Hi friends! Today I am sharing the newest releases from Holo Taco. They’re calling this the Fire & Ice bundle. We have 2 new cremes and 3 new shimmer toppers. I believe the last time we had a shimmer topper release it was the Winter Shimmers collection from last year?
These polishes are not limited editions and are all available now on the Holo Taco website. As always, more links and sale details can be found at the end of the post. If you would like to see some comparisons for these polishes do check out my live swatch video! Thank you to the Holo Taco team for sending these over to me!
Live Swatch Video
Holo Taco is a US based nail polish brand. Their polishes are in 12ml bottles, 10 free, cruelty-free, and vegan.
Cold Slate
Description: a muted slate blue-grey creme
Cold State was the color that I was most excited about from this release. I know shocker when you think of the shifty shimmer toppers but I love me a good grey creme.
My bottle came really gunked up around the neck and I think that made the polish a bit thicker than it was supposed to be. I didn’t need to add any thinner to get my swatches done but it was pretty thick. Coverage and self leveling were both fantastic. It wasn’t quite a one coater but I could see if you used one really thick coat getting away with one coat.
On top of my bottle being opened/gunked up, my brush was also a little wonky. I didn’t have any issues with application but it was pretty chewed up looking.
The color of this is what I usually classify as very greyed out blue. One of those colors that skirts the line between being a grey and being a blue.
My photos show Cold State in 2 coats plus glossy top coat.
Here is Cold Slate paired with all 3 of the toppers in this release. Left to right, Freezer Burn, Halogen Glow, Scorched Earth and Freezer burn.
Here are a few shots of my wonky brush. Like I said, it didn’t make application difficult but I wanted to show it because I have gotten a lot of comments from people who have gotten wonky brushes. I did send an email over to my Holo Taco rep so hopefully whatever the issue is with the brush gets solved.
Hot Take
Description: a bright orange-leaning red polish
Hot Take I was a little disappointed by this one. For whatever reason, I had thought it was going to be a neon orange that leans red? Mind you I was basing this assumption solely on the bottle show from the website. I didn’t look at any photos until after I finished my swatches.
In person to me, it’s bright red that leans orange to me. I have warm undertones so on my hand, I wasn’t really seeing too much of the orange until I put it next to a true red. As someone who doesn’t lean strongly towards reds, I was surprised that I did end up liking how it looks. Even though I wanted it to be a neon red/orange.
Coverage and formula were both fantastic for this polish. It wasn’t quite a one coater for me but I could see a thicker coat being opaque in one. Much like most Holo Taco cremes, this was slightly on the thicker side but not at all overly think in my opinion.
My photos show Hot Take in 2 coats plus glossy top coat. Make sure to wear a base coat with this one. I had a little bit of staining with it when I reswatched without a base coat.
Here is Hot Take paired with all 3 of the toppers in this release. Left to right, Freezer Burn, Halogen Glow, Scorched Earth and Freezer burn.
Freezer Burn
Description: a blue-indigo iridescent shimmer topper in a clear base
Freezer Burn is the least color shifty out of all of the toppers from this release. It has a similar color shift to the Sonic Unicorn Skin topper.
This is a larger particle sized shimmer so you don’t get any brush strokes with it. You also get some sparkle factor without the texture of glitter.
Since it is in a clear base, you won’t be able to build this one up to reach full opacity. The predominant color is blue with a indigo/purple and a hint of pink at extreme angles.
My photos show Freezer Burn in 1 coat of black (Night Owl Lacquer Ya Basic Black) plus glossy top coat. Removal will be very easy but also very messy. You will want top coat for a glossy finish.
Halogen Glow
Description: a yellow-pink-green iridescent shimmer topper in a clear base
Halogen Glow was the topper that I thought I was going to love the most. It is beautiful but not my favorite. It’s most similar to Solar Unicorn Skin which is my most favorite of the unicorn skin toppers.
Formula and application were the same for this as with all of the other toppers. You won’t be able to reach full opacity due to that clear base. I love the color shifts of this shimmer so much! It was exactly as described.
My photos show Halogen Glow in 1 coat of a black creme plus glossy top coat. Super easy removal but also fairly messy.
This isn’t a dupe for Polar Princess by the way!
Scorched Earth
Description: a Red-orange iridescent shimmer topper in a clear base
Scorched Earth was the surprise favorite for me from the shimmers! This has such a firey look that I absolutely loved!
Once again, formula and application were both fantastic. You get slightly better coverage with this one built up but nothing like reaching actual full opacity.
My photos show Scorched Earth in 1 coat over a black creme plus glossy top coat. Again, super easy removal but pretty messy.
Final Thoughts
I knew that I was going to love Cold Slate before I even got it here. I love greys, especially when other colors get greyed out. I thought all of these polishes were fantastic but I am also not super overly impressed by them. I think following how much I loved the Vacation collection, I had high hopes for the next release.
Again, these were all great but I just feel a little underwhelmed I guess. My top picks are going to be Cold Slate and Scorched Earth.
Holo Taco
12ml, 10 Free, Vegan & Cruelty-Free
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Sale Information
The Fire & Ice bundle is available right now on the Holo Taco website. The cremes are priced at $12 each and the toppers are priced at $13 each. There is also a bundle listing for the full set which is $58.
This collection is not limited edition so they should be around for awhile!
