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The Holo Hookup Nail Polish Subscription “Tea Party” Review – August 2018

Jessica Hapak
ByJessica HapakAug 17, 2018 | 13 comments

closed Holo Hookup box

The Holo Hookup
5 overall rating
4 Ratings | 1 Reviews

The Holo Hookup is a monthly, pre-order-only, limited edition holographic nail polish subscription box. The subscription was founded by the ladies behind the beauty brands Glisten & Glow, DIFFERENT Dimension, and Cupcake Polish. Each month subscribers will receive 4 full-size nail polishes: one polish from each of the founding brands + a featured guest brand.

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

Holo Hookup August 2018 review

About The Holo Hookup

The Subscription Box: The Holo Hookup

The Cost: $40 a month + shipping

The Products: 4 full-sized holographic nail polishes (one polish from each of the founding brands + a featured guest brand)

Ships to: Worldwide ($4 shipping to the U.S.)

Good to know: The August box is now sold out, but click here to be notified when the September box goes up for sale.

The Holo Hookup August 2018 "Tea Party" Review

Just a heads up, this subscription does not come with an info sheet. All of the value estimates are from what a different holographic polish from the brand would cost. Also, holographic polishes are notoriously difficult to photograph. I did my best, but I promise you that all of the polishes look even better in person.

This box doesn’t come with an info sheet, but this month we received an awesome holographic sticker!

Cupcake Polish in Brew-Tea-Ful, 15 mL

Cupcake Polish in Brew-Tea-Ful, 15 mL – Estimated Value $13 (this is an exclusive shade made just for The Holo Hookup, but check out other holographic polishes from Cupcake Polish here)

Oh baby, now we are talking! I love holo polishes when they are bright and fun and maybe a tad bit obnoxious, and this fits the bill perfectly. Brew-Tea-Ful is a raspberry magenta linear holo with blue and purple flakes and red and gold shimmer. I found the formula to be on the thick side, so more care is needed when applying in order to not mess up the bottom layer of polish when you are applying the second coat.

Different Dimension in Hit Me With Your Best Pot, 15 mL – Estimated Value $11 (this is an exclusive shade made just for The Holo Hookup, but check out other holographic polishes from Different Dimension here)

This is an amazing sapphire blue linear holo that will get rainbow shimmer when the light hits just right. In the sunlight, this is absolutely breathtaking—this is definitely one of my all-time favorite polishes in the 6+ months I have been reviewing The Holo Hookup.

This photo was taken in direct sunlight.

And this photograph was taken in an elevator. No editing was done to make those flashes of light appear, that is really just how fun and sparkly this polish is! The formula was great with two easy coats with no pulling or snagging.

Glisten & Glow in Let’s Get The Par-Tea Started, 15 mL – Estimated Value $12 (this is an exclusive shade made just for The Holo Hookup. Check out the other polishes offered by Glisten & Glow here)

This is a light beige linear holo with scattered aurora shimmer. The holo is very faint—while it is definitely there, it isn’t as noticeable as the holo in Hit Me With Your Best Pot, for example. I found this to be a bit on the sheer end, and while I only went with two coats for application three would probably be best for full opacity.

Grace-Full Nail Polish in Cute-Tea, 11 mL

Grace-Full Nail Polish in Cute-Tea, 11 mL – Estimated Value $11 (this is an exclusive shade made just for The Holo Hookup. Check out the other polishes offered by Grace-Full Nail Polish here)

This is a light pink holo with gold shimmer and gold flakes, only the gold flakes didn’t want to come out for me when I was applying it. This is a very pretty and very feminine polish, and it is much softer than some of the other pinks we have received in this subscription. Formula-wise I had no issues with application and two coats were enough for full opacity.

Verdict: As usual, I really enjoyed this month’s box from The Holo Hookup. Both Brew-Tea-Ful and Hit Me With Your Best Pot are very unique polishes, and as a frequent shopper at Ulta and Sally’s (stores with large nail polish collections) you genuinely cannot walk into one of those stores and find nail polishes that look like the ones in this box. Another thing to note is that holographic polishes are pretty uncommon in the mainstream polish world, and some brands will even charge more for their holographic polishes (I am looking at you, OPI DS collection). This subscription is the only way you can currently get four different polishes from the four featured brands. In terms of how long the color will last, I top all of my nails with Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat, and I have never had an issue with my holo polishes chipping.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, this box is now sold out. Check back here for when the September box goes on sale.

