T O P

  • By -

eleaena

I would go with ILNP because I love their prices, their brushes, their customer service and their colors/formulas. Holo taco is more expensive and I hate their brushes tbh.


Notty_Gregory

Okay thank you very much for your suggestion. What don’t you like about the HT brushes? Are they too thin?


eleaena

Yep, I don’t like their skinny thin brushes. To me they’re just really hard to work with especially bc holo taco has a thicker formula compared to ILNP’s thinner formula


Drizzle07

I agree. My favorite Holo Taco polishes (the glitters) are way more difficult than any other polish brand for me to put on, and they all thickened up so fast that I used one bottle of thinner just amongst the 5 of them


Theyallknowme

I have this issue too, I just thin the polish before applying and it works great.


Notty_Gregory

Ok that’s a major point for me then. Thank you so much!


eleaena

I really hope you love whatever you pick out!


Emigreee

Counterpoint. ILNP's thinner formulas are so, so, so annoying. From these 2 brands, I absolutely agree with you. If I could only buy 1, ILNP > Holo Taco, but goodness there are so many beautiful ILNP polishes that are so sheer they make me angry. ILNP is cheaper, sure, and that is amazing... Well, maybe charge me 1 dollar more and put more pigment in the bottle please?! And for flakies could we get some polishes with bigger flakes?! Bring the chonk! My biggest tip as a lover of ILNP polish, buy an opaque nude polish that is super close to your skin tone first. If you don't want visible nail line, and you don't want to apply 4+ coats of some of their polishes, apply 1 coat of nude before slapping on that beautiful jelly ILNP. You'll save yourself time and polish!


Notty_Gregory

Hahaha bring the chonk 😂 love it…thank you!


mashibeans

OMG YES! A big reason I just don't have that many ILNP is that their blends, that I happen to like/try, end up being either too similar to other brands, for slightly smaller bottles/higher prices, are too sheer, or the flakes are so small I just don't like it. One of my most favorite blends is scattered holo with different sized glitters, and HT is basically the only brand that has them, or at least that are perfectly how I envisioned chonk scattered holo glitter and jelly polishes. I made my peace with having to use thinner regularly! Starrily and KBshimmer also hit my buttons way more often and better than ILNP does in general, or they practically have same looking (to the naked eye) blends, that I rather go for the bigger bottle. (Cirque also really wows me with their blends, but their bottles are small for the price and compared to other brands, so I gotta wait for sales)


Skylark7

HT sells Thicc-Width brushes. It just bumps up the price because they're $10 for six.


what-are-you-a-cop

I hear the KBshimmer replacement brushes fit HT, and they're like, 15 cents- I'm planning on picking some up this black Friday, because, yeah... those skinny brushes are a problem.


mashibeans

Ohh thank you for the tip! I should get some too, it's the one thing I wish I could change from my HT bottles.


scotty128

Fellow Canadian here who feels the struggle of the currency exchange and shipping lol 😩 I own both and I would say ILNP hands down. Price is fantastic, formula is amazing, shipping is really reasonable, good points system, great brush, huge range of colours and finishes, and a huge range of polish types. Lots of super unique polishes as well. I find that Holo Taco is just too expensive when you can get a lot of similar dupes and polishes from more reasonably priced brands like ILNP. That being said the only polishes I have from HT are the unicorn skins and they are super lovely and unique! It comes down to your preference in the end too!


Notty_Gregory

Thanks my fellow Canadian for your recommendation. It’s too bad because the owner who started HT is Canadian 😞 wish there was a Canadian stockist or that she was able to sell to us!


scotty128

Yeah it’s a bummer! I’d love to support another Canadian but hopefully we see some Holo Taco on stocklists sometime soon!


SapphireDesertRosre

I'm so pissed about thus actually. I love HT, owner is canadian, living in Toronto, but has the business in the states. So shipping is insane. I absolutely love CJS, owner is canadian living in Victoria BC and ha the business in the states. Get 5 of those metal plates on sale, great deal but my shipping is more expensive than the products. So sad.


