The only thing better than nail polish is holographic nail polish. I said it. Regular glitter nail polish reflects light which is pretty and all but holographic polish refracts light–that’s exactly how rainbows are created. Holographic polish can be anything from knock-your-socks-off dazzling to subtle holographic nude nails.
The only word I can think of when I see this Hexy Bikini is spangle. I have this shade I can tell you the pictures and video don’t do it justice. I’ve even had someone over a skype call notice because the holographics were visible over a video call.
When Hexy Bikini moves in the light, it looks like your nails are studded with rhinestones. Hexy Bikini is a clear base loaded down with silver micro-glitter and studded with small and medium holographic hexes of silver, pink, and teal. Because of the holographics, it looks like there are way more colors packed in there when the light hits it. Any polish with big, chunky glitter is going to benefit from a proper shaking from beauty vortex mixers if you have one.
It’s a textured polish so expect a rough finish that can be smoothed over with a clear top coat, but it might take two coats to get it smooth. To be worn on its own without using a sponge method, I’ve needed two to three coats or it can be worn as a top coat over a base color. This is definitely one of my favorites.
The only KBShimmer polishes that are brighter than this, in my opinion, is their line of Reflective Nail Polish.
ILNP has had several versions of their Mega holographic polishes, improving as they go, and Mega S is ILNP’s most holographic nail polish to date. It looks like a plain, silver shimmer in dull lighting but once the light hits it, Mega S turns into a rainbow-creating prism on your nails.
It’s a linear holographic so as you move your nails in the light you can see that band of color, almost like a candle flame.
The formula is easy to work with and thick enough that it won’t pool in your cuticles or look streaky. It’s wearable at two coats, but needs three coats to be fully opaque. The brightness of the sparkle hides any visible nail.
I like that even after three coats, it doesn’t feel overly thick and doesn’t dry to a gritty texture. ILNP lacquers tend to stay chip-free for around a week for me which is fantastic.
This polish is densely packed with holographic micro-glitter with no other pigment or extras to get in the way. If all you want is linear holo, Subculture delivers.
Subculture is pure holo micro-glitter and doesn’t have any added color or glitter types–it doesn’t need them. It’s so packed with holographic particles that it’s opaque in only two coats which you don’t often find with glitter polishes.
Once dry, the rainbow flame effect becomes clear and you’ll get why exactly why I love this polish so much.
Halo Graphic is a linear holo by Color Club. It can look like a soft dusty pink in low lighting, but once you get in the sun, the holographics look like fire. It actually looks like there are candle flames on your nails.
The linear holo creates a shape with a red outside transitioning to a deep blue in the center. Watch the video. They haven’t invented the words yet to describe this holo.
Color Club is one of the big names in holo polishes and for good reason. This lacquer is three free, vegan, and cruelty-free.
We’ve had a lot of creamier holo polishes, but here we have an intense holographic glitter polish with blinding flash in a clear nail polish. Hologram Diamond is a clear base loaded with holographic glitter.
I want to tell you what shape the glitter is, but it’s so darn shiny I can’t tell. This works as a glitter topper and is opaque in two coats if worn alone. For truly blinding shine, you can use the glitter sponge trick. It’s called diamond and it really does throw around tiny rainbows like a diamond.
The photo of this bottle absolutely does not do this polish justice so you need to check out this swatch video. This linear holo from Layla’s Hologram Effect line is richly pigmented and has beautiful slick lines of rainbow.
How bold the holographic effect will be with this polish is heavily dependent on how smooth your nails are. When the holo bits can all lay flat, the effect is at its most dramatic. You can buff your nails for this effect, but buffing isn’t a great option for those of us with thin or weak nails. Instead, use a ridge-filling base coat to even out your nail surface. Read my article on base coats to find the right one for your nail type.
If that still isn’t smooth enough, throw a top coat on your base coat before applying your polish, but that could effect the longevity of your manicure. But honestly, with how dramatic the holo can be with Ocean Rush, I don’t even care.
Cosmo was Zoya’s first holographic Pixie Dust polish and they nailed it on the first try.
It’s a clear base with champagne and holographic glitter that works alone or as a topper to spice up other colors. The antique lace color and pop of rainbow from the holo gives this one a ballroom gown feel.
If you’re wearing it along you’ll want to either sponge it one or go for three coats. And as part of Zoya’s Magical Pixie Dust line, this one dries textured so you’ll want a good top coat to smooth it over.
Zoya polishes are long-lasting, 10-free, and vegan.
I got my hands on a media sample of Celebrate Good Shine and it immediately rose to be one of my top 10 polishes I own. The classy champagne color is unassuming but when the light hits this thing it reveals a disco ball of color that can be seen across the room. It makes your nails twinkle like they are a faceted champagne diamond.
