Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Holo Comparisons!


During my trip to the dollar store recently, I picked up some Sally Hansen Prisms at a great discount. When I brought them home I pulled out all the holographic polishes I have and decided to do a little comparison between the different brands. It's no secret that I absolutely love holos, and this is timely with the soon-to-be-released Tronica collection from China Glaze. This is by no means a completely comprehensive list of all holos, just the ones I have. I have separated the polishes into color groups, Silver, Purple, Pink, Peach, Blue and Green. I didn't do gold, because, frankly, I only have 1 and gold does not look good on my skin tone - so I tend not to buy them. The brands included here are Nfu-Oh, OPI Designer Series collection, China Glaze OMG collection, Milani 3D Holographic collection and Sally Hansen Prisms collection.

First up - the silver group.
L-R: Nfu-Oh 61, OPI Designer Series Coronation, Sally Hansen Diamond and Milani HD
Pointer - Nfu-Oh 61, Middle - OPI, Ring - Milani, Pinky - Sally Hansen
L-R: Sally Hansen Diamond, Milani HD, OPI DS Coronation, Nfu-Oh 61
Nfu-Oh 61 makes the most concentrated and linear holographic effect. It looks blue in the nail only photo, but that is only because I needed the flash to show the holo effect. The other two shots are without flash. OPI Designer Series Coronation and Milani HD both have a chunky, scattered holo effect. Sally Hansen Diamond also has a scattered holo effect, but the holographic bits are smaller than OPI and Milani. My favorite of this bunch is the Nfu-Oh 61.

Purples
L-R: Nfu-Oh 64, China Glaze IDK, Milani Hi-Res, Sally Hansen Purple Diamond
Pointer - Nfu-Oh, Middle - China Glaze, Ring - Milani, Pinky - Sally Hansen
L-R: Sally Hansen Purple Diamond, Milani Hi-Res, China Glaze IDK, Nfu-Oh 64
Nfu-Oh 64 and China Glaze IDK both have a great linear holographic effect. The Nfu-Oh's particles seems a bit larger, but both are very eye-catching. The Nfu-Oh is a more pinky-purple while China Glaze is more of a blue purple. The Sally Hansen Purple Diamond has a very subtle linear effect, which only shows in the right light. The Milani Hi-Res is a definite scatter effect. My favorite of this bunch is the China Glaze IDK.

Pinks
L-R: Nfu-Oh 63, China Glaze QT, Milani Digital, Sally Hansen Pink Rose Diamond
Pointer - Nfu-Oh, Middle - China Glaze, Ring - Milani, Pinky - Sally Hansen
L-R: Sally Hansen Pink Rose Diamond, Milani Digital, China Glaze QT, Nfu-Oh 63
For the pinks, the Nfu-Oh 63 and China Glaze QT both have pronounced linear effects, like the purples. The effect of the China Glaze with the deeper color is really nice. It looks subtle until you really look at it, and then the effect is quite pronounced. Sally Hansen Pink Rose Diamond has a subtle linear effect and Milani Digital is scattered. My favorite of this bunch is, again, the China Glaze.

Peaches
L-R: OPI DS Reserve, China Glaze TMI, China Glaze TTYL, Sally Hansen Mandarin Garnet
Pointer - OPI, Middle - CG TMI, Ring - CG TTYL, Pinky - Sally Hansen
L-R: Sally Hansen Mandarin Garnet, China Glaze TTYL, China Glaze TMI, OPI DS Reserve
OPI DS Reserve is very scattered, there isn't any linear effect at all. Both China Glaze colors have the linear effect while the Sally Hansen Mandarin Garnet is very subtle, more so than the silver and pink color. In this bunch, my favorite is the China Glaze TMI.

Blues
R-L: Nfu-Oh 65, OPI DS Sapphire, Milani Cyberspace
Pointer - Nfu-Oh, Middle - OPI, Ring - Milani
L-R: Milani Cyberspace, OPI DS Sapphire, Nfu-Oh 65
Both the Nfu-Oh 65 and OPI Sapphire are linear, with the Nfu-Oh being more so. The Milani Cyberspace is scattered, but with this color, it really works well. My favorite of this much is the Nfu-Oh.

Green
L-R: China Glaze L8R G8R, Milani Hi-Tech
Pointer - China Glaze, Middle - Milani
L-R: Milani Hi-Tech, China Glaze L8R G8R
I only have two green holos, but they are both great. China Glaze L8R G8R has a pronounced linear effect while Milani Hi-Tech has a subtle linear effect. All of the other Milanis have a scattered holographic effect while this one actually shows a subtle linear holo. Of the Milanis, the green is my favorite. I don't think I can pick a favorite of these two, they're both great.

All of the swatches here were done with three coats and no base or top coat. The Nfu-Ohs can really benefit from using the Nfu-Oh Aqua Base, as the formula is quite thick and tends to form bald spots when any other base (or no base) is used. It's a difficult polish to work with, but very rewarding. The Milanis, Sally Hansens and OPIs are all on the thinner side, and really do benefit from 3 coats. The China Glazes are great formulas, great in 2 coats, but I still used three. Of the collections, the China Glaze OMGs are my favorite as a group. Unfortunately, these are getting harder to find (and therefore much more $$$$) on eBay. However, Tronica will be coming out in a month and from the swatches I've seen online - it seems to be a more scattered holo rather than linear and in the same shades. I'll have to wait and go see for myself.

Happy holos, everyone!

6 comments:

  1. Very comprehensive review! Love it! You are so lucky, I never score any great nail polish at my Dollar Store.

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  2. CAN I COME OVER AND PLAY?
    I need all those holos!

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  3. @crispy - there's about 5 Dollar Trees near me, only one produces gems!

    @TTT - I'm a bit of an all or nothing kinda girl. If the rest of the OMG collection wasn't so expensive, I would probably own it by now!

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  4. I was peeking around at photos of holo polishes and always see the terms "LINEAR" and "SCATTERED". I know what they mean but, I was curious to see some side-by-side comparisons, so I googled "linear holo vs scattered holo nail polish". This post was the FIRST link to pop up and it's *exactly* what I was looking for. Thank you so much for such a great and informative post!! The polishes are gorgeous! I have Milani Hi-Tech and HD and Color Club Too Violet - which are the extent of my holos right now. :( I'll have to pick up some of the "linear" holos to that you mentioned to round out my collection a bit. :) Thanks again! :)

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  5. Now I finally understand linear vs scattered. Thank you! :)

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