Layla "08 Flash Black" HOLO

Hello lovely ladies and lacquered lads!

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything here - I was out of town on a job, and couldn't play. But I'm home now, and with the overtime pay, I was able to buy me a LAYLA HOLO!

Here it is:

The funny thing about the Layla holos is that they sell a special two-grit buffer to use for nail prep. I compared it to my yellow 220 buffer, and I'd say the "rough" pink side is at least a 400, and the white, smooth side is something above 1600. The white side might not be abrasive at all. I used it on my existing "Grenade" mani, which I decided to keep as underwear for the Layla. The 220 buffer smoothed off all the ridges and scratches and de-glossed the polish. The pink 400? made the surface look a little smoother, but still not glossy at all... and the white side squeaked while rubbing, it warmed up the nails from friction, it barely picked up any color from the Grenade (I think all it picked up was dust from the earlier buffing).... and it restored a mirror-like gloss that I've never seen anywhere except a Scrangie swatch! The Layla buffer is intended for use on bare nail, and the color is intended to be applied without a base coat - the instructions say "Holographic effect develops as the polish dries" - so apparently, smoothness and thinness of coating are important to achieve alignment of the holo particles.

Anyway, with the buffing done, I applied a thin coat of Flash Black. It went on a little streaky - I could see a couple of gaps where the coat was weak. So, after drying, I added a second coat. That's what's shown in the photo.

I love this finish! I can definitely see this becoming a traffic hazard! Even in the muted light of my bedside CFL, I can see the holo rainbow easily, and I can't wait for sunrise tomorrow! (The photos are with flash..)

**UPDATE 5/12** - This is so awesome I've worn it the whole week. I had a little tip wear, which I just touched up. Also, in the photo above, you might have noticed my nubbin pinky, from a breakage the week before. Ironically, my right pinky had the longest nail of all - so I've spent the week wondering if I could transplant some of it from right to left. Yesterday, I tried it... cleanly sliced off 1/4" of right pinky nail, sanded the piece square and the left nail to match, filed a long chamfer on the top of the left, and used my Dremel to put a matching angle on the underside of the piece. Then I used Superglue to attach the piece, used a file to blend the top surfaces, then applied two layers of fiberglass wrap. Then I buffed smooth, applied base coat and a coat of black, then two coats of this Layla.

Here's the result:

I am very pleased with this - the rebuilt nail feels as strong as the others, all four are the same length now, there's absolutely no sign that this isn't natural growth... I couldn't be happier!


My personal NP "Holy Grail" is a bottle of original '07 MPJ. The hard part for me will be saving some of this to compare, if/when I ever get an '07 MPJ in my hands.

I bought this from Ulta with my own money, and I have not been compensated for this review...