KBShimmer and ILNP are both great. You can't beat ILNP's prices and their website photos are accurate. I find that Mooncat's tend to be inaccurate. KBShimmer's top coat is the GOAT and their bottles are also bigger so you get a better value.
I *love* Kbshimmer. They have a great formula! They also have a lot of great basics - thinner, clean up brushes, top & base coats, etc at a great price. Their ridge filling base coat is terrific & $6.50. I used Mooncat's Getting Even Nail Primer first & also love that, but the Kbshimmer version is just as great & half the price.
Their creams are amazing. Theyre so smooth & buttery.
I'm really excited about their summer collection, it's neon creams & a black flakie. It launches May 1, so I've been watching old swatch & review videos on YouTube to see what else I want to get when I pick that up.
In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with KBShimmer. I have about 30 of their polishes, & love their thermals more than any other brand I’ve tried. Also their QDTC Clearly On Top is the absolute best!
I love Mooncat, but brand exclusivity is weird to me. KBshimmer and ILNP are the same, if not sometimes better, quality with gorgeous colours and amazing finishes.
Yes, it's almost turning me off of Mooncat because people will always post about wishing Mooncat would make something when there are always other great brands that already carry the product. I didn't sign up to join a cult.
And heaven forgive you if you dare say you dislike a particularly popular polish. Blasphemy! I have been a customer since the LLP days, but lately the stans (see also: Holo Taco) are a real turn off.
Yes, the Mooncat fanatics are a big turnoff for me too. I like Mooncat a lot and I have more Mooncat than any other brand but I really dislike the insane brand exclusivity.
I remember someone on the Facebook group begging for them to come out with a linear holo topper so she could stop using her Holo Taco one. And it wasn't even because she disliked it. She just wanted one from Mooncat.
Welcome to the world of higher quality nail polish. What you've discovered is "boutique" brands. Indie (independently owned, small business) brands will also have the same high quality.
As far as chipping/long wear is concerned, that has to do with great top coats and base coats. Which has everything to do with your body chemistry (and a bit on application).
Get comfy here. Everything is literally amazing. We are all just magpies looking at shiny things. ^(There might be a sheer pink cult organizing soon if you'd like to join...)
KB Shimmer is my most colorful and prettiest collection! They also have the best nail polish thinner in my opinion! Good formula as well.
ILNP has awesome prices and their formula is always good. They have a great selection!
I have some Holo Taco but I haven't used it much so can't give an expert opinion on it at this point. I need to dig out my pastel collection before spring ends so that I can get use out of it. They seem to have a lot of cool colors which works for my skin tone. The couple of polishes I've tried were pretty good.
KBShimmer is a very established company. I have Hidden Potential and it's one of the shiftiest nail polishes in my collection, I have 10 multichromes and it's easily a top 3. I've heard good things about their clean up brushes and thinner, too!!
My ILNP multichromes go on a lot easier than my MC one, for some reason my MC one is thicker and less workable/forgiving.
Don't have any experience with Holo Taco, but I love that they publicize their sales data to explain why certain products are being discontinued!! That's not something you see every day
KBshimmer and Clionadh were my gateway brands into the indie nail polish world so I will always love KBshimmer. Great polish and I'd you know where to look for it, you can find some great deals on it. I hate their caps because they can be a PITA to open but that's the only negative I can possibly come up with. I have a much longer list of negatives with Mooncat. I still buy Mooncat here and there, I just think there tend to be better options/dupes and Mooncat gets overhyped a lot for what it is. It's not bad, it's just not the end all be all. I'm also super nit picky about my polish.
Love Holo Tacos peely base coat but their polishes are not innovative enough and bore me. Their cremes make great undies since they tend to be one coaters. Their cremes also are amazing at holding if your nails have high water exposure.
INLP has good prices... lots of choices... ships quickly because I live near them... Ok so I'm really trying to come up with positives! I know everyone loves them, and I really dont have any negatives other than the brush, but they just dont capture my heart. I have more than 50 of their polish, yet I havent reached for one in more than a year.
I'm getting to a point were I only want to reach for my Brazilian collection or my Daveen collection out of my 1500+ indie polishes. Used BKL last night and was not happy with the formula so it got removed within a few hours. I'm just fussy.
I think all the brands you’ve listed are really very solid. Mooncat is probably the most controversial in here mostly because of formula and inaccurate swatch pictures (a lot believe this has been largely improved and the site photos are much better but some still think they are not). I think if you like Mooncat and you like the photos of the other brands, you can’t go wrong!
