If you read my 2020 goals post, you’ll know one of my biggest goals this year is going through my collection and destashing. I got too many polishes and I KNOW IT. And part of that destashing is going back to older collections I purchased and swatching them and seeing if I still want them at all. So there are definitely going to be some more “throwback” collection posts and reviews. I know it’ll be helpful to me to sift through and know the polish I own, but also to you in case you happen to run across these shades later!

The first collection in this series is this one, the Revlon Holochrome collection. These released in late 2017, and I snatched them all up when I saw them discounted at Walgreens. And then they just sat around in my collection until I glimpsed them again in my drawers and realized I never put them on my nails. It’s time they finally see the light and I see how I like them.

Now they may be harder to find, but I’ve seen them lurking at various drugstore such as Walmart and Walgreens, so you may be able to still snag any shades that catch your eye. They’re showing as being priced around $5.50 each.

I know they got some mixed reactions when they first came out – Revlon promised intense holographic and duochromes and chrome finish – I will say right away, that you’re not going to quite get that with these. Spoilers. BUT, I don’t think they can be entirely tossed away. I’ll let you see the swatches and decide.

Let’s be honest, the first reason I wanted these shades was because of the holographic caps. I’m like a bird, I’M ATTRACTED TO SHINY THINGS. Pretty packaging draws me in, the polish gets me to stay. They’re not wraps, it’s the actual caps themselves, and who wouldn’t love that.

Now onto the shades!

The collection is basically divided into 2 sets: the holographics and the chromes. So I’ll be reviewing in that way. Up first, the holos!

I noticed these first 4 holos all had the same formula, so I’ll go over it quick here and then show the individual shades after! Now, the most important part – these are not going to be intense holographic shades. You won’t get intense rainbows like you would with a packed linear holographic. I did manage to get a lot more holo action than I anticipated under my brighter lights – but in normal lighting and everyday conditions, it’s going to look more like lovely sparkle.

These are soft and delicate holos for sure, so it’ll depend on your preferences. If you’ve experienced more intense holos – especially in indie polishes – and that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll be disappointed in these. Revlon definitely advertised these are more holo than they are, so I don’t love that. BUT, I don’t hate them. They’re soft and delicate, and more subtle shades with just a little something more. I would describe them as that, more than actual intense holo shades. I ended up liking these more on the nails than I thought I would.

Now, as for the formula. These first 4 are definitely more thin and watery. The polish flows quickly, and paints on easily, as well as self levels. They’re smooth, so all of them can be worn as “1 coat nail looks”, where it’s just a wash of sparkle for a super quick look. Otherwise, I built these all up in 3 coats to full cover the nail line. I know not everyone likes to have to do that many coats, so again, it’ll depend on your preferences. I thought they were nice easy coats that went on quick, so I didn’t mind building them up.

I know they were definitely divisive when they came out. And I definitely agree that the holo advertising was overpromised. But I do still think these first 4 are pretty, and I’ll be keeping them in my collection. So it’s going to depend on your own personal preferences – I’m here to provide swatches and notes, you’ll always have the final say.

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Now for the individual colors. First up we have ‘Hologasm’. This is a silver scattered holographic.

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Then we have ‘Galactic Pink’. This is a light blush pink base with the scattered holographic sparkles.

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Then we have ‘Unicornicopia’. This is a soft cool-toned purple base with the holographic sparkles. These sparkles seemed to be smaller and more dense than the other shades – it also pulled more of a gold flash with the holographic sparkles.

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Lastly for the holographics, we have ‘Fairy Dust’. This is a light mint green with the scattered holographic. Again, the sparkle seemed to pull more gold than rainbow, but it ended up being one of my favorites for sure.

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And now we get into the chromes! These are more metallic and foiled finishes. Again, I don’t know if I would exactly call them “chrome”. Chromes are definitely hard to formulate and that full “Chrome shine”. I think they’re still fun shades, but I would say don’t go into it expecting full chromes – more just normal metallic shades.

Up first we have ‘Amethyst Smoke’. This is definitely my most favorite of the bunch, and it really starts out with a bang. This is a stunning green-purple flashing duochrome metallic. I was honestly so blown away by this once I got it on the nails – as you can see, it’s constantly shifting, and you don’t need to shift your nails in crazy angles to get the two colors.

Again, this had a more sheer and watery 1st coat. It was smooth though, and built up pretty well with a thicker 2nd coat. You’re able to do thicker coats and have more polish on the brush – I was still able to control the polish easily and it didn’t flood the cuticles at all. This was 3 coats built up, and as you can see the nail line is covered, and it’s smooth color all over the nail.

And of course, more photos of it because just look at it. So stunning! Now, it’s no chrome finish, but you can’t deny it’s gorgeous.

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Continuing right along, we have ‘Blushing’. This a soft metallic pink with a peachy flash to it. Again, same as the others, it had a more sheer first coat. This was pretty good in 2 coats, though I did add a 3rd to make sure it was fully covered.

These are the ones where you get more of a straight up metallic polish. Not the most exciting, but still a nice shade.

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‘Gilded Goddess’ is a light champagne gold shade. This one had the best formula out of all of them, and could have been easily opaque in just 1 coat. I had just a few patches so I did a 2nd coat and it was fully covered. Now this one I had the most trouble with brushstrokes. I even added a 3rd trying to get them straight – but no matter what you’re going to have them in this shiny finish.

Again, more of just a straight up metallic, and not my favorite of the collection.

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And lastly, we have ‘Molten Magic’. This is a bright silver metallic shade. It had a good first coat. I covered up any last patches with a 2nd easy coat. Again, you’ll have some brushstrokes, but not as badly as ‘Gilded Goddess’. Again, I thought this shade was just okay, and I have other silvers like it.

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And whew there we have it! It was definitely an interesting collection, and I’m glad I finally pulled it out and put it on. I will say I loved about 5 out of 8 shades, and then the 3 others were just okay to me – and will probably be passed on. Most of the “chrome” shades could be skipped, and didn’t really offer me anything too exciting outside of a normal metallic shade.

I will say ‘Amethyst Smoke’ was my absolute favorite of the group and really ended up surprising me with the duochrome. The holographic shades were also cool, and soft and delicate, though I can see where others wouldn’t love them.

Overall, I think I have to agree that Revlon might have oversold the collection just a touch. It’s not going to be mindblowing holographic sparkles or insane duochromes (except Amethyst Smoke, of course). If you’re looking for that finish, or have experience other intense holos, you might be left a little disappointed here. In the end it’s going to depend on your preferences and how you feel about these shades and formulas. It’s your choice whether you’ll actually search them out.

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Upcoming Posts
Nails: Essie Valentine’s 2020 • Orly Feel the Beat Spring 2020 • Essie Flying Solo • Zoya Calm Spring 2020 • Sinful Colors Sporty Brights

Makeup: Wet N Wild the 40 Palette • Revolution Pro All That Glistens • Colourpop Smoke Show & Bye Bye Birdie

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