TBT: Layla Flash Black

*Nothing to Disclose*

I know that it's nothing too special or unique, but I'm going to again attempt to do Throwback Thursdays (TBT). Since I have so many older polishes that are unloved in lieu of shiny new pretties, I need some encouragement to pull them out and wear them. Don't get me wrong, they are amazing polishes...just often forgotten since they aren't right in front of me. Hopefully this will be the push I need to pull them out!

I'm going to start off with a polish from a few years ago, Layla Flash Black. 

When Layla released their line of Hologram Effect polishes back in 2012, people were googly-eyed over them. There was definitely a learning curve when it came to application and there was often a love/hate relationship with the collection. I was lucky to have a blogger pal, The Holo Queen, who was absolutely obsessed with the collection and she quickly figured out all of the tips and tricks to their application and shared them, so I bought them all and they are still some of my favorite and most treasured polishes in my collection. 

If you have any from the line and you have issues with them, here are some application tips that I find make them work fantastically:

• USE AN AQUA BASE! This polish base is not quite like other bases and leaves a glassy smooth finish on your nails. It is quite nice to use with holos as well as chrome polishes. My favorite is the Jessica brand aqua base (which is unfortunately discontinued), but I also really like the Nfu-Oh base. 
• Link to Nfu-Oh Aqua Base 
• Shake the polishes well before using them. I have seen that after sitting for awhile the pigment can clump up a bit in these polishes, so be sure to shake them well before using them. 
• Use light, thin coats to build up to full coverage. I typically use 3 coats for all of my Layla polishes. When you apply the polish, you want to kind of "float" the brush over your nail and not apply a lot of pressure because that will lead to streaking. 
• Allow the polish to dry between coats to prevent dragging. 
• Top them with a non-dulling topcoat to maximize longevity (they will chip very quickly without topcoat). The Holo Queen recommended to use Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Clearly Quick (not the topcoat in the red bottle, but the clear triangular bottle from the Insta-Dri line). She tried out numerous topcoats and this one had the best results! I have a bottle of it around just to wear with my Laylas. 
• Link to Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Clearly Quick 

So they are fussy? A bit I guess...but not really if you follow the above steps. Are they worth it? Totally, in my opinion. There are lots of other holos out there these days as holo pigment has become widely available, but they just aren't quite the same type of holo as some of these fussy older holos. These will always be magical to me! Just look at the rainbow flame!

Layla Flash Black, 3 thin coats

Have you had experience with they Layla holos or other holos like them? Are you a lover or a hater? Thanks for looking everyone!