Holy Holo Smackdown! My collection comparison

I have begun to notice that I have a pretty decent collection of holographic topcoats and polishes. Not tons, but a truckload! Reflecting on the brand families on my shelves, I have noticed I have quite a leaning towards the silver holo family. Recently I bought a lovely little number called Masked Affair from the Dark Sides of Grey collection by L’Oreal. I posted swatches yesterday on my Instagram feed. I pulled out all my holos (mainly linear) in the silver family and figured you might be interested in a comparison of the brands I personally own…or not 😉 But just for fun here they are. I might mention, I have linears in greens, gold, lavenders, purples and pinks. At some point I might do a smackdown of those too. First, here are the bottles shot in artificial light. It was cloudy, what can I say?! Then when I was almost done the sun came out but I did a comparison and they all looked the same in both types of light. I did not use my camera’s flash because honestly although it makes for a stunning effect on the nail, it doesn’t always represent a true to life image of what you and others see. We don’t go about using flashes of light to view someone’s polish. And…it makes my skin look like crap! LOL

On the left is Mega by ILNP and on the right, Holo by Mentality.

On the left is Silver by Nabi and on the right is Coachella by Cult Cosmetics.

I went ahead and included ONLY the bottle shot of Shine on Crazy Diamond by Orly. It did not qualify in my book as a buildable holo (although it’s a gorgeous top coat, it’s too sparse to even attempt a full on layering). Middle is Masked Affair by L’Oreal and on the right is the only NON-linear holo but a gorgeous scattered holo called Holographic Pearls by Revlon.

Here are images I took of each polish (except for the Orly topcoat). The description and grading system is in the caption of each image.

Mega by ILNP. In my honest opinion of the six holos I tested, this had the strongest linear rainbow effect. Opacity level 2 coats. Easy application scale 1-5, 5 being best, a 5. Shine surface medium not full glossy. Regular light, not sun or lamp holo effect 1-5, a 2, slight holo. Dries fast.

Holo by Mentality. In my honest opinion of the six holos I tested, this had a nice linear rainbow effect. I’d give it a 4 but it’s stronger over a color. Opacity level 3 coats. Easy application scale 1-5, 5 being best, a 5. Shine surface full glossy. Regular light, not sun or lamp holo effect 1-5, a 2, slight holo. Dries fast. All of these by the way are easy to remove.

Silver by Nabi. It was my first ever linear holo so it holds a special place in my heart. I have 7 of her sisters! Some of the other shades by Nabi actually have a stronger linear effect. Opacity level 3 coats. Easy application scale 1-5, 5 being best, a 3. This was the only one that wanted to “pull” so a slow flat steady hand is required. Shine surface medium not full glossy. Regular light, not sun or lamp holo effect 1-5, a 2, slight holo. Dries fast.

Coachella by Cult Cosmetics. I like the linear effect of this one for a more subtle effect but it really shines over other shades so I’d give it a 4 out of 5. Opacity level 3 coats. Easy application scale 1-5, 5 being best, a 5. Shine surface full glossy. Regular light, not sun or lamp holo effect 1-5, a 2, slight holo. Dries medium.

Masked Affair by L’Oreal. This stunner has a very strong linear rainbow effect, nearly as perfect as Mega by ILNP. It has a tad rosier base than Mega’s silveriness. Opacity level 2 coats. Easy application scale 1-5, 5 being best, a 5. Shine surface medium not full glossy. Regular light, not sun or lamp holo effect 1-5, a 2, slight holo. Dries fast. This beauty is new on the shelves and still a bit hard to find. It’s from the Dark Sides of Grey collection.

Holographic Pearls by Revlon from the Transforming Effects Top Coats collection is NOT linear. But, it’s none the less amazing and I decided to include it with the others. It is fully opaque in 4 thin easy to apply coats. Dries fairly smooth and shines like the underbelly of a jewel-hoarding dragon! It’s easy to remove and fast drying. Whether you’re sitting in a dim livingroom or in full on sunshine, you will attract attention. If you can’t find the others, get this! It’s a scattered holo wonder.

I’d love to hear what you think about the holographic explosion. I love them, but I’m not always in love with the application. I’ve been pretty fortunate to find polishes that weren’t that challenging. Believe me, if I was bothered by a couple of them, I wouldn’t have purchased their sister colors. Have you tried any of these and what was your experience? I don’t often do comparison’s…because I’m a bit lazy and I’ll leave that to the more ambitious bloggers! 😉 I’d love to hear from you! In retrospect, to be a great holo, linear or otherwise, does not have to have an “in-yo-face” linear effect. It can be glossy (however it seems some glossy finishes can degrade the effect, some of them do). I like the ones that shout, “I’m here I’m here I’m here!” And I like the more timid ones that say, “Yeah, I’m shiny, so?” I just love the lil twinklers! Oh, and the prop under the finger! I almost forgot this but it’s an amazing nail balm by Sweet Baby. Link is below.

Brands/links mentioned:

ILNP

Mentality

Nabi

Cult Cosmetics

Orly

L’Oreal

Revlon

Sweet Baby

*The ILNP Mega was provided at an earlier date by the company for review. The Mentality and Sweet Baby nail balm were giveaway gifts. All the rest of the polishes mentioned were purchased by me. All opinions are my own from my own findings and I was not compensated in any way.