Thursday, January 17, 2013

Layla Softouch Effect and Ceramic Effect

Today I've got swatches of some of the Layla Softouch and Ceramic polishes I grabbed after the displays showed up at my Ulta. To make best use of coupons, I bought them over several visits and pretty much every time the sales associate at the register would make some comment about the price—around $10 for each 10ml bottle. They thought that was high; I thought that was fine, given that they're imported and every other place I could possibly get them from charges about the same plus shipping, and compared to Hologram Effect at $15+ for the same size bottle, these are quite reasonable. I didn't say all that to the SAs, though; usually I'd just say "well, they're from Italy" or "but they're so pretty".



First up is Softouch Effect in a lovely blue shade that poking around the internet reveals is named Turquoise Splash; the bottle just says "10" on the top. The Softouch Effect polishes are matte but not quite the same sort of matte that we've seen before; these, like the name implies, are softer in appearance. Or, as Google Translate showed me for the Layla Softouch page on their website, "Enamel result from soft and fluffy. Textured enamel which gives the dull polish a new shine and enhances the splendor of pearly particles inside." Here's what two coats of Turquoise Splash look like (no base and of course no topcoat):





Soft really does describe the texture; it's smooth to the touch and easy on the eyes. I loved this one in low light, too.



I tend to avoid matte polishes because I use hand lotion several times a day and trying to keep it off the polish so it'll stay matte is a pain. So I had to try slathering it on the Softouch to see what would happen. Answer: it still looks soft.



The next Softouch Effect I tried was 02, also known as Golden Touch. It's no secret that gold is not my thing, but this one has some silvery bits in it and that and the softer texture make this much more agreeable for me than most golds. I used three coats of this one, though maybe I could have stopped at two. My instinct with lighter colors is always to go for three.





I was curious how the Softouch would compare to a similar non-soft shade, so I did a comparison with Ceramic Effect 32, a.k.a. Gold Shimmer. I used three coats of that as well, again no base or topcoat. Left to right: Softouch, Ceramic, Softouch, Ceramic.



Ceramic on top, Softouch below:



The difference is more noticeable at an angle rather than straight on; the Ceramic Effect definitely shines more, even without topcoat.



There was one flakie in the Laylas at Ulta, CE 52, a.k.a. The Butterfly Effect. This has orange to green flakies in a blue-leaning purple base.



I used two coats of The Butterfly Effect over Turquoise Splash. I didn't add topcoat, but looking at these photos now, I see it would have been a good idea. The flakies lie pretty flat but there's still a touch of bumpiness.





I did also buy some non-shimmer Softouch Effect and non-flakie Ceramic Effect that I may manage to get around to swatching one day, but there are always so many new things distracting me that it's hard to know when that might happen.

25 comments:

  1. I love the Softouch ones! I have three and need more! :)

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  2. Oh my God, this post is dangerous. :D I decided to skip the Soft Touch collection, but now I don't know what to do. I want Turquoise Splash and Gold Touch... Yes, both! :)

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  3. The blue shade is gorgeous!! I only know the brand from their holographic polishes but these are gorgeous too

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  4. oh boy you just made me want those Softouch polishes more! I ended up buying that flakie and the green glitter one since they were on clearance passing up the Softouch ones lol I will be going back for them though.

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  5. Omg, I totally skipped the Softouch collection but now I might go back to check them out.
    I love the regular Ceramics, I think their formula is one of the best, I hope you'll like them as well :)

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  6. I want them all... but Layla is so out of my budget haha! maybe just one... >_>

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  7. The Softouch ones are really pretty, especially Turquoise Splash! I've only seen the Layla magnetic polishes around here, so I don't think I'll ever get my hands on these beauties ):

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  8. I like the couple of Softouch polishes I have. 03 is my favorite. I think it's rude for cashiers to comment if they think something you're buying is expensive. I cashier at work all the time and I only comment if someone is getting a great deal.

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  9. The two first really surprised me in a good way! They look great on you!

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  10. I'm so with you about matte polish-sure it looks cool but then you put lotion on and the effect is ruined. very cool that you tested this out. I much prefer shiny-but once in a while matte is ok

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  11. Great swatches! Loving Softouch's Golden Touch! It's got a real beautiful shimmer to it. Me likey! ♥

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  12. They are gorgeous! ^_^

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  13. Beautiful ones. I wish Ulta could be in Sweden too though.. ;)

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  14. I tried one of the ceramic ones. I tried it with out the base coat as is says it is not needed and it stained bad, also it chipped pretty quickly. I loved the color, just wasn't impressed with the quality. I didn't see that flaky, I need to go look for it!

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  15. Those are all so pretty! :D Good to know that the coupons can be used on Laylas. I'll do the same thing; go in and get just enough to cover the coupon then go back if there's more I want. :p Gotta get the most out of 'em!

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  16. They're all beautiful! I really like the softtouch ones!

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  17. Well, "they're from Italy", where they are pretty expensive, too :-P
    Actually I never checked the Soft Effects price (but I will do after I saw your swatches *__*) but their Holos are officially sold at 11,90€ here (where there is no "s&h" to be added). Sounds crazy, but (thanks to a fellow blogger) I found them at a better price from a EU e-store.
    Ceramics are chaper, I bought that purple flakey, too (it has a nice red brother BTW)!

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Thank you for reading and commenting! I greatly appreciate knowing I'm not just talking to myself here. :) I'm moderating most comments now due to the spate of spammers who claim to be looking for sexy times.