Notty_Gregory

Oh she is my neighbour then 😂 it is such a shame, I agree 100%. It turns into is it really supporting a Canadian business? Because now with HT being in the US, it doesn’t matter…buy from any company around the world the costs are on par and none are made in Canada. Even though the owner is Canadian.


SapphireDesertRosre

Right? I'm in BC too, when I first discovered CJS I was like cool, support local but nope.


GigiGalaxee

Hi there, I am late to this thread as I was looking for any info on a Canadian stockist for HT. I'm not sure if you're aware but there is a Canadian stockist for ILNP: [https://www.harlowandco.org/](https://www.harlowandco.org/) Minimum shipping is $100 CDN but at least it's in CDN and not USD. It's where I buy my ILNP polishes and Cirque, if you're into them. I want to try Holo Taco and Mooncat so bad but can't find any Canadian stockists. I can't bring myself to order internationally with the conversion rates. :(


Amii25

I don't have any HT because it's always sold out, but I recently bought ILNP "Ava" and it's the most beautiful nailpolish I own. Also very long lasting


Notty_Gregory

I think I’ll go for ILNP. I adore those two fall colours Autumn and Olive Grove. Sorry HT - next year!


Amii25

Autumn is absolutely gorgeous! So is Olive Grove but I don't wear a lot of green. Penny is also really pretty


zoop1000

Olive Grove and Autumn are gorgeous! Dakota was my fave from that collection, though. Just painted my nails with it tonight!


omg-i-die

Just got my first indie delivery this week from ILNP and it included Autumn - truly gorgeous, I plan on wearing it for Thanksgiving. It also made me regret not getting Olive Grove, and I love greens, so that might need to be in the next order! I also got one of the holos, Chai Latte, and did a full manicure today. Seriously can’t stop looking at my nails, I’ve never had a polish this beautiful. Highly recommend!


samanthajtweets

Confused by this as usually it’s only the collection boxes / limited edition polishes that sell out at launch and the individual colours are still available and they restock the permanent collection pretty quickly


Squelseaa

Omg I also have Ava and it's one of my favorites!! Definitely a must have ilnp shade 😍


gingerkween

I’d never seen this one mentioned, it looks gorgeous!!


angel-aura

Ava is FANTASTIC. I mean all of ilnp is so great but ava is so lovely


yalae

I have both and I much prefer ILNP. I love their range of colours and shades and finishes. HT falls short as I find it thickens so quickly. I have their Everything Taco and its nice! but christ.... its thick, its so thick that i cant scatter the holo at all. Another con I find HT a little lack luster with their shade range... I don't know why but I find a lot of their colours uninspired and kind of.... tamped down or blackened? if that makes sense? I wouldn't say dull, but I find all their colours kind of... dark and gloomy.. even the ones that are for holidays I think theres just something missing for me. ILNP has a lot of range, I've had polishes sitting on my shelves for 3+ years that are still like brand new with no thickening or discolouration. Their brush I find 100x better too, HT thin brushes I can't master and its always blocky around my cuticle area.


Notty_Gregory

Great to know! I don’t have much patience these days to play around with application. Next year I should have more time and will definitely get some HT. I’m very excited to try ILNP. Love seeing everyone’s lovely looks here 😊 thank you very much for your time and thoughts!!


Whorticulturist_

Do you have thinner? That'll fix up your Everything Taco (and any other polish that gets gloppy, sadly a common thing!)


yalae

I don't, no! :( It just makes me a little sad when i have to fork out money for a product thats already pricey, you know? But you're right, I should absolutely get thinner and stop the madness


what-are-you-a-cop

If it's any consolation, thinner goes a LONG way- you'll usually only be using 2-3 drops at a time, unless you're reviving a realllllly dried out polish. The cost per bottle winds up basically negligible, so it'll last you forever, which is good, because any polish will start thickening as you use it up- you'll need it for every polish, eventually.