Value Breakdown: This box costs $40 + $4 shipping, which means that each of the 4 nail polishes in the box has an average cost of $11.

Check out all of our The Holo Hookup reviews and more nail polish boxes in the Beauty Subscription Box Directory!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

What do you think of The Holo Hookup box?

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The Holo Hookup is a monthly pre-order all holographic, exclusive (limited edition) box. The 3 main contributors are Cupcake Polish, DIFFERENT dimension and Glisten & Glow. Each month there will be a special guest maker as the 4th polish. Each month will also have a theme.
Jessica Hapak
Jessica Hapak
I am a staunch believer that pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza and when I’m not working as a family law attorney I enjoy hiking the Louisiana trails (alligator sightings are a favorite!) or relaxing with Duchess, my cat. I’m a sucker for anything labeled a mystery box and I’ve never met a bath bomb I didn’t like.

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13 comments

lizR

Love the polish colors. Unfortunately I had to pass on the August hookup. 🙁

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Aarjullor

I’ve purchased this box a couple of times, but I prefer the shimmer me box. I own a LOT of polishes, mostly Zoya and indie brands. I look forward to the polish pickup every month. Your nails always look great, but your poor cuticles make me cringe. Girl, cuticle oil/balms are your friend. I got into the habit of massaging hand cream into my cuticles after everytime I wash my hands, and an oil before bed. I love that MSA has you reviewing this little indie sub.

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Cynthia

They look beautiful on your nails!! I always love there shades but just to much money for polish every month.

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Anne

I had a really weird photography professor in college who was always super critical and never liked anything. One of only two photographs of mine he ever complimented was taken in an elevator! He commented on the unique lighting and when I said “it’s the elevator in my dorm” he sort of looked at me oddly, then said to the class “you should all go take photographs in elevators this week. This looks great!”

Anyway. Off topic, but your comment about the photo in the elevator made me laugh out loud! Your reviews are always great, as are your nails!

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Katy

I’ve been stalking this one for months and finally caved when I saw the spoilers. They really are spectacular in person, and it’s a good selection of wild and wearable colors. my only complaint is all that sparkle is distracting when I’m driving 🙂

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Rosette

Wow what a horrible box. At $11 a pop for a $44 box, you might as well just buy holo polish of you want.

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Clarissa

Jessica you have the prettiest nails. Do you use a polish to strengthen them? My nails break and are very flimsy and I just can’t get to them to grow healthy. Any suggestions? By the way love all these colors. Never knew holographic polish existed until this box came along.

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Clarissa

Thanks for all the suggestions. I’m going to try some of these ideas this week. I never use to wear polish but as I’ve gotten older and had more time, I’ve started experimenting and love all the different colors and techniques.

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Rosemary

Hi Clarissa! I have always had crappy nails (let me say how grateful I am that I have two hands and ten nails…things could always be worse). I started using an all-in-one gel (the brand that I started with was Bio Seaweed Gel) and the all-in-one gel was the “Unity” gel type. These do cure in the sun, and I soak them off with acetone from Sally Beauty. My nails really benefit from the protection of multiple layers of this quick-curing polish method, and once I read that I should be treating nail polish as protection for my nails (rather than just decoration) I started keeping something on my nails at all times. These days I usually keep about six layers of gel on my nails to add strength, but it doesn’t look chunky or weird. I use normal polish anymore because I destroy it within half an hour of application. I usually do my nails once every two weeks.

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Jessica Hapak

Hi Clarissa!
The photos may appear a bit misleading, as I actually have a coat of acrylic on top of my natural nails. Before I got acrylics the best nail strengthener I ever tried was OPI Nail Envy— that stuff is magic in a bottle!

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Kristin

I always assumed they were fake nails, they are too perfect! If they are real I’m super jealous.

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Lori

Those polishes are pretty, but I would never order this as the logo on the box looks like it’s a sex toy company!

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Jessica Hapak

Hi Lori!
This is shipped in a small yellow bubble mailer with the label taking up most of the mailer. No handcuff logo in sight until you open your box!

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