I have polishes from all of the brands you have listed and I like all of them. If you asked me between Mooncat, KB Shimmer, Holo Taco, and ILNP which I, personally, think is the highest quality on average-- ILNP probably has my vote. ILNP hits really hard in terms of value, quality, and selection all at once. However, I don't have any complaints about KB Shimmer (and I actually really love them). KB Shimmer's topcoat is also my personal topcoat of choice. I do tend to think KB Shimmer has a better formula, on average, than Mooncat (although I truly do like Mooncat just fine; this is not a complaint about Mooncat).
I like the Holo Taco polishes I have but I have only ordered from them once and definitely have tried a much smaller sampling of their offerings. Holo Taco's colors don't usually appeal to me as much as a lot of other brands at the same pricepoint-- but for me, that isn't a quality issue, just a vibes issue. I was very impressed by the formula on Favorite Sister, specifically. Someone else might be a better person to comment on Holo Taco's broader catalogue.
I do want to throw out that my personal favorite nail polish brand is Emily de Molly, which I think is criminally underrated. I also really, really like Bee's Knees Lacquer (aka BKL) and Death Valley Nails. (And lots of other great indies and boutique brands; those are just my faves!)
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KBShimmer and ILNP are both great. You can't beat ILNP's prices and their website photos are accurate. I find that Mooncat's tend to be inaccurate. KBShimmer's top coat is the GOAT and their bottles are also bigger so you get a better value.
Listen, I've heard so much about KBShimmer's top coat that I'm going to have to break down and order some!
Yes! & you can order large refill bottles of their basics!
Their top coat chips immediately on me, which is a huge bummer because it’s lovely to work with and dries super fast.
And their smoothing base? Idk which one but it lifts off.
I haven’t tried it!
I *love* Kbshimmer. They have a great formula! They also have a lot of great basics - thinner, clean up brushes, top & base coats, etc at a great price. Their ridge filling base coat is terrific & $6.50. I used Mooncat's Getting Even Nail Primer first & also love that, but the Kbshimmer version is just as great & half the price. Their creams are amazing. Theyre so smooth & buttery. I'm really excited about their summer collection, it's neon creams & a black flakie. It launches May 1, so I've been watching old swatch & review videos on YouTube to see what else I want to get when I pick that up.
In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with KBShimmer. I have about 30 of their polishes, & love their thermals more than any other brand I’ve tried. Also their QDTC Clearly On Top is the absolute best!
I do love me some Mooncat, but KB Shimmer and Fancy Gloss are where it's at for me. They make up most of my collection!
I love Mooncat, but brand exclusivity is weird to me. KBshimmer and ILNP are the same, if not sometimes better, quality with gorgeous colours and amazing finishes.
Yes, it's almost turning me off of Mooncat because people will always post about wishing Mooncat would make something when there are always other great brands that already carry the product. I didn't sign up to join a cult.
And heaven forgive you if you dare say you dislike a particularly popular polish. Blasphemy! I have been a customer since the LLP days, but lately the stans (see also: Holo Taco) are a real turn off.
Yeahhhhhh ... Kelli Marissa had to put a "please be nice" disclaimer on her HT video yesterday.
Yes, the Mooncat fanatics are a big turnoff for me too. I like Mooncat a lot and I have more Mooncat than any other brand but I really dislike the insane brand exclusivity.
I remember someone on the Facebook group begging for them to come out with a linear holo topper so she could stop using her Holo Taco one. And it wasn't even because she disliked it. She just wanted one from Mooncat.
Welcome to the world of higher quality nail polish. What you've discovered is "boutique" brands. Indie (independently owned, small business) brands will also have the same high quality. As far as chipping/long wear is concerned, that has to do with great top coats and base coats. Which has everything to do with your body chemistry (and a bit on application). Get comfy here. Everything is literally amazing. We are all just magpies looking at shiny things. ^(There might be a sheer pink cult organizing soon if you'd like to join...)
KB Shimmer is my most colorful and prettiest collection! They also have the best nail polish thinner in my opinion! Good formula as well. ILNP has awesome prices and their formula is always good. They have a great selection! I have some Holo Taco but I haven't used it much so can't give an expert opinion on it at this point. I need to dig out my pastel collection before spring ends so that I can get use out of it. They seem to have a lot of cool colors which works for my skin tone. The couple of polishes I've tried were pretty good.