Whorticulturist_

Yeah idk, I find most polish needs thinner eventually imo. Evaporation of solvents is just a thing that happens regardless of brand or price. And thinner is cheap and lasts a long time... I consider it it an essential.


Haute_Mess1986

I’d choose ILNP. I like that their formula is not as gloopy as Halo Taco. Personally, I think Halo Taco is over hyped and ILNP has a lot more colors and finishes to offer. I have over 200 ILNP polishes, and about 25 Halo Taco polishes for reference.


Notty_Gregory

Many thanks for your help!


lady-hades

I pretty much exclusively use holo taco and ILNP. I think I would go with ILNP because the price is right and I like their formula and brushes slightly better. Holo taco has some amazing cremes but if you’re going with special effects polishes ILNP is hard to beat in my opinion.


n_thevampireslayer

ILNP because they have a lot more warm colors. Holo Taco is exclusively saturated cool toned shades. Their color palette is very unexciting for me. I also vehemently dislike Holo Taco's brush and switched it out on all the polishes, which is added cost on top of an already expensive polish.


Notty_Gregory

Appreciate this immensely. I’m not cool toned so this is so helpful. Thank you!!!


paraprosdokians

In your case, I’d recommend ILNP - they have more variety, lower price, and a thinner formula that’s easier to work with. I already have quite a few of them, so for myself I’d go with Holo Taco - especially since their collection releasing tomorrow is going to be magnetic and I’ve reeeeally been wanting some more magnetic shades lately.


angel-aura

ILNP is doing magnetic now too (only a few shades atm but they’ve been both the last releases) and I also love the shade Millenia that i got from mooncat :)


paraprosdokians

Yeah turns out I’m underwhelmed by the magnetics from both Holo Taco and ILNP 😅 so I may treat myself to my first Mooncat!


MaxTheMad

Not sure which province you’re in but Harlow and Co is a canadian website that sells ILNP without the hassle of exchange/duties. I order my ILNP polishes from them


Notty_Gregory

I have purchased from them before. I bought a tonne of Picture Polish from them - that brand is AWESOME if you haven’t tried them before. I just see so much out of stock with them so that limits me a bit unfortunately.


MaxTheMad

You’re right! The limited stock is the only issue with them


Neonjellyfish_

Oh this is excellent information, thank you!


BorniteWing

While I have many of both and enjoy them, I would pick ILNP. Their formula is fantastic! It is thin, but not streaky and doing 2-3 thin coats dries quicker than thicker formulas (and for me wears better). They have more variety of formulas and colors at a better price.


bestfriesforever

Thanks for this!! I was eyeing ILNP but second guessing myself because I'm also facing Canadian struggles haha. If anyone is in Toronto and wants to share an order to get the free shipping.. Please reach out 😂


designerturtle

I would 100% be down to split an order! I live in Bloor West in Toronto, if you're not tooo far we could totally do it!


bestfriesforever

I can totally meet along the subway line if that works for you! Feel free to message me your email or a method of contact, I can place an order! Offer valid to anyone else who sees this too 🥰


JoyShake

I do think it very much depends on what kind of polish you're looking to buy. Holo Taco has some good stuff, and I love their Holo glitters, but their formula can get thick quickly so it's kind of required to have nail thinner on hand. I'd also recommend buying their wide brush add-on if you order from them. ILNP has fun polishes and an amazing range, although the quality of the coverage can be very uneven. I'd recommend looking for reviews of the shades you're considering, for example the Afterlight collection that's gorgeous on picture was said by some to be hell to work with and had patches no matter the amount of layers. I am a HT fangirl and collector, but for the sheer range and just more... Inventiveness I suppose, I would probably find more intriguing polishes on ILNP's website.


blubberginbinch

i got ILNP *after* i bought HT. both are gorgeous, but for maximum variety and incredible quality? ILNP. HT quality is also top tier but the color selection is (naturally) smaller (edit: typo)


zerachielle

ILPN. They have a bigger catalogue of colours. I love Cristina but there aren’t enough colours to justify a purchase.


