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.