Holo Taco Tea Cremes Fall 2021 + Comparisons (Do They Live Up To The Hype??)

[Purchased – Post Disclosure Page]

Hey y’all! Today’s blog post is for a new-to-me and new-to-the-blog brand called Holo Taco. I am sure if you are a fan of nail polish or spend any time with someone who is a fan of nail polish, you have heard of this brand at least once.

I decided to snag the Tea Cremes collection to see if 1) the hype was deserved 2) the price point was worth it and 3) because I love nail polish and don’t need much of an excuse to buy pretty colors!

This blog post will be pretty wordy as I really wanted to give all of my thoughts on these polishes as well as the brand. At the time of posting, the Tea Cremes are available on the Holo Taco website.

Live Swatch Video

Holo Taco is a US based boutique/luxury brand. Their polishes are in 12ml bottles, 5 free, cruelty free and vegan.

Bring Me The Teal

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Description: a deep teal creme

Bring Me The Teal had an amazing formula. It didn’t feel overly thick or thin, and I didn’t have any application issues. It applied buttery smooth and was pretty much opaque in 1 coat.

The color of this in person is a darker true teal. It didn’t lean blue or green, it was just teal. I feel like this polish could potentially stain the heck out of people so be sure to double up on base coat if your nails are prone to staining. I had some slight staining on the tip of my ring finger.

As I mentioned, this was basically a 1 coater. I did use 2 coats for my photos as I had a *tiny* amount of light spots towards my tips.

Butterscotch Hop

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Description: a marigold butterscotch creme

Butterscotch Hop had a fantastic formula. This felt slightly on the thicker side of normal but like the other cremes in this release, around what I expect from an opaque indie creme polish. It self leveled perfectly.

For a yellow polish, this was pretty amazing. It wasn’t streaky or finicky to apply. It was slightly patchy on the first coat but the unevenness was fixed with the second coat.

In person, the shade of yellow was somewhere around marigold and Winnie The Pooh yellow. Butterscotch Hop will be opaque in 2-3 coats depending on the thickness of coats and application.

I didn’t experience any staining with this polish.

Gold Flake Taco

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Description: a gold flakie topper

Gold Flake Taco had a really great formula. The flakes in this spread out very evenly on the nail. They are really thin so they won’t dry textured. The brush on Gold Flake Taco is the brand’s skinny brush. So while it’s not my favorite brush shape in the world, it did work well with this formula.

I found the gold flakes varied in size and shape. They aren’t so large or dense that they will obscure your base color but they might obscure some nail art.

I swatched it in 1 coat over Bring Me The Teal. The flakies removed pretty easily albeit a little messily.

High Tea Hibiscus

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Description: a muted magenta creme

High Tea Hibiscus also had a fantastic formula. This was the color I was most excited about based on color. It applied buttery smooth and I didn’t have any application issues. The base color for this is a muted fuchsia. It’s bright but it’s also a little muted to fit the season.

Like the other polishes in this release, it had great coverage and self leveled perfectly. I used 2 coats for my photos.

This polish dries down slightly flat so you will want top coat for a glossy finish. I didn’t experience any staining.

I’m Over Brew

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Description: a deep burgundy creme

I’m Over Brew had a gorgeous formula. Again, buttery smooth application that self levels like a dream. This color reminds me of the Revlon lipstick in the shade Rum Raisin (the reformulated version) which my mom to this day still complains about because it’s so different from the original color.

I used 2 coats for my photos. This also dried fairly glossy but again, all my photos include top coat. I didn’t have any issues with staining.

I’ll be honest, this color isn’t my usual cup of tea (no pun intended). I thought it looked pretty but it just isn’t a color I will reach for.

Matcha Maker

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Description: a light sage green creme

Matcha Maker had a really great formula. It was slightly on the thicker side of normal but I didn’t have any application issues. It applied buttery smooth and self leveled perfectly. In person, this was a lighter sage green with some duskiness to it.

I feel a pastel shade was really unique for a fall collection and I’m not mad at the inclusion! I was particularly surprised that this polish wasn’t streaky at ALL. In fact, if you go in for a thick coat this could be opaque in 1 coat! That is really impressive for a pastel.