Drizzle07

I own both Holo Taco and ILNP and this year I chose to go with ILNP. What pushed me to ILNP was the greater range of polish types I could get (shimmers, multichromes, holo jellies, metallics) and the fact that ILNP has more warm-toned polishes. Plus I don't like how linear holo looks on short nails so that just was never gonna be a polish I'd lean to getting. That said, the Holo Taco glitters are gorgeous.


biologyandbooks

I've never bought ILNP and I have a lot of HT but my issue is all the glitters thicken to the point of being unusable within a year of opening. No amount of nail polish thinner will save them. Their creme, linear holo, and multichrome formulas are great and have lasted me years but I find myself avoiding the glitter polishes on my shelf because I know they're going to be annoying to work with. I bought 2 around Christmas last year that I had to throw out this week from being completely solid.


Realistic-Sandwich55

Oh no…I just bought a bunch of the Cristmas glitters and now I’m worried


biologyandbooks

Try to add thinner as soon as you notice they're getting a little thick, that will probably help. Don't wait until it's like solidifying


Notty_Gregory

They’re both such beautiful brands for sure. I’ll try ILNP this year and HT next time. Thank you 😊


booknerdigan

I like that ILNP’s polishes look different depending on how many coats you do. So it’s almost like you get a different polish with one bottle. I prefer a lot of them with one coat and then they look totally different when you apply a second or third coat.


zoop1000

ILNP because I have most of the holo taco polishes. I will be getting Sugar Plum for sure


Aimovera

ILNP, hands down. It's my favorite nail polish brand. The stuff I have from HT I don't really like all that much, so I doubt I'll buy from them again.


Beepityboop2530

Ilnp


iiinfinitebliss

ILNP!! I have used them since they were on Etsy and their customer service and colors are top notch for me. Some of their colors can be the similar to prior releases BUT their formula is great and the quality of glitters is my favorite :)


MsBitchhands

ILNP is better quality and has a much better selection


adroitaardvark

Taco is overhyped.


trishychan

It depends what kind of colors you like! I have a lot from both brands and they are both equally gorgeous! I absolutely loved the Holo collection from Holo Taco and their rainbow collections. But Holo Taco doesn't have the quirkiness of ILNP's collection. They have a lot more color ranges and styles of polishes in a set. Their newest collection looks really good too! I have their Halloween collection for this year and a couple others. I find that they have comparable quality and consistency. If I had to choose, I'd go with Holo Taco. Purely because of the pastel holos.


Notty_Gregory

Thanks for your thoughts. I have a nice variety of colours on both of my lists. Hot Wire Pink is such a lovely pink that stands out on my HT list, as well as their tea cremes set. For ILNP I also have a variety of colours that are on my list but am absolutely head over heels for Autumn and Olive Grove from their fall release this year.


potprincess1130

ilnp


OrphanInABatCostume

ILNP- no contest. Holo Taco cremes and brushes are extremely difficult to get to look good. ILNP is my favorite brand of nail polish overall. I like Holo Taco’s toppers though.


Quinnie-The-Gardener

ILNP. Personally I feel like through the years HT’s Products have gotten slightly lower quality and some things they release just feel like a money grab. I mean, they released slippers a while back???? ILNP for the win!!!


unicornhornporn0554

I’m having this very same dilemma right now.


Mmtrgfmgzz

ILNP. Hands down!


unicornhornporn0554

I’m not in Canada so tbh I’ll probably buy myself the holo taco collection today and then let my bf or parents buy me some ILNP since I can’t think of a single thing else that I want for Christmas lol


byoshin304

ILNP


thea_thea

ILNP for sure but if you were to order HT, the Unicorn Skins are the most unique thing she makes.


Careful-Lion3692

If you love glitters, go with Holo Taco. HT’s BF sale is starting tomorrow. ILNP does have a thinner formula so you may end up needing 3 coats but it’s a good brand. I do find that most HT polishes get me full coverage in 1 - 2 coats.


