Dupe-fest Swatcharama: Silver Linear Holo

Dupe-fest Swatcharama! I decided to do a comparison of the 7 silver linear holos in my collection. This selection contains both old generation and new generation linear holos. Old generation holos required a ridge-filling base coat, had fragile finishes, and could not be top-coated without ruining the holo. They were fussy to apply and dried to a brilliant rainbow finish that scratched easily. New generation holos apply like standard polishes, but it took a few years before formulas were competitive with the rainbow goodness of the old ones. In this photo the two old-school ones are Nfu Oh “61” and Layla “Mercury Twilight.” They’re both significantly less brilliant than the others, which is surprising because for years they were the gold-standard. The new-school polishes are all very similar but there is enough difference to rank them. The best is Color Club “Harp on It,” followed by FACE Stockholm “Athena.” Ozotic “509” is a middle-period holo that’s top-coatable and was one of the best holos you could get before it was discontinued. ILNP “Mega S” is quite nice but not outstanding. Starrily applies nicely and is a good brand to support, so I was pleased to see that it compared well. The two lemmings not in my collection are both discontinued: China Glaze “OMG” and GOSH “Holographic.” #nails #nailpolish #polishaddict

Celestial Cosmetics “Rainbows and Unicorns Unite

#notd Celestial Cosmetics “Rainbows and Unicorns Unite” from the Unicorns and Rainbows collection. In indirect lighting this one is a shimmery soft silver that hints at something more. In direct sunlight or pinpoint lighting it shows its rainbow and barely-there lavender sheen. Much more subtle than most purple holos. #nails #nailpolish #nailaddict

Fun Lacquer “How Deep is your Holo?”

#notd Fun Lacquer “How Deep is your Holo?” from the Simply Nailogical collaboration. I went with the non-H version because as far as I can tell from swatches the linear holo particles lighten the blue quite a bit. And that would be consistent with other polishes with standard and H versions, like other Fun Lacquers or ILNP. This is three coats sponged, not brushed. Sponging is the way to go, because the particles are in a clear base and brushing to opacity would take forever. #nails #nailpolish #nailaddict 

Femme Fatale “Alice” and “Maze of Mirrors”

#notd Femme Fatale “Alice” with a pistol accent of “Maze of Mirrors.” This mani lasted 6 days without so much as a chip. It was kind of amazing. Great formula on both, too. #nails #nailpolish #nailaddict

Femme Fatale “A Fortune Teller’s Charm”

#notd Femme Fatale “A Fortune Teller’s Charm” from the Afterlight Gala Collection. I hate thermals. I must have made a mistake when I ordered this one and missed that it’s a thermal. Look at that beautiful bottle! But that’s the cold state. My hands are never cold. So I ended up with bland neutral nails with an occasional hint of blue at the edges, which frankly just made me look cyanotic. If I wanted to see the blue all over I had to dunk my hands in cold water. Such a bummer. Such a waste of a pretty blue. #nails #nailpolish #nailaddict

Arcane Lacquer “Pennies will Rain”

#notd Arcane Lacquer “Pennies will Rain,” a Color4Nails exclusive shade. Lovely formula, and the coppery contrast flakies in a rich purple base is a combo that’s right in my sweet spot. #nailpolish #nails 

Femme Fatale “Crown of Ribbons”

#notd Femme Fatale “Crown of Ribbons” from the Afterlight Gala collection. Soooooo shimmery. #nailpolish #nailaddict

Lilypad Lacquer “Break the Rules”

#notd Lilypad Lacquer “Break the Rules,” a Color4Nails exclusive. Not as wow as I’d hoped for, unfortunately. On the nail the color was muddy so it was never strongly any of the colors in its range of shifting. Kind of a letdown. #nailpolish #nailaddict

Sinful Colors “Kosmos”

#notd Sinful Colors “Kosmos” from the Trend Matters collection. These shades are all matte finishes but I liked this one with a glossy topcoat. It’s a bit on the jelly side, so the visible nail line never quite disappears, but it’s less apparent in person than it is on camera. #nailpolish #polishaddict

China Glaze and Orly Ruffian

#notd What the hell am I doing here? This is Orly “Key Lime Twist” with China Glaze “I Got a Blue Attitude” and “Let’s Jam” from the Lite Brights collection. I don’t know, a ruffian seemed like the right thing to do at the time… 

#polishaddict #nailaddict #nailpolish