Going by the trends in makeup, all things unicorn-y, alien-like, glittery, metallic, chromatic, iridescent, and yes, holographic, have become the rage. The trouble is, few people know what holo actually is. Today, we explain it all here, especially what is commonly confused as holographic, but definitely isn’t.
What is holographic makeup?
Anything that sparkles like a rainbow is holographic. Prismatic in appearance, holographic makeup is rare to come across, barring nail paint and perhaps one multipurpose liquid pigment, which an indie brand from Canada makes. There could obviously be holographic makeup in some part of the world that we are not aware of, but most of the stuff you see around you is not holo. Holographic makeup is usually glitter of some kind which reflects the seven different colours of the rainbow. It can come in many colours and doesn’t have to be silver, but due to the pigmentation of stronger colours, sometimes the holographic effect of it doesn’t come across as much as it does on lighter silver or white.
But do not be led into thinking that holo is only present in glitter form. There is something called linear holo polish which is a smooth, non-chunky formulation of nail paint with very fine particles. The reason it is called linear is because the holo effect happens in a distinct line. The other kind of holo polish is scattered holo polish, which is basically sparkly stuff not packed together too tightly, and which is more dispersed throughout the nail gel.
What is iridescent makeup?
To know your pigments, you need to know that iridescent is not holographic, although it is often sold as that. Iridescent is something that changes colour when seen from different angles under changing light. Usually, it is a mix of two or three colours, and flits between only these few hues. Therefore, it is not a rainbow-reflecting pigment.
For instance, the Maybelline New York Gigi Hadid Liquid Strobe in Iridescent is what it claims to be, even though the packaging has a bit of holo design to fool the gullible.
More info at Iridescent VS holographic
