Filed In: LAQA&CO

LAQA & Co. – Blurple (swatches, review & comparison)

My first experience with a nail polish pen, was when I reviewed LAQA & Co.’s ‘WTF’ (here), so I had a fairly good idea of what to expect. What I was unprepared for, was how saturated in colour ‘Blurple’ would turn out to be…a pleasant surprise! True to the instructions that accompany each pen, within 8 clicks the polish flows easily to the tip and you’re set to start painting. What makes a nail polish pen unique amongst all the other lacquers out there, is its portability and ease of use. ‘Blurple’, as the name implies, is a cross between a deep purple and a rich blue and the following swatches are with Sèche Natural base coat and two coats of polish, no top coat.

Initially, knowing how much polish to bring to the tip of the pen takes a bit of practice and some skill, but once you get the rhythm going, it becomes a breeze. ‘Blurple’ is an intensely deep indigo shade, becoming fully opaque with the second coat and what I found so impressive, was the awesome glossy finish; you basically don’t need a topcoat, at least not for any extra shine. Whether seen in full sun (top photo) or indirect light (bottom photo), I love how the colour itself doesn’t change all that much and remains true to its purple leanings. Dry time was fairly quick as well, and my only suggestion would be to have a napkin handy to wipe off any excess polish that might come to the tip of the pen or to dab your pen against, in case you push too much of the colour out the tip.

Going through my stash of lacquers, the best match I found was with OPI’s ‘Funkey Dunkey’ from the Shrek Collection. Both polishes needed only two coats to be fully opaque, and the differences themselves were rather minute; the formula on ‘Funkey Dunkey’ seemed to be somewhat thinner, and its base hue was perhaps a tone darker than that of ‘Blurple’ (as you can tell from the top photo taken in full sun), but other than that, they were indeed close enough to be twins.

Final thoughts: Having tried only two of the eight available shades, I have to confess that I prefer ‘Blurple’ to ‘WTF’, mainly because I fell in love with ‘Blurple’s’ colour…..like spilled ink! Apart from the 8 coloured nail polish pens available, the company also offers a top coat (again, in pen form) as well as nail polish remover pads. What’s interesting to note is the totally unique packaging that each item comes in; each polish pen box has been individually designed by an up-and-coming artist, and part of the proceeds of every pen/product sold, goes towards helping to support their endeavours…isn’t that wonderful? Please feel free to browse through LAQA & Co.’s website to purchase or for more information.

*Disclaimer: product samples were provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration

LAQA & Co. – Valentine Love!

February 7, 2011

I just received a press release from LAQA & Co. that I wanted to share with you all. This is the spanking new ‘nail polish pen’ company that I recently wrote about (you can check out my earlier review here on one of their products), and just in time for Valentine’s Day, they have created this sweetheart themed gift box set.

LAQA & Co. BMX Bandit

LAQA & Co Pimpin'

LAQA & Co. top coat

According to company founder, Georgina Hofmann, this set comes with 2 glossy nail polish pens in BMX Bandit – a hot & sultry fiery red, and Pimpin’ – a lucious deep rose, their top coat pen, 2 of their nail polish remover pads and….an ounce of love! The polish pens come in their original artist-designed boxes and I love how part of the proceeds from the sale of every nail polish pen, goes back to help support the artists who designed these boxes. Philanthropy & nail lacquer….a match made in beauty heaven!

This gift set is available exclusively online at LAQA & Co.

LAQA & Co. polish remover pads

LAQA & Co. – in ‘WTF’

December 9, 2010

I have an innovative product to show you from a new player in the nail polish field, LAQA & Co. Nail Polish Pen in ‘WTF’ (I know, I know….what a scream!). They presently have 8 colours in their product range, as well as a topcoat in pen form and nail polish remover pads.

Now apart from the pen itself, I point your attention to the unique artwork covering the box it came in. Every single colour has had its accompanying box designed by an up & coming young talented artist looking for recognition, and LAQA & Co. is supporting these endeavours by giving them each a cut of the profits from every colour purchased. Beauty & philanthropy combined…..how cool is that, I tell you?! As well, the formula of the polishes themselves is 3-Free, containing no formaldehyde, toluene or DHP.

The company lists these polish pens as high gloss, do-your-nails-anywhere products and as far as convenience goes, they certainly are that. The only other nail polish in pen form I’ve ever tried, was one from Sally Hansen and I was left very disappointed by the formula and application. Not so with this one, I’m happy to say.

WTF is a delicate sheer neutral with muted beigey-pink undertones (the name vs. the colour threw me at first, but upon reflection, I totally get it…..as in “WTF – where’s the colour?”!!!), which can build to decent opacity by applying 3 thin coats. After a brief quick shake, as the inner leaflet that comes with the box states (which, by the way, is a totally fun extra in itself) you pump the top of the pen approximately 7 times, and voilà….the first bead of lacquer appears. Now, I have to say that painting your nails using a pen does take some getting used to, but somehow feels natural once you get the hang of it.

in sunlight

After playing around some and trying different combinations, I found what works best is if you wait at least a minute between each coat, otherwise you could wind up with some streaking. I also suggest having a napkin handy to dab the pen on if too much polish appears on the brush, as well as after you’re finished, to remove any excess lacquer prior to re-capping it. After the third coat was applied, I initially continued to see a touch of streaking but to my surprise, by the time the polish dried, it seemed to have all levelled out….a bonus! And yes, the finish is indeed very glossy, even without a top coat. The brush is long & fairly flexible but just a tad on the thick side; I would have preferred it to be slightly thiner for easier control but then again, I do tend to like the thinner brushes more. The dry time seems to be excellent as well, and again, that was tested without any fast drying top coat.

in natural lighting

Final thoughts: this is an excellent work-friendly shade and for those who prefer a more ‘natural’ looking nail. It reminded me strongly of OPI’s ‘Bubble Bath’ but with seriously more shine (really, really shiny!). You need to play around with the pen to figure out how much pressure to apply or else you can wind up with a few bald patches and some streaking but as a quick fix, quick-drying, on-the-go polish, it works amazing!

You can purchase LAQA & Co. products on their website here, with each pen retailing for US $14.95 and they even throw in free shipping on orders over $20.00!