LAYLA, you’ve got me on my knees! Layla Magneffect Magnetic Nail Polish

I am so over crackle nail polish, I can’t even stand it. Thankfully we have a new nail polish toy to play with, magnetic nail polish. Just like the mattes and crackles that came before it, I predict by this time next year, a majority of the major nail polish brands will have followed the magnetic trail blazed by brands like Layla and LCN. We saw this happen last summer when lesser known foreign nail polish manufacturers started coming out with crackles and now you can’t throw a rock in a drugstore without hitting a brand that has jumped on the crackle bandwagon. Of course, this isn’t the first time magnetic nail polish has caused a buzz, it just fizzled out too fast due to lack of availability. Well that isn’t the case anymore. Last month when I attended Cosmoprof North America I had the good fortune to meet the people behind Layla Cosmetics, an Italian brand who was exhibiting their line in Discover Beauty. Discover Beauty is a section of the show reserved for emerging brands hoping to find US distributorship. Well, Layla certainly made an impression because their Magneffect Magnetic Nail Polish is already popping up at a number of online stores.

Formula & Application: Layla Magneffect magnetic nail polish is 4-Free (including formaldehyde resin) and does not include camphor, which can be an irritant. The round 10ml bottles house a long, flat brush with firm but flexible bristles. I would say the brush is the perfect balance of stiff and bendy in that it allows you to fan out the bristles but gives you great control.

The polish itself is kind of thick and goopy because of the amount of pigment involved but it lays down nice and flat with no bumps. Due to the metallic particles in the polish it does dry with a brush stroke finish if you choose not to use the magnet. Also, while you can certainly get away with one coat, I found that the color and pattern were intensified when I used two coats so that is my preference.

Plus, doing two coats gives you the opportunity to test your magnet holding skills. You can use the magnet on the first coat as a trial and then erase your work on the second coat.

Working with the Magneffect Magnets

Magnetic nail polishes contain iron particles that react to the special designs in the magnets. When you hold the magnet over wet nail polish, a pattern is formed that will remain once the polish is dry. The key is to get the magnet over the polish immediately following your last brush stroke.

Unlike LCN, the Layla Magneffect polishes come with the magnets on the cap. Since you have to quickly place the cap over the wet polish, I found it easier to hold the cap without the bottle attached. The time it takes to screw the cap on could negatively effect your design.

Obviously I did not have a helper (ie the boyfriend) to photograph the two hand method but this gives you an idea of how to place the magnet over the polish. Thanks to the line embossed in the magnet, you will know which direction the lines will form in the polish.

Application Tips:

• Work quickly. The polish dries fast so you need to get the magnet over the wet polish ASAP
• Experiment with the direction of the line. Vertical lines look very cool (see below).
• The more centered the magnet is on the nail, the more lines you will get
• Hold the magnet over the polish for at least 5-10 seconds
• If you get polish on the magnet DO NOT USE ACETONE REMOVER. It will damage the magnet. Wipe it off as fast as you can with a cotton/hands down pad.
• Wait at least 5 minutes for the polish to dry before applying top coat. If you use two coats, like me, wait a bit more. If the polish is slightly wet, the top coat will drag the pattern.

Layla Magneffect Purple Galaxy is the color I wore for the boyfriend’s birthday this past weekend. I let him choose his favorite color of the collection and this rich red grape won out. As you can see, when the magnet is applied, the base color comes through as a deep plum with the brighter metallic grape forming the diagonal lines. I alternated the direction of the lines on all my fingers and it definitely got attention.

The full Layla Magneffect Magnetic Nail Polish line includes

Blue Grey Flow, Turquoise Wave and Metallic Sky

Changing Lilac, Velvet Groove, Purple Galaxy

Golden Nugget, Golden Bronze, Brown Sugar

Gun Metal, Silver Galaxy, Black Metal

In the swatches below I used two coats of polish, except where noted.

Layla Magneffect Black Metal, Velvet Groove and Golden Bronze

Layla Magneffect Blue Grey Flow

Layla Magneffect Purple Galaxy, Brown Sugar and Black Metal

Layla Magneffect Golden Nugget

Layla Magneffect Gun Metal

Layla Magneffect Changing Lilac and Metallic Sky

Layla Magneffect Silver Galaxy

Layla Magneffect Turquoise Wave

Bottom Line: I love the three dimensional quality magnetic polishes create and that they’re a simple form of nail art that even amateurs, such as myself, can handle. Plus, it’s nail art that isn’t too crazy or over the top. I was very pleased with the color range, pigmentation and magnet strength in the Layla Magneffect line. And it wears really well. I’ve had it on for almost a week with no chips, just minimal tip wear. Not needing to buy a separate magnet is a bonus. You know you won’t lose it since it’s attached.

Layla Magneffect nail polish is available at select US etailers now with the rest going live tomorrow, September 1st. You can find Layla Magneffect at Zappos.com, AveYou.com, Brigette’s Boutique, Amazon.com, Drugstore.com and NailVamp.com (site launches Sept 1). Layla Magneffect nail polish retails for $15.50/ea for a 10ml bottle with the magnet attached.

Are you ready to jump on the magnetic bandwagon? What do you think of the look? What are your favorite colors from the Layla Magneffect lineup? Which major brand do you predict to come out with magnetic nail polish first? Do you think L’oreal will revive the Star Magnet line or put out more Magnetique polishes through Lancome?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by reps for Layla Cosmetics. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.