The underwhelmingness of China Glaze's summer holo line was... well, overwhelming, considering how stoked we all were for it. Strap On Your Moonboots had caught my fancy from the beginning, though, but the heightened pricetag kept me from adding it to my stash, until I saw this post from Cat's Adventures in Lacquer Land. Cat has a tendency of tipping the scales when I'm sort of on the fence about something and she's been one of my top enablers basically since I started reading her blog. Anyway, chalk this one up to being Another Polish Cat Made me Buy and I honestly could not be happier. This thing is gorgeous.
Strap On Your Moonboots is a dark indigo metallic with a medium strength rainbow. I am TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH THIS COLOR. A holo effect doesn't have to be in your face blinding to be completely gorgeous and Strap On Your Moonboots happens to be an awesomely versatile neutral in and out of direct light. The name is highly awesome too, and reminds me of that most cultured of indie comedy flicks, Napoleon Dynamite.
Application falls somewhere between Layla difficult and Jade easy. I've learned that if the finish on a holo is metallic, it has a bigger tendency to pull while being applied. But don't freak out when your first coat of this turns out to be a balding, streaky, patchy mess-- a thicker second coat applied carefully will smooth and perfect the whole thing. I used a basecoat because of the pigmentation and one layer of topcoat, which did not affect the holo at all.
♥♥♥♥♥♥ :) I love this polish immensely and I'm so glad Cat's photos convinced me to buy something that my twitterpated heart can only believe is true polish love.
Thanks for reading and have a lovely weekend!
This is pretty even though the holo effect isn't strong! Nice :)
ReplyDeleteA super saturated color makes for an equally gorgeous holo and at some point, strength doesn't matter... If it's marketed as a holo it ought to have a rainbow of some sort. That's my only criteria, lol.
DeleteI'm jealous at how well you were able to capture the holo effect! Your photos are awesome. This is a gorgeous color, even if the holo effect isn't that strong.
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks, Cat :) I thought you did a pretty spectacular job, yourself. And it is an AMAZING color ♥♥♥
DeleteIt's gorgeous! It's the only one from this collection that I really need.
ReplyDeleteI'm in total agreement. Get it before you can't find it ;)
DeleteThis is *beautiful*!! And your photos are insanely perfect. And you're right about the name...cos I'm training to be a cage fighter!!
ReplyDeleteYESS!! Rex Kwan Do! I ♥ you, dude.
DeleteSeriously @Liesl, your photos belong in a magazine! This is so gorgeous, it should be illegal :)
ReplyDeleteAWWW ♥♥♥ :D Holos are easy to take pretty pictures of, lol. I really had to narrow it down.
DeleteI love this still want this :)
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing! You should totally get it, like, immediately :)
DeleteI personally really like the Hologlam collection. I think formulas are really good and the color selection is fun. At first, I was disappointed bc I was hoping for OMG type of holos. But, they def grew on me. Your swatches are proof of why they are good polishes to have.
ReplyDeleteIt is fun seeing people's choices out of the collection pop up here and there, proof that they're growing on a lot of us. Emily at Una, Dos, Tres... n'Stuff! likes the reddish one, the maroon, maybe? I can't remember the name but I keep waiting for that swatch. Thank you for your kind words... I sure am loving this one :)
Deletethis is a super pretty color! looks good on you :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Destany :) It is a highly awesome color.
DeleteThat is so pretty.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree :)
DeleteI love super duper holo(ness)...yeah, I know that's not a word. LOL I was so disappointed in China Glaze's whole Hologlam collection that I immediately went online and bought all of the 2013 Color Club Halo Hues in rebelliousness. LOL Out of all of the hologlams, I think this one looks the best.
ReplyDeleteHoloness should totally be a word, lol :) I LOVE in-yo-face holo but I really like the softer, more subtle holos, too, especially when the base color is as gorgeous as this one is to me ♥ I need the Halo Hues in my life, though, and I think it's highly adorable that you bought all of this year's collection out of rebellion. That's as good a reason as any I've heard :) :)
DeleteI have been totally on the fence about this one! But I thought it would be underwhelming, as you said...but no! Thanks for changing my mind!
ReplyDeleteHey, no prob, lol :) There's, like, no holo just looking at the bottle but it's certainly all there where it counts!
DeleteI really hope I will change my mind exactly as you did. The whole collection has been definitely underwhelming for those like me (us?) who were expecting something like a OMG reloaded. Anyway I grabbed this colour because I have nothing like it in my stash (holo-wise). And now I keep looking at the bottle inside my Helmer but have no whatsoever desire to paint my nails with it :(
ReplyDeleteThere's, like, NO holo in the bottle at all and it doesn't matter what light you put it under but don't let that be your decision maker. It was such a turn off to be asked to pay extra for a collection that didn't deliver on its promises but this one does, eventually. You just need to wear it. It really is special and while it isn't in-your-face it is still noticeable in any light and the base color is just gorgeous. I hope to see it on your blog soon ;)
DeleteHi Liesl - I have no words for Strap On Your Moonboots - I own it too and it is one of my favorite everyday holos. The saturated base make this so cool and off the edge!! Your pictures are perfect and you carry off this polish über cool!!! I am now always going for Aqua Base Coats when using anything remotely holo - it usually pays off with application and while I am pretty good to paint my swatching hand - my "weak" hand paints HORRIBLY, so no way I could manage a trickier application ;-P
ReplyDeleteMy Rejuvacote seems to be optimal with all sorts of things, lol, because I never deviate from that. It's smoothed my nails to the point where I can wear my Laylas sans base and they apply like they're supposed to and it works well with the others in my collection, too, so maybe that is an aqua base type thing, I dunno. If you've done a Layla-- and I think you have-- you can totally handle this :)
DeletePretty shade! looks lovely on you :)
ReplyDelete