A good two coats will work but three is where this one really shines. Keep in mind all that holo means this polish will dry with a textured finish and needs a good top coat.
KBShimmer polishes are cruelty-free and long-lasting.
We Trippy is a holographic top coat so you can turn any nail polish into a lacquer that spits out beautiful rainbows. It contains holographic micro-glitter and the base itself also adds a holographic shimmer.
The formula is “non-graying” so it won’t dull the colors of whatever polish you use it over. With one coat, it gives your polish a subtle sparkle. At two coats, it turns your polish into a full on holographic party.
We Trippy can also be worn on its own but you’re going to need three coats to get close to opaque coverage. This formula is four free, vegan, and cruelty-free.
I get compliments every single time I wear this color whether I’m in ideal holo lighting or not. If a holo polish can look stunning inside on a cloudy day, you know you have a winner.
Rosewater is a champagne to gold to pink to red shimmer polish studded with holographic flakies. The ever-shifting base with flashes of color is a perfect backdrop for the rainbow sparkle of the holographics. You’re not going to be able to stop moving your hand around, gazing at your nails.
It’s a little sheer so you’ll want three coats for full opacity. I was sent this polish as a media sample, with no promise of a review, but I’m totally in love with the shade.
ILNP is cruelty-free and because the holo is tiny flakies instead of glitter, it’s much easier to remove.
Break It Up by Color Club is a dazzling scattered silver holographic with nothing not to love. The base is jam-packed with silver holographic micro-glitter and speckled with medium-sized holographic glitter hexes.
This gives it an intense rainbow effect that will have strangers stopping you to look at your nails if you’re outside in the sun. You can see it swatched in this YouTube review video.
You’re looking at two coats for full opacity. This polish is made in America and is cruelty-free.
This Two-Piece Holographic Top Coat Set from INM Northern Lights is a great affordable option if you’re looking for a way to add some holographic sparkle to your existing polish collection.
It comes with two full-size bottles of clear top coat packed with either silver or gold holographic glitter. The hexes are small but not so small that they’re at the micro-glitter level. Swatched over black, these top coats have a stars-in-the-night-sky look to them.
This is one of my favorites on the list, not only because I love all things teal. Aria is an Ultra Holo from ILNP and is described as one of the most vibrant holographic polishes they’ve ever made.
It’s a seaside sky blue with a heavy load of linear holographic micro-glitter. The linear holo is intense and you get a true line of shifting rainbows when you move your hand. The sun really sets this one on fire, like sunlight reflecting off shallow tropical waters.
The formula is smooth and easy to work with. It’s very sheer on its first coat and while you can get away with two coats, I prefer three for a dense holo effect.
If you’re on the fence about a full holographic polish, try this Chunky Holographic by Born Pretty which comes with two mini bottles of polish, one a silver linear holographic and one a darker scattered holographic.
It’s a clear polish mini silver holo hexes for sparkle and lots of large silver holo hexes to give you dramatic rainbows when the light hits them. It has a nice medium glitter load that’s not too sparse and not too thick. The listing has a great picture of what the polish looks like at one coat, two coats, and three coats as well as fun examples for easy nail art.
An all-over look with this one will have people turning their heads and just a light touch will give you a glimmer of flash without going too glam. It’s a nice way to try out if you like the holo life–because, I’ll warn you, it’s real easy to get distracted staring at your nails when they make tiny rainbows.
Keep in mind that this is a smaller bottle at seven milliliters, about half the size of a standard 15-milliliter bottle. But for the price, it’s a nice way to get a nice glitter without investing in a big bottle.
Most of the shades we’ve seen on here are quite light in color but a dark holographic can be just as dramatic.
Check out Stark Raven Mad by KBShimmer for a color inspired by the rainbow iridescence of black ravens’ wings. It’s blue-black polish with holographic micro-glitter for a gold to blue holo flame. This one is perfect for fall and winter when dark nails are king but you don’t want to give up the sparkle.
Mirrorball by Orly lives up to its name and is a startlingly bright silver holo with a linear rainbow flash. The smaller micro glitter creates more of a shine than a speckled, faceted look that is more subtle than some–unless you’re out in the sun where holo is anything but subtle.
The product photos really don’t do this one justice. Take a peek at this 30-second YouTube video of someone showing off their Mirrorball manicure and just how stunning it is in the light.
Fairy Dust by China Glaze offers a very fine, micro-glitter formula of holographic shimmer along with slightly larger holographic glitter specks which are still quite tiny. This isn’t the type of polish to be worn on its own. This is definitely more of a topper to give your favorite polishes a holo sparkle.
I love China Glaze polishes because they are salon-quality while still being so affordable.
Holographic nail polish covers your nails in hundreds of tiny rainbows. What else do you need in life? Swoon over the 17 best holo nail polish shades with me.
