Layla Magneffect is another new brand of magnetic polish and they have the widest color range I've seen so far. Twelve shades of magnetic effect nail polish, each with their own magnet. The shades are:
They have one called Black Metal. WANT. Anyway...
The Layla Magneffect polishes come with the magnet in the cap. It's a striped/linear patterned magnet that can be used to create a variety of designs. There's a stripe across the magnet to indicate the direction of the magnetic field. That little feature makes it easy to get consistent patterns. The design will change depending on what direction you turn the cap:
05 Purple Galaxy
If you're new to magnetic polish, here's a quick run through of the application technique because it's very different from normal polish.
- Apply your first coat. You can use the magnetic polish or you can use black or a coordinating color (to conserve the magnet polish since the bottles are so small) as your base. The magnet polish will still work if your first coat is regular polish.
- Apply a coat of magnetic polish to one nail.
- Immediately expose the wet magnetic polish to the magnet. With the Layla polish, I find it easiest to hold the cap over each nail. Get as close as you can without touching your nail to the magnet.
- Repeat steps two and three, working one nail at a time. The magnetic pattern will only appear while the polish is still wet, so you must use the magnet immediately after painting each nail.
It's tricky at first, but once you've done it a couple times it becomes very easy. The main thing that goes wrong is making a crooked pattern by not holding your magnet level or holding it too far away, or messing up the design by touching the magnet to your nail. It's also possible to apply too much magnetic polish; the magnet is so strong that it will pull drops of polish off your nail and onto the magnet and make weirdness on your design.
What I liked:
- The magnet comes with the polish and is permanently attached. No need to buy a separate magnet or mess around with positioning.
- The magnet can be rotated to make different designs.
- Wide range of colors.
- Quick drying formula.
- Layla, you got me on my knees... Layla, I'm begging darling, please, Layla... Darling, won't you ease my worried mind?
- Available at one of my favorite online stores, Zappos. I love Zappos so much.
- The bottles are 0.4 fluid ounces. That's nearly a full sized bottle, not a mini like most magnetic polishes.
What I didn't like:
- Some topcoats erase the magnetic design somehow. I would recommend either not using topcoat (these are fast-drying polishes) or waiting a good 5-10 minutes before applying it.
- They're expensive, $15.50 each.
- The brush in my Metallic Sky was a little messed up, disappointing for a $15 polish.
- Formula is a little runny.
- Magnet design blurs over time.
Overall, I think they're great. The magnet isn't as easy to use as the Lancome or the Nails Inc, but the effect is just as nice. You can always use your own magnet with them (from another magnetic polish, not a regular magnet). I want to use the Lancome star pattern magnet on these! The other thing I like about these is that you get a little more polish per bottle than all the other magnetic polishes. More colors to choose from, too. I need to order Black Metal just for the name.
Magnetic polishes are expensive, but they're just so cool. I think everyone should own at least one, just to see it in person. The effect is really mesmerizing; it looks like Tiger's Eye on your nails. I mean it... You need to do at least one magnetic manicure in your lifetime just to experience it!
Layla Magneffect polishes are available from Zappos, $15.50 each.
(This was sent for review.)
My current mani is Magenetic Sky with a glitter franken layered over it - looks amazing! (You can see it on my blog.) I really like these polishes. =) I don't think they are quite as opaque as the LCN brand but usually one coaters if you're careful.
ReplyDeleteI looooove the way you presented them!!
ReplyDeleteAll the colors are great, my favorite is the blue one!
I know what you mean about experiencing a magnetic polish in real life, it looks just like 3D when you move your nails. I'm wearing the green LCN right now and got tons of compliments and questions on how I did it :)
ReplyDeleteMagnetic nail polishes are so expensive! I personally don't think it's worth it. It sucks because being a nail polish-aholic, I would have liked to at least try it.
ReplyDeleteI always thought that too! I'm not sure where you live but I had seen stores like CVS and ULTA carrying magnetic polish for $15-20 and that was way too expensive for me. I finally found a bottle at The Icing (A small accessories store in my mall) where it was sold for only $9! And Icing often has promotions for BOGO for 50% off! So I got two bottles for only $14!!
DeleteRochelle, that's so funny because I'm wearing Golden Nugget with a flaky topcoat over it right now!!
ReplyDeleteRock-or-not, thanks :D
Accordingtomalle, exactly! It looks like it's moving... like static... I don't know, it's just SO COOL.
Jennifer, I'm going to have to disagree with you there. They are definitely worth it to me. It looks like nothing else in the world when it's on your nails!
ReplyDeleteyou nailed the desc. they DO look like tigers eye. i kept saying they looked "3D"
ReplyDeleteSo it's not me? I have done some designs, come back to them after a day or two, and found them blurry.
ReplyDeleteCathryn, thank you! It does look 3D, it's crazy, I love looking at them.
ReplyDeleteDenise, nope, not just you! I find that the design starts out very crisp and then gradually starts to blur out over the next couple of days. Happens with every magnetic polish I've used, so strange.
I have Metallic Sky! It's awesome!
ReplyDeleteThese are really cool! I'd love to get some soon, but they're not exactly in my budget right now. I'm sure they're worth it though. I haven't seen anything like it before. I really like Metallic Sky, Turquoise Wave, and Purple Galaxy form the pictures.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh. I had no idea that Zappos carried polish! Another enabling by Scrangie. I don't even know you and you have no idea how much money I've spent because of your reviews. LOL!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog btw :)
Throwing in a little Eric Clapton! I have one magnetic polish. I haven't tried it yet. These look pretty good. I'm not going to go crazy & buy them in all colors.
ReplyDeleteLayla nail polishes are very good but I suggest that you try PUPA Magnetics nail polishes (another Italian brand), they're amazing!
ReplyDeleteOoooh tiger's eye! I like that comparison and think it's spot on! I also like the flaky over the magnetic polish. I'll have to give that a try soon, maybe with Essie's new flaky.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to try magnetic nail polish too!!!
ReplyDeleteBlarh, they are so expensive. Such a neat effect though. And you crack me up when you manage to slip in rock quotes!
ReplyDeleteI've read a few posts about magnetic nail polishes in the past, but yours is the first one that actually explains the technique and that they can be layered! Unfortunately, they are too expensive for my budget...
ReplyDeleteI don't own a single magnetic polish yet, but I've admired the designs you and other people have created with them. :) I like how it's dramatic, yet somehow soft at the same time.
ReplyDeleteWow, it must be a surreal thing to see polish coming OFF your nail and being pulled onto the magnet when you've applied to much polish. Yes, that's a STRONG magnet, indeed!
I have Layla "Silver Galaxy" and you're right - using a fast dry topcoat too soon after application does "erase" the design. I think it pulls the particles around before they've set. BUT! There is a fix for this as I figured out last night!
ReplyDeleteIf you paint on the topcoat too soon and the pattern erases, quickly put the magnet back over your nail. Since the topcoat is wet, it makes the magnetic polish wet again as well, and the design will come back! It won't be as prominent as it could have been, but it beats having to do a whole nail over.
I'm WAY late on this, but I bought two of three of these on sale at Raxall in Canada for $4.00. I believe the original price was $15-16, which is why I HAD to have it, because, such great savings!! Plus with a price like that, it had to be half decent. Since then, I've tried Nails Inc... andd... I think one other brand from Winners. I have 6 or 7 colours and I'm completely hooked. I don't think I will become sick of these as I did with Shatter.
ReplyDelete