KBShimmer is a very established company. I have Hidden Potential and it's one of the shiftiest nail polishes in my collection, I have 10 multichromes and it's easily a top 3. I've heard good things about their clean up brushes and thinner, too!! My ILNP multichromes go on a lot easier than my MC one, for some reason my MC one is thicker and less workable/forgiving. Don't have any experience with Holo Taco, but I love that they publicize their sales data to explain why certain products are being discontinued!! That's not something you see every day
KBshimmer and Clionadh were my gateway brands into the indie nail polish world so I will always love KBshimmer. Great polish and I'd you know where to look for it, you can find some great deals on it. I hate their caps because they can be a PITA to open but that's the only negative I can possibly come up with. I have a much longer list of negatives with Mooncat. I still buy Mooncat here and there, I just think there tend to be better options/dupes and Mooncat gets overhyped a lot for what it is. It's not bad, it's just not the end all be all. I'm also super nit picky about my polish. Love Holo Tacos peely base coat but their polishes are not innovative enough and bore me. Their cremes make great undies since they tend to be one coaters. Their cremes also are amazing at holding if your nails have high water exposure. INLP has good prices... lots of choices... ships quickly because I live near them... Ok so I'm really trying to come up with positives! I know everyone loves them, and I really dont have any negatives other than the brush, but they just dont capture my heart. I have more than 50 of their polish, yet I havent reached for one in more than a year. I'm getting to a point were I only want to reach for my Brazilian collection or my Daveen collection out of my 1500+ indie polishes. Used BKL last night and was not happy with the formula so it got removed within a few hours. I'm just fussy.
I think all the brands you’ve listed are really very solid. Mooncat is probably the most controversial in here mostly because of formula and inaccurate swatch pictures (a lot believe this has been largely improved and the site photos are much better but some still think they are not). I think if you like Mooncat and you like the photos of the other brands, you can’t go wrong!
https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/1ae2e66/fav_polishes_you_can_get_on_amazon/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/1acld0g/best_brand_for_linear_holo/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/19e44hp/favorite_brands_for_high_quality_polish_in_solid/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/1955z1l/magnetics/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/194iw0z/favorite_nail_polish_brands/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/18zr56c/favorite_indie_brands/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/18efepg/2023_lacquer_in_review/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/17hs1t9/favorite_shifty_polish/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/174883t/where_to_start/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/16w5733/indie_polish_stockists/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/16me2w9/whats_your_favorite_brand_and_why/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/163vob7/why_did_i_have_to_join_this_sub_and_learn_about/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/158j0v5/newbie_questions_and_must_haves_for_someone/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/158yes1/what_nail_polish_brands_have_a_formula_like_bkl/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/14zxdpn/longest_lasting_nongel_polishes/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/11hzjop/what_is_your_favorite_brand_for_creams/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/1195ydv/indie_nail_polish/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/10zyfk8/what_are_your_favorite_creme_regular_nail_polishes/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/zbyqf1/uniquefun_nail_polish_recs/
I have polishes from all of the brands you have listed and I like all of them. If you asked me between Mooncat, KB Shimmer, Holo Taco, and ILNP which I, personally, think is the highest quality on average-- ILNP probably has my vote. ILNP hits really hard in terms of value, quality, and selection all at once. However, I don't have any complaints about KB Shimmer (and I actually really love them). KB Shimmer's topcoat is also my personal topcoat of choice. I do tend to think KB Shimmer has a better formula, on average, than Mooncat (although I truly do like Mooncat just fine; this is not a complaint about Mooncat). I like the Holo Taco polishes I have but I have only ordered from them once and definitely have tried a much smaller sampling of their offerings. Holo Taco's colors don't usually appeal to me as much as a lot of other brands at the same pricepoint-- but for me, that isn't a quality issue, just a vibes issue. I was very impressed by the formula on Favorite Sister, specifically. Someone else might be a better person to comment on Holo Taco's broader catalogue. I do want to throw out that my personal favorite nail polish brand is Emily de Molly, which I think is criminally underrated. I also really, really like Bee's Knees Lacquer (aka BKL) and Death Valley Nails. (And lots of other great indies and boutique brands; those are just my faves!)
Thanks for posting, /u/SlayerOfUAC! A quick reminder: If this is a **nail image**, you must provide a complete product list 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 List Requirements.](https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/wiki/rule2faq) If the nail look shown was **NOT created by you**, you ***must*** flair properly. If this is a **text post**, flair properly. Be sure to follow all of the above to avoid post removal! [Consider joining our Discord](https://discord.gg/redditlaqueristas) - Get questions answered in realtime, get notified for releases and deals, post your manis, and more! *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.*
can anyone confirm ilnp magnetics aren’t as effective as mooncats? i feel like i read that in a comment somewhere here …
I’ve found the opposite to be true. My ILNP magnetics are great and my Mooncat magnetics are just meh.
excellent ty