My photos show it in 2 coats. No issues on removal. Like the previous polish, this is one that I don’t see myself reaching for.

See Y’all Later Chai

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Description: a warm chai creme

See Y’all Later Chai had a fantastic formula. Again, buttery smooth application. It was slightly on the thicker side but I am finding that seems to be the normal for this brand. I personally prefer my polishes this way so no complaints from me!

This polish was fairly opaque. Depending on your application, you might be able to get this opaque in 1 thick coat. I found that if you go in for *very* thin coats, it will be streaky. I used what I consider normal thickness of a coat and it applied very smoothly for me.

I used 2 coats for my photos. Like the previous 2 polishes, this isn’t really a color I reach for.

Brush Shots

Final Thoughts

The Tea Cremes collection was really gorgeous! I loved the color story and found the formulas were all easy to work with. My top picks are going to be High Tea Hibiscus and Bring Me The Teal with Butterscotch Hop getting an honorable mention.

Did Holo Taco Live Up To The Hype?

This was my first time trying out this brand. I feel like there is A LOT of hype regarding Holo Taco due to the brand being owned by Cristine of Simply Nailogical. Like I said at the beginning of this post, I had been holding off on purchasing from the brand. Honestly, I didn’t feel pumped to spend $13 on a 12ml creme polish that wasn’t handmade.

I thought the packaging itself was really high quality. The boxes the polishes come in boxes that feel very high quality. The bottles themselves are similar in size/shape to ILNP. The caps are rubberized so opening the bottles wasn’t a struggle.

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Once I had these in hand, I could see where the price point comes into play. The packaging + bottles have a luxurious feel to them. Since the polishes aren’t handmade and the price point, I would classify Halo Taco as a boutique/luxury brand and not an indie brand like I most often feature here on my blog. I recall hearing the owner Cristine say she doesn’t consider her brand as an indie brand as we nail polish aficionados consider it.

So were they worth it? I am going to say yes. The formulas were A+. The packaging was A+. This is going to be one of the cases where you are paying for the packaging plus the name. If you snag Holo Taco’s releases as they come out, they also come in limited edition packaging. The above photos are the collection box for this release.

My only real complaint about Holo Taco is that I don’t like the skinny brush their top coat and toppers use. But that’s just my own personal preference for wide brushes. The brand does have a listing on their website where you can purchase wider brushes but they’re kind of expensive. The KBShimmer and Glisten & Glow replacement brushes seem to fit well in the Holo Taco bottles so I would recommend those if you’re like me and dislike skinny brushes. I will have links to those at the end of the post.

The Super Glossy Taco top coat was great and I would also recommend it. I have been using it off and on with swatches and I find it comparable in dry time to my go-to KBShimmer Clearly On Top top coat. Like I mentioned, I did swap the brush out as I hated the one it came with.

Comparisons

Bring Me The Teal compared to Night Owl Lacquer’s Mischief (October Creme Of The Month). The NOL is darker than Holo Tacos but formulas and application are similar.

Gold Flake Taco to Sweet & Sour Lacquer’s Gold (from the Precious Metals). The shades of gold between the two are obviously different (S&S was more antique looking and denser).

I also wanted to compare Gold Flakie Taco to some of the other gold flake toppers I own. L-R Glam Polish Pocketful Of Rainbows, Holo Taco, Geeky Bee’s Nail Colors I Can’t Make Her Real (Time Of Nine Collection Part 1), Zoya Gilty, and Sweet & Sour Lacquer Gold (Precious Metals). No dupes!

I’m Over Brew vs Orly’s The Spice Is Right (Breathable line, exclusive to the Winter 2021 Orly Color Pass box). Not dupes but similar. The Orly polish needed 3 coats for full opacity.

Sale Information

The Holo Taco Tea Cremes collection is available on the Holo Taco website. Each polish is priced at $13. You can snag the full collection (minus gold flakie taco) for $60 in a bundle.

Other Products Mentioned

• Replacement brushes: KBShimmer & Glisten & Glow