China Glaze HoloGlam Collection

As Jess and I were talking the other night, she pointed out that one of the beauty supply web sites had the China Glaze HoloGlam collection. I couldn't buy all 12 of them, so I chose my favorite 6 and waited anxiously for them to arrive. When I got home from work Thursday night/Friday morning, there they were, sitting on my kitchen counter in an innocuous cardboard box. I lasted almost ten whole minutes before I ripped into the box.

All these photos were taken in the early evening of a very cloudy day, without flash (left) and with flash (right). Be sure to click through to the larger photos, and I'll discuss my opinion of them after the pics.

Cosmic Dust:

Infra Red:

 

When Stars Collide: 

 Sci-Fly By: 

Take A Trek: 

Strap On Your Moon Boots: 

As you can see, the holo is not very obvious. I have to admit, I'm disappointed, especially after seeing such beautiful swatches online before I ordered. I think the holographic particles in this polish are so small, it just doesn't bounce the light around the way some other holos do. That's not to say you can't see the holographic reflection at all--it's just more delicate and less in-your-face than I was expecting. Because even sitting here, in my not-very-bright bedroom, when I look at my fingers on the keyboard I can see the subtle rainbow shimmer.

I was really looking forward to the Infra Red, which is probably my biggest disappointment; the holo is more of a suggestion than anything else. My favorites turned out to be Take a Trek and the last color I swatched, Strap On Your Moon Boots. Goodness knows I can't live with bare nails (ha), so I ended up leaving that one on. Then I grabbed one picture in the brightest light I could find in my house (i.e. the bathroom): 

I hope the sun is out tomorrow, because I'm really anxious to see how this performs in natural light. I'll grab pictures if it happens :)