Caviar Effect line. The one I tried out, Mambo, has teal beads. I paired Mambo with Layla Ceramic Effect Bally Sky.

Layla says you can keep their Caviar Effect beads in place without any topcoat, so I decided to put that claim to the test. I had them on for a little less than 24 hours by the time I decided to take them off and the beads actually stayed on very well. I halfway expected to be shedding beads all day long, but on the two accent nails I did (one on each hand), there was only one little spot on my left ring finger where a small cluster of beads had fallen off. Some of the beads had turned silver (probably just had their surface color scuffed off from the wear and tear of a normal day) but other than that, I was pretty impressed with how well this mani held up. The beads are also small enough that the texture didn't bother me throughout the day.

If I had to point out one thing I think could be improved upon, it'd be nice if the beads came with some type of sifter or special bottle to help with application. The bottle here is pretty much the same as the Layla Ceramic Effect bottles, just with a slightly smaller opening at the top. But overall, I really enjoyed my experience with Mambo and found it very easy to apply.

The Caviar Effects retail for $11.50. A separate funnel is also available for $1.00.


Disclosure: This product was sent for my honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Layla Ceramic Effect Bally Sky (CE 62)

Layla Bally Sky is teal duochrome infused with a rich gold shimmer. Oddly enough, Layla doesn't put the name anywhere on the bottle. The imprint on the top of the cap and the sticker on the bottom of the bottle just say "CE 62." I had to look up the polish's actual name online. It certainly doesn't detract from Bally Sky's beauty at all, but I thought that was kind of weird not to include the name.

This is easily one of the most gorgeous teals I've ever seen. The intensity of the shimmer is absolutely incredible. Even in dim indoor light, it has a gorgeous reflective sparkle that catches your eye. There's an almost metallic glow to it. Plus the formula is excellent! This is almost a one-coater, but I needed two to even a few areas out.

When I saw Bally Sky in the bottle, I could tell it would be pretty, but I didn't think it would be as awesome and special as it turned out to be. There are lots of teal shimmers out there--and I have plenty in my own stash--but the richness of this teal and the dense shimmer really make this one stand out. If you like teal, you need Bally Sky--no question!


Disclosure: This polish was provided for my honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.