Holo Taco 3rd Anniversary Gala Collection

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Hey friends! I’m hoping to pump out a couple of blog posts over the next couple of days but this first blog post is for the newest collection from Holo Taco. The brand is celebrating their third anniversary with a limited edition collection featuring a variety of finishes.

The collection launched earlier today and I do not expect it to be available for long. As always, links and sale details can be found at the end of the post.

Just for some disclosure, when I originally swatched these polishes it was *extremely* hot and humid. The weather made swatching these really difficult. When I went back to get my live swatches done I made sure to turn on my air conditioner and all of the issues I had when I was doing the first round of swatches were gone. So just a reminder at just how much environment can factor into applying polish.

Live Swatch Video

Holo Taco is a US based nail polish brand. Their polishes are in 12ml bottles, 10 free, cruelty-free, and vegan.

Blacklisted

Description: mirror-like near-black metallic foil finish polish with a touch of scattered holo

Blacklisted had a good formula. It was slightly on the thicker side but overall application was good. As I mentioned, when I originally swatched this one I had some struggles due to the humidity/heat. I opted to switch my brush out for a wider paddle brush and found application a lot easier.

The metallic flakes in here spread out evenly and easily without giving off any texture. The polish itself has a very chrome/metallic look. The holographic glitters really make me like this one more.

My photos show Blacklisted in 3 coats plus both glossy and matte top coats. I think this will likely be a 2-3 coater depending on application and nail length. Removal will be on the more messy side if you try to scrub this one off.

Featured Guest

Description: a subtle dove grey, nearly-white crelly base with a delicate dose of holographic flair

Featured Guest had a good formula. This was another polish that my original swatching experience was pretty rough due to that heat/humidity. I opted to swap out my brush for this polish as well.

The base color on this polish is pretty much the lightest shade of grey you can get before you are an off-white. It starts off very sheer and streaky so you will really want to build it up for opacity.

Indoors, the holographic is very subtle but out in natural lighting it is a BOOM holographic.

My photos show Featured Guest in 3 coats plus glossy top coat. I see this polish being a solid 3 coater as it was still uneven for me in 2 coats.

Highest Bidder

Description: scattered micro-flake holographic polish in a soft grey shade

Highest Bidder had a great formula. The base didn’t feel overly thick or thin to me and no real application issues. The microflakies all spread out very evenly without giving off any texture.

I found that this polish isn’t quite as BAM holo as some of the other polishes in this release. Out in the sun, it was very holographic but also a little subtle.

My photos show Highest Bidder in 3 coats plus both glossy and matte top coats. I think this will be a 2-3 coater depending on your nail length. Removal won’t be overly difficult but it will be messy if you try to scrub it off.

Smokeshow

Description: holographic glitter polish that is a unique blend of different sizes of glitters including hexagon and squares, sitting in a dark grey jelly base

Smokeshow had a wonderful formula. I fully expected the base to feel a lot thicker due to the amount of glitters in here but it was very easy to work with. The glitters all spread out very evenly but they do give off some significant texture.

This polish was super holographic both in my indoor lighting as well as out in the sunlight.

My photos show Smokeshow in 3 coats plus 2 coats of top coat. Due to the glitters in this polish, it does dry with texture so I paired this polish with a glitter smoothing top coat (KBShimmer Smooth Moves) before going in with my quick dry top coat. Removal will very difficult if you try to scrub this polish off. I would highly recommend either soaking the polish off (How To Soak Off Nail Polish) or using a peel off base coat.

Reflective Taco

Description:  this special topper is made of reflective silver pigments in a clear base that is activated by direct light at specific angles

Reflective Taco had a great formula. I was very surprised at how thin (in a good way) the base for this polish felt as reflective polishes tend to be on the thicker side. The reflective pigment/glitters in here all spread out evenly but do give off texture.

The reflective pigment in here was super sparkly and looks especially gorgeous in natural lighting. I prefer to show the reflects in direct sunlight. I will have this shown in a few more light sources in my live swatch video.

I found to get the smoothest finish, pairing this polish with a glitter smoothing top coat before going with my quick dry top coat. When I swatched this over black, I used 2 coats of top coat and I noticed that it still felt a little textured.

I swatched this polish in 1 coat over both Work Besties and One Coat Black. Since this is in a clear base, you can pretty much use this polish over any color or finish.

Removal will be a little difficult if you opt to scrub this polish off.

Final Thoughts

I really loved this collection. When I first did my swatch photos, I really struggled with it as it was super hot and humid. I ended up having to swap out my brushes to make the application easier. When I went back to do my live swatch video, I used the skinny original brushes these polishes came with and didn’t have ANY of the issues I had previously.

The only polish I foresee people potentially having trouble with is Featured Guest. Even without humidity issues, I preferred applying that polish with a wider brush so that I could float the brush easier.

My top picks from this release are Featured Guest and Smokeshow.

Holo Taco
12ml, 10 Free, Vegan & Cruelty-Free
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Sale Information

The 3 Year Anniversary collection by Holo Taco is available right on the Holo Taco website. The polishes range between $13-14 each and the full set is available for $67. This collection is limited edition and likely won’t see a restock.