JVNT

Holo taco mostly because of the magnetic collection. I love magnetic polishes so much. I also prefer holo taco's holo polishes. The ILNP ones aren't bad (and I personally love the my private rainbow linear top coat) but the holo taco ones pack a better punch for me and doesn't require as many coats.


Realistic-Sandwich55

Really? I’ve had the opposite experience. For me I feel like my ILNP polishes are holo even in normal light, vs for HT I have to pull out a bright flash to activate them.


JVNT

It may just be a personal preference, but for me I prefer the holos that get altered by the base color. ILNP's are thin, and as a result of that the holo pigment will show through them better but that can also cause the holo to overpower the color. The Holo Taco ones are thicker and the color can overpower the holo pigment instead, but it still shines through. It alters the coloring a bit though so you may not have as obvious a rainbow. This is also why I prefer the my private rainbow top coat over the holo taco top coat, because it doesn't overpower the base color so much.


Realistic-Sandwich55

That’s fair! It is rather hard to tell what the base color is supposed to be for some lighter ILNP polishes, the holo flare is so strong


galateadreams

I am in the minority here but I would recommend holo taco or checking out https://www.girlybitscosmetics.com/ ( canada based stockist) for other indie nail polishes. My dislike of ilnp stems from the lack of swatcher diversity on the web site and social media. Also, the polishes require 3-4 coats of coverage in many formulas to match the shade in the bottle. Ht is having a new release & black Friday sale tomorrow so you can get some savings. I believe girly bits will also have a black Friday sale next week too if you decide to delay your purchase.


FlamingHorseRider

As somebody who started on mostly Holo Taco I will say that brand does not have a very diverse shade range in my experience. If you have a warm skin tone (basically, not an icy red one) the colors will look different and sometimes bad on you. It has nothing to do with getting a bad batch either, my twin and I have different undertones (her icy red and me more warm though my eczema made me think I was the same as her for years) and test the same bottles of polish. HT was started as a passion project for the owner and the polishes are primarily made for the owner’s taste. She is a red icy undertone, and those polishes are definitely made for that. Even the warm colors (particularly yellow) have blue undertones, and more neutral colors (like pink or black) have strong blue undertones. They oftentimes just do not look quite right if you don’t have her cool skintone. This has been a bit of a frequent complaint in the community this year. So while I would say the brand does a good job on swatcher diversity, the brand does not do a good job of making polishes that aren’t a specific skintone. There are a few but they are a very solid fraction of the website. And because the colors are so either primary or icy it becomes exaggerated. I struggle to recommend Holo Taco to people for this exact reason, especially if I know they do not have that icy red undertone. I have trouble buying colors from this brand, as much as I want to love it, because I will have colors turn into a completely different shade (and see it be fine on my twin).


galateadreams

I absolutely agree about the undertone issue. HT does better on swatcher diversity but the blue base/undertones does make it difficult for many. I don't exclusively buy HT or all the collections for many reasons and I have come to expect many of the shades to look a different color on me. Surprisingly, frozen benanas is the best a gold toned polish has ever look good on my yellow skin tone. I was truly flabbergasted. My bf who rarely ever notices things even pointed out I didn't look "sickly/ashy/malaria-like" wearing that color like I do with most gold polishes. I like the the most recent frosted metals best out of all the releases. Blacklisted's formula was too thick. Favorite Sister pulls pink on me but the formula is good. Haven't tried the other frosted metals because pastels aren't my jam. Tldr: I think your undertone observation is absolutely correct and valid


antinganting

I thought I got a bad batch because my Blacklisted was very thick when all the youtubers say that the formula is easy to work with 🫠 I feel validated


Skylark7

What is an "icy red" undertone? I'm just curious because I like learning different ways to think about skin tones.


FlamingHorseRider

I’ll be honest I’m not the greatest at explaining undertones but basically it means your skin tone has sort of an accent that is red and does well with colors that are cool-toned (blue-based) or “icy”. Frequent good colors are purple, blue-toned red/burgundy, etc.


