Orly: Preamp

Orly: Preamp

 

A Review of Preamp from Orly's Fall 2012 collection

Layla Hologram Effect Nail Polish: Flash Black

Layla: Flash Black

As you may have heard your local Ulta has been stocking a pretty awesome little gem called Layla Hologram Effect nail polish. I originally noticed these online just in time to find a nearly full display at the Ulta nearest me. Ringing up at $15.50 a pop these beauties were a bit pricey so I snagged two (Ultraviolet and Ocean Rush) and used my coupon for $3.50 off $10 so the price wasn't too bad...

When I got home and swatched these I was sooooo happy. Strong linear holo with an almost static-like effect. How friggin cool!? I was so impressed by the hologram effect on these I started googling comparisons and found many connoiseurs comparing them to the Gosh line of holographics. Well, unfortunately I wasn't "in" to polish when Gosh put out those infamous silver linear holos. I'm also not crazy enough to pay an arm and a leg on eBay so upon hearing that I decided meh...I need the silver and black holo as well. Anyways, enough of hearing about my inability to not spend money....the shiny stuff! Here it is:

I ordered my bottle of Flash Black from Zappos since the shipping was free and I was pretty sure I wasn't going to find the colors I wanted unmolested on the Ulta display a week later. I got my packages two days later true to Zappos shipping. I have two teensy complaints and this experience but I blame Zappos not Layla. When they arrived each tiny 10 mL bottle came in an individual standard shoe sized box. I practically laughed out loud. I know they ship mostly shoes but considering how extensive their cosmetic and accessories collections are you would think they would have more accommodating (read: smaller more environmentally friendly) packaging options. Also each polish was covered top to bottom with a huge bar-code sticker that I had to remove in order to open the bottle. This would be no big deal if the sticker wasn't made of chewed gum or some ridiculous adhesive that left a nasty residue on both bottles. Call me a perfectionist but the last thing I want is glue all over my polish I just paid 15 bucks for...just sayin'.On to the pictures:

 

And here is a blurry shot so you can see the full hologram effect. It's beautiful! Like having nails on fire. Super distracting too so don't use this and try to do any serious jobs in the sun, like say supervising several small children at the beach. Things could get tricky.

  

In all, I really, really enjoy this polish. It chips a bit more easily than my "ordinary" polishes which is why I generally reserve these for special occasions but come to think of it I might use it tomorrow, why not! Two coats should do it. I don't use a special base coat but I wear artificial nails which are obviously nonporous thus eliminating the need for aqua base. I also did not use a top coat for these pictures, or at all in general when I wear holographic polishes as the top coat seems to diminish the effect. One thing to note when storing these bottles the paint on the silver caps chips easily so if you were to allow them to roll around in say a tupperware container with other polishes you would eventually (quickly) have scuffed up looking bottles. So yeah, gentle with the caps no teeth!

OPI: No Room For The Blues

 OPI: No Room For The Blues

This is going to be a quick post. Todays manicure is OPI No Room For the Blues from their brights collection. It's a beautiful bright blue creme that is unlike anything else I have in my collection (and I love blue polish). Formula is standard for OPI; not too thin, not too thick a perfect two coater. Not much else to say here, they're known for their quality and this color is no exception.

OPI No Room For The Blues

Batch Shot

OPI No Room For The Blues + CG For Audrey + Microglitter = Fabulously Nautical

On my ring finger I did an accent nail using China Glaze For Audrey and some craft glitter. I happened to have some leftover microglitter from a project I did re-epoxying my roller derby helmet and I realized it looked exactly like the microglitter they sell at Sally's Beauty Supply. I got mine at Michaels, like a huge 6 pack of vibrant colors for 6 dollars using my 40% off coupon...it works great! I used two coats of Sally Hansen Insta-Dry topcoat to make everything smooth afterwards. It's not my favorite top coat but it is good for smoothing rough surfaces due to its gel-like consistency. 

 

So yeah, I got lots of compliments on this color from guys, it was funny! I feel like men notice bold blue and green colors more and women notice (or point out) the more feminine colors I wear. One guy even remarked that he was going to run out and buy a shirt in this color. No scientific research for this conclusion, just based on my observations at work (I'm currently waitressing so people see my hands very frequently). 

Love this color and will most definitely be reaching for it again! (As soon as I finish up my huge box of untrieds LOL)