*LAQA & Co*

I was very lucky to be sent 2 items from the new spring launches from LAQA & Co last week. The first thing that caught my eye about them was the gorgeous packaging (it really is attractive) and I couldn't wait to try them out! The items I received were a nail polish in shade Nemesis - a warm coral shade perfect for summer, and the Gold Fleck Manicure in shade Lacey.

So, a bit about LAQA & Co; they describe themselves as a 'bold line of beauty products in strong colours. Done with attitude. Something that not only inspired, but gave back' and from first impressions they are just that. Their products range from Nail Polish pens (so you can do your nails on the go!), nail polishes, Mani Pens and Lip Lube pencils in all manner of beautiful, bright colours. What I really love about them though, is that each items packaging is covered in 'unique artwork by young artists looking to get their work seen...' and they really are eye-catching. Imagine that, just the box it came in is a little bit of artwork. I think this is a brilliant idea and really supports new talent, helping them get their work noticed, I like that idea a lot.

I guess I should really talk about the product itself now. I found the applicators were a bit thinner than I would usually like, I prefer a brush that applies polish to the entire nail in one swipe as it just makes application soo much easier. Regardless of this though, the product was incredibly easy to apply as it had a really good consistency - thin enough to apply easily but thick enough to not leave streaks. I could have applied just one coat and it would have been enough but in the pictures they are all 2 coats. They dried quite quickly, but not anything noticeably fast.

 I applied Nemesis to my toes and was impressed at how, one week later, they are still perfect and unchipped! Sadly, the Gold Fleck Mani didn't last so long on my finger nails and was chipping after just a day or two. I think this is largely down to the size and thickness of the gold flecks as they don't bend brilliantly around the nail and do begin to peel off quite easily. Which is a shame because I really did like the look when they were first done.

In conclusion, LAQA & Co seem a really good brand with some clever little quirks that really makes their products stand out (that packaging, again I'm obsessed!). Their Gold Fleck Mani's I'm not completely sold on but their polishes are good and I really want to get my hands on some of the Nail Polish Pens to see how they work and the Lip Lube Pencil, being a massive Lip product addict. They've recently had some new launches as well which, from the product listing, look quite worth looking at.

All products from LAQA & Co are available at www.myretailbeauty.com and here for anyone in America (they are a New York based company).

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