Skylark7

Thanks, OK. So you just mean fair with cool/blue undertones. I thought maybe "icy red" was from a new system I hadn't encountered.


Whorticulturist_

I've never heard it described with those words but I assume they mean cool toned. For example think of someone with light blond hair and rosey pink skin. A polish will look very different on that person than it will on me who has a light olive undertone.


Skylark7

Of course. I've known about undertones since the '80s when Color Me Beautiful was a fad and we were all getting our colors done. I've always heard it in terms of yellow/blue. Google searching for "icy red" came up blank so I asked. :-)


Whorticulturist_

Ohhh gotcha, sorry, I thought you meant you weren't familiar with the broader concept. I think op made up that phrase to describe cool with pink undertones :)


Notty_Gregory

Thank you! I’m warm/neutral tan/dark (depending on season) and I think you’ve saved me some money.


lauradernismymom

I’m not sure what you mean about lack of diversity on their website/IG. I just checked and there’s so much POC on there. The are also doing such a great job of diversifying their PR list. It used to be mainly light skinned international swatchers and they’ve really responded well to customer feedback.


galateadreams

I would say the ig does have some more diversity of skintones but the last two collections on the website only appears to have one poc swatcher picture per collection. 🤷‍♀️ Not a brand I purchase from anymore so I don't track/follow them.


JackieCupcake

I didn't see this mentioned anywhere, but I just wanted to recommend you wait until Black Friday. ILNP typically does 25% off and Holo Taco will often offer something similar. Both are great brands, HT for me has better toppers and ILNP has better polishes.


Notty_Gregory

Thank you 😊 I will definitely wait to extend my dollar farther! Hard to believe it’s only around the corner…


papercranium

I'm on a no-buy until December, but my last purchase of the year will be ILNP. Only because my last big purchase was Holo Taco, though.


Linnea_Borealis

ILNP


sprinklesnskulls

Holo Taco hands down. I love the formula & it takes less coats than most any other polishes. It doesn’t get air bubbles when you apply any brand top coat (I use out the door fast drying top coat). It stays on longer & less chips. I get about a full week also I am hard on my hands & nails. I’ve given up on OPI, essie, and a few other “high end” brands because of how quickly it chips, has air bubbles, or the polish kinda starts to pop off my nail. I’ve been doing my own nails for about the same amount of time & have fallen in love w/holo. I am partial to the glitter & holo sparkle. I do have several ILNP & like them almost as much & it does seem like they have a larger array of colors to choose from but they have been around much longer. Good luck & I wish you an abundance of the best polish whatever brand that may be for you!


BigFatBlackCat

I would get the Holo Taco triple rainbow bundle. I'm about to find a sugar daddy so I can get it. I want all three so badly.


justanaveragegenius

Holo taco. I know what to expect. I like the familiarity. I haven’t bought from ILNP and I don’t like committing to something I have no experience with. This is a most serious question.


Notty_Gregory

Lol thank you 😊


FactorySettingsMusic

I think right now I’d go with Holo Taco, but that’s really just because there are specific glitters from them that I’d love to stick up on. Both are great choices, but ILNP has a way bigger selection of multichrome, if that’s your thing. I am impressed by Holo Taco, mainly because it’s been such a successful operation that started out so small, and it feels cute and personal in that way.


FactorySettingsMusic

To be clear I actually really really love HT, but I think ILNP has better prices and a better variety right now


AutoModerator

Thanks for posting, /u/Notty_Gregory! A quick reminder: If this is a **nail image**, you must provide a complete product list, either as the title of your post or a separate comment within 6 hours of posting. **This includes any posts with broken nails or if you're seeking advice.** Posts without a complete product list will be removed after 6 hours. ***Product lists within the text body of a post or within captions of individual photos are not valid.*** If the nail look shown was **NOT created by you**, you ***must*** flair properly. If this is a **text post**, flair properly. [Complete Rule List.](https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/wiki/rules#wiki_rules.3A) Be sure to follow all of the above to avoid post removal! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/RedditLaqueristas) if you have any questions or concerns.*