Thursday, September 15, 2011

LCN Magnetic Power Magnet Nail Polish Collection

2011 is turning out to be a pretty amazing year for nail polish. I've seen almost all my nail polish wishes come true in the past two years, but one of them still seemed absent.... until now. Magnetic nail polish is the new trend on the horizon and I couldn't be happier.

Here's LCN's new Magnetic Power collection, a set of eight magnet-effect polish colors plus two pattern magnets.


Amazing Mauve. This one starts off as a pale purple frost, but when you expose it to the magnet, it turns to awesome silver and purple! This is true for all the magnetic shades- they appear one color in the bottle but magically transform when exposed to the magnet.


Copper Seduction.


Ferromagnetic Blue.



Fuchsia Attraction.



Green Temptation.



Iron Magic.



Magnetic Moments.



Nude Charm.

If you've never used magnetic nail polish before, here's how it works. First, you paint all ten nails with either the magnet polish or a base polish (I used a coat of black polish for my first coat). Then, one by one, you paint each nail and hold the magnet against it for 10-20 seconds while the polish is still very wet. This forms the design in the polish. After the design shows up, you move on to the next nail, and so on.

One of the things I really like about these is that they're super iridescent. After you use the magnet on them, all sorts of sparkles and colors come out. These are just so super cool, I can't get over it.

I tried a little bit of nail art with Magnetic Moments, inspired by this design by Stephanie Rae:


I applied a base of black polish, then a stripe of LCN Magnetic Moments down the center of the nail. I applied the magnet for 30 seconds on each nail. I outlined an oval design in silver glitter striper polish and then covered the edges in black striper polish. Sort of like a cameo design. Not bad for my first try! I'll do a few things differently next time, but I thought it looked pretty cool and it got me a lot of compliments when I wore it.

These LCN Magnetic polishes are very good, though so far I only have the Lancome Le Magnetique polishes to compare them to. They're very opaque, form a good design quickly and change colors in a beautiful way. A quick rundown of my experience with these:

What I liked:
  • LCN Magnetic polishes come in a good variety of attractive shades.
  • The magnet works quickly.
  • Polishes are opaque in one coat.
  • Good dry time.
  • Easy to apply formula.
  • They look incredible on the nails!! Magnet polish is awesome.
  • Two choices of magnets for a starburst effect or a striped effect.
What I didn't like:
  • The bottles are very small. 8ml. That's why I used a coat of black polish as a base- to conserve the magnet polish! If you do two coats every time, you could end up running out very quickly.
  • The magnets are awkward to use. They're not attached to the bottle like the Lancome ones, so you have to find a way to position them close enough to make an even design but not so close that you bump your nail against the magnet (like I did in a few of these pictures). The loose magnet also makes it a bit difficult to center your design and make sure they're even, so it takes a bit of practice to get the positioning right.
  • They're expensive. $9.90 for 8ml. $19.90 for the magnet alone. The starter kit which includes all eight shades plus both magnets is a slightly better deal at $115.
  • The design can sometimes look blurry and fade over time, and sometimes only looks right from certain angles.
Despite the awkwardness of the loose magnet and the small bottle size, I do think these are worth the cost. They look so amazing and I get so many comments on my nails when I wear these. Magnet polishes are pretty unique. I know a few other brands will be releasing some later this year, but so far these are satisfying my craving for new magnet shades. They're gorgeous.

My top picks are Magnetic Moments, Iron Magic, Ferromagnetic Blue, Nude Charm and Green Temptation.

These are available directly from LCN either individually or as a set.

(These were sent to me for review.)

34 comments:

  1. I love your nail design! It kinda reminds me of a decorative button or brooch. Magnetic polish is so cool!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I bought the complete set, myself. =)
    Nail polish is getting to be real fun!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love Ferromagnetic Blue! Do you have to use their special magnet or would any shaped magnet work?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Smoke, Sarah, Rochelle, Liza, BlushingNoir: I love these... they are super super cool!

    OPI Addict, You do have to use their special magnet as it has a shaped pattern embedded into it. Using a regular magnet (though, I only tried it once with the original Lancome Le Magnetique) just makes a blur. lol

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is so cool! I hate how expensive it is though! OUCH! I hope this trend catches on like crackles so maybe we can get something a bit more affordable. Do you think you could make your own designs with a different magnet?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Darn it, this looks too awesome to gripe about the price and how I can't pay that much for nail polish. I just kind of need it...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Green Temptation is gorgeous!! It's sad that they are so expensive!!!!!!!! Thanks for the awesome swatches!!

    xoxox

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow, these are just amazing! I've got to find a tutorial video...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Do you know whether or not they send polish internationally? I live in Norway and would loooove to get these! I've been obsessed with magnetic polishes since I saw the Alessandro ones, but unfortunately I got into nail polish too late to be able to get a hold of those..

    ReplyDelete
  10. These look AMAZING! The magnetic effect is gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow!!
    they're all great!!
    Thanks for the review!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I've never tried magnetic polishes, but I may have to eventually because your swatches make it look really beautiful! Can't decide if I like the star or stripe effect more. :)

    I also love your nail design - very cool!

    ReplyDelete
  13. These are so awesome. I love the bit of nail art you did with it. It looks like you have large gems on your nails ;)

    ReplyDelete
  14. My favorite is Iron Magic. It looks like a beautiful star in a dark sky. :) But I don't think I'll be buying these polishes, they are way too expensive. I don't think it's worth it.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I must say, you are not one to do nail art very often-but this look you created is freakin awesome! Have never seen anyone do that before and you rocked it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. What if you attached the magnet to something like a popsicle stick?

    ReplyDelete
  17. WOW! That's super cool! I want that now! lol

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love how these look, but I'm going to have to wait until (hopefully) the trend catches on enough for some less expensive brands to do their own versions.

    ReplyDelete
  19. this is so cool. your nails look awesome! *nailgeekmode*

    ReplyDelete
  20. These are simply amazing! I want the complete set. My favorite is Green Temptation. Love your nail art. Reminds me of a design I saw on a pair of shoes many years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  21. you did an amazing job... perfection..
    i have a question, maybe you would know....
    do these polishes have metal in them...
    i work at a hospital and in some areas u cant wear metal because of the MRI machines....

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanks, everyone :D

    Nails and Oddities, I asked but I haven't heard back yet! I'll comment again when I hear back!

    Diann_co, you could but I don't think that would make it any easier! It needs a guide and something to keep it stable, like the old Lancomes had that little lip to help you position your nail.

    Kimberlyshae, yes, they do have metal in them so I'd be careful around the MRI! It's probably not a significant amount, but better safe than sorry.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I am absolutely jealous of people with nail beds big enough for these to work! I swatched these a few months back and got so frustrated...I ended up not even doing all the colors - just Fuchsia Attraction.

    I wasted a lot of money on these, so people with small nail beds, BEWARE!

    ReplyDelete

Please be respectful. Refrain from using my comments for unsolicited advertising. If you would like me to check out your blog or product, please email me. Thank you!