15 Best Holographic Nail Polish: Your Ultimate List

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. 

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.

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.

The only word I can think of when I see this polish 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.

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.

Alleluia is a teal to purple iridescent base packed with many sizes of holographic hex glitter. The color-shifting holo along with the color-shifting shimmer is an eye-catching combination.

It has an ephemeral, unicorns from a magical fairy realm look that I adore.

Adesse New York nail polish doesn’t get enough press. I got a media sample of their over-the-top glitter polish Carnivalesque and it has remained one of my favorite nail polishes of all time. Their polishes are 12-free, cruelty-free, vegan, made in America, and are enriched with argan oil. shea butter, and bamboo extract.

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.

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 same shade in gel polish is also available.

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.

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.

Magic Rainbow very accurately describes holographic polish which creates rainbows out of nothing. This silver holographic is a straightforward linear holo with nothing not to love.

Magic Rainbow has an extremely intense holo flame effect that will have strangers stopping you to look at your nails if you’re outside in the sun.

You’re looking at two to three coats for full opacity. This polish is made in America, is cruelty-free, and five-free.

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.

I Got a Crush on Blue is the only jelly base polish on the list because where other jellies tend to have dull holo glitter, this one shines.

I got my hands on a media sample of I Got a Crush on Blue and the enormous range of sizes of the holographic hex glitter is stunning in the light. It makes your nails look like they are a faceted gemstone. 

The base is a cobalt blue jelly that’s transparent even with multiple coats. If you can still see your nail line, don’t worry that’s the style. But I doubt you will see much of your nail line with all the glitter packed in here. (Let the polish sit upside-down for a few minutes if you’re having trouble finding the largest glitter sizes.)

I’m not sure how KBShimmer did it, but you can still get some holographic rainbows when the sun hits glitter that isn’t on the top layer of polish for an incredible 3D effect.

KBShimmer polishes are cruelty-free and long-lasting. 

Wearing glitter nail polish is awesome but taking it off is not so awesome. That’s why I’m including Butter London’s peel off holo polish Supernova. 

Supernova is a straightforward silver scattered holographic polish with a nice sparkle to it. It’s applied without a base coat for easy removal without soaking in acetone and scouring your nails for hours.

You’re not supposed to add a top coat either, but I recommend using a top coat to extend the life of the polish since peel-offs have a tendency to, well, peel off.

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.

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 Twist and Stout by KBShimmer for a deep black-coffee tone with holographic micro-glitter for a gold to brown linear 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. 

I got to test out a media sample of Twist and Stout and it’s a perfect October and November color. Plus, KBShimmer polishes are cruelty-free.